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Stephen Hoath

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Everything posted by Stephen Hoath

  1. Some interesting insights here. This is my contribution. Get a mid vent of some sort, you won't regret it. In fact, all the official solutions work very well. In team we fly the Barresi mid vent, personally i love the Polo mid vent and of course if you like Flowers on your Kite we can make you a mid vent with the new printed mesh. The reason i would personally (and it is a personal choice) take one of the printed mid vent options is because i like the feel of the single skin sail. It is just as effective at the upper end of the wind range but feels to me a little more responsive at the bottom end. There is seriously not much difference in weight between the Barresi, Pro or the singe skinbut to me it feels a little slicker. Of course the only true answer to which is the best kite is, the one you are flying at the time! Just to muddy the water a bit more, why not create a custom design and we will get it made made for you! Stephen www.baidesign.net
  2. Could be something called a Blokart. Try here
  3. My view is that you use the right tool for the job. The Rev site is a manufactures forum and so it seems appropriate that the content is steered in certain directions and not commenting negatively on their product seems just good manners, especially as there are other places where the comments would fit better. However, i think that this is a good thing. After all, i wouldn't invite my friends round to dinner and then let them complain about my wife's cooking. (i save that for pub!) Kitelife is aimed at a much broader kiting audience and so it seems sensible that you will get a broader range of opinions. There is another forum based in the UK which aims mostly at sport kite/trick fliers and that site has a different feel again. http://fracturedaxel.co.uk/phpbb3/ I would imagine that most kite enthusiasts visit a range of forums. Just like eating out, you visit a lot of restaurants but some you go back to more often cause you really like the food. So i guess that was long winded way of saying I agree on the whole. I don't entirely agree about the bit about Rev fliers having no sense of humour and if you say that again i will take my ball away! ps, i prefer to think of the Rev forum as focused rather than narrow minded. So what about the other kite forums?
  4. That wear pattern is typical of another leading edge running over that part of bridle. This would happen if you have been flying team/pairs and trying to fly kisses. As mentioned before the best thing is to replace that part of the bridal. Kiteworld are certainly worth a call but if you are feeling a little brave why not try making a new one yourself. You need to get some line the same as the existing stuff and just copy the other side. Should take about 30 minutes. If you want to keep flying in the short term why not swap in the EXP bridle. It a simple enough job if you do one side at a time. Stephen
  5. Hi Wen, nice idea and I think your kite choice should work really well. There is a mass of advice on team and pair flying and I am sure some one can point you in the direction of the old posts. Try flying the STACK compulsory figures to start with as they are clearly explained and in short sections that are easy to learn. For me one of the most important things is communication. Decide on who is responsible for what and then trust each other to do a good job. You may decide one of you is going to call, the other decide what the correct set up should be. Help each other learn by keeping your feedback constructive ie don't say " you always turn down there when you should turn up" rather try "I noticed you turned down that time rather than up, shall we look at that move again?" The other thing that I have found to be vital is to learn the routine first. It is far easier to spend an hour practicing with kite sticks and really knowing the routines than trying to work it out on the field. In my experience, if you "fudge" a move when you are stick practicing, you will also have problems flying the move. 30 mins stick practice is worth 1 hr practice when you are learning a routine. Take the flying seriously, give it 100% but don't forget you are having fun. ps sorry this is a bit rambly but you have asked a big question and it is difficult to know where to start.
  6. My first guess on the first one is that it is a Spectra Sport Edge.
  7. On the Rev I would suggest checking your line set first. Are all the lines the same length? Also a really silly question but I have seen it, make sure the down spars are on the back of the kite. Having them the wrong way around would also give the performance issues you described.
  8. Stephen Hoath

