Hello all,
My name is Rodney and I live in the very nw corner of NC. I recently was on vacation at the OBX of NC and visited Kittyhawk kites and purchased a HQ symphony 1.8 as something to play with while there. As luck would have it we had a storm settle in on us for 4 days and the wind was very strong. I had never flown a kite like this and had a ball getting jerked up and down the beach until the beach disappeared with the oncoming water. With no place to fly I drove the 20 miles to Jockey's Ridge and got lifted out of my tracks and dragged for the next three hours and now I am hooked! I have been looking and reading for the last month trying to decide on my next buy. I weigh 235 and am looking for a kite to scud and jump with but am undecided on what to get and what size.I do not want to fly just maybe jump 5 feet or so at a time. Any suggestions? I have varying winds and know I will have to pick my days to fly but also am planning on going back to the coast again this year. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Welcome! Lots of good info here.

IMHO Your weight will have some effect but I wouldn't go bigger than 5m for your next kite. Your symphony is a decent little kite but it isn't an aggressive kite with tons of lift. Play it safe and you might consider testing your purchase ideas here to get feed back.

Ditto on Stetson, a decent 5m kite will give you some nice jumps, but will also give you some fabric over you to keep you from coming down to hard. Play it safe, one gust and a 5 ft jump can turn into a 15 ft jump in a second! Get some safety gear, (helmet, pads) and have a good time, just remember, there is no force greater than Mother Nature!

Rodney,
I am new to this crazy sport also. I purchased a Symphony as my first kite. After a couple of months with that I was ready for my first "Big Boy" kite. I talked with Dino from Dakitez. I am in the same weight class as you bu the winds here in MN are not as constant as they are in NC I would imagine. He got me into a PL TwisterIIR 5.6m kite. When he told me it was going to be like a truck pulling on me...he was not kidding.
Don't get me wrong this kite is a blast but you have to respect it and start in small winds. It will pull you around like crazy under the wrong conditions. But it is fairly easy to control and relaunches well. Anything over 10 mph and I would recommend a helmet especially if the winds are erratic.
Hope this helps somewhat.
Happy Kiting!

I really like the looks of the twisterII, it is on my wish list! I just purchased a 5.0 beamer and am waiting on it to arrive. I am going to give both beamers a good workout before moving to a lifty kite, as I don't want to make another trip to the ER this year;-). Good luck and have fun with the twister and keep us posted on your flying adventures with plenty of pics.

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Originally posted by ncbowhunter Hello all, I do not want to fly just maybe jump 5 feet or so at a time. Any suggestions? Thanks

This approach isn't going to work. To jump using a kite it is best to know how to fly one. If you just want to jump you want a paraglider ?