Thanks for the great info on here.

I bought a Beamer 3m about 2 years ago and have been flying it on and off for that same time. I'm pretty good with it and have taken it out on skis a handfull of times and flown it at the beach a bunch as well. So I think I'm ready to get my second kite.

Should i get another 3m with a bar? should I switch my Beamer to a bar setup?

Or step up to a 4m or larger?
I will be buying used, as i'm on a budget right now.

I'm looking to ski it in my neighbors hay field once the snow falls. Kinda small area but I get some good rides considering I can walk there. The area is about 1800' x 250' wide :wee::wee::wee:

Thanks

Go big or go home...
Kidding...but, in all seriousness....go bigger and get a bar...and a harness. Whole different animal...

Bar and harness also lets you fly one handed and lowers your center of gravity to your waist....you'll never look back.

Beleive me, I will be going big until I have to go home...
I think I def. want a depower so i have a safety in case i get in trouble and start heading towards some trees or what not.
Is there a big difference in a 5 to a 7m? I'm 160 lbs

Herb- i see your riding North rhinos, thats kinda what got me back looking into kites, I found a 2006 N. Rhino 9m for $75 in good shape. Would this be a good kite to have if I can work up to it?

I'd stay away from the rhino. 2006 was that last year the rhino was a C-kite. C-kites are the type of kite that most people flew in the early 2000's. They have a very small depower range and are only safe in the hands of an expert. In 2007 the rhino became a bow kite, which is much safer and beginer friendly (probably what herb has).

Buying a kite based on price isn't a smart idea. Why do you think those kites are so cheep? It's because they are old, outdated technology that isn't safe by todays standards. I nearly bought some old 2 line kites when I was starting out. It's a good thing I didn't because I probably would have hurt myself badly.

A lei probably isn't a good chose for a first depower for land use. You will be probably be crashing the kite alot and burt some bladders. Good luck trying to find bladders fro an almost 7 year old kite. Have you thought of getting an Peter Lynn Arc or a Flysurfer? I have a 13m Peter Lynn Venom and love it. The feature I like the best is auto-zeinth. Auto-zeinth is where you let go of the bar and the kite automaticly fly back over your head and stays there by itself. Very useful for getting into snowboard bindings and takeing a break.

Also, what are your average winds? This will help you determine what the best sized kite for you is.

For the most part, I'll kind of agree with Snake on the Rhinos...I LOVE them....don't get me wrong....but they are an "acquired taste"...and will kick your *** if you're not ready when they decide to GO. My 18M Rhino is a tank, and is freakishly AWESOME here on the smooth winded beach...but I wouldn't even pump it up if I were inland (land) riding.

Option 1 - If your hanging on land...I've had a blast with my ARC...and I would think being inland would handle gusts much better. I've seen some great deals on some used ARCs in here...don't be afraid to look at 10M ARC...they're cupcakes..

Option 2 is a decent depower foil....which I still haven't found one that totally rocks my world...but I haven't flown many. The Pansh Aurora's look interesting to me though...and can't beat the price...

I'd say 6M-8M depower will get you going depending on conditions....I started with a 1.8M then went to a 5M fixed bridle (FB). But as soon as I grabbed a depower kite, I stopped flying my FB. With depower you can fly a BIGGER kite and feel safer than a much smaller FB kite in my opinion. The term "sheet out" takes on a whole new meaning...being able to be strapped in and eliminate nearly ALL the pull whereas my FB kite was still pulling hard even at the edge of the window.

Hope this helps a bit...and please note...these are just my personal opinion/feelings on these types of kites... I respect others have different feelings on each type/brand.

Best of all? Your kiting!! Go get it!!

THanks for your input guys!! I think I'm going to try to pick up that 3m frenzy and play around with that for a lil bit. Crazy, you got it right=>as long as I get out there I'm having fun. I enjoy flying my beamer but wish it would have a bar to hook into. I'm in no rush to move up to huge kites and catch big air until I fully realize what mother nature can knock us down with if we're not paying attention. And I've probably seen too many "Kite Fail" videos to just get out there with a kite that eventually be my go to kite. Guess I'd rather spend my money on a few extra kites than one kite and an ER bill... Time is not money in this case.

From some reviews I've read, it sounds like the frenzy is a pretty sweet kite, Anyone know what I can expect differently going from my beamer with handles to the frenzy with a bar? Slower/faster turns? More lift? Will I be able to fly it in the same low winds that the beamer can be flown in?

As far as the rhino goes, i'm gonna pass on that and try to build my quiver with depowers right now until I get the urge to try kiting on the water.

Thanks for the support and ideas

I'm 160#...3m Frenzy is not for you now, too small.....if you go dp you'll need like 7m or bigger.... or it will only be a trainer till it's blowing real hard.......too hard. and I know that generally we all go dp at some pt...but nothing wrong w/ a respectable fb quiver.......imo

Quote:

Originally posted by TerraKiter bought a Beamer 3m... been flying it... ready to get my second kite...

Are you just wanting another kite for more variety; or do you need it to fill a specific wind range that your current 3m isn't able to handle?

Are you wanting to go fast or jump? Or go out in a higher or lower wind range?

3m Beamer will be MUCH more powerful than a 3m Frenzy ! 3m Frenzy won't actually power you until the wind is so strong it will scare you ! It may be fun to fly but won't serve you as an engine ! 7m is a nice size to get used to a depower. Closer to your 3m in FB power .

