Hey everyone, I'm brand new into kiting, and just ordered a 1.4m kite of ebay. However, being a big guy (220 lbs), I IMMEDIATELY started looking for a bigger kite. I found a 2004 Cabrinha Blacktip High Aspect Kite, 10m online for a cheap price. downside: No lines/bards, kite only (with bag).

So my question to you is this: What sort of lines/bars do I buy, if I get this kite? Also, does anyone know how much lift I can expect? I expect at least 10m^2 of surface area on it, since it's 10m long as is, and looks like it's a meter wide (at least). Also, as a poor college student, my keywords are "on the cheap".

Thanks for all the help.



P.S.: Has anyone ever done any minor kiting in a city? As in between buildings? Just speculation.

There is a reason the Cabrinha is cheap and at any price it is not a kite you should buy if your first kite is a 1.4 meter that you have not yet flown. It is an entirely different class of kite and you should not go near it untlil you get lessons with a PASA certified instructor. You havn't said what kind of flying (or where) you are planning on but your question about city flying suggests land use and the Cabrinha is not suited for that in any case.

If you want a larger kite than 1.4 m (and you didn't say what), fly that one first then get a 3-4 m fixed bridle open cell foil. Suggestions: HQ Beamer, Peter Lynn Pepper or Reactor, Flexifoil Sting or Rage (or Bullet, used).

When I lived in NY City I flew my smaller 2-line foils in open spaces like the Great Lawn of Central Park or the parks down on th Hudson River (un-obstricted breezes from the West). Forget about anythig near builldings.

An often- quoted rule of thumb is to fly downwind of obstructions at a distance of 3-4 times the hieght of the obstruction in order to geet "clean wind", but even that can be lumpy. You want open fields or a beach.

The Cabrinha blacktip is a very high aspect ratio C-kite. This kite was one of the top kites in its time. The proper rigging for this kite to work would be with a depowerable control bar. Trying to rig it on anything else would be suicide. The Cabrinha is also an LEI kite (leading edge inflatable), you will need to pump it up first before flying. The pump would be one more thing that you would need to purchase. To properly use the control bar you will also need to buy a harness and a spreader bar.

The Blacktip's were very awesome kites when they were first released but compared to the surf kites of today they are not nearly as good. Because the kite is older, the chances of the sail being stretched, warn, and damaged beyond repair is much higher. The newer surf kites of today are much more stable with smoother power delivery and much more depower. The Blacktip will also have a very limited wind range where the kite will be useable and self launching & landing could be extremly dangerouns especially for someone who is not totally familiar with surf kites. These kites are designed for water use and do not work that well in gusty shifty land conditions. The chance that you will damage or destroy the kite is much greater when you fly them on land.

I highly recommend you do NOT fly this kite without some kind of lessons from a qualified and certified instructor who can show you the proper way to rig and fly this kite.

I second Angus's post that you would probably be better getting an open cell ram air foil kite in the 3 to 4 meter sizes. This would give you a huge increase in power from your 1.4 and be much safer to fly than the Cabrinha.

Good luck and be safe.