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riffclown

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Everything posted by riffclown

  1. Find the midpoint of the tail and depending on the length use two fingers to do an overlap wind. Video Demo attached.. This works in wind as well since you have the midpoints of the tails in hand. they may flap but your hands will always act as the edge of a spool and keep then aligned.. Rubber band/hair clip, ponytail hoilder at the end is the way to go. I use metal Clothes Pins from Dollar Tree.. TailFolding.mp4 Or you could just make them into kites
  2. Today's the day.. I actually feel different somehow.. I feel I've said what I wanted to say in the first post but upon reflection, I very much acknowledge the difference this community has made on my kiting in the last year. I've met and befriended people I had only ever heard of before. Today, my pride and joy for kiting the Symphony 2.2.4 should be debuting in the hands of @John Barresi & @windpoacher. I don't think that kite would have ever gotten the attention it truly deserves without JB's influence.. Thank You John! Here's to a great community and Thanks again to all of you for allowing me to be a part of it..
  3. measure it out and tie new bridles. It's not too difficult to tie your own with a piece of wood and some smalll dowels to make a form.
  4. @JaseRicco Keep both kites you have for now and explore their ranges and capabilities in your hands.. That's what really matters, what does the kite do in your hands. Only when you know everything each kite is capable of, then you can make a the personal decision to keep or sell. You may prefer one over the other in different ways than others who own the same sails.. You'll also gain the insight into what you need to cover other winds ranges we speak of.. If the kite feels like you can't keep it aloft in 3-4 then after adjusting your technique and practicing under those conditions you can select a kite more suited to those conditions. As your skills increase, your abilities with kites near the edge of their range (and in some cases even outside their stated range) become second nature to you.. We've given you the reason we have so many or pack so light.. What lines we prefer and even what styles we use.. the bottom line is your question is a personal question that only you can adequately answer for yourself. The bigger the hurry to answer the question, the higher likelihood of spending more money than required short term on additional kites that may overlap the capabilities of what you already own. Take your time, learn everything you can about your kites and then decide what YOU want to do next with additional kites, lines or selling kites that"overlap" too much... We all enjoy flying and collecting as said above. They can co-exist but their purpose doesn't necessarily overlap..Enjoy the kite, enjoy the wind, and enjoy deciding what's truly best for you.. There is no substitute for time spent holding the lines and/or handles. Shortcuts and attempted shortcuts often just cost more in the long run..
  5. And honestly sometimes it's about, "I like this color better today."
  6. I'll answer to quad & weird.. OK Mostly weird.. You set the tone we just follow your lead..Having met you in person for a few days, I see your personality and mindset all across the forums.. You've planted a good seed and let it grow.. You now reap the benefits of what you set in motion.. Thanks for a great place to discuss this wonderful hobby of ours.
  7. The Ground Catch.. Purple.mp4
  8. OK that's a loaded question if I ever saw one BUT..first WELCOME TO KITELIFE!!!! The simple answer is, if you have a specific set of flying parameters you like, then a kite that fits those parameters across specific wind ranges is in order.. I personally have a lot of overkill in my bag BUT each kite does get flown under the right circumstances..Typically you'll have a High wind, moderate wind and low wind variety of kite to fit your flying style. The lower and higher your wind possibilities are the more drastic your bag becomes on an exponential level.. You fly in no wind, then you've got (at least for quads) SUL kites like a Zen or similar..You fly in high wind (like me) you have multiple ranges of vented/mesh etc. to meet those wind conditions.. It's all a matter of preference but I'd say a minimum of three or four kites of varying venting options will cover your range of wind for almost any given day. Kiter's rule of thumb, if you bring it you won't need it. Leave a single kite home and that will be the one you needed for that day. no matter the forecast..
  9. Let's see if i can attach a short clip of the ground catch.. Purple.mp4
  10. Rev has decided the paperclip technology is the next new thing and has decided to equip all of their kites with it.. I still see Rerlex when I look at the logo..
  11. Revolution no longer lives up to their name.. But that's one of the reasons I'm here now..
  12. That feature was touted but I have yet to see it implemented anywhere.. But in all honesty, I don't even follow Rev any more.
  13. riffclown

