Today I sat in the buggy at the beach waiting for 3 hrs for enough wind to fly any of my kites....

It's gonna be like riding a cloud. Compared to the cinder block tires I needed on gravel.

Quote: Originally posted by Ed Cline

It's gonna be like riding a cloud. Compared to the cinder block tires I needed on gravel.

That's a fine looking upgrade Ed. You should really enjoy those. Glad too you were able to get a wider fork. Now, go fat out back!

Time to get serious about my Nasa bars. The parts are mostly here.:D



This inconsistent mess works, somehow?



The little one started life with Jim SSI as a crossover.
The middle is a Windstruck Westing special.
The broomstick is questionable, I think Coleridge wrote about it.

I stared out my window for hours watching the wind blow through the trees, finished up my OT shift, got home just in time to have the wind die..... again....

Hopeful for next week. Plus side, cash for kites now. :evil:

All praise to Ariel. I don't do commercial work anymore, but for some reason I took this little call. Turns out they make custom robot style wheel chairs.

Can you make me a fender for my kite buggy?
After looking at it in my service van he said no problem, I can make whatever you want but I think diamond deck plate would be killer cool.... in chrome?

Well, so do I.
Can't wait till he calls me for my final fit and attachment...

He's happy with the trade, hard to put a price on custom, but a midi fender costs one air conditioning repair. Happy Happy, Joy Joy. :D

Quote: Originally posted by Ed Cline

All praise to Ariel. I don't do commercial work anymore, but for some reason I took this little call. Turns out they make custom robot style wheel chairs. Can you make me a fender for my kite buggy? After looking at it in my service van he said no problem, I can make whatever you want but I think diamond deck plate would be killer cool.... in chrome? Well, so do I. Can't wait till he calls me for my final fit and attachment... He's happy with the trade, hard to put a price on custom, but a midi fender costs one air conditioning repair. Happy Happy, Joy Joy. :D

Outstanding Ed. The barter system at its best. I'd love a personal custom fender. And yes, your material and color choices are spot on. Wax on; wax off.

Yeehaw.
Thanks to Erics initiative (and camp host!), a few of us descended on Roosevelt Gap between Ocean Shores and Pacific Beach, WA.
Two great days/

The beach was wide flat and firm and the sun was out!
Wind was light but smoooooth.
Perfect chance to try out my Gin Shaman2 12m.
All that I could ask for.

SWEET!

i didn't break it out and now its blowing onshore 12+ just coming off low tide...

I learned that (flying one right after the other) an 8m Toxic bridled aspect ratio 4.2 kite on an ozone turbo bar and 30m lines pulls a PL bigfoot easier and faster thru wet semi-soft sand than a 19m Venom2 arc aspect ratio 5.0 kite :puzzled:

Quote: Originally posted by PistolPete

I learned that (flying one right after the other) an 8m Toxic bridled aspect ratio 4.2 kite on an ozone turbo bar and 30m lines pulls a PL bigfoot easier and faster thru wet semi-soft sand than a 19m Venom2 arc aspect ratio 5.0 kite :puzzled:

Maybe the lower aspect of the 8m is sitting deeper in the window. This would give you more horse power at the cost of upwind ability.

I had a sunset session today in the dust devil bug, a serious off roader with a ton of ground clearance. Only its 4th outing since buying it new some 8-10 years ago.

The tide was on its way out and so the sand was wet and soft too. I learned not to downloop powerslide on soft sand. The short axle'd bug dug in, momentarily lifting its rear upwind wheel giving me a near heart attack. :o

Also enjoyed racing a kiteboarder upwind. We were side by side all the way up the beach just yards apart. Should have filmed it.

The dust devil is now my primary bug as the dominator is in long term storage due to lack of space.

Here's a few seconds from last week, hitting 59mph. The fastest this bug has ever gone. I don't think I've ever done more than 30mph before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCyLZJMYCZc

Now that's moving,

4 day weekend here, all 10-12mph winds for the most part, 4 days out with the kites, last day was low wind, finally got to break out the 15.4m in 5-6 Mph winds. It's going to take me some time to get used to that beast.

Really wanting a good wind day to pick up some speed. Currently cruising in the 25-27mph range with the 10m RM+ in 10-12mph, not doing bad for the kite and wind, just wanting more, can't wait for SOBB

What are we hitting now wind speed to MPH ratio for a good sail, still at the 2.5 to 3x wind speed ratio or are the new sails pushing that mark higher?

Nice Video RedSky!

Quote: Originally posted by Demoknight

The 8.0 is 4.85 if I remember correctly. It is the only one of the series with that AR. http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=26195&g...

So they may be a little closer in AR. The 19m is a park and ride, it is so slow to turn that sheeting in and bearing off is how to power out of the soft stuff. I think the 8m gets the upper hand with efficiency (open cell, fixed bridle, thinner wing, use of projected area/less anhedral), lighter weight, quicker turning.

Remember an old rule of thumb that the area/size of a FB is about half a DP for similar pull when riding. An Arc probably needs to be around two and a half times the FB size.

Saturday was a great kiteboarding day followed by a nice Kite Cat session on sunday afternoon - Lake Huron, Southampton Ontario
a short video coming soon

Love it! Really glad someone has finally done a proper kitecat video. Auto zenith and the lack of waves makes things easy yes ?

