Reef Runner

Paul - Maybe I missed the purpose of that cart wheel (?). Couldn't you just re-launch the kite, directly from the inverted position, then rotate to the upright position, once you have cleared the ground by 3 - 4 feet ? Just curious, because I have always tried not to roll, or drag my kite, across the ground. Again, maybe I missed the real purpose of this maneuver.

Hi Will, Glad you came to Kitelife. There's such a great bunch of folks here, and tons of good information. If you have questions, just ask, and I'm sure someone will help you out............ Welcome aboard, and welcome over to the "Dark Side"..........

Great story Ralph...........I'd have loved to seen that. Sounds like my first day - I thought (lots of) wind was good

Welcome to Kitelife (and the Dark Side) Mark. Lot's of great people and information, here. We'd love for you to join us ! Need help, just ask, and you'll get more support than you ever imagined..........

Good "Beginners Video", Captainbob. That should help KiteOCD quite a bit, if he is flying that Switch on dual lines, however, I'm not so sure that the Switch is so well adapted, to all the demos in this video, but still, the basics are the same.

Yes, the Lark's Head knot is probably the handiest, and one of the most important knots, that you can learn. It is so simple, but many people have a really tough time with it. (understanding how it works) Take a look at this video >> http://kitelife.com/forum/videos/view-37-rev-tutorial-larks-head-knot/ You will use this knot to attach your line to the kite, as well as to attach your lines to the wrist straps. These are slightly different applications, but bottom-line, the very same knot. Good luck........ ps.........as Tmadz suggested - GET A STAKE - even if it's only a screwdriver - It will make life much easier for you

Can't wait to see the rest of your collection

It'll be three days late for me Bart..........worth waiting three days for, wouldn't you say ?

We're all kidding.............

I'M IN..........I hope !

Now it is: Start date April 27, 2014 Start time 11:00 am End date April 27, 2014 End time 8:29 pm REALLY STRANGE !

Just come anytime.........it'll still be going on

OH, they really got that screwed up. The end time is changing with the time of day. I just watched it change from 1:09 PM to 1:10 PM

Now it says: Start date April 27, 2014 Start time11:00 am End date April 27, 2014 End time12:52 pm Still strange ? Wonder what is wrong with 11:00 - 1:00 ?

That's a lot of wind, for any kite, but especially a foil (and a broken arm)........don't hurt yourself If all the helpful suggestions above, doesn't solve the problem, you might want to call Prism. Again, not meaning to sound like a broken record, but what everyone is telling you, is symmetry ! Everything, on both sides of the kite (right vs left), all the way from the sail to the wrist straps, should be (NO - MUST BE), symmetrical, or exactly, 100% the same. Most people would consider 1/4" difference, border-line, so check closely, and Good luck

Philippe, In my opinion, if you are doing as you describe, and your wife is doing as you describe, then there is something dramatically different in your set-up. Obviously, your two sets of lines are not the same, and I don't mean than one set is different from top to bottom, I mean that your set, and her set, are different. If they are not, and both kites (perform alike) will hover, directly out in front of you both, with both you and your wife using the hand positions that you describe above, then there has to be a major difference, in how your flight lines are attached to the knotted leaders, at your handles. However, if everything is the same, such as line lengths, set-up at the handles, etc, then you are flying with all drive, and your wife is flying with all brake, so I would think that having the kites to perfom the same, would be nearly impossible. Both positions seem a bit extreme, as the angle of the handles should be changing, as you fly. You should get some good comments on this question !

Socrates, at his best !

Those vents, likewise play a part, in that "tendency to flip a wing"........... You'll find that tendency to be greater, on a standard sail, and lesser on the vented sails....... OR, I do, anyway !

Yeah, but I'll be there in a month............. Cath & Eliot will let you "fly before you buy" ! If I get a half day, free, I'll go up to Corolla, and check them out.

Well, that's a very important trick to master, Bob............you hang in there

Very interesting Bob. Good review, especially for us amateurs. I may just have to go see Eliot in May, and get him to give me a test run. The backwards flying does indeed, sound interesting................. Oh, BTW..........very nice looking MV

Hell Bob, it's all beyond my abilities ! He lost me when he started talking about flying with someone, and slack-line tricks ! Tricks ? Heck, I'm just a cruiser, not a trickster. Sheesh.................. But all kidding aside, Paul, thanks for the very good explanation...........

Likewise. I too would like to understand exactly what they do

Bob, I understand about the kite just leaning back onto the sticks. Maybe I wasn't clear on that. The reason I mentioned the unplanned launch, is that I noticed a lot of the people that were flying with the sticks, didn't bother to stake their kites, and they only let them lean back against the sticks. When you stake the kite in the inverted position, the wind is already forcing the kite into the ground, so no problem. If the kite is just sitting there, leaning against the sticks, it can still get blown around, with a few degrees shift, in the wind direction. I witnessed this happen, that same day............. Maybe I'm being a bit over cautious, but just bringing up the possibility......... Hope you have a great flight today.............let us hear about the stick, a bit more. I would really like to know the real purpose of them I really don't know !

As Paul mentioned, personal preference, for sure. So from this personal point of view, I've never used sticks, and with the exception of "one" time, on someone else's kite, I've never even flown. During that one flight, I really didn't notice any differences in handling, but if you're hung up on landing the Rev in the upright (leading edge up) position, then they do have a real advantage there. You can lean the kite back, and allow the sail to prop against the sticks, leaving the kite ready to launch, from that same position. I'm sure there is another purpose, for these sticks, other than landing and launching upright, and maybe Paul, or someone more familiar than I, will share that purpose. I'll be the first to admit, I don't know, and I surely don't want to be critical of something that I don't know anything about. However, I've got to add, with the Rev being just a bit more complicated/tedious, so far as setting up, than say a dualie, I'm all for simplifying the process, and to me, the sticks add just one more thing to put together, and to keep up with, and for that reason alone, I'd probably pass. Now, as for flying without, I find that launching and landing the Rev, in the inverted (leading edge down) position, and staking the lines at the top of the handles, to be just as quick. After just a bit of flight time, this method will become, almost second nature to you, and you'll never give it a second though. I'll almost bet, that most people that fly a Rev, with the least bit of regularity, can land (inverted), stake the lines, and walk away, quicker than you can land in the upright (leading edge up) position, and lean it back on the sticks. Oh, and the inverted Rev, staked in the ground, will never result in an unplanned, self-launch, which can be disastrous - it'll always be there, when you come back from helping your son. (this is just my personal opinion)