There is a few reasons that guy is asking so little for that Rhino . Avoid it.

Thanks for checking out my post.

I'm really looking for a kite to go fly in the field down the road from my house. I'll fly it when it's snow covered so I can make some convenient turns on my skis. When the lakes freeze I'd head out there for a few runs.

I've never flown a kite on bar but I don't think I want something with more power than my Beamer right now to learn the bar thingy. Also the field isn't too big, so a bigger kite will make it feel even smaller. I was hoping that the frenzy would take the spot of my Beamer but maybe

So your saying the frenzy is a great VERY high WIND kite that in 12mph wind will do mostly nothing. I think I usually fly my Beamer in 12-15 mph winds. But again this is mostly static but def want more skiing with my kiting.

I guess what it comes down to is will I be disappointed with this 3m frenzy if I expect to have the same power as my beeamer, in the same wind. I'm really looking for something with the same power as my Beamer but with a bar so I can hook in to it. Thanks for the tips, I'm sure it will pay off when I'm cruising some fresh powered with a huge grin on my face.

If you don't want to end up on utube, then the 3m Frenzy is the kite for you cause no one will be interested in watching you doing nothing with it :frog:. If you want to actually be able to move without the wind being nukin', then you should look for a bigger depower. :karate:

Keep in mind that:
Depower kites have less power per square meter than a fixed bridle even when powered
Depower kites can depower, so you can fly a bigger kite with the ability to spill power when you want
When you are moving you can hold more power (instead of getting pulled over in gusts you will just go faster :D )

Just remember to start out in gentle winds the first few times and you will be fine.

Hey Peeps, Thanks for your exp. info your sent my way.

I found a kite setup on craigslist that I got for $450 including a nice Mystc Spike Harness.
THe kite is an Apex II 7.5 M in crisp shape. I took it out yesterday hoping for some light wind but there ended up being no wind so I had to pack it up and head in.

Today was a still a relatively light wind day, 8-12 with 18mph gusts. I headed to my neighbors hay field and had some fun. This atleast got me out and moving with the skis and I had a chance to really see the power of the kite. I wasn't able to get some very consistant runs but enough to learn some basics with the new depower foil. By the time I got over to the other side of the field, I didnt feel like it was worth hiking back to make another pass. I think I'm gonna wait for some lakes to freeeze.

I really thought that with some of the gusts I would be carried away but the kite seemed to eat them up an create some needed pull. When the wind was blowing, probably around 8 mph the kite barely wanted to stay in the air while my beamer would sit there all day. So now I have a 7.5 M that is waiting for the lakes to freeze but all in all I am happy with my decision.

Always an great do if the ski boots are getting strapped on.

Happy New year.

In lighter wind you have to keep the bar pushed away from you, not so much that the back lines are too loose to steer but enough that you are not trying to get "power" out of it ,and zig zag it back and forth to keep it flying. Its possible the kite lines are adjusted to have it stall when the bar is pulled fully toward you, you will pull the bar thinking you will get more "power" but somewhere in the bar travel the kite looses power and can actualy stop flying (stalled). So get a feel for those two extremes 1) bar pushed away but still steerable , 2) bar pulled toward you holding just short of the kite slowing/loosing power. The center line adjusting strap will change where those two limits are in the bar travel. That kite is a nice size for a lot of winter flying. I like it so much I've got two , one for me and one for whatever kid is up to speed.

I didn't read all of these because I'm being lazy, but a year ago I was right where you are. Get a bigger kite. Also, always buy used for a while until you learn what you like/don't like. I got a used 2007 Depower Best Waroo for $250 on Craigslist.

Oh, and for fixed bridle, I'd suggest 3, 5, 7, 9 or 4, 6, 8, etc.... I actually like the evens a little better because the 2m is nice when it's really rippin'

I look forward to reading the rest of this post when I'm not being a lazy jerkwad

Snowspider; You hit the nail on the head, I def. need some more time to play with the power settting on the middle strap, I thought that I would need to pull it in all the way to try to get more lift but that may not have been the case. Maybe I should leave it out all the way next time. I caught on pretty quick with the bar versus handles so that was exciting.

Glad i had my skis on because flying that kite static is a tough move. All in all, it was a great time and i can't wait to get out there but there are so many variables that need to line up to actually go kite skiing!! grrrrrr. Man, I gotta head up north for a good session!!

Your 7.5 will want a decent wind before it is in it's " range " at least 10 - 12 mph.

You will know you are entering the " range " when you can let the kite sit comfortably at the edge of the window.

If the kite won't sit you are below wind speed and must adjust your logic. You want to create your own apparent wind. You do this by flying the kite fast through the power zone. Set the trim strap at about 80% trimmed in ( counter intuative ) . As you speed through the power zone do it with the bar out so you are flying on front lines = forward fast ! As you approach the edge pull in a bit = back lines slow . Then pull in a little bit more as you turn hard. = brake turn. Once it has turned get it to speed up again on the front lines by letting the bar out ... repeat. Adding back line input at the wrong time will stall all your speed. Try and keep tension on the front lines throughout the turn by not stalling too much as you enter. ( not easy )

When the kite is able to sit at the edge I launch at 80% in again but let the strap out some once it's at the edge. If it stalls a add some back. If I feel overpowered I add the final 20% and land it.

Think like you know from your handle experience. Flying on the front lines and adding brake input to slow the kite + influence turns.

SPEED = POWER !