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Wayne Dowler

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Everything posted by Wayne Dowler

  1. I go with photomom, but I'll keep mine right now!! The Obsession would be a definite upgrade to what I have now (even if they don't get a lot of air these days)!!!
  2. Of course not. You need both hands to fly a Rev. You must land the kite to drink. Then you can fly again. And I had to ask!!!!
  3. Yes!! But try to take off and get control of the kite maybe 5' off the ground, then land it on both points!! Keep doing that until you're able to get totally clean landings!! UP, STOP, DOWN!!! Then go another couple of feet higher and land again! Work your way up to the top, still being able to hold the kite steady and land cleanly!! Then try turning while you're higher off the ground!! If you think you're gonna crash, DON'T PULL!!!! GIVE TO THE KITE!! It will lose a lot of it's power and crash much more gently!! You pull, things can break!! You give, crashes are a lot less likely to cause damage!! Have you equalized your lines?? Having a line longer than the others can cause some very interesting stuff!! Take a few minutes to do this, attach handles, run out lines, put all four lines on a stake!!! Go back to the handles and see if they line up EXACTLY under tension!! Shorten up any long lines till they're all the same!!! Oh forgot - if the package comes unopened, watch the instructional video as much as possible, lots of good stuff to learn there as a beginner!!! Good luck and good flight!!!
  4. Unfortunately, you said the major drawback, Eating kites!!!
  5. This would be a good question to ask the Rev forum!! There are people who know the history there better than I! Easy to sign up and participate!! Only thing I know is if you go back far enough, there is a mylar panel in the sail design! Some like it, some don't!!! I also believe the "B" series is just a few years old, but not sure when!!
  6. fearme: I too have dealt with Kent and have absolutely nothing bad to say about his business!! He's listened to me and explained stuff, the quality of his service is GREAT! I've also dealt with Theresa @ The Kite Shoppe and have always been very satisfied with her service!! If you're looking for stores, you'd be hard pressed to find any better!!!
  7. You won't be unhappy if you get that SLE!! There is a lot to learn, give it a fair chance, it won't disappoint you!!
  8. Don't get your hopes up too high!!! PS : The RNG isn't listening!!!
  9. Well Holy , I got that knot out!!!! Took a needle to it and created an opening, replaced the needle with a safety pin, then used the needle some more to finish opening up the knot!! Got it down to the correct end and NO MORE KNOT!! Now to see if I created a weak spot, hope not, didn't pull it too tight or break any strands using the needle!!! WHEW!!! Lets the dog off the hook!!! I need to buy a lottery ticket!!!
  10. Just the sail - $225.00!!! Frame - Race rods - $100.00!!! Lines I made - $40.00 my cost + time to make - priceless! Just glad the damage wasn't worse!!! Now to try and get that knot out!!!
  11. I agree, it's not the dog's fault!!! If I'd heard even one try at calling the dog, I'd be a little more understanding, but I felt like the owner thought it was great fun, the dog chasing the kite in the air!!! I'd switched earlier from my SUL to a mid-vent, then the wind started to die and next thing he's standing over my kite!! If I still had the SUL on, none of this would have happened, I'd a just flown over his head!! Then he compounded things be running through the lines a couple of times! Here I was trying to chase him off and he thinks I'm playing!! He finally left when his owner started to walk to the car, otherwise he'd kept up running through!!! I hope talking about it is good therapy, my memories are !!!!!
  12. After my stroke, the vision was never the same!! Without my glasses, I'd see double!! At least they ground my glasses to give me 1 image, but each eye sees things at a different depth!! The finger thing is just a product of age, I can live with that!! Things like pick knots for easy adjustment, breakdown. stuff I've adapted!!! But a knot - I've got almost no shot at that!! Too d##n small!!! Only reason I found it was because I felt it!! I am getting over the dog, RR, just hoping my son can get the knot out!!
  13. Well, it's 1 overhand knot in one line!! Sorry Pete, I was alone facing that mess and my eyes and fingers just aren't what they used to be!! But I get your point that the apparent knots are just loops through loops through more loops!! Was able to worm out 1 pair fairly easy, but the other was a pain! Kept working at it and thought I had it licked! Found the knot as I was making sure the lines were straight and untangled!! My son has offered to look at it, hope it will come out!! If not, hopefully they make into a set I was going to make anyway!! What are the chances that happens?? PS: I won't even express how I feel about that dog! ! Nuff said?
  14. Well here I go again!!! Just got through making my light 120' set and today a dog runs through my lines, turning it into a BIG MESS!! Took me almost 2 hours to straighten them out with only 1 overhand knot in 1 line! Not sure where it falls on the length, I'll check and see if it can make up 1 of the other sets I had planned!! Crappy end to a beautiful day!!!
  15. Yes, I do only tie 2 knots to form the loop, and I do color code my lines the way you stated, red for right, black for left!! Full colored sleeves on the bottom, short color mark on the sleeves for the tops!! Some of my handles have two different color leaders, the other leaders that I made myself, I code them just like the lines, red and black! And I did use another set to establish the length! The only other thing that I do to keep from having any problems, (and I'm sure I'll get some s***t for this), is that I wind my lines as a pair separately! By that I mean I wind the lefts as a pair, then the rights together! Only reason I do this is that it has kept me from having any tangles since I started this!! Means 1 more trip up and down, but if it keeps out the tangles, then I call it time well spent!! Sorry, I haven't the guts to try winding all 4 at once, had too many problems in the past!!
  16. Ok, here goes: Made up a set of 120'x50# lines! Luckily I had a set of 90# to go by, so I strung out the 90# and got a length. Added 18" for the 15" sleeves and knots and away I went. Now the only thing I do differently from Reef Runner is I don't tie knots in my sleeving to attach it to the line. I prefer to leave it loose, tight and stretched, but loose, then tie my loop knots in. I do this to eliminate 2 knots that I would have to undo if I needed to equalize the lines! Sorry, but I've had a stroke and my fine motor skills are eroding! Anyway ran out 4 equal lengths and cut, looped all 4 lines on 1 end, double knots and all, so 1 end is finished. Went up to the other end and sleeved that end, but only put 1 knot in. Since I had done the first end completely, I could stake them and use that to stretch the lines (eliminate the creep)! After a good stretch, I checked and equalized the lines and finished by tying in both knots! Do pay attention to how those knots lay, no twists or you'll end up with slipping! I haven't equalized them again after flying, only used them once and time didn't permit, but I was able to use several different sails to stretch (creep) the lines! So the next time I use them, they'll get checked and usually after that they're good to go!! I've used this system for a long time, never thinking of the "how to" aspect, these came out within a couple of inches of the desired length!! And that works for me PS: To help me keep everything straight on setup and breakdown, I color code my right and left lines by using a Sharpie. I use red for the right and black for the left, tops get a short marking at the knots on the sleeves, bottoms are colored all the length of the sleeves! Keeps me straight during setup, so I hook the correct line to the correct bridle point! I even color code my handles for the same reason! Don't want to confuse my "limited" brain!!
  17. Not a problem, Nick!! I'm sure you would think of us, if we had any dangerous situation!!!! Good to hear the others are OK, too!!!
  18. Good to hear you're safe and hope to get some info on the situation of the others!! We are thinking of you!!
  19. Since I'm flying Revs more than dualies, my SUL gets a lot of work in the wimpy winds we usually get!!!
  20. Ahhh! This could be an upgrade - I still fly my old "Stranger"!! Still haven't found the limits on that, yet!!! I think it dates from the mid-nineties!! Andy Preston design, if I remember correctly!!
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