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Hello all help with rigging wipika air blast

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Webbed feet
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Hello all help with rigging wipika air blast

Postby Webbed feet » Wed Aug 08, 2018 1:58 pm

Hi all I'm new to the site and new kitesurfing but have flown traction kites for years. I recently had a kitesurfing taster session and loved every minute.
I might get a bit of stick for this but I have acquired a wipika airblast 11.8 AR5.5 system 7. I believe it is 2002 but not confirmed. Yes it's old school but it looks in good condition. The bar will need some upgrade with quick release clips. At the minute I'm struggling to understand the rigging and any help will certainly be appreciated. There is two lines on each end of the kite with a pulley and a line on the back edge of the 2nd tube 7 tubes in total. I'm guessing I just use the end lines if so how does the pulley work and is the line on the 2nd tube just a fifth line flag out safety?
Thanks in advance
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Re: Hello all help with rigging wipika air blast

Postby Mossy 757 » Wed Aug 08, 2018 2:09 pm

My instinct is that this is a joke thread...I really hope it is.


If it's not and you truly intend to use 16 year old equipment and forsake all the technological/safety advances that have occurred in the last decade and a half of kitesport development, then all I can say is good luck, you're not getting rigging advice from me. Using that kite to learn kiteboarding would be massively dangerous compared to newer gear, and the most likely outcome is that you'll simply not enjoy the experience and quit.

Give yourself a fighting chance and get gear circa 2015 or later. The safety systems alone are worth the additional cost.

*in before all the "yeah but you can rig it this way or that way so it's not so bad" posters who are ignoring that OP is a rank amateur*

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Re: Hello all help with rigging wipika air blast

Postby Jackie Treehorn » Wed Aug 08, 2018 2:14 pm

There is two lines on each end of the kite with a pulley and a line on the back edge of the 2nd tube 7 tubes in total. I'm guessing I just use the end lines if so how does the pulley work and is the line on the 2nd tube just a fifth line flag out safety?
The extra line was to improve relaunch but it didn't work very well. If you must use this kite, I think it worked best if you rip off all the bridals and attach a short pigtail to the front line attachment point and a longer one to the back (where the pulley is). Bear in mind that whilst this was an awesome kite for the time, it was squarely aimed at more advanced riders - the power will be very on/off, relaunch will be crap and given the age, it will probably explode the first time you slam it into the water.

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Re: Hello all help with rigging wipika air blast

Postby Webbed feet » Wed Aug 08, 2018 3:59 pm

No certainly not a joke.
Thanks for replying I will certainly try basically using pig tails.
It cost me nothing for kite I have nothing to really loose. The bar had no safety features at all this has been upgraded with quick release and a additional leash. Fingers crossed sounds like it will be interesting to fly.

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Re: Hello all help with rigging wipika air blast

Postby kiterocky » Wed Aug 08, 2018 4:00 pm

:D :jump: :jump:
Hahaha

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Re: Hello all help with rigging wipika air blast

Postby knotwindy » Wed Aug 08, 2018 4:30 pm

You have a lot more to lose than you think with that kite as a beginner!

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Re: Hello all help with rigging wipika air blast

Postby gmb13 » Wed Aug 08, 2018 4:32 pm

Webbed feet wrote:
Wed Aug 08, 2018 3:59 pm
No certainly not a joke.
Thanks for replying I will certainly try basically using pig tails.
It cost me nothing for kite I have nothing to really loose. The bar had no safety features at all this has been upgraded with quick release and a additional leash. Fingers crossed sounds like it will be interesting to fly.
Remove all current pigtails and lines that are on the kite. Replace them with normal pigtails. Then you can use a normal 4 line bar.

Fly it in really light winds first, as it has next to no depower compared to a modern 4 line kite. Even though I loved by Airblasts I would not recommend going out on the water with that kite. All my Wipikas that I have kept, no longer hold air in the Bladders as they have basically rotted away in the last 16 years. Even if your Airblast hold air now, there is no telling when the valves will just pop off and you will be stranded out in the ocean.

Be careful. Also it is actually a 16m kite. 11.8 is the projected area.

--
Gunnar
Last edited by gmb13 on Wed Aug 08, 2018 4:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Hello all help with rigging wipika air blast

Postby Webbed feet » Wed Aug 08, 2018 4:52 pm

I'm certainly not thinking about going out on water. I used to windsurf abit and I certainly appreciate and respect the wind. I'm in Sheffield and have plenty off open space around looks like I will use the pigtails idea and definitely light wind
Thought it looked bigger than it says when I unrolled it.
Thanks

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Re: Hello all help with rigging wipika air blast

Postby piccio » Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:12 pm

You can to nearest museum😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

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Re: Hello all help with rigging wipika air blast

Postby piccio » Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:13 pm

You can ask to nearest museum😀😀😀😀😀😀😀


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