The kite is a blast for sure. It looks small in the air. I think because of the curled in wingtips. After flying this kite I think my next big purchase in a few months will be a Blade IV 6.5 meter.
Later-Scott

DaVinch you are the bomb. There is a special place for you on the other side. I would LOVE to get a few runs on a board now, and my son would like that pretty much too. He is a big skateboarder/wakeboarder, and he tried one at the HQ deal on Jekyll Island but about the time he convinced me to let him try it and he got the hang of it, we ran out of beach due to the weather enhanced tide coming in.:singing:

I want to be at close to the top of that list please. Blade,HQ,board,2008! all sound good to me.I need some more wind toys. As it stands now we all have to take turns riding whatever it is. I would love to have 2 or 3 of us flying by.

Well it's windy outisde! Maybe tomorrow I'll get in another surf session. I was planning on riding my ATB this evening. However, after I ate dinner (6:00pm) I sat down and closed my eyes for a second! I just woke up and It's now almost 1:00am! Ooopss!
Scott

The Blade handled perfectly. Today the wind was 11-15mph straight onshore. I hooked up with a local buggy pilot and we did quite a few miles. We rode from 10:00am until 2:00 pm then I ran out of sand. I mostly just cruised but I did try a couple small jumps. The kite handled perfectly and is a great ATB kite.

Tonight low tide is at 11:00pm and I plan on walking down to the beach and riding if the wind is still blowing.

It's not good for the water today.

Scott

Wow! What a weekend. I put in 10 hours of flight time on the Blade in 2 days. Not bad.
I plan on mailing the kite out sometime next week to the next lucky flyer! I hope to get in the ocean one more time and maybe be able to find someone to sit on the beach with a camera.
This evening the wind was ok 12-15 ish. I figured I'd jump in the ocean for a few minutes. I wasn't expecting much due to straight onshore wind and big waves. It took me 5 city blocks to make it out. I turned and made one run back and I landed where I took off. To much fun. The kite handled great and got me over some pretty big waves no problem. I wish I had a helmet cam. There was some decent walls of water out there.
I'm sold on the new Blade kites. I don't know of any other kites being produced that will work as well.
Scott

I'm glad you enjoyed the kite Scott! I think its pretty cool that you use open cells on the water

Try one on the water! You might like it!
They don't take much wind to ride with! Tonight I was the only one on the water. Check out the picture attached. Barely any whitecaps. I'm flying a Competition XXXL in the photo.
Scott

Well it was still windy when I got home from work so I went for another ocean wave ride session on the Blade. Tonight the wind was light and almost directly onshore again. Waves (wind chop really) were in the 4-6' range with heavy shore pound. The Blade got me out without much problem. I had to really keep the kite moving to generate power but it was relaxing type power. I wasn't hanging on for dear life.
I did get schooled by a big white water that I tried to go over while still moving to fast. I hit it and instead of boosting up and over I hit it and just went flying face first into the cloud. It really sucked. Took a pounding by 2 more waves before I was able to get going again.
On my way back in I dropped into a nice wave and ended up setting myself for a beautiful off the lip areial wave reentry. I landed back on the wave at the crest and was able to add some power and slide back into the wave. It felt great. The kites amazing ability to add power when needed by just a flick of the wrist kept me going on the wave.

I plan on sending the kite out to the next person on either Wednesday or Thursday depending on my work schedule. I was thinking of sending my lines and handles out with the kite. The lines are pretty much tuned to the kite now.

Who on the list really needs lines and handles to fly the kite? I had to take these lines and handles off another kite so I'm down a set. If everyone really wants to use the setup I have I'll mail them out with the kite. If I do send them out DO NOT change the length of the lines as they are set up for another of my kites. I had to add a short brake line extension piece for the Blade. What do ya'll on the list think about getting the handles and lines to use???

