Hello forum,

I'm new to the whole kiting thing and looking to find a group of people who would like to meet to put something together in one of the beaches in jersey shore. I'll be getting my first kite very soon and looking for people's input and the type of kite(s) I should get to start with. I'm getting into the sport because eventually I would like to do some kiteboarding so getting the right gear now will be very fundamental to my experience. Any educational opinion will be greatly appreciated.

Also, I come from a tropical island where I used to make my own kites, so I have fundamentals on flying kites but I'm pretty sure it's not the same.

Welcome to the forum and to the sport. If you have unlimited time and funds you'll be very happy! One of the best powerkitting events is taking place in Wildwood, NJ in the spring and in the fall. Make sure to attend that event.

Thanks,

I have time but not so much unlimited $$ lol. I think I can manage to get a good starting kite. I'm currently looking to buy a second hand Beamer IV 3M with all accessories. Hopefully I'll be kiting in the next 2 weeks.

I have read about Wildwood club in NJ, they are really far from where I'm from in NJ; I reside in central NJ. My guess is for a hobby I'll have to do it at some point.

any advise? I've been watching tons of videos on kiting and kiteboarding, I think I have a good idea on whats going to happen on the first day. (no jumping for me though lol).

The Beamer IV 3m is a good choice. I work in Princeton, NJ, but I live pretty far from central NJ. I'm in PA, about 25 miles NW of Philadelphia.

welcome aboard...i work in Secaucus if your near that..plenty of NJ kiters..they will show and talk you into Wildwood so get ready your coming cause your too close to say no..dont launch the beamer if winds over 15 first couple times...wear a helmet..and have fun out there!!

@Tibi - oh wow! I know where Princeton is.

@abkayak - definitely, my sister lives in JC. I live 25 mins from there. i'm in Woddbridge.

yeah let's do it. I just need a reminder for Wildwood lol

in a sense I'm kinda lucky, I have a beach right across my apt. Will try and kite there and see, hopefully police wont kick me out.

Welcome,

If you can find a way to make it to the Wildwood event it will be worth the effort.

The 3m Beamer should be an excellent start .

Choose your location carefully. Wind flows like water and will be messed up for 7 to 10 times the height of an obstruction down wind. Avoid spots with people down wind of you and respect the public. They can do the strangest things and you are now an ambassador for the sport.
If you are starting on handles avoid adding brake line tension. Hold the handles up top with the lines between your pointer and index finger with the bottom loose / pointing toward the kite. For the 1st while don't try and fly the kite. Try and control it. Take it up to zenith ( above your head ) and just try to keep it there for a few minutes. If it won't fly to zenith and the wind is decent you probably have tension on the brakes. If it is spinning you probably have tension on 1 brake. Next try and just rock it back and forth up top. Anticipating the timing to bring it back and acting early. Avoid flying it low through the window until you have some control and can anticipate a turn ahead of time. Work the kite all the way along the edge of the window down your left and right side. Anytime you mess up try and get the kite to the edge like that to get under control.

After you have gained control and can fly in and out of the power zone it will be time to learn the brakes. Expect that to take a half hour or so. Start with the kite at zenith again. Add a bit of brake input to one side. Notice how the kite will turn to that side. Then add brake input to both sides evenly. This is how you back the kite down for landing + how you slow the kite down in motion. After you have a feel for the brakes you can use them to reverse launch your kite from a nose down crash. Bring the kite back up by flying it backward and then turn it to fly away.

Avoid jerky motions. It only confuses the kite. Instead anticipate what you need to do and start it early. Similar with reverse launch. There is a fine balance between enough tension to back the kite up and too much.

You found a great site for getting advice. Let us know how it goes and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Be safe and wear a helmet !

