Dorsal

Penny, you are talking to me?? Maybe your comment should be in some other thread, related to some other discussion, because I've never even read this thread before, let alone commented in it.

The Revs and Spirits have very similar flying and handling characteristics, so any "notes" or videos you can find about one will (most likely) apply to the other. Now get out there and practice! NOTHING will teach you better than your own time at the field. Besides that, you may discover some maneuver that all of the "experts" haven't done yet.

@Rob - The Spirits have a bridle adjustment point at the base of the center spine, and you should really learn how/when to use it. You should get pdf's: http://www.newtechkites.com/instructions/SpiritMOD1.pdf and http://www.newtechkites.com/instructions/SpiritMOD2.pdf take note of the last photo. I tied another knot in the standard lower loop, right up next to the webbing, for flight in near zero wind conditions. Also, the bridle mods described in the pdf give the kite better handling in reverse. btw, all the New Tech manuals and mods are listed at http://www.newtechkites.com/NTK_DOWNLOADS-INST.htm

http://www.kitebox.com/dragetasker/VisTaske.asp?TaskeID=173 That's most of them, I think.

I answered you on the GWTW forum. Get some Tedlar tape. You must think this is a really big problem, since you posted it here, GWTW and Kitebuilder. You should know there are only a few people who don't regularly visit all three forums.

Well I guess I owe an apology to the group. I thought he was looking for information, not a plug for our favorite sources for kite supplies.

Kevin - What I meant by "more forgiving" is that the Spirit bridling system allows you to adjust the amount the center panel is allowed to flare backwards, dumping air. The flexible center panel of the Spirit allows the sail to flex and let gusts of wind out without forcing the kite to zoom or suddenly pull. When flying in light winds, you adjust the center of the bridle right up against the sail, keeping in as much wind as possible - and when in winds above 8 mph, you can adjust the center of the bridle out to the next knot, away from the sail, allowing more wind to slip out of the sail. If you want to keep the sail fully inflated, simply tighten up slightly on the "brake" lines, because both of the lower lines are cross-attached to the center lower connection, so that automatically brings the center lower panel forward. Describing it is difficult, but the adjustments are very simple. However, because the sail is more flexible than a Rev, they do fly more slowly. I think that is a blessing, especially for someone who is learning, because it gives the learner more time to think and react. Oh, another benefit is the Spirit comes with "quad sticks" built in. They stick out of the back of the kite, which allows you to let the kite rest on the ground in a flight-ready position, but because of the design of the sail, it can never launch itself like a Rev can. And the slight bow in the sail allows you to take the kite off from any position, even face-down. I've learned how to get a Rev back into flight from this position, but it was very frustrating to learn, and I hate walking to a kite to stand the !@#$!@$#! thing back up again! About instructions, New Tech has them on their website. http://www.newtechkites.com/instructions/I...SPIRIT-QUAD.pdf http://www.newtechkites.com/instructions/SpiritMOD1.pdf http://www.newtechkites.com/instructions/SpiritMOD2.pdf By the way, I am not sponsored by New Tech or paid in any way for extolling the virtues of the Spirit kites - I really do like them. That is not to suggest that anyone on this Forum is sponsored in any way by Rev - it is just to emphasize that I am expressing my opinion, as is everyone else here. You will undoubtedly buy a Rev or two in the future (I have 6 different ones myself), but I just think the Spirit is the best one to start with.

Here is a very handy cross-reference chart. http://www.gwtw-kites.com/extras/revs/rods.htm

As you may be able to tell from the avatar to the left of my message, I am very fond of my Spirit Quads. I think they are an excellent kite to learn with, as they are in many respects more forgiving than the Rev kites, but they are also very capable stunt flyers. And they make an outstanding stack that won't pull your arms out!

Use lighter sticks. What diameter are the sticks you used? On my Spirits, the sticks are .120 rods IIRC, but they could definitely be lighter if I ever felt like replacing all of them.

