Newbie

[fufanu]

  Hi, new to the forum..  Live in Lexington, S.C. Vacationing down in Charleston S.C. on Seabrook Island.  Heading to Kite's flyin high tomorrow morning to pick up our first 2 line kite..  I have two daughters 10 and 7..  Looking at getting the Prism synapse 140.. Is that a decent one to start with?

Thanks, I've enjoyed reading on the forum.

 

Pat

[SHBKF]

That kite will be a good choice and the pull won't overwhelm younger fliers,  But it will fly relatively fast and need a little more wind than a larger kite. The next size up will cost a bit more, fly a bit slower & have a medium pull.  Either size would be a good choice.  I started with a Prism Snapshot 1.2 several years ago & had great fun with it.  You'll do fine.  

Wishing you fair winds & many smiles, SHBKF

[fufanu]

Thanks so much SHBKF..  I really appreciate the advice.   Can't wait to try one of these out..

[Exult]

Two reasons why this (I assume) would be a good kite to start with (obvious perhaps) are: hitting the ground with a frame-less kite as the Synapse and hitting (with the kite and by accident of course) other people (especially if the fly in would be crowded) should be less destructive then using a framed kite, especially in the hands of beginners/children (exception, if the kite gets snagged around something and then pulled along the ground so that it would get ripped).

One of the few times I flew when my children were quite young (about 2-years younger then yours at current time) I'd bought a cheap slightly larger foil of no-brand, unknown brand or the departments store own brand (can't remember which). Reasons for purchase: my curiosity of the type of kite and that it shouldn't break in the hands of the children. The problem with this one was that it easily almost constantly collapsed when turning. We used this kite about two times. Is this instability a thing that is common with 2-line foils and we should have learnt to deal with it or should we have left it where it was (in the department store i.e.)?

[Mikelp3586]

My synapse has never collapsed, only time ever is if there just isn't enough wind to fly.... Mine has been flawless and a joy to let friends fly that have never touched a kite before

Sent from my iPhone using KiteLife mobile app

[Wayne Dowler]

Little late but hope to catch your attention - 

Really try to fly with NO people under your flying kite! Even with a soft kite! Just hitting someone with the lines can leave a nasty burn! On some beaches it can be tough finding room, but really try. Hurting a spectator will only give kiting, in general, a bad image!

[John Barresi]

With regard to a foil "folding" one wing over and semi-collapsing, my first thought is either insufficient wind or too deep a pull (excessive distance between hands)... Especially on those Snapshots, I've found that they're quite precise (can cut corners) and well tuned.

It could also be a bridle issue - something wrapped or twisted enough to change the way the kite flies... The least likely possibility is the bridle not being assembled correctly at the factory, pretty rare occurance but it can happen.

[SHBKF]

I was flying my Prism Stylus P2 in changing conditions with the wind dropping low at times.  It is an older two line foil that is similar to the Snapshot 1.9.  Kite is 72" wide & 1.2 square meters of sail, a fairly high aspect foil.  It is rated as a medium pull kite with a wind range of 6 to 25 mph.  During lighter wind I was trying to stay more in the center of the window.  Still I experienced some wing tip folding.  As I was running out of space to make turns I thought, "What would I do if I was flying a Rev?"  I gave the sail a little pop with the line on the side that was folding & the kite snapped back open to a full sail.   I then pulled both lines walking back a bit to complete the turn.  Wow! I thought, that actually worked!  After a turn or two the wind would pick up again & I flew more normally.  I proceeded to have great fun with the changing wind conditions instead of being defeated by them.  Every kite can teach you something.  Some days I get lucky, SHBKF

[Exult]

Thank you SHBKF and John Barresi for the 2-line foil hints. Perhaps I should give this old cheepo foil a third chance, at least for educational purposes. Considering my previous experience at the time, i.e. mainly two freestyle/trick kites (and to some extent a 5m^2 Peter Lynn quad foil (Paw was it?) which gave me no problems of this kind), I most likely considered wind suitable for slack line tricks as the optimal wind for the 2-line foil. Also my (framed) dual line kites at the time respond well when doing square turns, which is perhaps not what the 2-line foil asked for?

Yes, this could be something - have a high wind kite session the next time it is a bit windy (and the wind comes in the direction that works for the field and that it is not too crowded...) instead of staying  at home. Bring the 2-line foil, the Atrax (small speed kite for experts whose flights unfortunately tend to be short for me) and Fazer XL (perfect the square turns and more tricks). Instead of hi-jacking fufanus thread by being more detailed here perhaps one could find a thread for what to do on reasonably hi-wind days ... wait ... there is already such a thread: "What do do in high wind?".

(Off topic: So this morning, looking for the 2-line foil kite, I went down to the wardrobe where I put it when using it last like about seven years ago. There is was - it had moved about 4dm from the hanger. This means two things, I should organize/clean out/make inventories more often and that my wife is very (kite-)understanding)