Wayne Dowler

Oh Yeah!!!!

Thanks for some levity - needed some! PS: how do YOU measure minutes??

Closed to most, here in Oregon, too. Sorry to have been silent for so long, been in training for new work - security. Had to do state training, job training, and had my first couple assignments. Interesting work as a floater!

Also - please don"t take my mentioning of AWOC as a pure endorsement of the store, there are many others out there. The Kite Shoppe, Ocean Shores Kites, ITW, The Shook store, I'm sure most, if not all, carry bulk line. I have done business with all these and more - satisfaction on my end!!

Unless you fly alone - I do NOT recommend fishing line. Same material, different weave. Look on the major online kite stores for bulk spools, sleeving, and don't forget winders. Look on A Wind of Change for components. I find you can usually get 2 sets for the price of 1, but you also invest the time it takes to make them. All comes down to what your time is worth... I buy commercial sets, then equalize. Saves me the time of setting up and getting it all arranged. One adjustment and usually I'm good to go for a awhile. One more adjustment and usually pretty safe, unless flown in extreme conditions. I usually go thru 2 sets of quad lines every year. I fly team mostly, lots of crossed lines there. I almost always go thru a set just at WSKIF every year. Team flying almost every day for a week solid eats that set fast! Old lines get thrown in the practice bag, maybe cut down, etc. About lines - if you fly on a beach - wash them out - lots! Take the handles off and dunk the whole set, winder and all, in a container. You will be surprised at how much sand comes out. Plus the dunking dissolves the salt crystals that build up on your lines. Ever look at sand or salt under a microscope? Sharp!! Eats lines fast! Clean them!!!

And don't assume that new lines are equalized either. Many times I have gotten new sets that seriously needed attention.

I will again stress this - it all is set up by your footwork. The pressure that makes for successful changes in direction, is all set up by getting your feet and body moving in the correct direction, first! Indoors with no wind to help, everything you do is dependant on you providing the source of power. Footwork is key!!!

Looks like they are planning to wind down - to what, remains to be seen. They have closed all of their retail stores, here on the Oregon coast, including the Lincoln City location. Evidently, rent and other costs were just too high for them to continue. There is one kite shop left in Lincoln City - Windriven. North of the "D" river on 12th Street. With the closing of the other store, they might improve their selection and quantities on hand.

I would suggest P-100 in the full sail, P-300 in the mid, and P-400 in the full vent. Reason - verticals take the most strain of all the frame pieces. LE loads are distributed evenly by your bridle, the verts are only supported at the ends. Better off stronger to be safe, especially if new. Easy to put up the "wrong" sail and blow things out, risking a broken spar, or worse, a tear. Weight is really not a big factor, you are only talking a few grams, not ounces. Rev's quality control was never super strict anyway, rods varied by a lot, even in the same set. What you end up looking for is that consistency of flex, not the weight.

Haven't watched your video yet, but as I learned, I found it very important to setup the reversal by moving your feet first. Even changes in direction are setup by getting your footwork in order. Think golf swing - the downswing starts from the bottom up, feet first. I watched John's tutorials in a very specific manner - I watched the whole series concentrating on his feet. Then watched concentrating on the hands. Finally watching how the first two affected the kite flying. IMHO YMMV

I've found my minimum is 50' for the Zen. Just too big for 30's, wind window is really small and I feel, too short to easily move the kite in turns. Added extra - 50' is about my limit to throw one successfully.

Theoretically yes. Might need longer handles like 15" or 17". Never tried it myself.....

All but 1 of the Phoenix sails has those little "tail" vents (6 total). Someone in our group nicknamed them "quarter vents". They do change the wind range for each sail slightly upward. If all your friends are on mid-vent Revs, you might still be on the std Phoenix, etc. They also make the transition from forward to reverse slightly easier. Still can't jam it on without thought, but it is easier. And they do shrink your wind window slightly. The Shook feels sluggish???!!??? Mine is just about the "lightest" feeling sail in my bag! Feels way smaller than what it is. Almost like comparing a Rev2 to the 1.5, light and fast. IMHO - much over 20-25 mph and flying stops being "fun" and becomes a sort of survival. But YMMV ......

Most of the custom bags for stacks you see here or on the beach are homemade or made by Bri Howard, here in Oregon. She uses a similar fabric to that in Rev bags. She will custom design with you as many slots, sizes, handle and line pockets, etc. And do stack bags too. Sorry, I don't have her web address off hand, but she also is on FB.

