New to kiteboarding and the forum.

[tucker2140]

Hi everyone

I new to this and have a couple questions. First off, this forum (by reading some of the posts) seems alot more friendly then kiteforum.com. Not to sure what there problem over there is but won't being going back to that site. Everyone there thinks there a god or something. The answers I got there were just arogant.

So my situtation is this, I have a trainer 3m which i have flown for a couple months now and probaly spent 60 hours on it. I have purchased my next kite and would like some advise on safely practicing flying it one land. Its a 13m bomba, quite a jump in size I know. But the place I bought it from spent alot of time with me and thought this would be the best.

They advised lessons, but none are available in my area. I would just like to know what the wind speed should be to safely practice on this. Is 5 knots sufficient for flying this? Also any other tips on safely flying this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[noabacca]

I think there are som ex-PeterLynn flyers on this forum who may know best about conditions required for that kite.

Only thing I can suggest is, learn to fly that kite on a wide open beach, in Side or Side-On Shore conditions.

Trying to learn kite handling at inland locations could get messy, since the wind is never nice and clean (always shifty and gusty to an extent)


-NBP

[V]

Learning on land is certainly dangerous. But for some of us, that was all there was. Now I'd say go to the beach, an open beach with no crowds, and fly it there. Besides the lowered risk of pedestrian involvement, you will have naturally smoother winds to fly it in. One thing over land and buildings and trees is the wind can get gusty and the 13m kite will pull harder in the gusts than you're used to with the 3m. Just a suggestion. If you're in CHicago, a big open area is Busse Woods. As long as there are no snowmobilers out, its pretty open right now. There's a field that's huge right across Golf Road from 3COM park. If you're in the city, go to Miller on N, NE or NW days to practice. It should only be a 30 minute drive and the winds will be coming over the lake unobstructed.

[tucker2140]

Unfortunately there isn't any real open beaches around. But there is huge open farmer fields which is where i was planning on going. I have taken my trainer out in very high winds and totally realize the power of these things. I don't want to be dragged or lofted thats why I would like to now whats the minimum wind speed I can fly this with.

Also I'm not around Chicago about 12 hours east but thanks for the location tip.

[V]

Sorry, I forgot to answer that. The ARCs can fly in about 5kts, but its rough getting em filled and launched. 8-12kts for that kite would be a great range on land. I flew arcs for years. Great kites. Have fun.

[tucker2140]

Thats one thing i was concerned about is getting the kite filled in very light winds. So 8-12 knots. I'm about 175 and fairly strong but I'm concerend if accidently drop it in the power zone if i could handle it. This kite is supposed to have a great depowerable range but am not experienced what so ever with a de-powerable kite. If its in the power zone and I de power it should it just go limp in the air.

BTW thanks for the advice

[V]

If you're 175lbs and the kite drops in the power zone, just sheet the bar out and steer the kite diagonally and upward to the edge of the window to one side. This way the kite won't steer straight upward, lifing you off the ground. It will go kinda sideways, allowing you to keep your feet in front of you on the ground, sliding forward, so you still have some control. Another thing I did was I used to lie on my back and fly it. I would dive it slightly, then a bit more, then more, then harder still, until I got used to the pull and the kite was pulling me up onto my feet, but then not pulling much harder so I would be standing at the end of the power stroke. This helps you learn to get up on the board. Plus, if you're lying on your back and the wind gusts, you have a little breathing room where the kite has to first pull you up, then on your feet, then forward on your stomach, for you to get dragged. Gives you a little lee-way. Just do small moves first. Then as you get used to it, give the kite more room to work and generate more power. But in 8-12kts, at 175lbs, with a 13m bomba, you will be plenty fine. If it gets over 15mph (14kts), you should think about putting it down depending on your comfort level.

On the water, you're probably going to need 16-18kts, or more, to get up on the board. But admittedly, I'm not too familiar with the Bombas and how much power they generate. Have someone hold your harness when you launch, as well.

[tucker2140]

Thanks alot,

I fell alot better about this now. Laying on my back is what i did with the trainer having it stand me up. I just didn't know what to expect out of a larger kite. Plus I watched the video on the Naish site "Eric gets serious air" or something like that which freaked me right out.