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Wayne Dowler

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Everything posted by Wayne Dowler

  1. Don't think beads will be heavy enough for what you need Joanna. Any hardware store should have some washers in different sizes, so you can mix and match what you are looking for in glide mode. I use some about 1 1/2' wide with 1/2' hole?? Maybe 1/16" thick"? Had some laying around, so used them. Also have some smaller ones to experiment with! The ones I use add about 10 - 12 grams of weight to the nose! What ever you use, balance it out with equal numbers on each side!!
  2. Not you ! Hey!!!! I cut my flying teeth on dualies!! Just cause I fly Revs more than anything right now, doesn't mean I don't like or appreciate a good dualie when I see one!! May only be able to do "old skool" tricks, but .....!
  3. Haven't tried the XL, but the regular Wala works great! Even as an indoor glider!! Only made 2 mods for indoor over stock: 1 - loosened the spine tension as much as possible without letting the sail get slack. Took out some of the curve of the spine that way. 2 - When I put the kite together, I add a couple small washers to the LE spars, before putting them in the nosepiece! Washers just slip over the spars. The added weight stops the "hobby-horse" action of the kite and helps it glide. Of course if you're only flying it outside, none of these changes apply!! But do put the spreaders on the back!!
  4. Sure why not! I do have something picked out, so why not you try too!! Gives me two times the chance!!
  5. I'M OUT --- Sorry Mark, I just realized that I have a brand new SuperSonic in my bag, that I purchased last summer and have yet to fly. I too, was confused about which kite your were offering, and which one I had. I suppose this will help the odds a bit........ I lose and you might have to send it to me try out!!
  6. Joanna is right! I tend to fly anything vented more than others. I just don't like being pulled around! You can fly a vented much lower in the wind range than most would think, but it does take a bit of skill to do it. While I'm not up on high wind dualies right now, in the past, the trend was use a smaller kite of similar style, ie a Psycho instead of the Stranger, an Alien over an Illusion or Prophesy, etc. Now there are some vented dualies but don't ask me. It's just not my thing right now. But my Alien was a pretty good performer in high winds, just nothing to compare it to now. Old school kites were limited in some stuff that now seems so easy. Liked linked tricks. My Stranger could do stand alone, one off tricks, pretty easy, but try linking stuff together - no way.
  7. I'm confused?? (no cracks from the peanut gallery) The typical wind speeds you just gave seem right in the ":sweet spot" for most dualies. Why the need for something vented? Those are also great wind ranges for a std Rev. The mid will smooth out gusts because of the venting, but you still need enough wind to get it flying! Maybe telling us what you have now might help solve the problem?
  8. As far as a Rev is concerned - what is your normal wind condition? Forget all the written specs - if it's 15 mph or up - get a full vent for sure!
  9. Just click the heels of your Ruby slippers together!!!
  10. Because I carry my bag pretty far distances, I would recommend a 2nd shoulder strap. That will let you carry it backpack style, and leave both hands free for other stuff. Single strap over the shoulder, always wanted to slip off and ended up needing a hand to balance it. 2 straps stop that from happening.
  11. Why I want to win the Kymera in the giveaway, to see if something new will "spark" me back up towards dualies!! (pun totally intended)
  12. How about those of us that can't run at all??? I've done some with my SUL and Zen on 30' and 50', but all in super light wind!
  13. Never did try a NikNak, but did have an I-nak for indoors. I never did connect with it, but saw JB and Watty fly the crap outta it!! Also have seen many indoor kites used outside because of conditions! Good Luck!!
  14. How about: "Some days are diamond, some days are stone. Sometimes the bad times won't leave me alone!"??
  15. I'm in! "If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. Gloom, despair, and agony on me!"
  16. Skyburner Aerolite glider or some replacements for my well used "B" pros!!
  17. Paul is right on the connection thought - it is your only form or way of being part of the kite! While cheap lines might get you by, good quality line can make things much better! Most good kite stores in the USA carry either LPG (Laser Pro Gold) or Shanti Speed and/or Skybond. All of them are purpose specific - Kiteline!! More specific - stunt kite line! It may be spendy, but it will last depending on how you treat it. As a beginner, you might get several years of use out of it. Some of my old dualie sets are a decade old. My Rev sets fall into 2 groups - frequently used or hardly used. Stuff that gets used seldom, again lasts for a long time. Sets that get used very often get replaced almost yearly. Note: I fly a lot of team flying, our 120' sets get used a majority of the time and need replacing almost every year. Solo flying, you get much more life out of them!! Depending on your interests and expected usage, get good line, it pays for itself in the end!
  18. If you're making your own linesets - most use either 100# or 150# bridle line with the core removed. The 100# is the neatest, but untying knots can be tough going. The 150# is easy to untie, but can slide on some lines, making the loop collapse or "scrunch up". You don't "need" a sleeving kit if you can find a broken high "E" string. Fold it in half and enjoy making those sets!!
  19. Thoroughly agree with Rob on a bit more info on conditions and reasonable monetary restrictions. Lots of both new and old kites to be had, really depends on what you are after!
  20. The Rev pix are not fake! They are static pix that display the colors, not pix of each and every one flying! Of course a static pic would display the bridle as limp! They usually just run the LE in the kite and take a pic.
  21. As someone with a lot more sets of lines than handles, I just use a card winder and remove handles every time. I use 3 lengths of handles and use any of them I feel appropriate for the day. Same with lines. I might be on the beach one day and limited in space at a park the next. Too many combos for me to afford a set of handles for every different line set. On the subject of winding each pair separately on one winder - I would suggest using 2 different winds for each pair. I used to use a straight wind for the first set and a figure 8 wind for the second set. That kept both sets independent of each other. But I eventually started using John's winding method, starting on a short set for practice and going longer as I gained confidence in the method! I, also like Nick, have a few personal changes to the system, but use all the same theories, every time. And to me that's the key - find what works for YOU and DO IT EVERY TIME THE SAME!
  22. One of these might even get ME to get back to dualies!!! Now that would be something!!!
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