RobB

I didn't mean to say anything bad about off-the-shelf good kites like Prism or Premier. They're good kites that will last for years. But, comparing those to custom kites is like comparing a Mustang to a Ferrari. If you appreciate that kind of thing, that's all. A skilled pilot can fly amazing stuff with a Prism Quantum, probably better than me with my best kite. But, it's something special when you know the person who made your kite, and you can see & hold in your hands the time & effort that the artist spent to make your kite. Something like Steve's last WidowMaker is also a piece of history. There will never be another one of those. My Widow Makers were made by Pam Kirk, kites that will never be made again. I am also lucky to have one of Steve Tapp's Enigmas, I enjoy flying it and thinking about him. Sorry if what I said came off wrong...

Nigel, what are you looking to do with the kite ? The Quantum is a great kite that will take you very far. What do you feel that you're missing ? What's your flying style ? Being that you're in the UK, I would suggest a Benson Kite. Contact Tim with the answers to these questions, and I'm sure he would build you something you will treasure for the rest of your life !

I had just about the same list...

Looks like the one I used to have. I passed it along to another Kitelifer, I hope he's enjoying it ! It was a real trip to fly, once you get used to it. I kinda regret letting it go, but I haven't been flying much, so it's better off with someone who is. Here's the manual, in case you don't have one... http://ferob.com/kites/synergy333_manual.pdf

There is no comparing kites like the Widow Maker or Lam kites to off-the-shelf production kites. Different level stuff. But, good production kites like the Widow are more than enough for just about every kiter out there. For me, it's not just about how a kite flies, it's how it's built, who built it, how it looks, etc... With hand built kites, there's so much character in the wing, and they fly really awesome, too. If you appreciate all these things, it's worth $100+ more to go for a special kite that was built for you. Your skill level doesn't really matter, as long as you're not crashing more than flying....

Summer is my least favorite season. Miserable heat & humidity, crowds at the beach... Not to mention the worst wind of the year. I haven't flown a multi-line kite in at least 2 months. The only thing I fly this time of year is my trusty Ultrafoil 15 when I take the kids to the beach. Yes, that's my beach on a crowded summer day, my kids standing under the Ultrafoil. 😎

I'll be there Friday-Sunday. Here's to some good weather...

Congratulations ! This kite would be a great addition to anyone's kite bag. Smooth winds to ya !

Wow, nice kite up for grabs ! Cool colors, too.

Welcome, Wilson, NC. I'm familiar with Winston. NC... where's Wilson ? Hope your wind is better than Winston !

The Solus is a lot closer to the trickiness (radicalness ?) of Lam's kites. It flops on it's back and rolls up just about as easily. The Widow Maker is much better at precision, you have to work for the tricks more, similar to the QPro...

Red, right, Return (red is on the right when you're returning to port) When you're heading out, red is on the left... This is in reference to buoys, not navigation lights on the boat.

Red stain will make it easy to tell right from left line. Red, Right, ((return)nautical reference))... That's how I remember, and it is a challenge for me as I'm dyslexic as they come !

Happy BDay to the 3 of yous ! And... you're in a competition ? That's almost not fair... 😎

I used this self-launch method on a Flexi-10. EZ Squeezy...

I weight the trailing edge of my foil kites, and just take a few steps back when I'm ready to launch. The leading edge rises, the kite inflates, and the weight gets dumped off and left behind when the kite launches. I use sand usually, but also carry beach stones in my foil bag in case I get stuck flying somewhere other than the beach. I've heard of people using water bottles...

OK, I have 2 dogs in my family... if I reach into my pocket 'right now'... at this moment... I have 2 POOP bags. Seriously ! But those GD geese, they totally suck. They take dumps the size of my dogs and in a quantity that couldn't be described as anything but infinite. Too bad they're not good to eat, that would give me an excuse... But I am not ashamed to admit that I don't feel bad when I see one at that side of the road, squashed by a car...

Another Pink Floyd fan kiteflier ? I'm surprised... At least you got the kite back. I used to carry beach stones in my kite bag to weight the trailing edge of a foil when flying on grass. When I used to fly on grass. I can't stand grass because it always comes with mud & goose cr@p.

I remember your old page, along with Kitelife, it was one of the pages that got me started on this journey. I think I remember a photo contest from the old page...

The above is also a good method, but I hesitate to suggest that to people who may not be familiar with ground recoveries. I am almost always wearing pants or shorts that have a convenient 'hammer loop' (carpenter pants) so I always have a place to put my kite stake, anyway.

A kite stake is invaluable for flying alone. Another way is to weight down the trailing edge with sand. When flying a foil alone, that is about the only way to self launch that I know of...

Jogging or running towards the kite isn't uncommon in winds over 10mph. If you link a few tricks together in higher winds, you will find yourself 100 or more feet down the beach from where you started ! Walk backwards to your starting point while doing precision figures...

Is the initial release going to be a standard sail, or will there be higher wind variants ? My bag is set with 4 liners with a wind range of about 2-20+mph, I am really needing something that is comfortable in 20+mph. The excitement of something new coming out of the Forge is probably going to cause me to sign up for it either way, but I'm hoping that there's something with a lot of venting being available ! 😎

Hey Russ... Glad to hear I'm not crazy. The Hypnotist (mine was called a 'Mirage' it was so long ago) was one of my first 'real' sport kites, and it stood up to tremendous abuse. I actually nose-dived it onto blacktop one time, and it withstood that without issue. I gave mine to my nephew to learn to fly about 10 years ago, but I have many fond memories of it. The Hypno is very strong with basic tricks, and will take you a long way into your journey. If you start to feel bored with it, there are some 'mods' that you can do to it to make it more capable. I think 'Alex B' on youtube documented these... He is an amazing talent from overseas who comes up with mods for the bang-for-the-buck kites like the Hypno. Check it out... ~Rob.

I think that people who are dumping $300+ on a kite know where it's coming from. If you find a cheesy looking knock-off, I think you know what you're throwing your $$$ away on. $100 knockoffs are obvious. I don't know what 'Rev' is charging for their 'eyes', but I think we can all agree, they look cheesy. If I were offered one of these for free, I am almost sure that I would politely decline.