Reef Runner

That's good enough testimony for me.............. Boomertype, Jeepster, SkyPuppets, & Amexpmh ! Thanks for the input Wayne, we'll forgive you and your blue hat.............I can see you, though !

Anybody got any history, with a Tilley Hat ? I just received one today, that I ordered online - the T3 original. I have looked at these hats, and read about them for years, but just never got around to pulling the trigger (they are proud of them). I must admit, though, I am extremely impressed. This will surely make one great flying hat, as it affords fantastic sun protection, and it is likewise suited for windy conditions, as well............ "Well blow me down, and call me Shorty" No, "Shorty", not Wayne Should anyone be interested: Product Details: TILLEY COTTON T3 MENS HAT NATURAL - Designed with a medium brim that snaps up on both sides, the Tilley Endurables T3 canvas hat is constructed from fabric that`s derived from an incredibly durable sailcloth that is still used in boating today. The pre-shrunk 10-ounce, 100 percent cotton duck is both rain and mildew-resistant. The fabric has also been certified to block 98 percent of harmful UVA/UVB radiation and deliver an ultraviolet factor (UPF) of 50+--the maximum rating given. Other features include a dark under brim for glare protection and float-ability. It also ties on in windy conditions. Each Tilley hat is hand-sewn and all seams are lock-stitched so they won`t unravel. It also comes with a secret pocket in the crown to safely and securely store items such as a driver`s license, room key, or a $20 bill. Machine wash on delicate cycle separately or hand wash in cool water. Do not use bleach. Guaranteed for life not to wear out.

I thought about flying today, until I went out for my morning walk. The winds were kicking, 15 - 20 mph out of the west, but the temps were in the low to mid 40's. Hmmm Just not my kind of flying weather. I know, I know, I'm going to hear words like "whump" and "indoors", from friends like Rob and Wayne, I'm sure (you might guess which comes from who), but what can I say.........I'm just a "Fair Weather Cruiser", I suppose

That the site that charges $16.95 to ship the tape. Call and speak to Theresa (owner). Surely she's not going to charge 16.95, for a strip of tape. It can be put in an envelope with a stamp

And you don't need much. I've got several strips, that have been in my kite box for 10 years. Some of the kite folks, used to send you a piece, along with any order............

Also.........just Google Tedlar Tape http://www.thekiteshoppe.com/products/Tedlar-Repair-Tape.html

Good idea, but flying doesn't put bread on the table, or more kites in the air

Looking good Jim.........sorry to hear about the foot ! That's a real bummer, especially with a new set of Pros, just sitting there

Scott, That's the set I was telling you about the other night, in chat ! You'd look good, on the other end of the line

Very Nice !

For sure, been there done that, but I try not to tell anyone

Yep, it doesn't like the wrong line, hooked in the wrong place..........for sure

Flys like a whole nother kite, with those 1/4" rods, now doesn't it. Now you can use those SLE rods, to beat the dog (just kidding about the dog). Glad you had a successful flight session. They'll get better..............

Trust me, we've all "BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT", and it really makes you feel like a fool. But, you usually don't do it more than a couple of times, and finally, your identification begins to sink in................ So, your scheme must be: ? Upper Left - White Lower Left - White/Black Upper Right - Red Lower Right - Red/Black

That's how I do it too........ Upper sleeving is Lime - Right side has a Red mark Lower sleeving is Pink - Right side has a Red mark Right Handle has a slash of Red Spray paint.... May be excessive identification............but I know where everything goes

I just can't do it. If I wind-up my lines, and get close to the stake (I remove my handles prior to wind-up), and I see that they aren't coming out even, I unwind the whole thing, and start over. Theoretically, winding a properly paired, quad set, shouldn't be any different than winding up a dual line set, so if one line (or pair), is way off, something's got to be wrong. A lot of times, this doesn't become evident, until the wind-up, and at that point, I want to figure out which line(s) is out of sync, and why. No better time to find out, than when you've already got them paired and staked out. Then I take note of the problem, so I can equalize them, when I get back home, if necessary. I've found that the usual culprit, will be sagging drive lines, which is normal after several flights in a good breeze, and really not a problem, as long as both of those drive lines have the same amount of sag. If only one line is sagging, something is definitely out of whack, and equalization is probably in order. If the amount of sag is great (drive lines sag down much lower than the brake lines), and assuming they are equal, it might be a good time to reverse the paired lines, on your winder (wind-up from the handle end, back to the kite). Then, next time out, your lines will be reversed on your winder, but you'll be set up to attach your normal drive lines, as brake lines, and visa-verso. Fly it this way for a while, and you'll eventually equalize your top and bottom lines again, and then you can then switch them back, to your normal configuration. Another good reason to "color code", your top vs bottom sleeving......... Works for me

More Wonderful Tales of Yesterday ! Please, everyone join us. Tell us what got you hooked ! How did this happen to you ? Why do you fly kites ?

