I flew my new (to me) Venom 19 today that I bought from G-force last week (thanks Dennis). Wind was 10-12mph maybe gusts around 15mph. First couple of launches failed miserably, thought something was wrong with the kite until I checked my lines and realized the backs were 4" too short. Fixed that and the kite launched like it's supposed to. First time I've flown a PL in about 4 years. Seemed slow and limp at first but then my old instincts started kicking in and I began to have fun with it. Did some little static jumps and terrorized the seagulls. Not enough wind to take it on the water, but I had fun anyways. I still like my inflatos better for faster turning / more bottom end, but I sure missed the ease of self launching and landing that you get with a PL. Good fun, the Venom fit like an old pair of shoes.

Your old pair of shoes fits nice for me still dude ; )

glad you had a good time on the unit you got from Dennis(G-force?), bet you can't wait to get the V16 from Phreerider(chad)

a little mix up me thinks?

anyway... nothing like seasoned footwear! esp, the no pump, easy up, easy down PL venom!

@macboy - Hey, good to hear from you!

@PHREERIDER - DOOH! I hate when I do that. Sorry....

Have you had a shot at te Chargers?

That slow turning has been erased. The Charger next to the Venom is a VERY different kite. I had moved away from arcs but was blown away by the Chargers improvements a year or 2 ago and went all twin skinny again!

Quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner Have you had a shot at te Chargers? That slow turning has been erased. The Charger next to the Venom is a VERY different kite. I had moved away from arcs but was blown away by the Chargers improvements a year or 2 ago and went all twin skinny again!

yeah the charger flys like an LEI with all of the characteristics of an arc

Quote:

Have you had a shot at te Chargers?

Nope, but if someone wants to send one my way I'd be happy to give it a spin! Seriously though, the "other" reason I went to inflatos was price. I picked up an entire quiver of Bularoos (end of model year sale) for about the same price as 1 Peter Lynn. Unless some rich uncle dies and leaves me a fortune, a Charger is not likely to be in my future. :P

lol gotchya.... if you get a chance to test one i'd so go for it

Will do. I'm always open to trying new toys.

BK wants power! V19 has power, he would need a 21m+ charger to be able to ride in same winds as a V19.

BK i seem to remember is about 245# (111kg) he needs at least 11.1m PA. which the V16 has 11.3m. the V19 has 13.8 . A CH19 would be an excellent match for you, also you would be taken this unit into heavy winds, kinda beyond its rating but my experience on arcs in high winds has brought me closer to heaven(something like that).


on the water its upwind or you're walking. getting a powerful kite DEPOWERED at the edge of the window yields upwind. the more the venoms are tuned/trimmed to depower speeds them up for faster turning. and a powerful upwind unit is what you want!

FLY is dead on with the chargers and lei. essentially a depower c-kite. rate of power is a little different , CH is smooth , tube is harsh. when they are compared on land rides its most evident .

My CH15 flies virtually same as my 13m c-hybrid tube. the tube may get me out in 1-2 knots less.


Phun with phootwear!

Not all tubes are alike. I would say that my V19 has similar top end to my Bularoo 16 (25mph steady 30 gusts) but no where's near the bottom end of the Bularoo 16 (the Bularoos in my quiver are SLE's). All the Bularoos in my quiver are just as smooth in the air as any Venom / Phantom / Guerilla / Bomba I've flown. The jumps are just about as floaty too (except that Waroo 20m is like a hang glider, massive float). They will not auto-zenith like the PL's, but they will hang at the zenith for a short while without having to touch them. The reason I bought the V19 (I sold my original one a few years back) is that self launching and self landing an SLE is a PITA IMO. Granted, I've not been flying them that long, but I have watched other guys who have only flown tubes have the same problems as me. Don't get me wrong, I like PL's and I like the V19, but I think describing all inflatos as being "harsh" in the air isn't necessarily true. I've flown some "harsh" inflatos, but I've also flown some really comfy inflatos, too.

I used "harsh" as a sub for "steep rate" which probably translate to "instant, direct feel" ...just trying to convey the rate of power buildup is different between the units. the power lag on soft kites like PL arcs is not the same as lei. not meant to be a negative, just rate description.

yes in flight ALL are smooth.

never really had trouble with the launches on any but i can see the point. the self launch has pivot points on SLE and NEEDs coverage or wear comes quickly.

...and absolutely i have ridden some "break your back" junk thats really is hard to manage. thankfully time has brought better things to the market.

Gotcha, sounds like we're both on the same page.