I'm thinking about getting a depower for landboarding and snowkiting, and maybe eventually kitesurfing. I know that open cell will not go on water, but compare that to the others for land use. Out of the three, which is the best as far cost and versatility primarily for landboarding? The only reason I threw in kitesurfing was for a comparison between LEI's and Twinskins for that use. What do you like the most and why?

Open cell will go just fine on water ... just don't crash it
Cost? Arc's go real cheap ... I like 'em cos I like 'em. Ok I'm too lazy to pump :D

There are also closed cell foils... ;-)

Arcs are often a good price and work on water.
Open cell depower is usually a little cheaper than a closed cell.

Older LEI's can be a great deal ( avoid pre-05 and old 4 lines without experience ) . You may have to repair a bladder or 2 but ?????

Choices , choices.

:ticking:

Try and get together with evryone you can and try what they fly.

If you are concerned about price, you might want to head down the twinskin route. The new ones will be very expensive (but possibly worth the money), older models seem to go for decent prices, and will have a very large range of use. The biggest drawback on the twinskins that I see is their low end use. You need really big kites to get the low end grunt you need for riding in 10mph. I've read some posts about saying that the low-end on the new charger is a lot better... but I havent seen it yet.

I love the closed cell foils (FS Speed3, zomg), but they will cost you an arm, leg, and other various body parts to get. However, you may be able to get some good deals if you hold out for a little bit.

LEI,LEI,LEI They are the best all around performer. You can find them for good deals. Do watch out for older c kites. They are a little bit more of a handful but flyable. I learned on c kites. You DONT want old 4 line C kite. 5th line is much safer.
All types of kites have their good and bad.

Thinskins (peter lynn) good kites, handle gusts VERY well, Good on land and water, NO low end power, Have to have hooj kite for light winds on the flip side they have great high end(work well in high winds) good deals easy to find.

Closed/Open cell depower foil. Good kites, some are a bit quirky in gusty conditions(tucking wing tips, not holding shape ect.) Open cell no good in water. Can have problems with tangled bridals, Since the generally have a flatter profile they "catch" more wind. Smaller kite sizes used compaired with others. More pricey then others on used market. Flysurfers (closed cell) top of the line, very good in light winds, comes with top of the line price.

LEIs/Inflatables, Good all around kites, Have to pump them up, Can have bladder leaks ect. Bow kites have very good range of depower, Handle gusts/lulls very well, hold their shape. Super easy relaunch, good safety systems, Can be found used at very good prices.

That gives you a place to start.
Like i said in the other thread. Take your time. Dont be in a hurry to go out and grab a kite. Fly some different kites and see what you like. Make a decision on where you will use your kites most(land/water). Talk to others about the kites. Theres people in your area, ragden, maven im in pa. Watch for us going to wildwood on weekends and get there if you can. we are all cool and will help ya out.
You will need a harness so go get one of those. I would recomend a seat harness to start with, They are not as comfy as a waist but you have no problems with it riding up and jabbing your ribs. youll need one to fly depowers.

And just remember LEIs RULE!!!

Additionally, I've got a spare harness that you can use while trying out our kites.

It sounds like twinskins are probably best suited for my purposes, but LEI's are certainly a possibility. When you say NO low end, how much wind do you need to fly a 13m scorpion? Some days its very windy, but in D.C., the wind can go from 20 to 10 mph and then back up to 25. That was a kite I was thinking about, especially now that someone's selling it.

For land your probably ok. That kite i would say starts being usable around 12-15, hits its stride at 20. Its going to be a bit small for the water.

I'm not too worried about the water right now, it would just be nice to have a depower that worked on water in case I was able to kitesurf. Would the 13m scorpion be a good kite to start out with depower on? Or is that too much? Or could I get a 15m? What is the difference between the synergy, venom, scorpion and any other peter lynn twinskins? I'm looking for one with lots of power as well as lift and float.

I think Todd would be the person to answer that last question. That man flies twinskins all day long.

Maven- How do you like your apex compared to the twinskins? Thats another possibility for my fisrt depower.

how much do you weigh power?

130lb

Quote:

Originally posted by power Maven- How do you like your apex compared to the twinskins? Thats another possibility for my fisrt depower.

Honestly? The only twinskin I've used so far was a Venom that belongs to Todd . I liked the Apex II better, but the Venom is an older design than the twinskins that are sitting in my closet... :dunno:

Oh ok my bad was thinking you were heavier. you would probably be happy with the 13M

You've never flown the synergy or the 16 scorp?

Quote:

Originally posted by power You've never flown the synergy or the 16 scorp?

Barnes flys the 16M scorp and hes about the same weight as you. Thats his goto kite he uses on land and water.

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Originally posted by snobdr Barnes flys the 16M scorp and hes about the same weight as you. Thats his goto kite he uses on land and water.

Nod, I met him at WW. I'm not sure that he actually is the same weight as me though. If he is the same weight, then he's got hoojer ballz than I do... At the very least, he's got a lot more experience.

I was talking to power at 130# what do you weigh maven? Yea ryans got a bit of experence, he rides water also and snowkites. Hooj? you had to see him at the spring bash. It was BLOWIN! i was on my 9M and he was hanging onto that. Actually he wasnt having much problems with it, I was inpressed with the range that kite has.

I weigh 150. Yeah, I heard about the spring bash from someone else. I can't believe that's the only thing he flies. That's seriously impressive. Personally, mine scares the crap out of me sitting in my closet. But I'll get to it one of these days. Sooner than I would have if I hadn't seen Carl's landing video.

I was very antsy my first phantom flight by myself. I had flown a handoff synergy and scorpion from tridude before, but it was scary the first time I set up and flew and buggied with my phantom by myself. After 15-20 minutes I was reaching into my car for a water bottle with the phantom on auto pilot 80 feet up. Just go fly the things.

I flew Todd's 8m Venom. Flying the Scorpion scares me because it's big. Landing and launching, I'd just like to have someone there the first time. Yeah, that ability to just leave them sitting up there is great, isn't it?