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4sp

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About 4sp

  • Birthday 09/02/1982

Profile Information

  • Favorite Kite(s)
    Don't know yet
  • Flying Since
    March 2011
  • Location
    Amherst MA
  • Country
    United States
  • Interests
    Biochemistry, painting/house repair
  • Gender
    Male

4sp's Achievements

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  1. Got the kite a few days ago, looks like a great kite! Very well built, and a great bag, great colors. Haven't flown it yet, but I think I at least figured out how to put it together (thanks to an informative video I found somewhere, a little stumped at first). Very happy to win, I have wanted a nice dual line kite, but after buying a couple revs, it was not in the budget. Thanks, Kitelife!!
  2. 4sp

    photos

  3. We ended up going to the coast all weekend to fly. Great even winds, don't know how strong. Surprisingly, I was able to repair my kite by inserting a 2-wrap spar into what remained of the end cap, and wrapping it up with electric tape, and flying with a 3-wrap LE and 2-wrap verticles.. Never had any problems in 2 days of beach flying. Those kites can really take some abuse, we had plenty of crashes into the ground or water, and a few spectacular 8-line mid-air tangles that sent both kites spinning and crashing to the ground. Good times. North shore of MA doesn't seem to have any kite stores, or many kite flyers for that matter, despite the plentiful beaches and wind...but I would love to try someone else's vented kite sometime. Are hovers more difficult with a full sail kite in high winds, then they would be with a vented kite? I could stop the kite, but I couldn't keep it anywhere near as still as you see people do in the many videos on youtube.
  4. Yeah, we sure are new to this... We just had a freak tornado in MA yesterday, first time ever, and today it's clear and we have awesome wind. We ordered 2 standard kites because normally we don't have much wind, and this was the first day we went out flying (after much anticipation) , so nothing was going to stop us! Now I guess I realize why people have all these different kites in their bags! Thought I could make these two standard kites work for anything-now I understand the vented kite thing a little better.
  5. So we got the kites a few days ago, and just went flying. We had unusually strong winds today, which made for great flying at the UMass soccer fields. We both picked it up pretty quickly, and were having a blast. But then....my kite was up at the top of the window, and it was pulling really hard, I was trying to walk towards it to get tension off the lines, and bring it down, and one of my 3 wrap verticals snapped mid air and fell to the ground! When I got it to the ground, I noticed the end cap had actually split in two. Kind of a bummer.... So I had the 3 wrap frame in my 1.5B, my girlfriend had a 3-wrap frame, and we put an extra 2-wrap leading edge in her 1.5. Her kite seemed fine, in that it didn't break. Does it make sense that a stiffer leading edge would put less stress on the vertical spar? The UMass weather station showed a 33 mph max wind right around the time my spar broke, it was 16-24 mph all morning. I guess those are conditions for a vented kite, eh? There was a ton of pull on the kite. Kite Connection Dave said he had never heard of an endcap breaking like that. Anyways, it was great fun while it lasted, here are some photos! Hope to get a replacement part tomorrow on our way to the beach.
  6. I take it I should click on HERE to sign up? That link doesn't work for me. Or do all kitelife members get entered automatically? Nat
  7. Finally placed the order, got the 1.5 mylar kite with a 3 wrap, and then a 1.5 B with 2 wrap and 3 wrap frames. Got the 1.5B in teal/black, which is a discontinued color, but they had some at Kite Connection. Can't want to get them, I'll put a picture up when the arrive. Thanks for the advice everyone, Nat
  8. Thats good advice, I didn't think about the Oxbow marina! We might head to the shore for a day trip. We have a ~1 acre field that is pretty clear. I know it's not ideal, but if I have nothing else to do, I can see myself going out there and putzing around(as you see in some videos on youtube), where otherwise I wouldn't want to drive somewhere and get all set up.
  9. Guru4Tru, I want to say I'll follow your advice about waiting for good wind...but I know I'll have to get out there as soon as the gear shows up! I do understand your point about creating unneeded frustration for myself. Watty, just for reference, how long are the lines you use in this photo? http://kitelife.com/...%3B-wa-fun-fly/
  10. What if I had 2x 3-wrap frames, and a SUL 2-wrap leading edge that could go in one kite. That sounds like a good starting point which I can add to later. If I had a kite with two 2-wrap vertical spars, and a 3-wrap leading edge (full sail), could I fly that in the 10-20 mph range? If I got 2x race rod frames, I think that would add $90, which is more then I can afford right now. If I bought a short (20-30 ft) 50 lb line set in addition to 2x 90ft 90lb linesets, could I possibly fly one of the kites in my back yard? That would give me much more flying time. Thanks for all the advice, Nat
  11. Flew a 2-like basic stunt kite for a few days and got kind of hooked, looking forward to getting a pair of revs soon!

