Hi
Posting here and hoping for some advice and guidance from the community.
My son and I would like to start with power kites and progress into Kite Buggies this summer. But I would like to make sure we start with the correct kit and some advice on how to proceed safely and have enough fun to not get discouraged along the way.
I'm aware (mostly through previous mistakes) that getting the right equipment at the start is vital. I'm assuming that initially we should just start with kites and move into buggies when we feel ready, but ultimately buggies is the goal. Can we learn on the same kites and use them for buggies too?
I'm 50 and around 17stone, my son is a typical 12 year old, and I would like us to be able wizz down the beach together when the weather allows. I'm not so much looking for brand advice, more size and type, I'm thinking 3.5m for me but want to get the right thing for my son, too powerful and he'll get hurt or scared, not powerful enough and he might get bored/disheartened. Its going to be a fine line I think.

Any tips on where to start, what to buy, and the best way to learn much appreciated.

spine_iv
(for info I used to fly para-gliders/hang gliders/microlights for approx 20years, so I am well aware of how powerful and changeable the wind can be, also we live on the beach in the UK)

Don't think of a size being right for the rider but more the right kite for the wind conditions. Your son will probably be able to use 1 size down from what you use. You will need a few sizes of kites to cover wind conditions. Get a 3 meter, 4 line kite and work from there. This will allow you and your son to practice in medium and light wind and provide a higher wind kite for buggy when the time comes.

http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=28759#pid27...

Here is a good place to start your research.

Here is another good site. http://www.coastalwindsports.com/TutorialMenu.Html

ah, so instead of thinking of a kite for him and one for me I should be thinking about a range of kites, and on any given day I'm likley to be on a size bigger than he is. For instance if we had a 2m, 2.5m, 3m, 3.5m, then it would broaden the weather conditions that we could fly in.
The goal being that we could both fly and have similar amounts of fun, but with a different kite.
I have to sail all this past the wife though, lol

Unless you are talking race kites,you don't need the .5 sizes. 2,3,4,5
etc.

A 2.5 & 3.5 (or 4m) would be a pretty good place to start. Direct on shore winds/sea breezes will be much easier to learn in than gusty inland wind too When I was learning I printed out a copy of 'Better Buggy Basics' from Angus's Coastalwindsports site. Extremely helpful stuff. Absolutely easiest kite to buggy with that I've ever had are the Nasa Star 3's NS3 & kite buggy

And when you start buggying, remember, don't chase the kite! You need line tension for it all to work. It took me a few hours at first for the penny to begin to drop.

Good advice here spine... I'd say a good starting point for you guys would be a 2m for your son and a 3m for you. We typically recommend you fly the snot out of those 2 kites to the point where you know the wind window and can have a good idea of what the kite's doing without looking at it......... and then start thinking about the buggy. Learning the fundamentals of controlling the kite is crucial to learning to buggy, because the addition of motion to the kiting picture really can change the game.

The hyperlinks ssayre listed will have good recommendations for starting level kites and I couldn't agree with John more, the Nasa Star 3 kites are awesome too. Being in the UK, you will likely have some local buggiers near you that might be willing to let you try their stuff so let us know where you're located and someone might be close. There will be more UK people on kite crowd forum, but there are several here as well.

I also have to say kudos to you for getting involved with this with your son,... its great to see someone venturing into this as a family activity. I try to get my girls into it, but they are still young and mostly only interested in riding in the tandem at best... hopefully one day they will get into it... we'll see.

ty all for the replies so far.
I've come across a seller on ebay who is selling 2 kites, a 3.5m flexifoil bullet and a 2.0m flexifoil blade.
However im concerened that the blade might be too dangerous for my son? We would like to start with scudding but will the blade be too lifty for him?
Although we woyuld like to get some little bits of air I dont want him thrown back to earth with a bump.
Is the blade not right or at 2.0m am i being too cautious, and it would be fine in normal light winds?

Yeah, I would not recommend a kite like the Blade for a beginner esp for a kid. Bullets are ok and a lot of people swear by them though they have some age on them.... I would recommend something more like the Flexi Sting or Rage, or the Peter Lynn Hornet, HQ Beamer, or the PKD Buster Soulfly. If you are looking for the "used" kind of price, look close at the Buster Soulfly... Super awesome kites at a killer price (new)... The NASA Stars run less expensive due to being single skin as well.

Hey spine.