How to judge wind speed? Built in wind meter called the hair on my neck! Or is it my ears? I don't think I ever owned a meter and don't now. The more you fly, the more you will be able to "fit" a kite selection to the conditions. For me, the worst that can happen is I need to change kites. Already got the lines out and that is the biggest part. Just go with the flow.....! But Rob has the right idea if you really want/need a meter. By that second battery, you should be able to guess, pretty much.

Congrats!! PIX!!!

This might be awkward, but John just left for South Padre Island in Texas. Probably forgot that the drawing was to occur while he is gone. I'm pretty sure we can wait til he gets back.....

Just to clear the size thing up: 3 sizes of Revolution kites (in the "normal style"), all size measurements approximate: Rev I size - 9' includes the Rev I and Zen Rev 1.5 size - 7.5' includes EXP, SLE, NYM, "B" series, "B" pro, Reflex RX sails, most of the "custom" masterpiece sails Rev 2 size - 6' includes Rev 2 and B-2 One oddball is the Reflex XX that is in between the Rev I and 1.5 sizes Open to correction or addition.......

Yep. The problem is that some don't work that bottom loop down to lock it. They leave it in the unlocked position and it moves.

First - to keep your lines from tangling at the nock, try putting a soft vinyl cap over them. Should make for a "cleaner" end of wingtip. If there is a double larkshead check for this - Are you "milking" the knot down fully to lock it into position? You should be able to pull from both sides of the bridle to "unlock" the connection. But if done correctly, the double larkshead should lock in the bridle piece when pulled tight.

A full vent Djinn would do the trick. As an experienced flier - standing in 30 mph winds = no fun! Yes the kite is designed to handle that, but being out in that much wind, especially a beach with all that sand blowing, not fun. YMMV

Not a "positive roll model"? HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

And all my outdoor sets are bent pretty close to the same angle, that's how much I like them!

Putting the new bridle on - Put the vertical pieces on first. Just like DTill described at the cap, the larkshead is on the cap, not the bridle itself. Just make sure you put both of the tops and both of the bottoms, pulling to the center, the same way. Either both inside or both outside. I like to assemble my kite and do it bit by bit, making sure my direction of pull is the same on both sides. Doesn't matter that much which, just make both sides are the same. Then add the horizontal piece, larksheading thru the center loop first, then do the leading edge connections. Now to connect the pieces - remember this rhyme -"little thru big, big thru little". You put that little loop on the vertical leg thru the big loop on the horizontal, then the big loop thru the small loop. pull it down and you should get the little "hinge" between the pieces. The "Rev" bridle has that, if you don't get one, you have connected wrong and need to correct that. It really isn't hard to do. I have done them on the beach in minutes. The line fray you described is pretty normal for bridle line. There is a woven covering and a stranded core, so it is really a 2 piece system. That core is plenty strong, but a new bridle is definitely in your future. John's are made to fit perfectly, based on installing correctly. Good luck with the swap and show us pix of the before and after!

Let me drop a little story about this one: `2 summers ago, John had the 3 versions all staked out at WSIKF, a std, mid, f/v. It was a low wind sort of day, I think I was either on a std or Ashes, so that gives you some idea. Anyway, everyone was queued up to try the std. Made the most sense, it fit the wind pretty well. So I'm in line waiting when John comes over and says to try the mid. OK, I'll give it a shot. I launch, land, adjust tops a knot (John uses at least one more knot of brake than I do!), and launch again. Flew nice, but it didn't set my hair on fire or anything like that. But a good solid feeling. After a bit I set it down and was talking to him, when he says to try the full vent. Now I'm thinking - wait a minute, the winds are light for a standard, and you want me to use a full vent?? OK, I'll try. Same thing - launch, land, adjust tops. Launch again, no problem. So now I have a full vent flying along no problem - my head is a bit spinning - HOW? Before I really get into it, a line starts to form behind me and someone is telling me to lead the group. Not entirely unusual, I lead quite a bit - but I'm on the "wrong kite"! People are still asking, so away I go leading, BUT - behind me are the mid and std Djinns and a couple others. I totally expect to get run over, thinking I'm WAY underpowered!! NOPE!! I'm perfectly safe out here and leading - NO PROBLEM! We go through some stuff and finally land, I look at John and he is smiling and I'm scratching my head wondering what just happened!! MAGIC!!