  12. That sure would cover all the bases, but yeah, cost would be the issue. I'm thinking of full sails for now. How about between these scenarios, which would you pick? I don't have the advantage of a local kite show where I could look before buying. One 3wrap frame, one 2 wrap frame, and an extra 3 or 4 wrap leading edge one 3-wrap frame, one race rod frame, and an extra 3 or 4 wrap LE one 2-wrap frame, one race rod frame, and an extra 3 or 4 wrap LE two 3-wrap frames with extra 2 wrap LE ... too many choices! Thanks, Nat One thing that I would want to note is that if you and your girlfriend get to the point where you are able to fly together, and actually share the same air space, you will want the kites to be set up the same. This way they fly near the same speed, and have similar characteristics. If I was looking to set up a pair with a low budget, I would go with two full sail kites, two sets of race rods, and two sets of 3 wrap rods. If you are really terribly tight on money, you could substitute the race rods with 2 wrap rods, but I think the wider wind range and the characteristics presented by the race rods are worth the extra cost. In my bag, the set up that gets use far more often than anything else is a full-sail with race rods. So, I would start with that, which fills the middle to bottom wind range nicely. Anything else to add would be to have a more ideal setup for more conditions. Race Rods will fly in a full sail in 10mph wind, but it sure is nice to use a mid-vent instead. Because wind conditions in most places tend to lean to the lower wind range, I would start there. And if need be, you may not be able to fly when the wind is up unusually high. Where in the US are you? There may be other rev flyers near by. Maybe check the Member Map at the Rev Forum. I'm in western MA, it looks like the closest person is 2 hours away. Any one else in western MA? Thats good advice, maybe 2 race rod sets is the best balance. I would get one free LE, so maybe I would get a 2 wrap, so I could swap it for light flying, or double with a race rod LE for heavy conditions (or get a 4 wrap to swap in in heavy conditions?). It's true we would like to fly at the same time, but since we are new, I would like to sample different setups (light, moderate). That way, when it's time to spend more money, I have more experience with the different setups. I'm ordering it Monday, so I will just pick one (and consult with the dealer) when the time comes. I don't think there are any rev flyers nearby unfortunately, I would love to check our setups that work for others. Thanks for the advice, Nat
  13. That sure would cover all the bases, but yeah, cost would be the issue. I'm thinking of full sails for now. How about between these scenarios, which would you pick? I don't have the advantage of a local kite show where I could look before buying. One 3wrap frame, one 2 wrap frame, and an extra 3 or 4 wrap leading edge one 3-wrap frame, one race rod frame, and an extra 3 or 4 wrap LE one 2-wrap frame, one race rod frame, and an extra 3 or 4 wrap LE two 3-wrap frames with extra 2 wrap LE ... too many choices! Thanks, Nat
  14. I'm about to buy 2 Revs (one for me, one for my girlfriend). All we have flown is a basic stunt kite. One kite will be a 1.5m with a 3 wrap frame (older model at clearance price). For the other I have more options, the other kite could be a 1.5 , or a custom 1.5 that is built with Icarex fabric. However the colors are more limited with the 1.5 custom Icarex, then the standard 1.5. How much of a difference is there between the 2 fabrics? As a new flyer would I know or care? I'm not so picky about colors, but I can't figure out which way to go-better material with a color that isn't my top choice, or top color choice in standard material...Could consider the 1.5B, but if I can get a custom 1.5 with Icarex (only $20 more then standard 1.5), is there much advantage to the 1.5B (I know the fabric layout may be 'better') I'm trying to figure out an 'optimal' combination of frames to cover all bases. Around where I live the winds are generally light(guessing 3-10 mph range), but I would like to be able to fly when we are in a place with higher winds. I would like to get a frame combo that will allow us to have at least one kite that will fly in the lowest of winds (complete 2 wrap frame?) one kite combo that would fly in the highest winds (20+ mph), and 2 kites that would fly at the same time in moderate winds. So maybe I will get one kite with a 2-wrap frame, the other with a 3 wrap frame. And I think I get an extra leading edge with the 1.5, so maybe that would be a 3 wrap or SLE. I could add that LE to the 2-wrap frame when we are in higher winds (10-20 mph range). Or should I get both with 3 wraps, or upgrade to the race rods in one kite? I'm probably over thinking this, so any advice would be great! I could also get an SUL, but it sounds like the heavier leading edge material in the standard kite would hold up better if there is lots of crashing, or LE rod failure. Leaning to non-SUL sail for perceived durability advantages...(at least I have made one decision!) Thanks in advance, Nat
  15. Hi! Sorry I've been out of touch. I'm heading toward, (well, working my way to), Tijuana!!! I want to "PARTY" with John down there!! heehee! ====================== Hey, if any of you "New Subscribers" are the first to post the words "I'M HERE!" in this thread...you get to use my numbers in this next drawing!! Grab them while you can, this is a one shot deal!! heehee! ====================== Well......back to work! (I only wore the thong for the interview, come and see...and buy something while you are here...I'm payed on a commission bases)!! Thanks!! Keep It Up! Duane Hello sirs: "I'm here!" New subscriber eager to check out all the info on the site-and gladly accept any of these prize drawing numbers people are throwing around. Happy to be a member, (am I really the first one or did I miss another post?) Nat
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