Quote: Originally posted by markite

Saturday was a great kiteboarding day followed by a nice Kite Cat session on sunday afternoon - Lake Huron, Southampton Ontario a short video coming soon

I really liked that video and in fact the whole Kite Cat vibe. We are contemplating a move back to California from Utah and will likely end up in San Diego County. I've been giving thought to how I could take advantage of the ocean breezes while avoiding the possibility of another "freak gasoline fight accident". The whole thing about kite boarding with LEIs or other super lifty kites spooks me and I don't want to get whipped up in the air ever again. A Kite Cat like the one you show in this video could be equipped with an AQR just like a land buggy!

Is this Kite Cat (or something similar) actually commercially available? Enquiring minds want to know!

Quote: Originally posted by RedSky

Love it! Really glad someone has finally done a proper kitecat video. Auto zenith and the lack of waves makes things easy yes ?

Hey Tom, the auto zenith is really good for carrying the cat into deeper water and getting into it. I rode it a bit the day before at a different bay using an LEI - the launch area was difficult with rocks and scrub bushes and then the first 30 feet of the water had scattered rocks so I needed extra hands to launch and mind the cat waiting for me in the water.
The location for the video was a better beach but it does have a quick drop in depth so it's not easy walk in and hop on, but not bad.
The arc is nice to use but I also find I need to work the bar a lot to try and keep some constant power on. And even in higher wind they can shoot through the power zone a bit too far ahead so keeping a slow sine works good. The LEI sat in the window holding power without needing as much work but it was also a higher wind day.
flatter water is nice for sure, once waves pick up then they are always slapping the bottom of the seat slowing me down.

Quote: Originally posted by Windstruck

I really liked that video and in fact the whole Kite Cat vibe. We are contemplating a move back to California from Utah and will likely end up in San Diego County. I've been giving thought to how I could take advantage of the ocean breezes while avoiding the possibility of another "freak gasoline fight accident". The whole thing about kite boarding with LEIs or other super lifty kites spooks me and I don't want to get whipped up in the air ever again. A Kite Cat like the one you show in this video could be equipped with an AQR just like a land buggy! Is this Kite Cat (or something similar) actually commercially available? Enquiring minds want to know!

Kite Cats haven't been made in many years but there is the odd one that comes up for sale. The one Aaron Saude was trying to sell located in ...Wisconsin (?) was an excellent deal and it was the last generation design on the kite cat so a very fun craft.
A buddy near Ottawa Canada has one that was an early generation, i think it was #2 of the cats built. Then one in the UK last year. I think the only thing being manufactured is the kite tender
http://www.kitetender.nl

I use both LEIs and arcs but haven't had any issue being lifted out of the cat or buggy...but there have been times in the buggy where yes it could easily happen. I don't recall exactly the safety release but if i remember it has a cable that comes up through a grommet in the seat. The kite cat seat is like a buggy seat hanging down from the frame so you would need to put a grommet to run the cable but not sure what happens below the seat. i'll have to go back and look at Jeffs set up.

um, did I mess anything, i could ramble on with more info on the cat but let me know if there was anything else specific i can answer.
Mark

Thanks Mark Hope to see more from you in the future.

Out at our local sand flats, wind holding at 10-11mph. Still having issues cracking 30mph, best of the day was 29mph. Gonna need more wind.

Still, I guess almost 3x wind speed isn't that bad.

Does anyone know if anyone has engineered or worked through converting a "small" "Hobie" or other cat boat for use with kites?

Having not seen either a KiteKat or a small "Hobie" up close to know what the differences are in terms of rudders or keels I don't know, but have wondered, about the differences.

a typical catamaran has two rear rudders, The kite cat has 4; two forward and two rear. Foot steering linkage on the kite cat connects to the front rudders and then a long linkage connects the front to the rear so they turn in opposite direction.

I was overpowered and sideways w/ 3.5 for a touch over an hour...
Upside down a few times as well...great night 👍

Rack and Buggy fitted to the back of the family van. It looks like it'll work but I'm pretty sure I'll get some weird looks with it. S1 Sysmic with beach racers hanging off the back of a Mazda 5 =P

Had a wonderful confluence of conditions and freedom and I was able to get in my buggy for the first time since IBX in April. Not the best wind but I was able to get some nice laps in on a soccer field under my 11m RS. Even got up on two wheels for about 10-15 feet coming out of a corner! That was fun. :D

I'm going to keep my gear in the car for a couple of days. There may be another window tomorrow. Whupp.

No August wind in Raleigh, maybe the hurricane will bless us.
Meanwhile still sharpening my axe.

Got out to play around a bit, Beach was pretty wet thought, high hopes for the weekend.

https://youtu.be/obxrK1KuHxw

Mud Bay

2 Days with a steady 10-12mph wind, couple things, I think we've finally bonded with the new kite, and well, rain and a wet mud bay, finally properly motivated to put a longer mud flap on the buggy, no more wet sand crotch.

I finally got my Blade III 4.9 and 4.0 up in the air for the first time today. Ocean Beach in S.F., 10-14mph constant wind. Lots of butt-scudding while I got used to the handling characteristics of each. Right now, I think the 4.0m is my new favorite kite to fly static (no jumping). It's light, responsive, and reliably powerful. Also, it's purple, my favorite color.

Anyways, here are a few pics of the kites ready for launch. I was alone, so no action shots:

Blade III 4.0
Blade III 4.9 (1)
Blade III 4.9 (2)