i just bought my first kite 04 naish boxer 14m used ebay .no instructions so to rig it 2 lines on end of to rear of kite ???2 lines in mid of bar to leading edge ?? mid line to mid of leading edge .this is how i had it set up today just some small wind gust to about 12 mph i could get it up & it would go left or right straight back to ground 1 time a nice gust of wind came up it flew for about 30 seconds then curveoff back to the ground. is mu problem just wind ? do i have it rigged right ?? thanks in advance
eddie:singing:

Sorry to tell you but you have WAY TOO BIG A KITE to try and figure things out on. Get the manual from Naish's website. Better yet, send them a note and ask them what they think about using that kite to figure things out. DON'T fly that kite on land until you have figured it out at least. Don't put it up again until you have a FULL understanding of a thing called the wind window and how to properly us and reset ALL OF YOUR SAFETYS.
If you insist on flying that as your training kite you are making a dangerous move.

i do know about whe wind window and how the saftys work but thats also why i ask for help here. i am not using a harnes just the bar in my hands till i know how to fly the kite well

Flying unkooked on a Boxer = fully powered all the time. There are some trainer kites on Ebay as well, or lots of good kite dealers available as well.

Better yet... it might seem like a lot of money for taking a lesson... but... it not only helps you become a better flyer, but really speeds up the learning curve for getting into the sport.

...and light wind with 12mph for the gusts is not enough for that kite. These things are a ton of fun to fly, but have the potential to be deadly. Lessons really are the way to go for starting out.

Snowbird and Taper are right.
Any de-power kite un-hooked is fully powered up unless you de-tune it with the center adjuster strap (short), but then you miss the whole point of the kite. the only way to control it (any depower) properly is with a harness, hooked in and properly tuned.

You may know about the wind window but you clearly do not know about the kite(s). Sorry to be terse, but we're thinking of your safety. Save some greif and get a lesson with a qualified instructor as suggested.

I have seen more than one person turn away from kiting because they started off all wrong. Usually after hurting themselves.
Trying to figure things out with the wrong gear and improper instruction is frustrating and VERY dangerous.
It's great that you are asking questions. Keep asking ! We are on your side !
I think if you had asked for advice on that kite as a 1st kite ahead you would have purchased something else. It's a very good kite and it will serve you well. It's just the WRONG one to figure things out on.
As I see it you have 2 choices. Take lessons or buy a trainer and good DVD, then put in your time. ( although that is a sub-standard way to go ) ONLY after taking one of those options will you have the skills required to handle it safely and properly + progress at a decent rate.

probably a good dvd i tried to wakeboard for 3 years never got up on tne board but never gave up bought a dvd watched 2 times up on 3rd pull as far as a trainer kite i could only afford 1 the 1 i got

Quote:

Originally posted by eddie probably a good dvd i tried to wakeboard for 3 years never got up on tne board but never gave up bought a dvd watched 2 times up on 3rd pull as far as a trainer kite i could only afford 1 the 1 i got

So you already know that trying to figure it out on your own will take years ( and $$$$ hospital bills ) You seem to think you can afford a DVD but not a PROPER kite to learn on.
You are hearing all the WRONG parts of the advice advice and ignoring the important stuff.
What you are doing effects EVERY other kiter out there. If you continue to endanger yourself and others you are hurting us ALL !!!!!! Wait until you can afford to do it right. PLEASE !!!!
For the Kiting Community if not your self.

had some wind this morning15- 18 mph went to a huge field near the house this thing is a breez to fly with some deacent wind unly problim i have is launching it solo if i can get that down i think i will be ok .i did find a guy near dallas said 1.00 per minute for lessons i might go see him when im ready to get on the wakeboard

Quote:

Originally posted by eddie had some wind this morning15- 18 mph went to a huge field near the house this thing is a breez to fly with some deacent wind unly problim i have is launching it solo if i can get that down i think i will be ok .i did find a guy near dallas said 1.00 per minute for lessons i might go see him when im ready to get on the wakeboard

I sure hope you live long enough to take those lessons. You clearly don't care about your safety or those around you. :flaming:
It's folks like you that will give this sport a bad name. :duh:

Using a wakeboard to kiteboard makes almost as little sense as starting with one of the biggest kites possible to figure things out. But there is obviously no telling you anyway :megan:

Trust me, it all seems ok and easy to do until something unexpected happens, then bad things happen.

I got hammered good on Sat, after 3 yrs of hard flying, landed a jump poorly, got pulled out the front door and hit the ground hard, the very first thought through my head was "Hit the Safety". Good thing too, the kite was coming around for another pass. Had I stopped and thought "That Hurt" instead there would have been a second large impact. It's the experience on the small stuff and working your way up that teaches you the importance of things. Then the loving wife went and secured the kite before coming to check on me. Seems she's learned a trick or two as well.