See ya-Scott

I have lines to use, but if you already have a set tuned to make the kite work well, then that would maximize my limited time in the air. They would be cheap to mail back to you in the end. I am really enthralled to hear you using a 4.9 in the water. I have a HUGE lake near me that has a half mile wide channel with breezes blowing straight down the channel most of the time. That would let me try this water thing without spending $1500. I would feel better if I had some support to get me out of a jam but worst case, I could stick close to shore so any swimming is a short distance. I am already a wakeboarder, so it shouldn't be too much of a leap. I would want to try some body dragging first to get a feel of how the power relates to water movement, but I can see this working. Especially with the B4 6.5 that has been recommended to me recently.

I think Airhog is up next. Lets see what he thinks about lines before you include them.

Hey Bob,

If the Tybee trip plays out Ill bring the boards, the 6.5, and the P3. Body dragging with a Blade--------ballsie!:o They'll drag you on land so I guess water will work!

I personally don't need the lines and handles but if bob wants them I'll be happy to pass them along. Otherwise i have an extra set or two i can use.

lets just send advice then and avoid the unnecessary shipping. I have a spare set of lines and another set I can borrow.

Where is Tybee? Isn't that in Georgia? I'm game if it's not to far of a drive from Cocoa Beach.

I won't send the lines along. Just make up a set of equal length lines 300 pound top and 80-150 pound bottoms.
I do plan on sending the kite out in the next couple of days.

If you can fly a 4 line high performance foil on land without crashing then flying on the water is no problem. Just pay attention. I wear a backpack made of mesh so I can stuff the kite in in case I do crash. All you do is roll up your lines and then stuff the kite in the bag. No problem!
See ya-Scott

Hey Bob,

If the Tybee trip plays out Ill bring the boards, the 6.5, and the P3. Body dragging with a Blade--------ballsie! They'll drag you on land so I guess water will work!

We will be at Tybee on the Saturday November 3rd. I talked to Tridude because I know he lives not far from there. It is located between Charleston, SC and Brunswick GA. It is apparently "the" beach for Savannah. The time and location are flexible. The more the merrier. I was going to let Angus (ACampbell) know about it as well. It is only a little over an hour drive for Angus or Tridude. It is about 300 miles from cocoa from there. If you are due a weekend getaway then make a weekend of it.

I was thinking that body dragging would not be as chancy as standing up on the beach with something like the blade 4.9 or even the 6.5. I wouldn't have anywhere to fall to and could only go so fast in/on the water. If it got scary, I could pull it to the side or up with the AOA set to not lift or just dial in some brakes. The only time I ever crash a kite is if the wind stops blowing. My Beamer got me once the second time I took it out in 30 mph gusts. You could hear the wind singing in the power lines and kite lines. Bad idea. Lessons learned. I would really feel good about things if I could graduate to a board on water. The stuff sack is a great idea for the probable need for recovery. I wouldn't be so afraid to try that by myself on my lake while not too far from shore. I'll stop rambling now.

Anyone else interested in Tybee?

Seriously there is no major issue with riding on the water with one of these kites. If anything they fly so well your less likely to crash. I know I end up dumping LEI's due to their poor handling. If you wakeboard then you shouldn't have a problem. The biggest thing to get used to when in the water is it's ok to get dragged along. Just hang on and slide through the water. As long as there is no obstacle downwind your good to go. Nothing downwind is a basic safety rule of kite flying anyway so it's not an issue for you...right??? Get on the water. If your flying an open cell foil on the water and something happens like a big increase in wind speed, quick moving storm, injury etc you can plant the kite in the water without any worry of it relaunching and taking you for a ride! I've used this survival technique more than once. The LEI guys have gone bouncing down the beach or worse (kite going across a highway on more than one occasion, going into powerlines etc) and I'm just chillin' out in the water winding up my lines.

I flew a HQ Crossfire briefly this weekend and it was pretty cool. I think you would have no problem with that kite on the water as well. I did a lot of kitesurf learning with a Quadrifoil Q2005 kite. Wish I could find another one!

