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    John Barresi

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    Wayne Dowler

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Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 08/12/2017 in all areas

  1. If you've ever had your own custom T-Shirts printed.
    2 points
  2. you might be a kite nut if this is your car.
    2 points
  3. So, I just want to know which quad to buy as a beginner. Half of what you guys said is over my head. Help guys!
    2 points
  4. We're pleased to yet again announce the next prize being given away to our most appreciated supporters, the Kitelife Subscribers... For roughly 10 cents per day they play a major role in keeping KL growing in every way. This time around we have a mixed bag of Revolution equipment... One full 2-wrap frame for a Rev 1.5, roughly a $90 value! Three Rev kite display poles, roughly a $105 value ($35 ea)! One set of standard 13" Rev handles, roughly a $50 value! All told, this prize package has a retail value of approximately $245. You can sign up here. Odds of winning for this prize is currently 1/354, and will be drawn on Sep 23rd, 2017! Our thanks, and the very best to you... Let the drooling begin!
    1 point
  5. I need the community's assistance please,, Skybond 350# is no longer available in 1000' spools. Skybond 350# is no longer going to be made at all. Anyone know of a viable Spectra or bridle type line in the +200# size that will backsplice well?? If anyone knows a dealer with 1000' spools (or even a 3000' spool) of Skybond 350# in stock, please let me know via private message or Private chat.. The Last 2 converted with Skybond went out my door this week. My personal supply is down to where I'd literally have to cut linesets on my power kites to do anything further.. A few places I've checked already. without doing any advertising, most of you will know these places just by the names I give.. Eliot = No Kent = No Daniel = No (FWIW, I can do a 300' spool ONLY if the price is $50 or less. More than that will force me to charge more for kite conversions..)
    1 point
  6. You might be a kite nut if you decided to take a job that paid 16% less so that you could go fly in the middle of the day.
    1 point
  7. @Robertsepolen 100%Agreed with @John Barresi and there's no shortage of guidance here to hopefully steer you in the right direction.. You very likely have folks near you that will happily let you try different options.. Most Likely we will steer you towards an EXP or similar kite unless you are in a windy area.. It is considered entry level and is a kite you can enjoy and learn with.
    1 point
  8. What part of the world are you in? What kind of place would you usually fly, beach or inland? Average wind speed? Flying once a month or every weekend? Whats your budget? Just a few of the questions any kite vendor worth their salt should also ask.
    1 point
  9. http://kitelife.com/1977/10/01/kite-lines-vol-1-no-3-fall-1977/ There are kite fishing features in a couple more issues if you browse through. http://kitelife.com/magazine-archive/publications/kite-lines/
    1 point
  10. In my best Jeff Foxworthy voice: You might be a kiteflier if... The first utensils you pull out at a restaurant are your stake and winder. (ouch)
    1 point
  11. I have gone through several stages in my KiteLife regarding lines. Started with "Dang kite string is costly!". Advanced to next stage got lines, go fly. Line length? Line strength? Line material? Equalization? Know Eye Deer, just fly. Next stage, read forums & wonder what all the lingo means. Enlightenment commences with line strength & lengths. One day I decide to add brake lines to my newly acquired Snap Shot 2.5. Still at "Dang kite string is costly!" stage. Launch kite with new brake lines for my first quad experience. Brake lines too long hanging down in big droops. Not enough adjustment on the brake bridles to compensate. Hmm, how do I deal with this? Back to the forum to read about shortening lines. Intuitively I make all four lines the same length because it just seems logical. Important? Know Eye Deer. Revs seemed way too expensive. My wife gives me one RTF as a gift. Got lucky with a line set of LPG, lines were already correct. Start flying that one. Found out I flew "right handed". Top right line gets a bit longer than the rest but I am oblivious to the issue. Joined KiteLife & began to learn from the Pros or Masters I called them. Learned about equalization. Learned about importance of checking & maintaining lines for optimum flight characteristics. Developed Obsessive Kite Disorder regarding lines, became very opinionated. Made line sets like mad. Stuck at the mall waiting for the boss, worked on line sets in the parking lot. Made rig for measuring line lengths. Installed hardware on the hitching post to stress lines using pulleys & weights on the far end under the apple tree. Was developing a bad case of Obsessive Kite Disorder but did not know it at that time. Then one day I decided to just fly lines with dualies to give them a set. If need a quad set just do it twice. Now I use knots on the leaders to make large equalizations. Small adjustments are made by tying extra knots in the line loops. Have plenty of Rev handles now so I can leave sets already tuned attached to dedicated handles. Have acquired many many sets of lines & plenty of straps to go with them. Most of the time now I just test for equalization by launching with paired straps or handles in a neutral position & see if the kite goes mostly straight up. Tuning done as needed in the field. Dang kite string is still expensive! SHBKF
    1 point
  12. This is just my opinion, but shared by many others - The only thing keeping you in contact with your kite - is the lines! Stretchy lines give you way less control, all the good stuff does. I've used just about every line made in almost 30 years of flying. I prefer NOT to skimp on my lines. YMMV
    1 point
  13. Dyneema and Spectra are material names, not finished product names. Laser Pro and Shanti are both kite line makers, using Spectra and/or Dyneema in their manufacturing process. As with most raw materials, you can get differing grades of your raw materials. Kite line makers (known) use the best to start with, as it is a "niche" market. The issue is weave, tighter is better in kite flying. More direct feel between you and kite. The looser weave is for fishing, the looser weave absorbs shock of the hook set better. Why there is so much difference in price, they use less, that and the overall production percentages - probably something like 95% to 5%, fishing line to kite line, make our lines more expensive.
    1 point
  14. If you packed kites even though the place you are going is known for having no wind because it sits on a bowl of mountains.
    1 point
  15. The LaserPro that Paul mentioned above will be fine. Most kite shops will have one or two colors. I believe it is available in black, grey, white and red. You can get it online if there is no shop near you. 100-pound test Spectra core in a 40- or 50-pound Dacron sheath. 100 feet of it weighs 3 or four ounces at most, so it can be shipped to you via first class mail.
    1 point
  16. From the album: Riffclown's Homemades