Quote: Originally posted by Bladerunner

Welcome, If you can find a way to make it to the Wildwood event it will be worth the effort. The 3m Beamer should be an excellent start . Choose your location carefully. Wind flows like water and will be messed up for 7 to 10 times the height of an obstruction down wind. Avoid spots with people down wind of you and respect the public. They can do the strangest things and you are now an ambassador for the sport. If you are starting on handles avoid adding brake line tension. Hold the handles up top with the lines between your pointer and index finger with the bottom loose / pointing toward the kite. For the 1st while don't try and fly the kite. Try and control it. Take it up to zenith ( above your head ) and just try to keep it there for a few minutes. If it won't fly to zenith and the wind is decent you probably have tension on the brakes. If it is spinning you probably have tension on 1 brake. Next try and just rock it back and forth up top. Anticipating the timing to bring it back and acting early. Avoid flying it low through the window until you have some control and can anticipate a turn ahead of time. Work the kite all the way along the edge of the window down your left and right side. Anytime you mess up try and get the kite to the edge like that to get under control. After you have gained control and can fly in and out of the power zone it will be time to learn the brakes. Expect that to take a half hour or so. Start with the kite at zenith again. Add a bit of brake input to one side. Notice how the kite will turn to that side. Then add brake input to both sides evenly. This is how you back the kite down for landing + how you slow the kite down in motion. After you have a feel for the brakes you can use them to reverse launch your kite from a nose down crash. Bring the kite back up by flying it backward and then turn it to fly away. Avoid jerky motions. It only confuses the kite. Instead anticipate what you need to do and start it early. Similar with reverse launch. There is a fine balance between enough tension to back the kite up and too much. You found a great site for getting advice. Let us know how it goes and don't be afraid to ask questions. Be safe and wear a helmet !

Thanks alot Bladerunner, will keep those tips in mind.

I have a question,

I know that for kiteboarding I'll need a bigger kite (future), but can an open ram foil like the Beamer IV 3M will work to start kiteboarding with a control bar?

not trying to jump the gun, just verifying what else I will need for future so I can start planning $$

the most important thing you can do is not risk access for you or anyone else..dont fly w/ people around stay as low key as possible..the beach is great but only if its after hours and no lifeguards around...summer is for everyone else..we own it again come fall

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

the most important thing you can do is not risk access for you or anyone else..dont fly w/ people around stay as low key as possible..the beach is great but only if its after hours and no lifeguards around...summer is for everyone else..we own it again come fall

the beach in front of my house is not swimmable (is this a word?), but people do sometimes sit on the sand and such. There's also a baseball field not too far from me, I'll try and stay away from people at all cost.

if your in woodbridge. i`m in avenel. i have been powerkiting 20years now.
we could meet up some weekend and i have a world of kiting things i can show you.
having over 30 powerkites i`m sure i can help you get started. hell i might even sell you a used kite or two.
you can e mail me at buggymangp@yahoo.com
i would like to get you started kiting in the fun and safe way. it can be hard to start if you have nobody to show you the ropes.
like it was for me way back when.

Quote: Originally posted by bugymangp

if your in woodbridge. i`m in avenel. i have been powerkiting 20years now. we could meet up some weekend and i have a world of kiting things i can show you. having over 30 powerkites i`m sure i can help you get started. hell i might even sell you a used kite or two. you can e mail me at buggymangp@yahoo.com i would like to get you started kiting in the fun and safe way. it can be hard to start if you have nobody to show you the ropes. like it was for me way back when.

Sweet man, will email you right now. Will also give you info on something I'm trying to get maybe you have one like it around.

Just emailed you.

Welcome .... new land kiter from NJ ... this is rare ...
.... There is not many spots in NJ that you can fly kite .... most parks have "kite flying" in big red NO section ... I almost get arrested for flying in my local park ,,,, . Most beaches are also not kite friendly ..... specially in season ... then you need to wait for lifeguards to go home and deal with many people that come to enjoy late walk on a beach ..... Sandy Hook is off limits until October except one location for kiteboarding .... no space there to fly kite on land .... colder months are better ... beaches are empty and park rangers never ask me to "go home" when there is no people around .....
Hope you will find friendly location and hope to meet you at Wildwood event .... a must go to event .....

