Anyone know anything about these kites? There is a 9m, a 7.2m, and a 4m on flea bay right now. I'm not really interested in buying them, I just want to know about them. A through google search and I came up with nothing. Are they the awesomest kites ever or are they old and outdated kite that barly flies? I want to know.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200873404713?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:I...

HooleyUSA is currently a retailer for North kites and prior to that Gaastra Kites.

The open cell foils are 2003 vintage.

If they were the awesomest kite ever, I expect they would still be sold. I get the impression that they were produced for Hooley by another company.

In their day:
5.1M - wind range: 12-25 knots - $895 - complete set
7.2M - wind range: 10-18 knots - $995 - complete set
9.0M - wind range: 8-15 knots - $1,095 - complete set

I could not find anywhere where it said these were depower kites.... in the auction pics, they look like they are on a bunch of FB bars from Flexifoil/Ozone/etc with D-Loops .

The eBay description says: "They have not been opened in a while so they are very wrinkly but still in good shape."

It doesn't say when they were last out or what conditions they were stored in. Humid conditions for long term storage can lead to mildew and premature breakdown of the sail coating.

If they really are FB, the larger ones are going to be slow turners on a bar.

Really wish the seller pointed out some of this info, especially as they are also a retail store. This is one of those deals where someone sees a low price, doesn't ask enough questions about the kites, and ends up hurting themselves.

Please note the sales terms:

KITEBOARDING "USED/CONSIGNMENT" KITE SALES POLICY:

1. All kites that are put up for bid are pumped up and inspected for damages to the kite itself and leaks in the bladder systems, then photographed and placed on E-bay the same day.
   
   
2. Pinholes in the canopy are not repaired, but identified and described. Larger holes are taped in and out with repair tape. Major damage repair is left up to the previous owner prior to sale.
   
   
3. Obvious leaks or valve failures are repaired and tested prior to being placed up for bid. We DO NOT chase down very slow leaks. It is easier and faster to use it until the leak becomes obvious and identifiable.
   
   
4. Jupiter kiteboarding will warranty ALL of OUR repairs that were made prior to sale, if any.
   
   
5. Jupiter Kiteboarding does not warranty ANY original valves, or previous repairs, (other than ours) to kites sold as "USED/CONSIGNMENT".

ATB,
Sam

These I assume are designed for kite boarding or snow kiting as they are closed cell. $50.00 shipping plus price of kites may end up being to much for old kites. But they might be ok. They kind of look like North kites but not sure.

lots of questions..

From what sam said, I would recommend passing.....

Seller verified open cell, which is what the archived Hooley site indicated. From what I can tell by looking at the bars, I am going to stick with the FB guesstimate.

Lot of nylon not a lot of cash... but unless you are willing to write-off part or all of the sale as a learning experience.... there are two many wildcards in play (condition of canopy coating, condition of bridles/lines, vintage/source of control bars, etc).

Also keep in mind that 7-9M FB can bite you hard. And a lot has happened in 10 years wrt how power is delivered.

I flew 2 smaller kites that were cousins seperated by 8-10 years. The power delivery of the older kite was a brutally on/off affair (lots of yank and spank). The newer kite had a much smoother power ramp and felt so much more refined in how it delivered it.

ATB,
Sam

The fact that he has more pics of the bags then the sails should be a red flag. I assume he is expecting to get very little $ for the sale but if one can't take the time to open and properly display / photo the product then you are buying site-unseen and should expect a few surprises (good or bad) upon delivery.

The fact that one person is bidding against himself to drive up the bid price is a bit of an alarm too.

You could try contacting:
Christian Schlebach
Tel: 401 8490084
Skype: Hooley1936
Email: christian@hooleyusa.com

For specifics. If he doesn't know I'd assume no one does.

Naw. That is the way eBay works. He bid $120 but the bidding stayed at $99 until the next guy bid $125 ($5 increments).

eBay automatically bid $99, $105, $110, $115, $120 for the first guy and then jumped to $125 for the next bidder.

Not bidding against himself.