So I found the instructions on doomwheels.com and built my wheels. Pretty sweet, I've got to say. I do have one question about the skates though. Is there a recommended minimum width between the side rails? When I built mine, I put a nut on each side of my wheel, giving me about 1/2" + a small spacer on each side. I could lose nearly an inch of width if I got rid of the extra nuts, and just used the spacers to offset the front wheel to the inside. First, I'm not sure how far the front wheel should be offset, how far the boot should be offset, and if it matters how narrow I make the skates. Right now, total width inside to inside of the rails is about 3.25".

Second question... I went out to the beach today and had absolutely horrible wind, but after enough waiting I got a pretty weak wind, but enough to get a decent tug off of my 6m Samurai. This is where the problem comes. The wind is almost always blowing down the beach, just a little bit off of the water, maybe 20-30 degrees off of straight down the beach. I was doing ok, but kept getting myself caught with my kite straight downwind, I'd catch up with it, and it'd go to the ground. I did get lots of practice launching and reverse launching my kite though. I've read some of the buggy postings, talking about where to keep the kite in the window, and I'm guessing my biggest issue was just a lack of wind, but any guidance anyone can give on either of my issues would be appreciated. Thanks.

Chris

I think the problem you are having is that you are trying to go with the wind...meaning that you are heading in the same direction the wind is blowing. That's not how to do it.

What you will want to do is actually head across the wind. The way I teach beginners to buggying is to stand so that they are looking directly down wind - the same direction the wind is blowing. This can be done by turning your head slowly back and forth until you feel the wind blowing evenly on both ears. Once you find this position you are looking directly downwind. Then extend both hands out to each side and point with your fingers. This is the direction you will be traveling.

If you travel directly downwind, you will only be able to go as fast as the wind is blowing - but the problem is that the kite will be traveling at the same speed as well - which means there will be no wind at all where the kite is at and it will fall to the ground. Think like this....if the wind is blowing 3 mph, and you walk forward at 3 mph there will be no wind, same goes for your kite.

Traveling across wind will keep the wind in the kite as you travel. Traveling upwind will increase the wind in the kite the same amount as you are traveling. Example, if the wind is blowing 6 mph...and you are traveling upwind at 2 mph, the kite will see 8 mph winds. Same as running with a single line kite to get it launched. Running creates more wind so the kite will fly. Traveling upwind creates more wind for the kite to produce power.

Also, the faster the kite flies the more power it will produce. Most people realize this the first time they rocket their power kite through the center of the window. Speed = power. So...traveling sideways across the wind will help you pick up speed which will increase the power output of the kite, which will in turn help you pick up more speed...see the trend here? :ticking:

Anyways, keep at it and dont forget to use lots of protection. A helmet and body pads costs very little compared to an emergency room visit.

Hope this helps.

Good advice from awindofchange.

Regarding your skate construction: There is no recommended minimum width between the side rails. 3.25 inches sounds fine, but if you would like to remove the extra nuts and offset the wheel using spacers... this works too.

>how far the front wheel should be offset...

About 1/4 inch off center toward the inside of the skate. You may try more or less to find the setting you like best. You'll notice the effect most when in motion and leaning against the kite. If your front wheel tends to roll downwind causing you to repeatedly "step" the front wheel to maintain your sailing line, increase the offset. If the opposite happens and you feel the skate is trying to turn too hard upwind possibly causing you to lose balance, reduce the offset. You just want a slight upwind resistance from the skate to counteract the downwind pull of the kite. Of course, this is all considering you are skating across the wind (not straight downwind) as awindofchange described.

>how far the boot should be offset

1/4 inch from the inside rail. If you feel too much pressure on the outside of your ankle, move the boot back toward the center in 1/8 inch increments until it is comfortable. The idea is to put the weight of balance in your knees rather than your ankles (without going too far).

Good luck and welcome to kiteskating!