Hi, new member here, had power kites years ago(mainly flexifoils), 4, 8 and 10 foot. Loved em. Only seem to have a 4 foot left, but how easy to fly/set-up...
Few years back I bought a cheap 4 line kite off ebay. Massive thing about 15 feet across, flew on 4 lines.
First time out, picked me up, dropped me back down, hurt my back and broke some of the rigging...it flew all crooked, rigging lines not well made etc, so I fell out with it cos frankly it scared me.
So to now. I fancy another kite. Ive just got a Landboard (to satisfy my old snowboard urges) and Im looking for a power kite to go play with.
Whats good for a beginner(14 stone) with a landboard?
I see bars, handles, belts!!WTF!!!
I loved the simplicity of the flexi, with its easy rigging, but there seems to be a need for more lines for brakes/depower etc.
Whats a good setup for a beginner landboarder?
(ps, sorry if this is not in the right bit of the forum!)

4hrs...nobody gonna answer the man???...well welcome aboard 1st off..... IMO.....u learned the hard way about buying substandard equipment.and it really holds true when its the only/1st kite..pu a used foil 3m on the forum or local to you.. 2/3 line on a bar is eaisest to grasp but 4line handle is the real deal ( till the depower guys try to influence you ) you need to leave the board home and fly the snot out of the next kite....be a pilot, then become a landboarder... there are no short cuts and lots of great times hitting these goals...welcome again!!

Welcome to the funny farm of kiting. I think before you get into big money kites to learn how the fly and board you should get a base model kite and learn the kite. I am not sure how big 14 stone is, but if your between 160-200lbs I would start off with a 4-5m kite depending on your winds. I'm sure many others will chime in as time goes by. Good luck and be safe. Get a helmet to go with the kite.

lol, thanks, bought a helmet already!

Yeah cheap ass kite from China isnt my friend, scared the crap outa me, kinda filled up(yeah I tried to launch it straight downwind of me) launched, lifted me up and dropped me...

I guess some kite time is a good idea before boarding. Like I said, flew two line flexifoils before(the 'old fashioned' ones with a carbon spar up front) but no experience with more than two lines. Presumably a three liner just has the 'brake' line and two front lines?

Yes, 14st is approx 200lbs(need to do some more running!). Ill look for a 3-4 metre ish kite to start with. Any recommendations, there are a lot and from what Ive read there are some pretty powerfull smaller kites. Need user friendly kites here!!



(ps, how the hell am I supposed to just ignore the board and learn to fly?!?...its just not gonna happen! Need to work on my dog harness for some Board Joring to fill that gap)

Thanks for the welcomes.
Ian.

Patients is an essential quality in this sport.

Very little room for going cheap or taking short cuts. Either you or your body will end up broke.

At 1st , when learning to fly the kite. Just fly the kite. During that spell ride the board on low wind days without the kite. Paying full attention to one at a time is best for progressing. You will be ready to try the board when you can control your kite for long periods of time without looking at it. In order to board right you have to be able to watch where you are going and not always at the kite.

It's tempting to take short cuts and I have done it plenty . Only to pay either with $ , wasted time or injury. Having A. D. D. has been a good and bad thing when it comes to kiting !

I ditto Blade's statements. I would lean you towards a 3m for your first one though. Stick with good name brand equipment and that will save you lots of grief. Buying used can really help with the budget too. If you aren't sure of the suitability of a kite, just ask here.

Welcome! Pretty new to PKF myself. 4 line is AWESOME!!! Like a car with independent suspension. They are great. I started small just to be on the safe side. In my vastly short career as a kiter, The Peter Lynn HornetII, the Ozone Octane (Flow if you can find one), the Beamer V, the Prizm Tensor, etc., are great kites to learn on and get your feet wet again, and you will pack up with a grin every time. Of course, Flexifoil is still huge on your side of the pond as well. Check out the Sting or the Rage maybe (got a Rage comming myself). Kinda stick to the lower aspect kites in your research at first IMHO. Heck, even the beginner/low aspect kites will show you who's boss :tumble::roll: .Lots of great help and info on this site. Check the for sale forum daily. Great deals to be had, and everyone seems to shoot each other straight, and look out for one another as well.
Good job on the helmet! It only took me three kites to finally get one :embarrased:
What a dumbarse I was .
Looking forward to your post in the future brother!
All in my humble opinion.

Welcome. I'm like 3 shot,pretty new to the sport. I too flew flex foils back in the day. I started small with a ozone flow 2 m and only recently upgraded to a HQ 4 m hornet. I found the ozone great for learning,but there are a lot of other companies with great beginner kite, and like everybody says dont be in a hurry to go big.

i learnt on the flexifoil sting, and still best kite on the buggy in high winds