Kober

Mmmmm Wildwood.
92 days to go :wee: but who's counting?
It's the best meet-up of the fall!

Quote: Originally posted by Kober

Welcome .... new land kiter from NJ ... this is rare ... .... There is not many spots in NJ that you can fly kite .... most parks have "kite flying" in big red NO section ... I almost get arrested for flying in my local park ,,,, . Most beaches are also not kite friendly ..... specially in season ... then you need to wait for lifeguards to go home and deal with many people that come to enjoy late walk on a beach ..... Sandy Hook is off limits until October except one location for kiteboarding .... no space there to fly kite on land .... colder months are better ... beaches are empty and park rangers never ask me to "go home" when there is no people around ..... Hope you will find friendly location and hope to meet you at Wildwood event .... a must go to event ..... Kober

Where is a good place to kite in NJ more like central NJ? A place that is allow and I won't be bothered by cops.

so I have officially bought my first kite, will be here on Thursday. Let's see how much I'll enjoy this. Looking forward to it.

The beamer has knots on the brake bridle leaders. I moved the brake lines down one knot to make learning easier for you. You can tune it differently as you progress. I usually kept it at the next knot up from where I have it on now.

Quote: Originally posted by ssayre

The beamer has knots on the brake bridle leaders. I moved the brake lines down one knot to make learning easier for you. You can tune it differently as you progress. I usually kept it at the next knot up from where I have it on now.

ok cool, I was looking at some vids and people are saying to tie it to the second knot on the kite side.

Today I decided to do some research on kiting laws in NJ and didn't find anything at all. I kneed to keep digging because there 2 big parks right next to where I live and will be cool if I can kite there.

Anyone form NJ that can charm on this?

I fly at Laural hill park, secaucus.. 3 yrs now..never do when I can expect others who might be looking to use the fields for more mainstream purposes like cricket??? Yea go figure but true...bad weather (wind) early or late hrs..is when you first show and be out of the way....I go there just to straighten up my equipment before work..the regular employees know and welcome me they also know I take care of their park like its my own...I think showing up 7am daily starting in the fall warmed them up to me...thru the winter won them over..now if I miss a few days they'd think I'm dead

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

I fly at Laural hill park, secaucus.. 3 yrs now..never do when I can expect others who might be looking to use the fields for more mainstream purposes like cricket??? Yea go figure but true...bad weather (wind) early or late hrs..is when you first show and be out of the way....I go there just to straighten up my equipment before work..the regular employees know and welcome me they also know I take care of their park like its my own...I think showing up 7am daily starting in the fall warmed them up to me...thru the winter won them over..now if I miss a few days they'd think I'm dead

lol, cool man. I'm like 25 mins from Secaucus, hopefully we can plan something and meet out there.

After waiting 2 days, I've finally received the kite. I must say this thing is huge, a lot bigger than what I expected. I managed to unpack it and pack it back into a suitable size to fit inside the backpack.

The kite is in excellent condition, no tares, rips, patches, etc. great buy after all. Thanks much user: ssayre for selling suck a mint condition kite, I can now trust this forum 100% nice people here and trust worthy.

Will take the kite out today and see if I can fly it, will be extremely careful though wind is at 11MPH, should be ok. Let you guys know how it went when I come back.

Went out for the first time today with bugymangp and it was a lot of fun, too bad there wasn't strong wind. So far the experience has been good, can't wait for bigger winds. Must say the 3M kite has some pull to it, dragged me a bit, will se what happens with more wind.

Welcome to the sport. It's a lot of fun and there's a lot of great support and advice on the forum. I live in Kenilworth NJ and work in Iselin, we're neighbors! Come to Wildwood, you won't be disappointed.