You'll freak, if you ever get to fly in coastal winds, coming off the water. Just think.........10 mph, steady as a rock, constant as the surf, coming in off of a light chop............. You can fly large SLK's, 20 feet off the ground, just as well as 100', or 200' up......... Makes no difference the height........it's all constant ! And talk about being good Rev wind............OH MY !!!

The RNG can't even be bribed ! What's this world coming too ?

Great stories, all Please, everyone join in. Add your own personal message We would all love to hear, just how you got yourself, into this MESS, that we call Kiting !!

Why I fly kites (doesn't everyone ?) Yep, this is an old topic, that I commented on, several years back. I may have even started it, I don't remember, but I thought it was an interesting subject, and with a lot of new members on the scene, these days, I thought it would be interesting, once again, to hear some new stories............... Here is mine, should you care to read it - I would love to hear yours !! Here goes...... ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Why I fly kites (doesn't everyone ?) & how did this all get started ? Well obviously not. Not around here, anyway. I’ve been flying kites for around 12 - 13 years now, 95% of that, while on vacation at the coast. When you mention flying kites around home, people tend to look at you, like you’re strange, but at the coast, it’s more like, okay, so what? Things seem to be a little more laid back in the resort areas, and I think people tend to expect, and/or overlook, most anything. So what’s the big deal, with a few people out there flying kites, on the dunes, or on the beach? Nobody really gives it a second though, but back home, not only do people give it a second thought, I believe that many give it a third, and maybe even a forth, thought. I’ve even noticed adults (kids not included), that will actually tend to avoid you. They will look away, and even pretend not to see you, when all the time, it’s so obvious, that they are trying, in their inconspicuous manner, just to sneak a peek, probably back to their own childhood days, but only when they think you aren’t looking, of course. This, I’ll never understand, but as the old saying goes, “People are Strange”, so why press the issue. Is it them, or is it “us”? Well, maybe “we”, the kite fliers are strange, comparatively speaking, but all in all, I think we are a pretty benign group. At least we aren’t harming anything, and for the most part, anyone, with the exception of the occasional “Newbie”, and a possible mishap. We surely aren’t using up any valuable resources, and all in all, we are just out there blowing off some steam, chilling out, relaxing, meditating, kicking back, killing a little time, and just enjoying life and the great outdoors (and indoors), and the list goes on, I suppose. I mean, what’s not to enjoy? It’s just you, your kite, and the wind, doing your thing. Actually, it’s a pretty cheap high ! So, why do I fly kites (?), you ask. That’s why. How did I become a flier (?), well that’s a whole nother story, but common sense tells us, that the answers to both of these questions, are definitely intertwined. As for me, my passion began 12 - 13 years ago. At that time, my wife and I had been going to the NC coast, for years, mainly during the spring, summer, and early fall. We really enjoyed the NC Outer Banks, and in particular, that 20 mile stretch of barrier islands, known as Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, and Kitty Hawk. Oh, Kitty Hawk, the birthplace of manned flight (how appropriate?), the Wright brother’s, and all that. “Wrong”, but close, all of that actually took place in Kill Devil Hills (it’s a common misconception), but that to, is a whole nother story. Now back to kiting. Anyway, after years of jumping from spot to spot, roaming the beaches, fishing, sitting on the beach, reading books, and just kicking back, I finally realized that I was beginning to get bored, with the beach scene. Sure it’s a great place to spend time, but just how long, can someone sit on the beach, read, and whatever. I mean, you can’t drink beer all day. Then one trip, I decided, out of the blue, and out of sheer boredom, that I was going and get myself a cheap (I didn’t even know the name) delta kite, that I could put up in the sky, tie to the chair, and at least have something different to look at. Why not, I had seen other people flying kites? Seemed like a great idea to me. Well, I couldn’t even get that $3 delta to fly right, but I noticed a guy right down the beach, flying a much larger, 4 or 5 foot delta, with a large flowing tail. That thing was sitting up there like it was pinned to the sky, so I ventured over to find out if I could get some help. Yep, it seems that I needed a tail on my kite, for stability. Well, I didn’t have a tail, but I did have a piece of string, so I tied a small piece of driftwood to the piece of string, attached it to the kite, and straight up it went. Learned something! No more dipping over to one side and diving uncontrollably to the ground or ocean, just up, up and away, and so was I. Well, this of course, lead to some more delta kites, bigger delta kites, more expensive delta kites, and tails, plenty of tails, and then kite bags, and before I knew it, I was a kite flier. Yes, that’s how I became a flier, but the story doesn’t end there, of course. As the years came and went (actually only a couple of years), one day, I was proudly sitting there watching my beautiful delta kite, pinned to the sky, and there down the beach, was this guy flying (again, I didn’t have a clue), a kind of erratic kite. Yep, it was a dualie. Well, I’m wondering how come this guy, has this pretty kite, and obviously a very nice kite, but he can’t afford more than 80 – 100 feet of line. He was hardly off of the ground, and the poor guys kite was going everywhere. Maybe he needed some tail on that thing, just to calm it down a bit, but being new, I resisted the urge to go down and make