Just bought a flysurfer speed 3 12 m. My only other kite is a rage 3.5. I have flown it a bunch of times and I'm pretty good with it while bugging. I wanted to see what all the hype was about with depower kites and I also wanted somthing I could later transfer over to kiteboarding.
My dilemma is that I know nothing about flying a depower. Are there any videos I could watch that could get me on the right track. I live in st louis MO so there's no kite school/class I could attend. Im willing to take things slow and learn the hard way but this is a dangerous sport and I would like to be informed before I strap into a 40 foot kite and get blown away like a dandelion lol.
I will be going to cape cod in August and will probably have a kite bored by then. If anyone who lives near there would like to meet up ill be there for two weeks and will also have my buggy.
Any help would be appreciated
as always thanks for your time

I'm very glad you're enjoying the buggy.. You very much on the right approach. To be careful. That is a big jump n size.. Take it easy and ramp up gradually..

Casardo, I don't know about flysurfer but what I found helpful with my venom is I downloaded the manual and read it front to back until I memorized it. You might see if there is a manual online for your kite. Also watching youtube videos.

Thanks riffclown. I am enjoying it a lot. I get a lot of attention from people out here from it. Ssayre ill look into the manual thing. Is there any videos off Hand you know this link to that I could checkout?

wow rage 3.5 to FS S3 12M....kinda speechless atm.



first thing ONLY in smooth wind ! no more than 10mph keep it fully power til you can determine stall points. that way it won't collapse...hope you have been in a harness! like with your FB with a strop? maybe ? looking for the manual has me concerned, FS archive usually under technical support PDF format they are online....but still dude its huge step. definitely choose conditions carefully , that unit could wreck you cat quick!

Quote:

.kinda speechless atm.

I couldn't quite wrap my head around it either. That is a big step. I did all of the steps in between such as my fb with strop and larger fb with strop in lots of different conditions. Casardo you do have some ground to cover. It's like you found the warp tubes on super mario and are in level 8.

My second kite was a Pansh Blaze 5m. It scared me to death the first time I flew it. It was at least another year before I flew a depower under supervision.

Top Hat video :D

Casardo, You simply must get lessons before hitting the water. Being out of control on land is one thing but on water!!!

Try to meet up with someone with the experience to help you. If I were in your shoes, I'd buy myself a small foil depower kite such as an old Ozone Access 6m and learn with that in the buggy before going to Cape Cod.

Don't fly alone especially on water.

RedSky is right on. Are there lessons in Cape Cod ?

You really want to take the L1 level of lesson AT LEAST before going it alone on water. Really the 3 lesson plan is only designed to make you competent on your own.

It is very important to learn how to body drag upwind, self rescue, navigate at sea etc. before heading out with a board.
You will crash A LOT at 1st. The school will supply you with a kite suited for the winds and your skill that you can crash at will . Probably smaller than your 12m ? It will be an LEI and will relaunch much easier. They will have a board well suited to learning.

Trying to learn to kitesurf with a 12m Speed coming from a 3.5 FB without a lesson will be long, frustrating and dangerous. Even with the help of an experienced buddy. Don't think for a second that because you can ride in a buggy using the 12m Speed that translating that to water will be easy. It won't !!!!!

Now some good news. Having your own kite will be a big help when combined with lessons. Nothing like having your own gear and a day or more between lessons. You can then go over everything you were taught right away. Perfecting stuff like upwind drag so you are able to sail through the next levels. Possibly cover L3 in 2 lessons. Having an L3 certification is handy down the road for renting gear or moving up to instructor.

12m is a nice medium size of kite for water but I think it may be too much kite for you often. Especially at 1st.

At the very least get a quality kite lesson DVD and burn it into your brain !

its May...by Aug you and that kite will be soul mates...but don’t go it alone in the ocean/bays at first..too much going on that needs to be considered...other then that i say hot launch it today and have your buggy w/ you (big field)

best advice I can give you is dont fly the speed. Keep it in the bag and stick it in the back of the closet.

I remember my first go on a speed and it scared the heck out of me. They are very fast and powerful. This happened to me and I already had experience on other kites like apex, access, frenzy, and montana. The speed 12m is not a kite to learn how to use depower with. Its an awesome kite but again not something to learn on.

I would suggest you pick up a 7m - 8m apex, access or even a newer montana or frenzy. This will greatly decrease your learning curve and keep you much safer. The speed will rip you out of a PL buggy before you even knew what happened. Plus a 7m - 8m will fill the gave between your 3.5 and 12m.

Just my 2 bits. Have fun and fly safe!

Well then ! Lol
thanks for all the help!
I took it out the other day in 7-9 mph winds launched it 45 degrees from the wind. Made a few 11 to 2 passes and killed it out of the air. It is very different. I don't know if there will be lessons in cape cod. I will be flying it soon with a friend that has a few larger 19m and some others I can't remember. im sure he can give me a few pointers. Im also gonna buy this 5 disc pack of dvds from realwatersports and burn them into my brain. Im not planning on takeing it in the water intill i have a LOT more knowledge. for now its just a kitw ill use when there is no wind to very little wind and just try and get the basics of depower down. It seemed like a good deal for the price so I grabbed it. Im in no rush to get hurt and I've gotten really good at pulling the chicken loop haha. Ill prob buy some of the other kites you've listed after I get some more money saved for kite stuff. Does anyone have any links or places I could learn more about this kite and or depower kites in general?

Try www.kitesurfingschool.org ?

Stick your hand out the car window and tip it into + out of the wind. Think about your hand as a kite. That's depower in action.

Speed is a kite that thrives on motion. Don't judge it by how it flies static. It was a good deal but not ideal for a 1st depower. You will grow into it !