    One Year

    So this is the week. A year ago, I was futilely trying to keep ANY conversation alive over on the Revolution forum when @John Barresi said, join us over here at KiteLife. Now, I been at Kitelife a year and what a year that has been. In that time my kiting world has changed immensely. I started out like many others, as a free member and quickly saw the advantages of this special community and now I'm a paid subscriber for at least the next 2 years or so. I feel I've made some lifelong friends here and I wholly appreciate the open arms and open minds with which you, my fellow KiteLife members and kiters, have extended to me. I've made my first (and second) overnight kiting trips. First to the Corolla Quad Clinic followed by Private JB Lessons. Until the Corolla clinic, I had never made more than a day trip for kiting. Second trip was to the Rogallo Festival which quickly became a Corolla Class reunion. It's an event I go to every year but this year was very special because I was able to stay over and enjoy night flying and comradery with some fellow quad friends (Almost all of the Corolla group in fact). Since January, I've started spending more time with the sewing machine and gained drastic insight into the flying characteristics of the bowtie style quads. I even made my first Stack from tails. The "Sails from Tails" thing started out as a shortcut to be able to make myself a mesh since I couldn't budget a Shook when I started. Now I have two Shook Masterpieces and a great relationship with Eliot who advised me on some finer points of kite engineering. He and Cath have even flown some of my designs which I considered an honor. For those that don't know Eliot Shook, there's a reason his kites are called masterpieces. In his hands, the Icarex takes a life of its own on the form of his mesh and weave kites. My mesh kites are in homage to the creative genius that Cath and Eliot of Flying Smiles Kites, harbors. For those that don't know me, I get a lot of satisfaction from having others that I respect fly my kites. That's one reason my bag is always open to ANY of you. At the Corolla clinic, my Symphony 2.2.4 was placed into the very capable hands of @John Barresi with amazing results and fortunately for all of us, several cameras were recording. If rumor is true, as I celebrate my first year on KiteLife Saturday, a few of my Symphony 2.2.4 conversions may be debuting at the Berkeley Kite Festival in the hands of two members of Team KiteLife. @John Barresi, V-I-D-E-O!!! @SHBKF @dragonfish @photomom @khsidekick @Wayne Dowler @Bill Clay& @John Barresi the chat sessions we've had, have given me ideas I've incorporated into some of my kite designs and flying style. When the announcement was made to the effect that chat would be phasing out, I was not only honored, but obligated to do whatever was needed to keep it alive. For those of you that don't frequent the chat channels, you are missing out on conversations that easily rival the fun conversations at a festival or convention, but without the heat. @everyone, drop by the chatroom and say "Hi!" We'd love to chat with you about most anything (especially kites) but PLEASE remember to close it out when you leave. It's no fun talking to an empty room and it makes it harder to connect with active chatters when the ghosts are sitting there. All in all, it's been a great kiting year for me. I've learned a lot about kiting, flying and people in general. This shared hobby of ours has not only made me a better kiter, but interaction here with many of you has hopefully made me a better person.
  14. From the album: Riffclown's Homemades

    Full Sail #9 72"LE and ready to fly..Was able to find some symmetry in the white and emphasized it with the White Leading Edge.. Frame with P3x
  15. So I ended up downsizing the purple to a 72" LE due to a pucker in the fabric I couldn't overcome. I'm calling this FS#9 considering the Stack should probably be considered FS #4,5,6,7 & 8..
  16. From someone who owns and flies a Mojo, you see a night and day difference.. the only drawback to the "Classic" is your don't get an extra frame like you do (did) with the B-series and the price doesn't usually reflect the shortage of an extra Leading edge... With the B-series you got a 2 wrap and a 3 wrap frame which extended your wind range and performance windows..
  17. Bottom line if you follow the manufacturer's recommendation from the tab on the kite (500#) you run less likelihood of watching your investment float out to sea or off over the trees.. Don't skimp on the line..It's the only thing keeping the kite "yours" There are places in kiting to take shortcuts.. Flying line is NOT one of them..
  18. Welcome to KiteLife.. I'm sure a few dedicated SLK fliers will pipe in shortly but personally I'd follow the manufacturer's recommendations "especially on a tag" in a heartbeat. Go with the 500# minimum.. A simple soft rule of thumb to follow when it comes to pull, if the line recommendation is more than 75% of your weight, the kite will probably drag you. You probably want to research suitable anchors for a kite with a 500# line recommendation..
  19. Honestly, that store still has some B-series in stock. Those come with a complete second Frame and would be my first choice.
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