Kiteforum.com

Hello all,

I am fairly new at kiteboarding and have done some lessons. My dad has an old Cabrinha C02 C kite that is in great condition and I was wondering if it is a bad idea to do some on ground training with it. It is an 8.5M and I was just going to use it on some low wind days just to get familiar with it. The lines are pretty much new and I got a new harness. Please let me know what you guy/gals think.

Thanks!
Nik

you can get killed. I used to own one of them old blacktips they are good for wakestyle but not very safe. If you want to use the kite, first buy a new bar (doesnt have to be a cabrina bar but it needs single line or true 5th line flagging) the old bar was unsafe. We lost a kiter here in lake st clair in 2006 thanks to that kite going into a recon deathloop, he smashed his head on a rock.

better yet if you want to fly a kite from the ground, get a trainer. Power kites mostly suck from the ground, it is too gusty and you'll get yarded.

Keep the kite for when you are ready to do wakestyle tricks on the water like mobes and such.

And tell your dad kiteboarding is much safer now, get him to try it again.

I wouldn't bother, not really because of safety but just because newer kites fly differently and have solved all the problems those old kites had, like randomly flying outside of the window, not being able to relaunch, etc. You can find something 2010+ very cheap, I would just start there. If you're in the US check out the used gear on www.windance.com they have some really good deals (I bought a whole quiver from their used section)

Lol, you can get killed

For starters the CO2 isn't the same as a Black Tip, the CO2 is probably one of the more stable and user friendly C kites from "back in the day"

That said it is still an old kite with a old safety system and minimal depower. If you are experienced or have someone with you who is then not a problem but if you are learning it is not something that I would recommend as on land it's so much easier, andore likely, to get hurt. 8.5m
is actually a large kite to use on land and as you don't have the drag effect of the water slight gusts will pull you over.

JGTR wrote: For starters the CO2 isn't the same as a Black Tip, the CO2 is probably one of the more stable and user friendly C kites

My bad. I get my cabrinha kites confused sometimes.

I think the danger is on the recon system bar and not in the kite itself. The CO2 may be used with a different bar.
If your dad's have the recon system bar, better get another bar, or be very careful. If it's an older CO2 with the one line flagging leash, I don't think it's so dangerous.

I've had the 2002 Black Tip, used it for years. It had a one line flagging line, and the leash would attach to the wrist instead of the harness. You can't spin the bar.
I've also had the 2004 Nitro Black Tip with the 'deadly dangerous' recon system and also used it a lot.
The CO2 was the low aspect ratio kite from those years. In the old days, low aspect ratio meant more stable, less jumping, 'easier to re launch'. They were all very hard to re launch though.

If you don't want to spend a dime, you can use the CO2. I don't think it's so dangerous. Maybe get a harness loop with quick release.
But as dyyylan said, with very little money, you can get something much better and have a much better learning experience.

I learned on a CO2. It made my learning much slower and relaunch on it was bad. I sold it and bought a Cabrinha Omega HD and it instantly transformed my kiting, such was the difference between the C style of the CO2 and the SLE/bow of the Omega, even though it was only a year or 2 newer.
I would strongly recommend you ditch the CO2 and buy a more modern kite, you'll have a LOT more fun, and learn much faster, and be safer.

Oh - and if you decide to ignore this advice - certainly don't use it for 'ground training', as you will likely get spanked - take it to the beach and do some body dragging in waist deep water instead - much safer.

.... having learnt all aspects comfortably on a 2-line kite, I would still do the same today.

Yes, newer kit is different and generally better, but well maintained older kit is fine - just take the advice above re the bar & learn in the sea - it hurts slightly less when you hit it

The early CO2 models were labeled as projected area. So a 8.5, could be as big as a 11.5M kite. To lean on the side of caution, you might want to treat it like a 11.5M kite. There is nothing wrong with c-kites. I would recommend launching and landing unhooked with the depower strap pulled in. Fly the kite unhooked and tune it so it doesn't stall at the edge of the window. If you get scared, just let go of the bar, and be ready to pull the quick release on your leash. I've flown the 2002 and 2005 CO2s and wasn't a big fan of either. The 2002s were nice in that they could be flown on 2 lines though.