riffclown Posted January 3, 2019 Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 And a HUGE warning if you are converting. Be very careful when you take the hog rings out and the vinyl caps off. The burr underneath where the holes are is typically VERY sharp and will slice your finger/hand quite easily.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Bell Posted January 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 hour ago, Wayne Dowler said: Converting is pretty easy, even if moderately handy with some simple tools. But use strong needle nose or something and don't ruin the vinyl cap, unless you plan to replace it. Be careful and you shouldn't need to. Recovering ground is pretty simple: take the kite as high as possible and turn it over to inverted. Learn to feather the brakes as it descends and you move forward. You can gain a bunch of ground as you learn to "ride those brakes ". The converting will be easy from everything I've seen and read. Will I lose a little length when done? Thanks again for the flying advice, I'll work on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Bell Posted January 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 hour ago, riffclown said: And a HUGE warning if you are converting. Be very careful when you take the hog rings out and the vinyl caps off. The burr underneath where the holes are is typically VERY sharp and will slice your finger/hand quite easily.. Thanks I'll watch for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffclown Posted January 3, 2019 Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 11 minutes ago, Corey Bell said: The converting will be easy from everything I've seen and read. Will I lose a little length when done? Thanks again for the flying advice, I'll work on it Actually you gain a minuscule amount of HANDLE length. You are moving the pivot point of the line attachment from the hog rings all the way to the ends of the handles. Will gain about 3/16" or so at each end. You will lose a small amount of leader length because your attachment point is no longer the hog rings but an internal screw head. You are losing that from both top and bottom so it does equal out. Exploded view for reference.. The hole is where the hog ring was. (I sand the burrs off) 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted January 3, 2019 Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 Nice thing too, is that the anchor completely covers the end of the tube. Your leaders won't rub and fray on it. Some just loop their leaders over the screws and gently tighten, others larkshead them on. Really your choice ......! And ditto on the burr - those things are finger eaters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Bell Posted January 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 UPDATE 1-3-19 It's very small but has caused blood shed and pain to many men and woman. Today I had the opportunity to capture it in its natural habitat. A rare sighting that would not have been possible had it not been for all those who have ventured before me. Thank you for you sacrifice!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Bell Posted January 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2019 UPDATE 1-4-19 All flying has been scrubbed!!! I didn't want to take the risk. Gusts over 20 now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffclown Posted January 4, 2019 Report Share Posted January 4, 2019 27 minutes ago, Corey Bell said: UPDATE 1-4-19 All flying has been scrubbed!!! I didn't want to take the risk. Gusts over 20 now. That's one of my personal favorite times to fly.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Bell Posted January 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2019 1 minute ago, riffclown said: That's one of my personal favorite times to fly.. Maybe with a full vent? Too much gusts for me still. Maybe with some more time under my belt I will be more comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frob Posted January 4, 2019 Report Share Posted January 4, 2019 32 minutes ago, Corey Bell said: Maybe with a full vent? Too much gusts for me still. That's why it is useful to carry several kites in the bag, and to pay attention to actual conditions on the field. Agreeing with Riffclown above, that's one of my favorite ranges also. You know there will be adequate wind. That is 10-15 knots, which is an ideal range for many kites. I'd probably fly a mid-vent quad, but you could fly a full sail if you have strong spars and stronger line, or fly a full-vent quad, or even get an extreme vent quad if wind is always on the high end. If you prefer dual lines, precision flying would work fine, and slackline tricks would be an option at the edge of the window. In that wind range nearly every kite is an option. Also, the weather station doesn't always match conditions on the ground. Just because the weather station is getting a specific speed doesn't mean the speed is everywhere. Just because the station has gusts at that value doesn't mean everywhere has those same gusts. Also missing, the weather reports don't specify the frequency of gusts, or the turbulence of the air, and both of those are important and localized. When winds are high, unless you're on a beach and the wind is coming directly off the water you can generally find something to provide a wind shadow. Location is important. If wind is strong you might find an area ringed by trees, or buildings, or dunes / burms. You might choose to fly at a park located in a dip or small valley instead of a hilltop or terrace. Once you're actually flying, you don't need to use all the wind in the air. You might fly near the ground or fly near the edge of the window instead of the power zone. Plenty of times I've had wind increase while I'm flying, or had large gusts. If it comes up quickly, immediately fly to the edge of the wind window where the kite should escape any strong gusts. Develop your skill flying on the edges or flying near the ground (where wind is less powerful). But as for me personally, if I was planning a flying day and the forecast said 12-18 MPH, I'd be celebrating rather than cancelling. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffclown Posted January 4, 2019 Report Share Posted January 4, 2019 1 hour ago, Corey Bell said: Maybe with a full vent? Too much gusts for me still. Maybe with some more time under my belt I will be more comfortable. You'd definitely need the right kite for the conditions.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted January 5, 2019 Report Share Posted January 5, 2019 Yup, that's how your bag gets heavier and bigger. But you do smile more often. The biggest grins happen when you're flying and others can't. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Bell Posted January 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2019 UPDATE 1-5-19... First time my beautiful wife Lori came out to watch me fly, and fly I did! With the wind out of the west we moved off the beach to a park on the open water. Great winds, gusty but not like yesterday, flew the 1.5 vented for 2 hours with top lines all the way out. I flew the reflex for 30 to 40 minutes, required the tops pulled in 2 knots, it was fun too. Tomorrow winds 8 to 10 out of the North, I'll head back to the beach to play! Good winds and good flying. PS. I got my snaggless conversion complete, bottoms only, and did not snag once today. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffclown Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 Welcome to the addiction!!! Enjoy.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 .....and so the journey begins. Have fun, smile, don't forget to breathe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Bell Posted January 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 1 hour ago, makatakam said: .....and so the journey begins. Have fun, smile, don't forget to breathe. Thanks makatakam, I am headed out to breathe now!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Bell Posted January 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 UPDATE 1-6-19 good wind out of NE, 4 to 6 mph. Spent two hours on the SUL. Worked a lot on my inverted hover at ground level, almost there. A few more outings and I will own it!! Dive stops were fun, although I still need to work on being dead still after the stop. I have a tendency to fly in reverse. Good winds good flying! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffclown Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 You are progressing very well.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Bell Posted January 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 3 minutes ago, riffclown said: You are progressing very well.. I like to think so, then I watch videos and think otherwise. hahaha 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breezin Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 On 1/6/2019 at 6:01 PM, Corey Bell said: I like to think so, then I watch videos and think otherwise. hahaha Ain't that the truth 😣!! Happens to me all the time. Apparently when sport kiting one must have their ego shattered quite often to progress. Takes an hour or more to piece mine back together at times .But hey all in a days play right LOL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Bell Posted January 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 2 minutes ago, Breezin said: Ain't that the truth 😣!! Happens to me all the time. Apparently when sport kiting one must have their ego shattered quite often to progress. Takes an hour or more to piece mine back together at times .But hey all in a days play right LOL. Absolutely!! Makes me think I can get a lot better. I also know many tricks are after years of practice and I've been flying less than 2 months. Keeps me grounded. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breezin Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 Nose diving keeps me grounded 😅. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Bell Posted January 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2019 Headed out now. Winds NW 10 gust to 15, great day for the vented!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Bell Posted January 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2019 6 hours ago, Corey Bell said: Headed out now. Winds NW 10 gust to 15, great day for the vented!! Note to self... When the wind is out of the west or north west, the condos block most of the wind on the beach!!! I went to a park and spent an hour just having fun!! Tomorrow looks better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffclown Posted January 10, 2019 Report Share Posted January 10, 2019 onshore winds definitely make a huge difference.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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