Scott

What was the difference in horsepower between the Crossfire you flew and the Blade? What wind level would be enough to be effective on the water? I know others have flown both, so how do they compare? I know Tridude has done both and he says they are similiar. but for some reason, the Blade is held in higher regard. I understand about the building materials being higher quality, but I'm curious about seat of the pants flying differences.

Id say the grunt is about the same. Speed and lift go to the Blade, especially with the higher AR and adjustable AOA bridle. Unfortunately for HQ, Flexi is the sail of choice for many. HQ has a rep for being good at the beach but not inland. I disagree with that. Gust and wind shadows effect all kites. If you learn the Crossie she is a rewarding kite. Im not surprised you can kitesurf with one, again they have alot of grunt (lower AR). There is a vid on youtube of a guy kitesurfing with the 5m CF using a homemade board! Why did I sell mine:puzzled: Good question!

Uh, I remember you walking away after selling the CF with a 6.5 Blade in your hand! And a P3 on your back. Bless your heart. Rest assured she is in good hands now. It is the kite I automatically get out when an opportunity comes up. I think I will go to the lake with her Saturday if the wind will pick up. The wind blows out there when it is dead calm at home 20 minutes away.

I only flew the HQ kite for a couple minutes not enough time to get a feel for it. Basicly I was "holding" the kite while my friend got my ATB board straps setup for his feet.

I can get moving with the Blade 4.9 on the water in about 12mph. That is not enough to really do much except cruise downwind. You have to keep moving the kite for power. At about 15mph I'm going pretty good. I ride a 7'3" surfboard looking kiteboard for most of my wave kitesurfing.

You need to take the HQ kite to the water. Here is a picture of me from 1999 using a Quadrifoil Q2004 4 meter on the water.

I'm not going to get to the post office until Friday. Sorry.

Scott

I've posted this picture before but it's a good reminder that land foils are just fine for the water. This one is from 1999.

I would be using an older wakeboard for this. It might be that enough wind to let me cut upwind would be more than I would want to fly the CF in. I guess I'll have to see if I can get the two to come together.

Bob,

Can you modify your footsraps on the wakeboard (remove the heel/bootie thing) for quick egress if needed?

Yes, I'll have to look in the attic and find the stirrup bindings that came with the board. I can't imagine getting it all together with full high wraps to put on. They require both hands and full concentration to get them on. They are necessary behind the boat but the ride would not be so rigorous with the kite and no wake.

The transitions look fun as well. I can already do spins and ride both directions, so I just have to put the pieces together. Being afraid of the wind required to plane me off is my biggest obstacle, and right after that is the hassle of messing up and putting the kite in the water. When I tried the buggy, I seemed to forget over half of my kiting skills. I imagine it will be even worse trying to plane off in the water and not drag too far downwind.

Cool......... since you know the board just keep the wind at your back the kite 45 degrees in front of you lead shoulder and sine it!

Airhog your up! Kite is on it's way. Good luck and have a blast. It's better than I thought it would be. But I still prefer my Quadirfoil Competition kites. Unfortunately the Quad comps are getting old and are showing a lot of wear. But they still fly pretty well.

See ya'll later-Scott
p.s. there's no wind in the forecast for a little while. Here's what I started to learn when there is no wind http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf9U6uPezGs&eurl=http%3A%...

Sweet, cant wait. Winds should be good to. Just got through getting tossed around on the ACE 5m in about 15-20mph winds for the last few days. Wind finally stopped blowing today. What a wild week.

With the blade in route it looks to be like another wild week ahead:D

Blade will dominate the Ace! In the words of Bauchman Turner Overdrive,

"You aint seen na na na na na na na nothing yet"!

If your not careful the Blade IV 4.9 will eat you alive in 15-20mph wind. Remember I was able to kitesurf with the kite in 3-6' waves in 15mph wind. Most of the time I had the kite the wind was 10-15mph.
Scott