riffclown

Keep telling yourself that.

If you've ever had your own custom T-Shirts printed.

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..)

@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.

Whatever it takes to get at the crab.

Please leave Mittens, Tails and Plaid out of this.

I hope you enjoyed the OBX..

You are already toast.. just not willing to admit it..

First WELCOME to the dark side of kiting. "What 4 line kite should I buy?" The answer you get from most of the experienced quad line kiters here will be NONE.. BEFORE you lay out your cash for the latest Gimmick or "Classic" or homebuilt or boutique quad-line, find someone that's flying quads already and have a one on one conversation with them. You'll most likely be introduced to the apex of quad line kites.. the OPK.. It stands quite literally for Other People's Kites. You see, the 4 line folks aren't, for the most part, the elitists that many make them out to be.. We are really quite a sharing bunch. Find us on the field and we'll likely hand you our handles and and walk you through an initial intro to why we chose to fly brakes on a wing.. There are several approaches to 4 line fliers.. 1. Hobbyist 2. Enthusiast 3. Collector 4. OKP or Obsessive Kite Personality (also known as all of the above.) 1. Hobbyist -- This is where we all start, it's also where you think you'll stay. This is the transition period between the OPK session and the inevitable question, what do I want as my SECOND 4 line.. Like so many other things in the kiting world, there is no one perfect kite that will do it all. And there also isn't one kite or even opinion that covers it all. Again, like so many things in our hobby, the equipment choices are quite personal and there's no one right answer.. Fly OPK until you know what you want.. 2. Enthusiast -- Those that have made it to this point have purchased a few of the Rev's, Freileins, Pheonixes etc. and have what we call a small quiver of kites and supporting accessories (Lines, Handles Frames etc.) to cover most wind ranges.. You may have a Mesh or Shook Kite for those higher winds and a SUL or even a Zen type of kite to cover the low wind.. you may have even picked up an indoor and found other aspects of the sport. 3.Collector -- If you have a stack or more than one kite tha covers a wind range, congratulations, you've become the collector. You now have brakes on your kites but have lost track of any braking action on your wallet. Relax, you were likely headed here anyway.. it's almost inevitable. 4. OKP -- I'll keep this one simple.. "Welcome to my world.." or "My name is <name> and I'm a kite addict.." Bottom line is the best way to choose a 4 line kite is absolutely try before you buy.. What's perfect for one person may not be right for you and vice versa. Try before you buy; you'll be reaching for the wallet soon enough.. Here's a thread I started some time back on 4 line ... your choices http://www.kitelife.com/forum/topic/7389-4-lines-your-choices/ It really goes deeper into the abbreviated list of quad above. Each quad has its own strengths and weaknesses. Choose wisely..

@John Barresi As I look at the video more and more, you loan so much of your own personality to the kite through the dogstake that you've literally become the puppeteer. The interaction and kite dance is inspired.. Two Very Big Thumbs up on this one.. Now confess, you can almost see the rhythm of whatever song was in your head or at least your headphones.. What was the song of the moment if you don't mind sharing?

quite often and as recently as this week,

Some Smiles just can't be bought.. The face says it all.. @John Barresi I bet you never thought you'd have that much fun with a foil before April.. FWIW, I still feel the same way every time I fly mine and I've been flying them for over 4 years now.. You might be talking me into a dogstake now though..

Someone is having a lot of fun there. Awesome work!!!

would love some opinions on a possible custom color run..

@Reef Runner Maybe nothing but I wouldn't count on it..

From experience, that causes other issues. Once you get it tuned to your individual flying, those issues all but disappear.

@John Barresi @peterbruusmadsen @jaydub200 @Bill Clay I Split the "app login issues" conversation off to a separate discussion. We can continue troubleshooting those issues there..

@John Barresi @peterbruusmadsen @jaydub200 @Bill Clay I Split this topic off to a separate discussion..

@misu & @peterbruusmadsen OK, from a technical standpoint that is significant input. That helps rule out it being related to the platform the application is on.. @jaydub200 Thank you for providing the specific info.. That should be useful as well..

I've heard of at least one other individual having a similar issue.. I'm sure @John Barresi will respond.. Just for clarity please let us know is it for Apple or Android??

Auto Strip lights are available from Autozone, Advance Auto, Walmart, & Amazon among other places.. They require 12v (so you stack the button cells) But they also come with a small "try me" battery pack full of AG13 button cells.. I ALWAYS look in the clearance bin or clearance rack for these items as they typically are closeout type items. https://smile.amazon.com/YITAMOTOR-Motorcycle-15SMD-Waterproof-Flexible/dp/B018SBDF5O Unfortunately I haven't been able to find the chase ones in a while (because I want more of them myself) but the standard strips are plentiful, fairly cheap and last a long while as long as you don't damage the wiring. When you get into the strips and battery management, you start making those decisions on whether you want a dedicated "night kite" and concerns like battery and Electronics weighting. Not trying to scare you, just pointing out, a small increment in how far you want to go can have a huge impact on what you have to do to get there.. Night flying is a ton of fun. Please enjoy this vastly underrated area of our sport..

I don't think I'm the only one that wants to see video here.. looking forward to honest feedback once you tune them to you individual styles.

Finished 2 more today.

In all honesty, the video doesn't do the lights justice. I have video also of @esinger with a blue and a green on the tips of his dual kite. doesn't show up well in the video but was mesmerizing to watch in the dark as he put it through the paces.. @ACrop was using some of the fingerlights and clipped onto the vertical spars, they let up her kite pretty well. @Khal has color changing lights that look very cool as well BUT the colors just don't seem to show up on the recordings.. For the price, the fingerlights are nearly impossible to top. They are disposable and for tinkerers like me, you can rescue the LEDs from the dead one to do other very cool stuff. BTW, When flying larger foils you can do some other pretty cool things with Automotive LED strips. These are a different type of light before I discovered the fingerlights but wanted to share..

The stretch isn't linear but a bit more spherical..you COULD split it and tighten it up but at that point there's a new weakest point. once the sail is no longer flat, it no longer will be flat nor can it easily be made flat. Better to let it be and use it to protect your other sails from getting similarly stretched.. As for the way it flies, assuming a rough Symmetry, it just flaps harder and acts sluggish.. Again, worth avoiding and if already there, live with the choice that was made by preventing a recurrence.