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Wayne Dowler

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Everything posted by Wayne Dowler

  1. Wayne Dowler
    I was in the 81 fly! 2nd column from the left, 2nd kite down from the top! Yes you fear being "the one" that brings down the whole thing!! Fuggetaboudit!!!! It's kites!!! Nothing overly hard here, in fact, John purposely keeps things pretty simple for the fact there are so many in the sky at once! The fun stuff usually happens in the smaller grids, more daring!!! But really, the big grid does take attention and listening to instructions. Just come with an open mind ...... Plan on big fun!!!
  2. Wayne Dowler
    Every kite has its own special personality, just takes time to figure out. Swapping out kites so much, means it is harder to figure out any single kite. Spend as long as the conditions allow on one kite and only switch if you really need to. That way you learn that particular kite well.
  3. Wayne Dowler
    SHHHHH - Rob - I'm not sure she realizes the addiction goes so deep!!!!!
  4. Wayne Dowler
    Looking at Single Vent Rev. Quad (JB edition)
    Called a midvent for future reference. 2 vents per side = full vent. No vents = standard sail.
  5. Wayne Dowler
    Bada Bing!!!
  6. Wayne Dowler
    Alden makes them through Revolution as masterpiece kites - priced appropriately! Best bet looks like that Spider - take off the Reflex system, cut all the fabric panels out of it. I'd leave all the reinforcing strips in place at first.
  7. Wayne Dowler
    Rob's probably got you covered when it comes to good beginner kites. Check with him!!
  8. Wayne Dowler
    Make a longish loop with a "figure 8 knot", that way you can remove the swivel easily if not needed.
  9. Wayne Dowler
    Your question was moved to the single line kites section. People more interested would see it there. As for your question, I am a quad flier and rarely fly SLKs. Sorry.
  10. Wayne Dowler
    There's the "mistake" right there. Once again I see people hung up on numbers over feel. What is the Kaiju's purpose? Indoor and urban, not at 50'. Indoor length is 10' or shorter. It's meant to be a balance of float with tracking, but still maintain trick ability. I'd bet the PD would outperform the Kaiju at usual outdoor lengths of line! And it might be darn close in weight too! I'll give you a good example of what I mean: The Zen. Weighs a ton, but is for light winds. The sail loading overcomes the weight. I even added weight, using magic sticks and making my own wear strips! Saved a bit by using a hybrid frame, it weighed less than the stock. But adding the sticks and wear strips made it a wash in weight. Now there's a kite that likes 50'!! Remember its purpose grasshopper!!
  11. Wayne Dowler
    Just remember the wind window is shorter, and therefore your reflexes need be faster! I remember a funny story: It was at Lincoln City years ago and I had a std on 50'x50#. Wind came up some, so I put a mid on. A friend came over and asked what I was doing. I told him I was too lazy to wind up lines and go to another set, so I just swapped sails instead. He gave me a funny look, then asked to try - I still remember him laughing!!! Personally 50' seems to be my sweet spot in length, still short, but the window is just a touch wider. My Zen loves this length!
  12. Wayne Dowler
    That lightweight a batten, weight is negligible. The Wren's design I'm guessing, leads to it being a bit more "floaty", while JB's is a mix of floaty but track able. And still maneuverable enough to trick.
  13. Wayne Dowler
    Sorry - I thought the Wren's battens ended at the spine, not top spreader. That said, the Wren's design leaves the top 30% of the sail uncontrolled or tight. That means that top part of the sail can load, unload, and not always as you desire. JB's design gives a full tightening from nose to TE. The sail can never lose any shape the way the battens run.
  14. Wayne Dowler
    Spelled batten and originated in the sailing world. Wren's battens are anchored at the spine using fittings, causing the bend. JB's are going into pockets sewn in the nose, therefore little to no bend. Several gliders use them, most notable the Chiroptera from Will Sturdy.
  15. Wayne Dowler
    That's the pros and cons in a nutshell. Short lines fit in more places, but reaction time decreases dramatically. And you can really see how the kite reacts to inputs, see wing tip wraps, etc. Long lines give a bigger canvas to paint on, more reaction time (if you see things going south soon enough), etc. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
  16. Wayne Dowler
    Congratulations!!! Well another drawing and a perfect record still intact.
  17. Wayne Dowler
    Bada Bing!!!@!
  18. Wayne Dowler
    Every new kite today comes with a flash drive, all the latest and greatest tricks are onboard. You just have to figure out how to install them!!!
  19. Wayne Dowler
    Just means you know you lost sooner!!!
  20. Wayne Dowler
    HB2U???? That's not a Polo in your stocking - it's coal!! Oh - wrong holiday!! Grumble, groan, kick myself ............must be getting old......!!
  21. Wayne Dowler
    Nearly forgot - NOT!! Getting closer and closer to flying my new kite!!! LOL!!! Ya gotta butter up the RNG!!!!
  22. Wayne Dowler
    Overthinking it IMHO. 100' of line makes how many line sets? All that extra stuff just adds weight to your setup, something we try to shed. Loops and/or finger straps are extremely light. Personally - I'd reconsider the road you are taking - but again - IMHO !!!
  23. Wayne Dowler
    Interesting! No one I know that flies indoors, uses "handles". They usually make loops out of bridle line and either thread it on like sleeving or just larkshead the lines to them. A very few use finger straps. A tip: as your kite goes overhead and starts down, be sure to turn with it and step back to maintain tension in the lines. Good length to start is 10' - 12', shorter as you get better. Full disclosure: I am NOT a very good dualie pilot indoors. Just never connected with it. Just a little more effort than my old body wants to give. That said - I do try one at times and can reasonably get it to do what I want. Quads and gliders are a different thing altogether!!! PS: I get the use of an indoor soccer center.
  24. Wayne Dowler
    Looks like you got that knot right to lock!! Just a thought - measure your marks from some static reference point to be sure THEY are the same!
  25. Wayne Dowler
    While moving that inward line might do something (and I haven't read much on bridling), if you use the marks on that nose to LE line, you should feel a difference. The secret is learning how that knot locks after adjusting. Forget to lock that knot properly and suddenly that starts moving on its own and you've lost your adjustment. At least the mark is there to give you a reference point. Make sure both sides get adjusted equally.
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