Hi Guys,

I'm very new to this. I was looking to get my first kite. Im looking at powerkiting with a view of progressing onto landboards.

I've settled on the HQ Rush 4 after spending all weekend looking into different kites etc.

My question is this:

Is there much of a power difference between the 3m and the 3.5m kites?

I was thinking of the 3m because I can get it for a good price, but am I going to regret not buying the 3.5 in a few months?

if you get hooked, in a few months you will have very different kites than the rush series of kites. Either size will do for now to learn.

Will a 3m pull a board? What kind of power difference would you expect between the two?

Thanks for the reply

Power is only relative to wind speed. Both kites will pull a board in enough wind. The only difference would be you would need a tiny bit more wind for 1/2 meter difference in kite.

xantiax - 3M can pull you out of your socks if the wind is right. While you are certainly correct that "size matters", clearly "wind matters" more. If you end up getting into this sport/hobby (and we certainly hope you do) you will find that the questions are far more involved than simply "size" or "wind". There are different types of kites, so called Fixed Bridles (FB), Depowered (DP), single skin, double skin, Leading Edge Inflatable (LEI), etc. Oh yes, and you will want to become familiar with Aspect Ratios (ARs) of different kites as that very much affects their performance. Don't forget NASA Power Wings, or NPWs, and please appreciate that line length can really change performance. Did you consider flying from handles or straped in with a harness with a bar? Oh yes, there are a lot of different kinds of bars. :P

Through all this, please remember that while having fun is the primary goal, staying safe will let you keep having fun, not to mention earning money to support your new obsession. Kite killers, helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, cup (just kidding). You won't need these things until you really need them, and I mean need them right now! Hey, I had my first vertically ascending OBE today (out of buggy experience). :evil: Hello! (12M Peak2 in a good gust while coming about for those interested).

Sage words by ssayre - learn on pretty much anything and if the hook sits in the side of your jaw you'll be trading and accumulating like the best of us. Take a gander at the autosignatures throughout the PKF and you'll see that most of us have many kites for many different reasons and occasions. Welcome to the Monkey House!!!

The HQ Rush series is commonly used as a trainer for beginner kite surfers to learn flying skills as a step toward the water and their big 'real' kite. It is then abandonded.

Those who used it as a first power kite and got into buggying also generally abandon this 3 line kite for 4-line or a depower model kite.

If you are looking for traction to move in the discplines of power kiting that are not kite surfing you may be better off to skip the Rush and get a 4 line fixed bridal to learn on.

If you definitely plan to go on the water(kitesurf)... or want to get into depower kites right away, the Rush is a fine choice to start.

I dunno that I would agree that one would abondon the Rush any more than a 4 line FB 4m. The Rush works great as a high wind fixed bridle. The slower turn rate can be a real comfort when the wind gets wrathy. And the things can take a beating.

But this is academic. Yes traditionally people started out with fixed bridle trainers. These days with several options for depowerable trainers, unless your budget prohibits it, I recommend a depowerable trainer. They're a little more but the cost/benefit is well within your favor. And as you progress and move up to depows it ellimnates any confusion that many expirience when going from the trainer to bigger and higher performance kites.

Thanks for the input guys,

Yeah, I understand it is more complicated than I first thought when I started reading into this on Friday. This is mainly why I have picked the Rush series.

it comes with Bars, kitekiller and good reviews. Plus its a perfect price point for me to mess around with and see if I want to take this further.

My friend has a board so I can borrow that when we go out.

I'm glad there is not a massive difference between the 3 / 3.5m kites.

Taking all in to consideration, would any of you suggest a different kite?

Please keep in mind I have no idea what I am doing, I don't understand how to set these things up and I dont want to break my teeth

If you have suggestions I will happily consider. Failing that, I will buy the rush tomorrow.

Thanks again

xanthiax - I've not flown it myself but just watched a couple of company-produced promotional videos online. The kite looks fine for your purposes. The third line aspect is good as it will introduce you to the concept of "kite killers" (the wrist strap safety system) and will allow you to practice reverse launches and letting go of the bar when things get out of hand (which they can fast with any kite; just wait, you'll see).

Good luck! It's a fun sport and all of us can remember I'm sure our early adventures. My suggestion is to keep the kite in really good shape and practice good packing techniques. You may well be wanting this kite to be in Cherry condition in a few months when you want to sell it to put a small dent into your down payment for your real kite quiver. Don't laugh, you're next! :evil:

Haha,

Thanks Steve, Will take that under advisement I have other hobbies that I've got 'the bug' for, so I understand where you're coming from.

well then, decision made. Thank you all for the advice.

Heres to my new adventure )

As an afterthought,

would a HQ Crossfire 4m be to big?

are you riding grass or sand. What's your weight? no kite is too big or small. You'll need a few to use in different winds. 3 meter is best to start to give the widest range to safely learn.

Grass mainly but have access to sand too.

But 180lb I'm a big boy

Will stick with the 3m for now then. .

Getting carried away here I think heh

i am a rush 3m/300 disciple....thats my 1st..you never forget your 1st
no regrets..

Quote: Originally posted by xanthiax

My question is this: Is there much of a power difference between the 3m and the 3.5m kites?

No.

