Kite Boarding
Quickly becoming one of the hot facets of power kiting, kite boarding is something else... Imagine a big skateboard with knobby wheels, and you've got it!
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By monkeywrench83 · Posted
Greetings from Vancouver, BC. I say "new pilot" but my first experience with 2 line kites was when I got myself a Trlby somewhere on the coast of Oregon on a family trip when I was about ten years old. I really enjoyed flying that thing, but for whatever reason it never really stuck and I ended up getting into other hobbies as time went on. Flash forward 30 years and the nostalgia bug bit me, so I got myself a Peter Powell stunter to mess around with and, yeah, it's still a lot of fun. I did end up picking up another Trlby off ebay and, while it's nice to fly when the winds are down a bit, I have to say I like the PP more. It seems to be a real crowd pleaser as well, but I digress... Not that long ago I picked up an old Jewel by Premier for $50 CAD from a guy cleaning out his garage or whatever, and have been messing around with it a bit lately. Finally managed to break the spine yesterday (4mm carbon, I believe) and, while I do intend to replace it, it did kind of get me wondering if this is such a great delta stunter to cut my teeth on. Since I live on the west coast (of N. America) I've been doing most if not all of my flying off shore. There are a couple nice parks a LOT closer to home that I really WANT to be able to fly in, but the wind never quite seems to want to co-operate with me. Such is life... In any case, while my limited experience with the Jewel has not at all been bad, I have found it wanting in a few regards... First off, it really doesn't seem to want to do much (at all) below about 7 mph winds, which is a bit disappointing seeing as that's mostly what we get out here on summer days and, well, I was just really hoping that it would perform in lower winds. I'll qualify the word "perform" as being able to maintain flight with little to no input from the pilot, or something like that... Adjusting the bridle does seem to help somewhat, but really only gets me so far and I can only move backwards so much until the whole experience becomes something altogether less then a totally good time. The other thing, which may come down to its (relatively) small size is that the kite feels, well, twitchy. Granted that a lot of that is coming from my own lack of experience, but I'll put it like this: If flying the PP is like driving a Cadillac then flying the Jewel is like driving a gokart. I mean, yeah, it was blowing at around 14-15 mph yesterday when it broke its back, and I definitely felt like I was flying it at the upper limits of what it was intended to do, but (again using the automotive analogy) in comparing those two kites against one another the overall impression it gives me is that what I really want to drive is a Porsche or maybe even a BMW. Something fairly sporty, somewhat powerful, but comfortable enough that I don't need to be wearing a 5 point harness seat belt to take corners in. Something I can hit a little pot hole with at a decent speed without losing a filling. Something I can put into a drift reliably and get out of again without the whole vehicle getting all squirly on me. Something like the Wolf NG? In my own, long winded and probably more than a little abstract kind of way, I guess what I'm really asking for here is advice. The situation is thus: I do most of my flying off the coast, yet the winds tend to be a bit tame and I'd like something I can get moving at around 6 mph. I want something that's fairly forgiving to a new pilot and yet allows me enough flexibility to learn some of the basic slack-line tricks. I want something in the $75 to $150 CAD range and yes, I am vain AND self conscious, so looks are important to me. I know I mentioned the Wolf NG earlier, but I'm on a fixed income these days, and it would actually be REALLY hard for me to justify spending that kind of money on a kite. I've been eyeing up the CIM Beetle X15 in a pretty serious way for the past couple months, as (while actually a little smaller than the Jewel) it sounds like it comes with a good pedigree, and seems like the type of thing I could bomb around in 5 mph winds, learn the basics (like how to crash), and not regret buying as I progress along my journey. My only real concern about buying a Beetle (funny, considering all the car references, no?) is that I already have one in Jewel form and I just don't know it. Another bird I'm considering is the HQ Salsa II. Here's the manufacturer's description: "This kite is aimed at beginners who want to have their first experience in trick and nice flight. Even with little wind, the Salsa II flies smoothly and elegantly. Due to its good-natured handling, even beginners quickly learn to fly the first cartoon characters. The circular precision is also very remarkable for a kite in this category. The dance with the salsa can begin! For the trip on vacation, this kite can be folded to a suitcase size and stowed away to save space." I'm not going to lie, the whole paragraph makes me nervous as, to me, it absolutely reeks of poor translation, which makes me suspect the description entirely. I will say, however, if it really does fold down enough to fit into a suitcase (or a backpack) that would be pretty damn cool, I like the looks, and I must admit I seem to be leaning towards this kite in particular ATM. Another (somewhat freaky) alternative I've been toying with is to pick up the HQ Trigger (because some guy on youtube said he was really impressed with it, considering the price tag) and replace all the rods with pultruded carbon in hopes of being able to get it airborne in 5-7 mph winds. This would be an experiment to say the least, but at least it wouldn't be a very expensive one. OK. I'm tired of reading my own thoughts now, and I'm getting hungry so I guess I'll wrap this up. What do you guys think? Should I stick with the Jewel as my first learner kite? Should I buy a bug? Is the Salsa II any good? Is my idea of retro-fitting a cheapo kite totally off the wall? Should I just move to Scotland and be done with it? Thank you in advance for all of your thoughts and considerations as well as having a place for people like myself to congregate and discuss some of the finer things in life (like flying a kite), and just being helpful and supportive in general. I really do appreciate it. Best, MW. -
The lines are over 5 years old, spectra 90lb, came with the prism zephyr. I've never checked them before and just started getting more serious about improving my skills and learning to do the basic tricks. I have a blunt type needle as well, but those knots where so tight, no way i could even force it behind. -
By Brettgrant99 · Posted
Prism has some instructions on their web site for equalizing lines. Personally, I would do it the way that you did, undoing the knots and sliding the sleeving, if I am using sleeving. Sometimes I don't use sleeving. I also always tie figure-eight knots, never overhand. Somewhere I picked up a somewhat large needle that I use to pick apart knots. I'd guess it is 2 mm in diameter and four three inches long. It isn't super sharp, but it isn't blunt either. You don't say how new or old the lines are. New lines stretch quite a bit, and you may have to re-equalize once or twice more, so just keep checking especially if your flying seems "off". I tend not to check my dual lines very often, quad lines I check more. Have fun out there! -
got it done...had to use some pliers to get those knots apart.
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I'm assuming just undo the knots on the leader and pull the line through the sleeves that same amount and try and tie it off to the same measurements again...or is there a better way?
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