Hi, I'm new to this fourm and am trying to make my first quiver. I plan to landboard and snowkite. Maybe some kitesurfing too. I am 14 so money is tight.

Option #1
Naish Airborne Virus kites in sizes 5m,7m,9m,11m & 14m
They are from 2002 and are 2 line. Does anyone know how to convert them to 4 line?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Naish-Airborne-Virus-5m-7m-9m-11m-14...
Pros:
usable on water
5 kites
some are new
good wind range
Cons:
2 line
need to convert
Price:
$350

Option #2
Pansh legends in 5.5, 4.5, and 3
Brand new from pansh. They all include their own handles and lines
Pros:
low cost
new
3 sets handles and lines
Cons:
bad wind range
Price:
$278

Option #3
pansh blaze 8.5 and 3 and a pansh legend 5.5
Brand new from pansh. They all include their own handles and lines
Pros:
good wind range
new
3 sets handles and lines
Cons:
price
Price:
$358

What do you guys think? I would love to get the viruses, but they are 2 line. Any advice would be greatly appeciated.

where do you live? has to be one of us close by.

My advice is to get together with someone who is in the sport and try out their kites and learn the ropes first and then buy some kites, at that time you will know what you want.

you have 1 post? we need more info from you.

Stay away from them! Like big kid said, get with someone that knows what they're doing, but ONE "modern" kite that works is WAY better than a bunch of old kites that will kill you. Even converted to 4 lines, they will not have ANY depower. 2007-2008 flat LEI kites have the best value there is. They work well and are cheap.
BUT like big kid says, get together with people, find someone that knows what they are doing.

Avoid those old Naish kites like the plague ! They will only give you trouble and injury. Read what the seller has to say about them being dangerous . If you are looking to ride on water there are much better options.

Like others mentioned some info on you and your location will help . Your size, location, winds and desires.

What is the most common way of entering the sport is to buy a good 3m foil and learn the ropes on it. A 3m kite will fly in most winds . It will serve up lots of power in high winds. If you buy a good 3m kite it will serve as your high wind kite as you improve + will be the kite you teach all your friends with. While you are learning on the 3m you will get a better idea of what you want the kite to do for you. Hopefully hook up with other locals. All this knowledge will allow you to make the right choices moving forward.

2 tips for buying on a budget I have learned from experience : Buy quality used gear. It will serve you best, last longest and resell with the least loss. AVOID impulse buying ! Check on here. Folks will give you ( too many ) honest opinions and help you avoid kites like those old Naish ones. ( if possible " try before you buy " ! )

Pansh make an exceptable product for entry , budget minded people. You can buy new Pansh kites for about equal to used costs on name brand kites. What you save you lose trying to resell.

Avoid Ebay if you don't know what it is you are looking at !

You need some more info on me. I weigh 110 pounds, live in Dickinson North Dakota, the winds average 11-14 mph but range from 3-25 mph. I would like to Landboard and snowkite. Probably not kitesurf since I windsurf. Right now I'm leening toward Option #3. I wish the 10.0 blaze wasn't $60 more than the 8.5. It would make my windrange 6-25 mph, about perfect for my area.

Buy a 3m four line fixed bridle kite on handles. Fly the snot out of it in winds from 8 to 15 mph max. Learn kite control skills, launching, landing. Be careful in higher winds, especially if it is gusty. You will probably never sell this kite. Great for static flying, high wind land boarding, teaching others to fly. This will also be the gateway kite for land boarding when the wind is strong enough. Budget required... $150 to $250.

Start to scout for a good used depower foil right here on PKF in the 7m to 8m range. When you find something that interests you, ask for input and advice here. Fly it first in low winds. Fly the snot out of this. Good brands include HQ, Ozone, Gin, Flysurfer, Flexifoil, Peter Lynn. These will all keep decent resale value. I am sure there are brands I forgot. Anybody have a good link that describes depower foils? Budget, $350 to $550 I'm guessing.

Once you know you like the sport, invest in a 10m to 12m depower foil for lighter winds. This will open up more days for flying.

I learned to fly on snow and skis here in WI. Been there...

Buy a helmet... before the kite.

And welcome to the addiction.

If you are looking toward mountian board and snowkite then you will be better off moving to depower kites. Not that you can't do both with Fixed bridle but most folks move over to depower. More range and better gust handling. Better for jumping.

You seem stuck on buying a whole quiver right away. This only makes sense if you are familiar with the model and know it will serve your needs. The better choice is to get a good 3m. Get a harness and get used to flying the 3m hooked in. This will entertain you for a month or so and set the basic memory reflexes . During that time shop on here for a depower kite. If your winds are truly 11 -14 on average about a 10m or larger will end up your go to size. Starting with something like a 7 - 8m will make the step up less drastic and will serve you well in those winds up to 25mph.