the suggestion. I just continued to watch. Then, all of a sudden, and with the help of my binoculars, the light bulb came on. That guy’s got two strings on that kite, not very long stings, but two, so what’s up with that? Now, I did have to mosey on down, and check this out. This I’ve got to see, and as they say, “the rest is history”. Yep, the guy gave me a quick run through on flying dualies, showed me how to control it, and yes, he defiantly got my attention. He offered to let me give it a whirl, but I didn’t dare. I thanked him for the intro, and was on my way. Now my big pretty delta kite, pinned to the sky, didn’t seem quite so exciting, in fact, it seemed kind of, ho hum! So, hey, let’s go to that big kite store (Kitty Hawk Kites) in Nags Head, and look around, just look. Well, being very close to my birthday, my wife says, go pick out a kite, and she would get it for me, for my birthday. So here we go, stage two, dualies, and what did I pick out for my first real kite, a beautiful “Prism Fanatic”. Don’t laugh, this was a pretty neat kite, back 13 or 14 years ago. So back at the cottage, I finally figured out how to put it together, and out to the beach “we” went. I didn’t know about kite stakes then, so my wife became my “kite runner”. I would take off and she would run pick it up, over, and over, and over. Finally, I got to where I could keep it in the air for more than 10 seconds, giving my “kite runner” a break. Eventually, I learned about kite stakes, and now, my wife was able to get back to her beach chairs, umbrellas, and reading, and the best part, I could set-up the kite, and fly it by myself, and boredom was a thing of the past. As the years ticked by, we continued our annual treks to Nags Head. Eventually, we locked in on the same cottage, so now, we are staying in a cottage, that belongs to a, “now”, good friend. And where, you ask? Well, just coincidentally (or maybe not), it just so happens that this cottage is located directly across the highway, from Jockey's Ridge, one of the greatest kite flying spots on the East coast, and right behind the Nags Head, Kitty Hawk Kites flagship store. We are usually there, 3 or 4, sometimes 5 weeks, during the summer, and that's when I really do most of my kite flying, but what a place to fly. It’s the beach early and late in the day, and then as the beach begins to fill, during peak season, it’s across the road, and up on the ridge, where you can fly, till you just can’t fly anymore. So, as I mentioned earlier, I got my first real kite (a Prism Fanatic) from Kitty Hawk Kites, some 13+ years ago. I didn't know anything about flying stunt kites, and I basically taught myself to fly, and believe it or not, I've still got that kite, and it's in excellent condition, and remains one of my favorites, and one that will always stay in my kite bag. Not to say, that it didn't hit the sand quite a few times, but never with any catastrophic results. The sand dunes, do tend to be, somewhat forgiving. But there’s more. Later on, some 8 - 9 years after the Fanatic, and some 20 - 25 stunt kites later, an on-line kiting buddy of mine, got to chatting with me one night, about this strange kite he had seen, somewhere for sale. It was called a Revolution kite (?). Again, somewhat new to me, although I had heard the term mentioned somewhere, but this thing had four lines, I thought, and I knew that I didn’t have any interest in that. I was perfectly happy with my dualies, and I really didn’t want anything to do with one of those Revolutions. Well, then one day, out of the blue, a package arrives at my home, and my buddy has sent me "nearly new", Rev 1.5 SLE. Oh NO! What am I going to do now? I didn't have a clue what to do with that thing, and yep, it definitely had four lines, and handles. I actually made two or three trips to the coast, and never even put it together, never even took it out of the bag. I just didn’t want to get into that four line stuff, but, with all due respect to my friend, he had sent me the kite, and he kept asking about how I was coming with the Rev, so I had to do something. I couldn’t keep putting this thing off, so one hot summer day, back in 2009, when it was about 95 degrees, and at least 10 degrees hotter, up on Jockey’s Ridge, I realized that the dune was basically deserted (probably the heat). None-the-less, this looked like my chance, so I took off up the hill, with my wife as my co-pilot (here we go again), but believe it or not, after a bit of fussing and cussing about the lines, I kinda got it figured out. Another day or so, and I could actually fly that Rev, not great, but at least I could keep it off the ground. My biggest problem continued to be line management, but having been accustomed to winding up my dual lines, I understood the basics of what needed to happen, and eventually, I got that figured out, kinda. Then, some guy named John Barresi comes along with these Rev tutorial videos, and there it was, my salvation, “Line Management”. Once or twice viewing that video, and problem solved. Now, if I could just get the flying part down, half so well, as the line management part. Anyway, I suppose that I’d still be considered a “Newbie”, especially compared to that Barresi guy, for now, anyway, because I am definitely still learning (aren't we all), but I'm trying hard, every chance I get. So right now, after a really tough winter, I am so looking forward to a great summer, and doing something about that “Newbie” status. OBX, here we come. So that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it ! That’s how I became a kite flier. Fate, I suppose (?) ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Since the original posting of this rendition, I suppose I may have shucked my "Newbie" status, somewhat, although I am definitely still learning, and once again, after a tough winter, I am once again looking so forward to Summer, and our annual treks to the Outer Banks, and KITES !! Now, lets hear your story.............Why do you fly kites, and how did you get started ??