On another note, knee and elbow hurts pretty good, but the head feels fine, I was wearing a helmet. I hit pretty hard and am very thankful to have been wearing it. Hopefully you've budgeted for some safety gear, life jacket, impact vest, helmet are all good for on the water.

i cant see how im giving any one a bad name 1 person in a field by himself flying a kite now that will piss some people off . as far as getting hurt sometimes it happens . once i fugered it out it wasent rocket science . if wind is blowing to hard for you to handle kite dont fly it .i will probably get hurt faster at work. i work on txu power plants by the way 7 stories up on a 2 foot wide cat walk & inside 500,000 horsepower turbine generator housings .

Ok, I need some explanation on the difference between a kiteboard and wakeboard. I have been a wakeboarder for 11 years now and although I haven't tried the kiteboarding thing, I have done quite a bit of research on it. Other than binding style, they seem to be the same so please enlighten me.

I say good on you. Go the route your are going. Your are clearly confident and determined and you are in a big field, after all.

Eventually you will have a crap-your-pants moment - we all have - I just hope yours is an eye opener and not devastating to you or someone around you. There is a reason why its recommended starting with a smaller kite. This is an expensive sport and it should be so people who think they may be interested take the proper route to gain confidence and control (lessons / small kites) Heck, my 2.5m JOJO has spanked my butt when I've been caught out in a gust. But I'm sure you'll be fine. After all a 14m is going to have significant float which you can, undoubtedly, control and direct. Just be hopeful that someone is around in that totally open field to help you if things go awry.

And when you are truly confident (say by the weekend) just hit the water with it. Pay no attention to on shore / off shore / cross shore wind direction as that's merely a guide for suggested use but not necessary.

And ignore all the talk that routinely surfaces (as recently as May) about kiters who are killed while doing what we do. It won't happen to you. Its always the other guy.

Kite surfer killed search results - google:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=SUNA,SUNA:2007-01,SUNA:en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=kitesurfer+killed &spell=1

It is not impossible to kiteboard with a wakeboard. Lots of folks did out of desperation at 1st. I'm not the expert on this but I'm pretty sure the # 1 difference is the rocker and edges. Giving more side slip.

You can ride almost anything with good kite skills. Even a serving tray. It's just Better, faster, SAFER to learn with the right equipment.

Eddie,
It is the stories of injury and death in other places that have cost us the use of our local bay for kiting. No major incidents here but thanks to folks like YOU we are banned. The City pulls out these stories to shut us down. You just DON'T GET IT, do you.


:flaming:


You will soon have your " piece of cake " , and EAT IT to !

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Originally posted by eddie .i did find a guy near dallas said 1.00 per minute for lessons i might go see him when im ready to get on the wakeboard

Even if you don't do the lessons (which is really the best way to go), don't just try to hop on and ride. Learn to body drag UPWIND before you ever try to get on that board. First wipeout where the board ends up upwind of you and the kite crashes into the water... you'll know what I mean by this. First you have to be able to relaunch it in the water, then be able to go upwind to retrieve the board. And the longer you spend getting the kite back up... the farther away your board will be.

There was a story that happened in England I read where a guy was drying out his Peter Lynn twin skin in a big field. Some gusts came along and picked it up...onto some neighboring power lines. Took out the train system for a bit... so even in a big open field, accidents can happen.

Yes... these kites are easy to fly once they are in the air. It's the skills gained with the smaller ones that really help to build your skillset. A foil can be flown almost anywhere, and setup/packup time is almost nothing. I've had a 3M foil kite give me far more of a scare than my 14m boxer ever has. On days where there is not enough to keep a LEI in the sky... you can still pull out a foil and have some fun learning, scudding, or just playing around.

But before you try to get on the board... flying skills, water relaunch, body dragging, safety systems... make sure you are comfortable with all of these things. Not to mention the "rules of the road" for what to do when being approached or approaching another kiter.

first off thanks taper for talking to me like a person & giving lil information
insted of crying about people like "me"giving a bad name not gonna worry much about that here as i have never seen a kite here where i live & ive been here for 31 years . i dont know it all & dont claim to but i do use my head when it comes to being safe . i wont hit the water till i feal im ready to do so .

Hey Eddie, If you are tight on funds, you might want to check this out.

HQ Beamer 1.8 new and complete for under $88. Would be an excellent trainer though its flown on handles but it will teach you the wind window and help you gain confidence and provide you with more flying opportunities.

http://www.gwtw-kites.com/showproduct.asp?ProductName=Beamer%201%2E8

MAD! i got spank with a 1.4sqm kite after taking it in high winds a few years ago and had to have my arm in a sling for ages after landing on my shoulder a 14m kite is mad and is designed for extreme power on water. If thats your first kite you must be nuts, ive been kiting 2 and a half + years and im still on a 1.8sqm kite until i get a beamer at end of this month.
good luck o and it might help to get some decent insurance cover! if not for yours but for other peoples sake!