    Ballet Kite

    It certainly helps to have a range of kites and lines so you are always flying in the optimal wind range. As for the Silver Fox, go for it. It is an excellent kite. I think there is a misconception that expensive = quality on all ocasions. Whilst it's not a bad rule of thumb, the Silver Fox is the exception that proves the rule.
  9. I think you have started a new question here. What was the best festival you nearly went to? As for Columbia, i have seen some of the photo's and that has got to rank high on the list of "largest crowd" and "worst possible place to fly kites". Malaysia was worth the trip 'cause we won, but I got food poisoning on the plane on the way home! I felt a little churlish to complain too much. What is the best festival in Canada?
  10. When I was competing in dual line we went to Malaysia for the weekend! Seemed like a good idea at the time.
  11. I have just re-read my original reply and I may have been a little touchy about the whole issue. So, many thanks for your interest and I hope we can get the stuff to the US at a better price soon. As a matter of interest, what is the price range for sport kites in the US right now?
  12. Dave, you have my thanks. Next time you're in Europe I'll buy you a drink!
  13. The reversing into the center of the window is an excellent tip. In addition, try walking slowly in the direction of the reverse flight.
  14. These are just perfect. A great job Bazzer. how about..... He thinks he's in charge! My other kites a Cappelli
  15. Yes you could build one in about an hour (of course I would prefer you not too but with anything new (soft kites, sport kites, new tricks) the time outlay is in the idea, prototype development and production. It has taken me just under 2 years to get this thing nailed down and so you can see why I get a little sulky with comments like above even when they are well intentioned as I believe this one to be. However, this is a whole other area of conversation that is better off in another thread as it involves so many people and views. As for the kite, I have a better challenge for you. As kite manufacture is something you enjoy, try and push kites on by making some thing new. After all, where would be if everyone simply copied the North Shore Radical rather than pushing it to the next level. Without Don Tabor and TOTL where would we be with dual line kites? You never know, if you come up with something good I might buy one
  16. You are of course referring to the fantastic artwork on this kite. The beautiful butterfly graphic is an original hand drawing by Sabine Chancel (Fr) who also happens to be one of the best Rev Team pilots I know. Sabine is credited with the artwork on the flight manual but I would like to say publicly THANK YOU, I love the graphic so much. It finishes the kite and this would not have been possible without her hard work. Sabine created image after image for me until I finally made up my mind on what I wanted. So many thanks to a talented and patient artist!
  17. I like that, I don't remember a specific move like that but I am sure John or Simon will correct me. Something we always try and achieve is to avoid the obvious move and revers idea, so in the "Watty" how would you get the kites back out again without simply flying the figure in reverse? Mind you, a Revers Watty sounds like a good move
  18. Nice idea Watty, we call this the oposite pin wheel and it is great at messing with your mind. I like the way your thinking though, there must be some other moves in that mind of yours. What does the "Watty" move look like?
  19. I am starting to write next years routines and thougth I would pose you all a question. What Rev team move does it for you and why? What moves would you like to see? What move would you create if you had the chance? If I like the move and it is innovative I will put it into the routines with the designers name as the new name for the move. mmmm now what would the "Bazzer" look like?
  20. When we were making the prototypes we made a half size one that you could fly from your couch using a spar. It's great fun and lets you do a whole range of other tricks. Keep me updated as to how you get on with that.
  21. Same error for me. I guess the computer don't like us Watty! The computer says no.
  22. Hi Mario, great to hear you are enjoying the kite. A couple of ideas for you to try, fly the kite directly down wind from you and try and catch the flying line in between the tails, then give a firm tug on the line and the kite will reverse at you at speed. You can then catch it and throw it out again. Another move is to get the kite into a fade (briefly). Again fly the kite down wind and execute an axle, when the line is slack and the kite facing away from you execute a progressive pull on the line. The kite should rotate along the spine until it is upside down with the tail away from you. In a good wind you can hold this position for as long as half a second !!! Let me know how you get on.
  23. Full production will start as soon as Pedro gets back from the US. In the first isntance we were trying to gauge the potential demand before we made hundreds of kites As with all things the initial demand is the highest and as we clear through the first orders we will be able to supply new orders more speedily. For now, send me a PM with your details/questions etc and I will get onto it. @ John, aggresive flying gives different moves to a more gentle style, either way watch out for RKI (repetitive kiting injury)
  24. Hi Penny, the upper wind range is a good question. By adding 5meter long tails the kite will fly up to 30mph However, just because you can doesn't mean you should! This kite was designed so I could fly kites until my Revs flew well and for the ends of the day when I wanted something easy to fly and assemble but that was interactive. The kite is well suited for winds up to about 10mph but about half that is optimal. We are really just starting to understand the extremes of performance. The kite flies in the stronger winds but due to it's very light weight it is very fast. The kite is also influenced by turbulent winds which of course are more common at the upper end. Having said that, I have made a double sized version 2 meter wingspan that flies really well as a static kite. The flex in the rods allows it to fly in very strong winds. The only issue is stability (I designed the kite to be unstable!) but this is resolved by using long tails. I hope this helps? Did you get a chance to fly one in Washington?
  25. The kind of line depends. The most important is to have a braided line, not a twisted line. Although the tow points allows for a lot of the twists to come out if you habitually turn in one direction you will eventualy have a problem. 50lb spectra is great as there is no stretch and so you get instant control (just like a sport kite). However, most of the time I use some light bidle line. If you want to push the upper wind range of the kite, use a heavier line.
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