Hi all,

What's the cheapest way to get into buggying? I've been keeping my eye on eBay and read some of the DIY threads, but it seems that the bottom line is always $500 or more for a buggy. I'm pretty handy with wood, fiberglass, and a sewing machine, but never touched a welder before. I can probably afford $250 or so, but I haven't seen anything that cheap and if I build my own the welder alone will cost me about $200. Any brilliant ideas?

Keep shopping on sites like this. I got mine for $250. It's possible.

just keep looking. The problem you will find even if you do find a good price on a buggy, if its not local it will cost you alot in shipping. On a budget in the $200 range your better building your own with used stuff you can dig up. You must know someone who can weld, if not try your local muffler shop. If they are slow I'm sure they would help you out. If it doesn't work out building your own just be patient and I'm sure you will find a good deal sooner or later. The problem is it maybe alot later Also where are you located, you might get lucky and be close to someone here on the forum who could help you out.

borrow everybody elses gear. =)

buy second hand or demo gear from your local shop.

are you looking for kites and a buggy? dlish carries affordable kites. try looking for an older PL Comp or Classic

I justified my welder because now there are "lots of things I can fix" :p
If you are pretty serious tho, unless you are popeye, I would buy yours.

NPW
i
c
k

To answer a few of the bits that came up:

I'm located in Eastern North Carolina, moved here from Hawaii 2 1/2 months ago. I go to the beach a couple times a week and have yet to see anyone with a buggy. To be honest, unless the winds are from the right direction you wouldn't be able to buggy here, but when they are from the right direction I think it would be a blast.

There aren't any shops here that sell buggies, so where ever I get it from, it will have to be shipped here.

I've got plenty of kites and have been kitesurfing for about 7 years. I'm just thinking that there are a number of days (during the Winter mostly) that the wind is either directly on shore or off shore which makes kitesurfing impossible but buggying very possible.

I've always wanted to learn how to weld. One of those self-feeding wire welders I read about in another thread for $150 - $200 sounds perfect. Can you weld stainless steel with those also? I'll need to find some "worthwhile reason" to get one (besides building a buggy) so my wife will buy into the idea though.

I'm a big guy (6'5" tall) and weight 250 lbs and the sand here varies from moderately soft (my footsteps sink 3" - 6") to moderately hard (low tide, I barely leave tracks at all). How big / wide should the tires be?

Thanks!

I picked up a little 110 volt wirefeed from harbor freight for around $120 came with wire, and a face shield. Not the greatest welder in the world, but definatelty gets the job done for a beginner and you don't need 220volts.

hey so i am a welder and a miller welder is like 300 its a little pricey but top quality as far as welders go, and justifying it will be no problem, soon enough you will find needs for it. well good luck, building a buggy if you do, post some pics i would like to see it.

Hi Paul

Your a big guy, Have you tried a Standard buggy? sat in one? i doubt you would be comfortable, I know i am not. shop around Look for a v-max or simular type buggy they come in differnt sizes. soft sand sucks for standard tires, bigfoot tires work on both so now your looking at spending over 1000$ new, thats alot of steel and rubber that will last you a good long time way longer than a 1000$ water kite,and keep its value, I have built my own buggies for a few years now I have learned alot over time but unless you really love the sport you will get fustrated with building your own, You can mig stainless but its even more dificult with a low end welder it needs a bottle and gas setup as there is no flux core wire for stainless. Tig welding is the prettiest way to weld stainless and thats a few more $ to set up. keep in mind stainless steel is probably 4 times the price, and buying in small quantities hurts even more, working with stainless is tricky as it expands and twists more than regular steel. you can stick weld stainless too but the tube is thin and can be a bit tricky but is in my opinion better option than ss mig welding.
So if you really love building then get to it and have some fun but don't build to save money that will come back to bite you.

cheers
Jim

Thanks Jim and all,

So if I build my (first) buggy out of mild steel, what do I do about rust? I'll definitely paint it and give it a fresh water rinse after every session, but what about all the "hidden" spots, won't they start to rust? What about using steel wheels on the beach, won't they rust also? Has anyone considered building a buggy out of aluminium? It oxidizes, but typically holds up in a marine environment fairly well. Just have to make sure the stainless fittings don't have direct contact.

As for a first welding machine, how's this one: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnu...

Thanks!

Hey Big K...who's following who around here? I've been on the Arc forum forever and saw you come there with the big guy (like me) quetions about big arc's and light wind. You bailed on the arcs didn't you? (i've threatened that too many times!) I just bought my 1st buggy about 2 weeks ago for the same reasons you just mentioned--directly on shore and off shore winds. and it is a blast! currently using my phantom 12 but this summer i'll be on the v19 or 16 waiting for the seabreeze to build--or i'll stay on the buggy. I'm very satisfied with my $300 buggy off ebay, new from cloud 9 paragliders. I called them directly vs buying off ebay.

Haven't given up entirely on arcs, I still use my V19 regularly and kept my Phantom 15 for when I get a buggy. But I did buy an almost complete quiver of inflatos this past summer. PL's are just too expensive and the latest generation of bows / sle's have a lot of the same good qualities I liked about arcs.