Patients is important in this sport on almost every level. From buying your gear to choosing when to use it.

Would a slingshot ranger 12m be a good depower? I can get one with the bar and harness for a little over $250.

Snake- it's a good kite, BUT PROBABLY NOT THE BEST KITE FOR YOU TO START ON! I know, I have one. Not the best safety system on it, therefore newbies should probably stay away. (This is my only concern with this kite, lack of a proper KILL switch!)

That said, if you have PLENTY OF TIME ON A TRAINER kite, you could consider getting it and growing into it.

Should you buy it right now? Depends. If it's in great shape, I'd jump on it.(and I mean "flown once" sort of shape, no patches, no pinholes, etc etc) If not, since you have to upgrade your skills before you can fly it, let that deal pass by. Another ranger12 will come along for the same price, eventually.

Where are you at in the world? Maybe one of us is local and could show you the differences in fixed/depower and foil/LEI? Give you tips on what to look for in used deals, to help you get started correct, instead of getting started and SOUR on the sport(those naish viruses would have really soured you!)

It is important to know what year the kite is. That will tell us a lot about design and safety features.

As far as learning with a 12m kite, don't do it. Unless you like pain... and a very slow learning curve.

Do you have any flying experience ?
If not , we are back to getting a 3m and learning on it while figuring out what will work best for you and your location. + getting used to a harness.
You would need a harness to go with the Ranger or any depower. You can fly the 3m fixed bridle without .

I didn't catch this on the first read. Snake is 14 years old. No wonder budget is an issue.

Who knows someone in ND that will teach a kid to fly and share some equipment?

Snake, if we find someone nearby, connect them with your parents and see if you can meet up some way and get some mentoring. There are many, quality guys on here that would be more than happy to create another fanatic.

About the kite buddy issue, I emailed Donaldgould about helping me learn. He replied about 2 weeks ago asking if I had gear. I told him I didn't and I havent heard from him since.

About the kite, The seller says it is like new, still crispy with no tears. It comes with a harness, lines, bar, leash, and kite.

Right now I am making a 3.5m nasa wing. I have everything I need except the bar and lines. Their is a way to make nasa wings depowerable that uses a harness

I think I might get the ranger and use the bar and lines to learn on the nasa wing. If the nasa wing works well I will probably make a 7m or 8n in the future.

Just hang tight. I've dealt with Donald a few times and he's a stand-up cat. That's definitely the best option. I'm sure he'll get in touch.

14 is a bad time to get yourself killed but a great time to start developing the skills. You'll be flying one handed, boosting to the moon while talking on your cell phone by the time you're as old as me and I'll still be figuring stuff out. I WISH I'd started kiting back when I didn't have a house to maintain, a wife making honey-do lists and little ones to play with.

A depower bar will not work on a Nasa Wing.

I'm just 2 years older than you Snake and thought I should let you know how I started.
At the age of 12 I was given a Peter Lynn Hornet 2m for Christmas. I still fly it to this day and could literally fly it all day blindfolded if need be:karate: once I got used to it, I got a landboard (age 13) and found it quite hard with such a small kite. I was on and off kiting for next 2 years, only really flying in the summer.
Then around 9 months ago I SERIOUSLY got into kiting again, going out everyday I could and ended up buying a Ozone Access XC 10m (2009, depower) which I got used to flying within an hour or so and felt like I had about 10 previous hours of flying on it. Now, this was more than likely because I knew the wind window very well, I knew exactly what caused a kite to stall etc....
So, I think you should start off with a second hand 3m not only to get used to flying a kite but to make sure you actually LIKE kite flying

Did you ever finish that NASA wing? I think the de-power NASA wing you are referring to is the NASA Star II that John Holgate has posted videos on. If you can devise a similar system on your home-made NASA wing, then !! If not you can fly a NASA wing as a 2-line on a bar, which can be a little tricky, but do-able. The NASA's really are (for me, anyway) best flown as 4-line on handles, as the fine brake input needed to get the most out of them is there with handles. You can probably get a set of new 20M lines/handles for around 100$ or so. All that said, I think you will get great satisfaction from flying a kite you made for yourself. I wish I had the sewing skill, but fortunately for me, kitemaker4 is here for us non-sewing types. Another nice thing about the NASA's is that they will fly well on different length lines, right down to flying directly off the handles, allowing varying degrees of power/control with the same kite. I think the NASA wing is a great place to start on your powerkite addiction..er, pass time, especially one you make yourself! Welcome to the club! Be safe, brain bucket and pads help when you get overpowered!

U2U sent

I hope you listen to what everyone is telling you. There is a way to do this without getting hurt. For the most part traction kiting is a safe sport, as long as you don't get in over your head. Take it from the ones who know and have already been through the experience.