OK I thought I've done alot in my 56 years, but this kite thing is making me absolutley CRAZY. After hours of reading forums and researching kites and looking for a local dealer which I never thought would exist in NW Indiana, found a dealer not a hour away. Stopped and talked and left with my first 3m Senei 2 line trainer. Been flying it every chance I've had in the last three weeks. I'm hooked and ready for more. Now I know that kite boarding and landboarding ain't gonna work for me but buggying.... thats gonna happen and maybe just maybe snowboarding. I have access large tracks of land for both. Now with that in mind please help me with my next kite. I'm 5'8" 160# and consider my self pretty fit for my age. I've been looking at the new Scout II, Beamers, Prism Tensor, and Ozone all in the 4 to 5m range. Am I looking in the right direction for mainly static and buggy flying with snowboarding as a possibility. I've also got a line on an old land lizard buggy that I hope I can convince the guy to ship from California from the for sale forum. HELP :puzzled:

Nope, not crazy...

Crusty, gray hair here. I'm THAT guy, the one who gets the senior discount everywhere but doesn't yet qualify for it...

Somewhat the same boat for me as well with flight time but no buggy background less than a year ago. Buy your starter gear here on the forum. As a rule, these folks are solid, straight shooters.

There's a nicely priced Beamer 3m on the for sale forum that will serve you well as a high wind kite in the future and work perfectly well for a beginner's engine that won't kick you butt to bad when you screw up... and we all do.

There's also a few nicely priced buggys floating there around as well.

That buggy you are looking at is fine to get started. I looked at it as well as an extra for us as a light wind day buggy. It is very simular to the PL STD. My son "The Kidd" and I are both over 6" and 200lbs. And we use the PL a lot. If you can get it shipped it should work out well. This is untill you get realy hooked and need to upgrade to an Ivanpah or some Hooj beast like it!!
Good luck and keep an eye on the for sale list for used kites. I get almost all of mine there and have never gotten less than I was told I was getting.
Dave.

I just recently purchased a Beamer V 5m from a shop in Chicago called Chicago kites. They have good sale prices and decent customer service, plus they host events. If your looking for a Beamer I would suggest that because it has a huge amount of pull. Do you live close to the majestic or horshoe?

Congrats on getting the buggy bug Since you are without a doubt going to be in a buggy I would recommend a kite more suited for buggies than a overall decent beginner kite. Look at kites like the peter lynn viper or ozone flow. I have not had the chance to try the flow in a buggy but I here other s have enjoyed it. Next trip out I plan to put up a couple flows and try them out. Also think about the ozone method, HQ toxic, Peter Lynn reactor. These last 3 might be a little advanced for you at this point but you will be there soon enough.
The problem you will have with the beamer, scout, hornet, etc. is the upwind performance in the buggy. You will have a hard time getting back to your starting point with a kite that has a lack of upwind performance.

I can't speak to your mental state, but I'm over sixty and have been doing this for five
years or so. My advise is to start with a relatively small kite in the 3-5 meter range, four line foil. The smaller kite will allow you survive making mistakes and at the same time will
provide plenty of motive power. As you progress , you will end up using the smaller kite in higher winds. I've done well with the beamers, but there are others out there in that size range. Dakitez is correct about wanting good upwind performance, however you might find learning to fly a higher performing kite to be frustrating unless you have very smooth winds at your flying site. Unfortunately ours is largely a trial and error learning experience unless you can find someone to meet up with in your area. Read all the posts
on the forum that seem relevent , as there is a wealth of knowledge here, a lot of it learned the hard way! Post your questions and you will get answers and opinions from some great people .

I started to buggy with a 3M Beamer and it was frustrating. It was not until I got a 7.5M Apex II depower kite from Dakitez that I could go upwind with the buggy. If you have unlimited space it will be far easier to pick a cross wind tack. Welcome to the obsession. I can't get enough.
What are your wind conditions?

The thing that makes the Beamer so good for learning is that it is very stable. That stability is a tradeoff for the ultimate in upwind performance. I was flying a 3m Beamer III the day I really got it in the buggy. The surface you are riding on and the strength of the winds have much to do with your success. If you are on thick grass and slightly underpowered, you won't be able to get back to camp easily. Add some wind or an easy to roll over surface and you would be more than happy with the Beamer.

Agreed. I still have my 3M Beamer III. It is a great static flier.

For just starting, stability is key. You will want good upwind performance too, this is where the dilemma comes in. Hornet, Beamer, tensor, all good for stability but as Dino said, the upwind suffers. I suggest the viper series. Stable kite but excellent upwind as well. I have NO reservations about putting one o my vipers in a first timers hands. Great kites to get started with! Excellent quality, easy to fly, speed when you are ready for it, and amazing value for the $$$. Size is going to depend on terrain and wind. What are your typical winds and terrain?

Im moving up to vapors as soon as I can afford to, but I'll neve sell my vipers!

Most of the terrain will probably be short to med. turf. and going to check out the beaches on the south end of lake Michigan only 30 min away. not sure if its permitted up there anywhere. Wind conditions on the truf will be a toss up I've got a very large multiple soccer fields ...privately owned. I know the guy and hoping he will let me use it. Unless we have a weather front moving in the winds could be anywhere.

Thanks all for the great info. I spend alot of time on the forum reading as much as I can. Everybody seem very willing to help

My vote is viper, but I am biased lol

It's got very predictable flying behavior, very forgiving as well...

Yep, I reckon Beamer/Flow/Hornet in a 4m to start with for the buggy. Low aspect kites will give you less grief in inland winds than med/high aspect kites. True, you will sacrifice a little upwind ability, but we're not talking a huge amount. I have no trouble making ground back upwind with my beamers. I prefer depowers (I have Apex 2's and an Access XT) they're more forgiving buggy engines with a greater wind range, but you'll get to them eventually. Had a great day last year flying my 4m Beamer and 3m Flow at Sandy point. Hit 64kph that day with the 4m Beamer so they're not too slow! Here's a vid.