I checked Cloud 9's eBay store and they didn't have any buggies listed. Where can I find info on this $300 buggy?

cloud 9 advertised on ebay a couple weeks ago--regularly 399 for 299 plus shipping. just call them and tell them that they just sold one to a guy in florida for 299 plus shipping and that you want one--KITE TRIKE. also the shop in St Augustine sells peter lynn and flexiful buggies for a bit more$$$. oceanextremesports.com--daryl- 904-461-9415 an steve at cloud 9, 801-576-6460

from the brief post about the synergies, i'm thinking the improvements are big enough to warrant a new kite for me at this time. trying to find a cheap v13 instead.

Quote:

...trying to find a cheap v13 instead.

Yeah, good luck, I've been keeping an eye out for one also. My wife's Bularoo 13 is pretty darn good though. A V13 would just be a bit easier to self launch and land, at least for me it would since I'm pretty used to them.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ROCKVILLE-KITE-BUGGY-TRIKE-Traction-USED...

Here's one to keep an eye on. Rockville is a bit of a starter bug' but should do the job ? Maybe someone who owns one can comment on how it's designed for big folks !

Or you could save up and get a Libre V-Max II. Start with the last buggy you'll ever need. Then years down the road use it for a tow and go Hardcore. :D

Hey, Jellis is right - if you end up with a Rockville, you'll want to upgrade just as soon as you can, if not sooner. I'm 210 lbs, and had to replace the seat after one session. (PL seat works good....). Best bet tho is to forego the Rockville and get a better bug right off the bat........

While folks are right suggesting to go for an expensive / Libra buggy right off.

I'm glad I DIDN'T :smug:

My route has been more to experience all forms of riding. Presently I would say I'm enjoying the Coyotes and ATB a lot more than the buggy. Organized racing is not for me so I'm happy with the compact little Flexi' putter I run. It has spent a LOT of time stored under the bed lately. The fact it fits there is good !

I guess you have to ask yourself how big you want to get with the thing ?

I'm not likely to go for a high end buggy, I just can't justify it. In fact, the title of the thread says it all, I need -cheap-. I'd guess that I'll only get to use it a half dozen times a year, the rest of the time I'll be kitesurfing or surfing. It's just that there is at least one day a week all winter that I think a buggy would be more do-able than my other water sports.

In addition to the above (and from my wife's perspective, more importantly) we're in the process of buying a house, so cheap is the only thing I've got any chance of getting past my wife.

Sorry I thought someone asked for the cheapest way to buggy. That would be in a buggy that doesn't require you to continually buy or repair parts to keep it going, in my opinion.

i agree with the big K myself. I've spent thousands on kites and boards over the last 10 years and I know for a fact that I would rather be on the water than on land. so for 300, i can kill some time waiting for the wind to build and enjoy myself. i have no dry lake beds, sod farms, or pasture land to play on. just a 50 foot wide beach at low tide! but if i had to spend 800 or more, it would not be worth it. if my 300$ buggy breaks the seat or a strap, i still have my sewing machine left from my Gurilla mods. if my chrome plated steel rust, then i'll WD40 the thing regularly. there's not much to the buggys to repair is there?

Well I guess if your pretty handy with wood well then I would lean in that direction, it won't rust, believe it or not seen a few pics of some pretty interesting creations made of wood and a used plastic school seat, maybe your the guy to take it up a notch, good luck play safe and most important just have fun.

cheers
Jim

Yeah, I thought about doing it in wood and/or epoxy and fiberglass. Do you happen to remember if the other wooden buggies were laminated wood or just solid boards? If you can find those photos I'd love to see them. I'll still have to build some parts of the buggy out of some sort of steel, but it might make an interesting project (although probably not cheaper). I would save by not having to buy a welder, but good wood and epoxy don't come cheap any more. I would definitely have more spring than steel... you've got me thinking...

Interestingly, I was in an auto museum many years ago and some of the first autos were manufactured out of wood, not just the body but also the frame. Real beauties...

here you go

Wooden buggies http://pic7.piczo.com/Popeyethewelder/?g=41606848&cr=7

Thanks PTW. I just did a google and found this: http://designofwood.de/index.html That guy sure knows how to laminate wood, gorgeous!

Edit: This is a bit closer to what I had in mind: http://www.soutter.com/neal/buggy2.aspx

Yeah thats one I havn't seen before

here's a whole host of home brews

here

if that lot can't inspire something nothing will lol...

Thanks PTW, lots of inspiration there. Thanks also for hosting such an awesome library of great ideas.

Have you guys discovered www.rsbuggy.com, or is shipping too much??

Germany handbuilt vmax alike with bomb proof construction. Lots of good reviews on Flexifoil or Racekites

rs will not ship to the USA. No matter how many I tried to buy.

I am 220lbs and I got my rockville for cheap.It is fast and perfect for learning not the most duriable thing made but for the price cant beat it.