My kind of progression

Knowledge is power... experience is life.

Unlike Elfs, Chrono, Speed2 etc., the Speed3 does the Triple Depower thing... when you sheet out--
1. decrease projected area: from flat to more C-shaped
2. profile change: aero foil becomes more reflexed
3. decreased angle of attack

So to make the most power out of the kite, you have to balance you bar* -- the sheeting system, not "depower" which is a misnomer... which you'll realize the first time you're out in overly strong wind, think you're sweet cos you've depowered the kite and yeehaa! it's brown pants time!

It's a more technical thing to deal with than the "simpler" AoA only system of those other kites, but the advantage is faster turning, more stability in shifty wind and greater top end. The S3 sacrifices some bottom end but I think it's a worthwhile trade off...

Otherwise, take it easy and have fun. If you have wind meter use it, and stick to steady, lighter winds...

* it's a trim system. A perfectly trimmed kite is the most efficient but we can use the bar to alter the trim to our benefit. The bar is NOT a gas pedal or a brake!!!

Agreed. If I had to do it over again, I would've gone from a 3m Beamer to a 12 or 10m flysurfer speed. Sounds crazy, but totally true.

Casardo, I applaud you asking the question. Everyone here is right. Get lessons before water. For videos, check out the progression beginner one for land boarding and water.

http://www.progression.me

Then there are also a ton of flysurfer videos on YouTube. Subscribe to their channel for maintenance tips. Don't dive in the power zone until you know what you're doing and practice not flying fast. Speed == power and you need to be able to control that. If you fly fast, then pull in the bar, exciting things will happen. If the kite is high, up you go. If the kite is low, superman. Practice slowing down by pulling in the bar BEFORE the speed gets built up.

Good luck and take some video / let us know how it's going.

Oh, also, until you get the hang of that speed, stay in the 5-10mph range (INCLUDING GUSTS!). You'll love that kite.

Oh yeah, and something I wish people would've told me early on -- I almost always keep my flysurfers fully trimmed. In other words, black tab completely pulled, or close to it. It gives you more control and helps you control airspeed better.

Oh yeah, I have a PDF copy of the manual if you need it. U2u me your email if you want it.

I co-own a cottage on the Cape (Eastham) and 2 years ago there was a ban or at least a partial ban on kite boarding in Eastham (First Encounter and other public beaches) which I believe led to some policy being formed between kiters and the town. There are plenty of places to get lessons in Dennis for sure and maybe in P-Town and Welfleet and I'd highly recommend you do so.

The Cape has plovers and any beach with plovers is closed to kiters so be responsible when you visit so you don't close the beach for the locals (which I do not consider myself). The bay side would be way better for you to ride as it is warmer and much more shallow allowing you to walk out at low tide to launch and land safely.

I don't buggy but I can tell you that with the possible exception of Mayflower beach and Skaket beach, IMO, most of the beaches on the Cape have sand that is way to soft for anything but balloon tires unless you like getting wet and riding through tidal pools. Additionally, the National Seashore beaches would not approve of buggy's and the rangers are on the beach after the life guards leave. Also, there are high dunes on the ocean side from Orleans all the way to P-Town which will shield the beach from most offshore winds and present an obstacle to the kite in many onshore conditions.

The bay side again, would be your best bet but only at low tide. The cape is for kids and families so you'll likely find its narrow beaches crowded and you impose a hazard that will not be tolerated by the beach goers, townies or local riders if you pose any kind of threat.

That being said, there are people who buggy on the Cape in Welfleet, Orleans, Dennis, etc. and it offers great kite boarding if you know what you are doing and where to go.

You may want to go to http://masskiting.com/forum and reach out there as it has a lot of Cape riders for members.

I hope you enjoy your vacation and I really hope you kite responsibly. If I were you, I would not bother to buggy but would look for a lesson on the water in Dennis and really enjoy yourself with the aid of any of their great instructors. A Google search of kiteboarding on the Cape will return plenty of options for you.

Where are you staying?

Quote: Originally posted by Proletariat

Oh yeah, and something I wish people would've told me early on -- I almost always keep my flysurfers fully trimmed. In other words, black tab completely pulled, or close to it. It gives you more control and helps you control airspeed better.

Oh yeah, good point! Use the trim to (ah ha!) trim the kite and get rid of the backstall... So either in light wind or when you've been too lazy to check the lines.

if you head over to the Vineyard I recommend Skyhigh Kiteboarding
+1 on Dennis as a good spot

Quote: Originally posted by RedSky

Top Hat video :D

Casardo. Are you still alive bro?

Bwahaha.... excellent question man!

Hey...I be in Truro in August learning to fly an apex 7.5...

I live on cape and even with depower and our lightish August winds that's a "wicked" big kite to fly on land. For the buggy the best place will be mayflower beach in Dennis, but only when the tide is out and it's after 6:30 and the beach has emptied and the winds are out of the north.
Air support in Dennis does a two day water lesson which will get you in the water pretty quick given that you have flying skills.
Inland sea is the other shop in Dennis, both are close to west Dennis beach which is a good spot on south winds.
I've done the lessons with air support and had a blast and highly recommend them. I've been in inland sea's shop but don't know them as well. Hope you have a great time while you are here!

Great, points all well taken. Understood about the timing of everything having to come together but that is the nature of the sport in the first place. Prayer might help! But with the wife now into it and a 3, count em 3, kite quiver, we'll be waiting for any opportunity around Mayflower or Skaket. Starting to look at tide charts now and we are really early risers so it'll be possible to beat the crowds in the am for a session or two. Jim & Wendy ... Ps Casardo...got you're u2u...let's get together!