Your next kite then might be a 5m something. Then you start to build a quiver for a variety of winds.

Ultimately if you stick to kiting, you will build a quiver. I don't know of any kite boarder, land boarder, or buggier that uses just one kite. The one you start with might get less use once you get comfortable enough to buy another in a larger size, but you will be glad you have it when the winds pick up and make the larger sizes unsafe. The least number of kites I think you can get away with really is two, and that is only if both are depower. High wind days you will be getting out your small dog of a kite because it is tame, which is what you want when the wind is not tame. Low wind days will see you getting out more of your higher performance high-aspect kites in larger sizes.

I knew a guy once that used 1 kite 90% of the time. I think his name was Errol and it was a 12m charger :D

Thank you everyone!

Quote: Originally posted by xanthiax

As an afterthought, would a HQ Crossfire 4m be to big?

First it's one of my favorite kites on the planet BUT,,, the Crossfire 4.0 is a higher aspect ratio kite and generally not a beginner kite. You CAN learn on it but you have to be very careful..

Well, it is true that my Charger is my most used kite, but that is becoming less true lately as I have flown my Speed more than anything recently. The Charger just has a huge wind range, but it doesn't really turn on until 12mph+, and on those days, I will fly the 19m Speed 3 until I feel just silly overpowered with it. I feel so safe under that BBB and it hasn't spanked me yet, where the 12m Charger has yanked me at least two times that I remember vividly. One was static flying, and one was a straight downwinder on the buggy that was caused by some nasty west winds at JIBE this year.

One more question....

So the idea is, Im gonna practice static and then jump on a board for some nice ground work.

I saw a new HQ Alpha 3.5 going quite cheap but it has handles not a bar..

Would you suggest I am better off with the HQ RUSH with the bar or the HQ ALPHA with the quad handles?

ahh to add, the Alpha is 3.5 with handles and the Rush is a rush V 300 with a Bar.

Its your call guys, tell me which one to buy and I will commit!

Theres only £30 in the price..

my opinion doesnt matter but here goes
you want to get the hang of this quick get a fb kite on a bar
you want to become a pilot (tethered) get a kite w/ handles
ohhh...that Alpha can be flown w/ a bar as well....so there's that

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

my opinion doesnt matter but here goes you want to get the hang of this quick get a fb kite on a bar you want to become a pilot (tethered) get a kite w/ handles ohhh...that Alpha can be flown w/ a bar as well....so there's that

FB kite? - Noob here. don't speak da lingo

So, your saying Alpha and upgrade to bar later? Plus Alpha is 4 lines too yeah?

To many options, my head hurts

fixed bridle as opposed to depowerable (dp)...no the bar is a downgrade in my opinion
you will always have better control w/ handles...but you might like a bar around latter on to hand your kite
to another noob to get them started out or maybe initially for landboard or skis

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

fixed bridle as opposed to depowerable (dp)...no the bar is a downgrade in my opinion you will always have better control w/ handles...but you might like a bar around latter on to hand your kite to another noob to get them started out or maybe initially for landboard or skis

So, knowing what you know now. If you where me, what would you pick?

Rush V 300 with bar @ £160
Alpha 3.5 with quad handles @£125

hummmp..........idk i like all kites:D
go to coastalwindsports.com and read up my friend...then thank Angus for taking the time
but 4lines are the end game.

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

you want to become a pilot (tethered) get a kite w/ handles

This.
There is so much more to get out off a kite if there are handles involved.


But I'm old and therefore pro old skool :evil::karate:

Right,

Im going for it!

HQ ALPHA 3.5:

Its cheaper - cant be bad right?

Good reviews

4 Lines - better control.

Anyone got any further input before I commit?!

Outside of that; Thank you very much everyone for the advice and information that have been given here. It has been invaluable.

I will be back with updates of my broken arms and missing teeth

Although I agree kites on handles are inherently more nimble than a bar there are handling skills, like over bar steering (reaching up and manually steering buy grabbing a leader) or sheeting in while you steer that put a bar in the same performance range as handles. A lot of what makes a kite perform comes from how much effort a pilot is willing to put forth. We're talking less than 4m here. That small even a bar is plenty zippy for a first time flier IMO if there's wind.

Again, if possible to go with a Depower I don't see a reason not to. Fixed bridles have a place still but after getting on depower 12yrs ago I never looked back. There's a reason why nobody kite surfs on fixed bridle. There's a reason why a company like Ozone dumps their fixed bridle offerings. Our school stopped using FB trainers 2 years ago and it has made transitioning student from trainers to full size kites SO MUCH SIMPLER.

This all said, any kite is better than no kite. And a simple fixed bridle will still teach you basic set up and how to use the wind window. in regards to the Rush vs. Alpha, my guess is the Rush is a stouter build than the Alpha. We don't sell the Alpha but it's less cost for a reason. Still a suitable beginner kite but for long term it may not have the longevity of the Rush and as such less resale value if you decide to upgrade. For $90 more you could buy the new Rush School 3m and have 1 kite that covers the wind range of the Rush 2, 2.5 and 3m. With the stouter build. The only thing however is you would need some flavor of harness. A swiss seat made of rope would do for starters.

Not trying to confuse the situation further. :D