Ninja, you need to start a NEW topic, under Karma Drawing. If you get it together, in the morning, I'm sure that one of us can help you.... Don't post it here, because this thread will be locked and closed.............

Yep, but I was trying to keep him from hang gliding

Yep, we had a topic, a while back, something to the effect of "Having a Saver Kite". This of course meaning, having a kite as a back-up, to make sure you could at least fly something, on any given day. Nothing worse, than driving to the flight field, or in your case CB, trekking out from the house a ways, and then, once you get there, the winds are completely out of character, and not at all what you were planning! Now what ? You pull out your "Saver Kite". Now, it seems that your 4-D, is serving as your "Saver Kite", on the low end of the spectrum, and a good choice it is, but how about the day you get there, and it's blowing 25+, then what ? You might also want consider having a "saver kite", for the high end, likewise. Anyway, as a result of that topic, and after giving it considerable thought, I got myself a Delta Hawk by HQ, based purely on the advice of some of our, "across the pond" buddies, that are into speed kiting. Since that time, especially at the coast, that little Delta Hawk has saved the day, numerous times. Let me tell you, it is fast as hell, and it pulls like a freight train. In fact, it's simply unbelievable, how fast, and hard pulling, that little kite can be, and it's not much larger than the 4-D in size. But for structure, strength, and speed, that little kite kicks butt, all day long, and it is basically indestructible. I know you don't like fast flying kites, nor high winds, but you might want to consider a saver kite, for that day that you've just got to fly something, and the wind is really cooking. One day, it will allow you to fly something, rather than trekking back to the house............. Oh, and the Delta Hawk is really inexpensive........ http://www.shadeonme.com/products/Delta-Hawk-Red-Speed-Line-Stunt-Kite-l-Free-Shipping.html http://www.afterschool.com/p/hq-kites-and-designs-delta-hawk-sport-kite-red-856016?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_as&utm_term=FPS-186096&utm_campaign=GoogleAW&CAWELAID=1931279142&utm_content=pla&adtype=pla&cagpspn=pla

That's the kind of wind, that I really dislike. I suppose it's ok for your dualies, but I really dislike it for the Revs. Nine gets my attention, and nine, I can deal with