    Spectrum First Flight was encouraging. I still need about 2mph more to get them in a good comfort range but I'm very encouraged with this first attempt at a home made stack.
    1 point
  17. The Kite Shoppe makes custom length linesets. Sent from my SM-T817V using KiteLife mobile app
    1 point
  18. Wayne's wrong. It also needs YOU! If you want to get in fairly cheap, keep an eye on used Revs on eBay, or go to a kite festival and talk to the Rev pilots there. Someone may have an old one they don't fly anymore that they can sell for a good price. I recommend getting new lines. The handles can be used, or make them yourself. Not too difficult if you're at least half-handy. An old junk screwdriver or a pointy stick will work as a stake. Making your own golf-ball style stake is super easy. If you have any questions about anything kite related, ask them here. We can help you so you don't spend money on "junk".
    1 point
  19. When you hear 1/2 the price - remember that many of us already have lines and handles. So for us it is much cheaper, if you are just replacing an equal type. Hence the 1/2 price! Yes it is expensive to join in. Unfortunately,there is no good inexpensive alternative available that flies well. Most, if not all the "cheapies" are in fact copies, and don't come near the quality set by those the copies are based on. The EXP isn't a bad start up kite. It will do everything any other Rev can do, just with a different feel to it. And that "feel" comes with time on the lines. I seriously doubt that any beginner can really tell what kite he has in his hands. But over time you develop a connection to your gear, knowing what it takes to make it work. It becomes a part of you. An old friend! If money is your guiding factor - the EXP isn't a bad buy. But be aware of one thing - no one single kite can do it all. Most of us have several different configurations of one style. Myself, I fly Rev "B" pros in 5 different venting types or models. Because I fly in a team - we have as many options to choose from as we can. That can get expensive!! And the only thing an EXP package needs to start - a stake!
    1 point
  20. It's hard to beat the EXP ready to fly package for the price, and I still like Rev's spars better than anyone else's for a 1.5 sized kite.
    1 point
  21. I had the same thing happen with a dualie recently. Only thing I could come up with was that perhaps I had the larkshead loop straddling the knot instead of all on one side or maybe as Rob suggests. I flew for just a few moments, lost the right line & went into a death spiral. I landed quickly by running toward the out of control Zephyr. Naturally it was one of the few times I had an audience.... I carefully checked the kite over & resumed flying with no further surprises. You can put a little beeswax on your knots to stiffen them up a bit. I do this routinely for the hyper little Micron as it likes to move itself to the tighter turn setting of the bridle adjustments. Not really what you want on that kite IMHO. You can also double up the larkshead to make a prusik knot which grips the line even more tightly. SHBKF
    1 point
  22. When the first thing you do in the morning is look at the leaves and flags to see the wind that day!!
    1 point
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