Penny, I own 5 or 6 Revs also. Lessee - an EXP, 1.5SUL, 1.5 SLE, SuperSonic, RevI, RevII - I think that's it. I intentionally chose to make a Spirit stack after flying Uly's 5-Stack of 1.5 SLE's, because they pulled too much for me to really enjoy the effort. I had already noticed the difference in pull between them and my Spirit, but didn't know if the pull multiplied significantly by stacking Revs. It did. The pull also multiplies when stacking Spirits, but by a much smaller factor. I have comfortably flown my Spirit 5-stack in 20 mph winds - a feat I would personally never attempt with 5 Revs. Now, if the Spirits would just rocket across the window in inverted slides like the SuperSonic does, I would be a truly happy man! Well, to each his (or her) own.

You don't have to buy Rev's to make a stack of quads.

I've owned both, but sold my ShockWave. It seemed to be a lot more sensitive to wind gusts than the SuperSonic, suddenly zipping forward when a gust hit it. But then, I'm over 50 and fly a kite to relax and enjoy the wind, not try to prove who's the boss.

(retraction) I am still very confused about the punch line, though.

Your question is too ambiguous to answer very easily. For simple single line kites, I would probably suggest a Delta or a Conyne Delta kite, like any of the ones listed on this page. For a dual line kite, some of the ones on this page might fit the bill. But since you're talking about Southern California, I would suggest you call over to KiteConnection and talk to a great kite shop that's right on the Huntington Beach Pier. They will steer you to a good kite in your price range, and (hopefully) away from some of the less promising "kites" sold at the discount megastores. (The kind known by the rest of us as a P.O.S. with string.)

I can't help you. The characteristics you describe are the reason I tried a friend's Blast, but never bought one for myself.

Does this help? http://tinyurl.com/ep67z I see a number of flat green areas, hopefully they're not all golf courses.

How many months have you been flying?

Don't bother paying attention to AudioKnob - - the rest of us usually ignore him anyway. I've washed lots of kites with soap, and have never had any problem or created any. Just use the same stuff you would use on your body, and rinse the sail completely. Then allow it to completely dry before rolling it up and storing it in the bag. I usually leave the kite assembled while I wash it, and always leave it assembled while it dries.

Welcome to the Forum David! I think you will learn how when you practice doing 4-point rolls in the middle of the window. Stop the kite about 15 feet up, upright, then roll it 90 degrees to the left, stop for a moment, then roll it upside-down and stop for a moment, and so forth. Practice it rolling both directions. Practice with the kite upside-down. Launch the kite from the nose-down position, raise it 5 feet and stop. Then raise it another 5 feet and stop. Continue until you are 30 feet off the ground, then bring it back down, stopping every 5 feet. When you are pretty good at that task, turn the kite sideways and do the same thing, going from the ground, stopping every 5 feet until 30 feet, then lowering the kite 5 feet at a time. Flying a quad is all about control, and these exercises will teach you the control needed to do everything else.

Many people swear by the Guterman 100% polyester thread that you can buy at any fabric store. Others swear by the #33 Nylon Bonded Thread sold at the linked store and via other sources. I've used both, with equal success. I believe on a Rev, the Guterman thread is about the same diameter, and will look very similar. However, from more than 8 feet away, you'll never see the difference at all. Most builders stay away from "standard" cotton thread, as the polyester and Nylon sail materials may have a tendency to cut the thread over time, and bonded Nylon thread or Polyester thread is less prone to sun damage (or so I've heard.) My opinion: Since I've never seen a kite that failed because the thread was worn out, I think the differences are moot. Kites are usually worn out by sand and hard ground and asphalt driveways and trees and rocks - - long before the threads rot away in the sun.

If you want to do the job yourself, get some fiberglass window screen material and simply sew it to the back of the kite, following the same thread lines as the original screen was sewn in. Then carefully cut away the excess (new) screen from the outside of the new stitches from the back. Then carefully cut away the old screen from the inside of the new stitches from the front. Voila!

So, I take it, you are one of those people who doesn't use the "View New Posts" link, and you assume most others don't either. Those of us who do use that function saw that you had posted the same thing in a multitude of places, like a vertical billboard. Billboarding is considered rude behavior.

mousie, it's really not necessary to post your topic in more than one area, unless you actually intended to flood the Forum with one little piece of information. Please delete the other posts.

By "brick-and-mortar", I was referring to a kite store that has an actual, physical address. In other words, a non-internet STORE. "Brick-and-mortar" is actually a reference to any business that has a front door and physical inventory that customers can walk in and touch the hardware. Sorry if I was confusing, but if you could show the kite to the store's manager, maybe they could help.