Ah yes, the widow maker. :D Personally, and bare in mind I'm not a parent, I'd go for the 2m Blade. Your son may tire quickly of something like the Sting and both the Rage and Bullet don't turn the same as most other kites. They tend to pivot at their centers which is great for the more experienced kite buggier for which it was made and who will maximize that to good effect but for static flying.....meh

The Blade has a much broader slower sweep, turning wing tip to wing tip and that generates a nice bit of scudding power.

The Sting fly's itself and is a lovely friendly kite and I'd recommend it all day, I even own one but your son may want something that is a little more challenging. I'd even go so far as to say that 2m is kinda small but then I have to remember that you'll be on the beach which usually has good clean wind and you won't be able to fly the kite for too long without fatigue setting in, but in the short bursts of flying between resting you'll want to scud, bunny hop and possibly buggy. The Blades are good for that.

Get yourselves some kite killers so that your kite is retained should you accidentally let go. This saves your kite landing in a tree or powerlines or protects anyone downwind being hit by your handles shooting off at 100mph. Start off in light winds. Don't fly if it's gusty or forecast to be gusty.

Keep your eyes on the kite at all times and not allow yourselves to become distracted. For instance, hey dad look at me! You will go bye bye. Best keep your son downwind of you so you don't have to glance back all the time. Land and secure the kite if you need to sort something out.

Just to give you an idea without re-iterating all the good stuff above, my son has had a 2m Beamer V since he was 12yrs and loves it, it's good for him static flying up to @12mph wind where he can scud. I have a 1.8m Rage that I got second hand from fleabay and again is a good kite to learn with, for you I'd go for a 3m or 4m. Any of these kites will go to make your "higher" wind buggy kite so it's not a matter of changing when you get a buggy, you'll just need bigger ones for the lower wind ranges.
IMHO the Blade V are not the beasts the older models were and are much more user friendly which is not for the purists who want a Blade that will kick your butt.

I wouldn't worry about the kites being dangerous. That comes into play when you are hooking in with a harness. Until then, any kite is safe as long as you can let go. When my daughter was 12 she flew my 6.6 blade. It has everything to do with wind and weather conditions.

Quote: Originally posted by ssayre

I wouldn't worry about the kites being dangerous. That comes into play when you are hooking in with a harness. Until then, any kite is safe as long as you can let go. When my daughter was 12 she flew my 6.6 blade. It has everything to do with wind and weather conditions.

Say that to the owners of large Pansch Aces. Not being hooked in provides a lot more safety, and the right conditions means a lot, which they won't have someone experienced like your daughter had... All that said, I'd not let a begginer touch either of my Ace's, especially in gusty wind, much too lifty and able to hurt someone who doesn't know what they're doing.

I'd agree with most of what's said, and my HQ Beamer (11 years old and still kicking) and Buster Soulfly are loved by all the begginers I take out. I'd add a Prism Tensor is an underated kite and flies beautifully as well.

Good point Volock, I don't disagree. My point was more that any kite is only as powerful as conditions allow and just take it easy at first until you get a feel for the wind vs kite size. Still gotta go back to the default advice to get a 3 meter beamer like kite. I would recommend a 3,5 combo of a beamer or hornet like kite and work from there. You could both learn on the 3 meter and would be flying the 5 meter in the right conditions in no time. Also, a 3,5 combo would cover a decent amount of usable wind when you start to buggy and also be a blast for static flying in various wind.

Appriciate all the comments here.
So, for now I've pressed the button on the 2m Blade and the 3.5 bullet. I think it will be a good enough start to hopefully both be able to fly in similar conditions. Pretty sure my background in paragliding will allow me to assess the weather. Really hoping he enjoys it so we can move into buggies, the beach here is crying out to see us whizzing down it.

Quote: Originally posted by ssayre

Good point Volock, I don't disagree. My point was more that any kite is only as powerful as conditions allow .....

Yeah the wind is the power, not the kite. All kites are equally powerful in a bag.

Quote: Originally posted by spine_iv

Appriciate all the comments here. So, for now I've pressed the button on the 2m Blade and the 3.5 bullet. I think it will be a good enough start to hopefully both be able to fly in similar conditions. Pretty sure my background in paragliding will allow me to assess the weather. Really hoping he enjoys it so we can move into buggies, the beach here is crying out to see us whizzing down it.

Let us know how you get on. Have fun.

So Far so good, we had a great time






Shoulda used a proper camera instead of my iphone though

(EDIT-Should be public now, sry)

Change your youtube privacy setting for this video to public.

a boy and his 1st blade...your making me tear up