To many to focussed on "newer kites"

[Guest]

Johnny, that is hard to believe. I've got a 14m 2002 fuel and can only stay upwind from 14knots. 200lbs, Jarvis. I NEED a light wind kite but if the 17 has the range from 10knots or so for a big guy...hmm.

[Mr Jo Macdonald]

You are a doubting Thom-anonymous, Johnny is lighter than you and was on a floaty board, and is also well know for his light wind prowess and/or flukey anemometer.
Ouch, I just slapped myself Johnny, sorry mate.
No seriously, light wind is all about apparent wind so if you can get going on a wide floaty board blasting downwind you can then even go upwind in very litle. Weighing less, a big floaty board, longer lines, technique and the right kite will all contibute to getting you there.
Jo

[Guest]

Yeah but 6-7 is pretty incredible...I'll go with it though. Sounds good, but like you say I'm a doubter.

[Mr Jo Macdonald]

Yeah like he said he wasn't goin upwind below 8 with the smaller kite but 7-10 can still be fun. I was out tonight in 7-9 with a floaty directional and a 12m foil on 40m lines and you can build up a lot of apparent wind.
One of the first threads on the yahoo forum was about lightwind on gear now 3 years old. The riders were some of the forefathers of the sport using big directionals and C-quads, they said 5-7 knots.
Try it and see
Jo

[Johnny TBKS]

Actually am known for light wind prowess....but I wasn't the one reading the wind meters, and the ones that were had no reason to lie. Manta has very much volume. I am pretty light at 165 lbs. I spent the better part of a year learning to kitesurf on a big board and small kite, and I think that because of this, I am in fact able to go out and stay up or at wind when alot of people just cant do it. I agree that I couldn't do this with last years 14m SS kites, but last years SS kites dont turn like the 2003 15's do either.

Johnny

[Johnny TBKS]

On 2002-10-07 17:50, Anonymous wrote:
Johnny, that is hard to believe. I've got a 14m 2002 fuel and can only stay upwind from 14knots. 200lbs, Jarvis. I NEED a light wind kite but if the 17 has the range from 10knots or so for a big guy...hmm.

You also need a lightwind board too bro. The jarvis isn't going to cut it for you in light winds.

Maybe try a Manta if you can find one as they are great and floaty, or an LFT by Slingshot works good too. Rode the LFT in 6-9 knots on 2002 18m SS kite and stayed at wind. Another option would be an old big directional like the F-one xm70 or something similar if one can be found and you dont mind directionals....which I might add are pretty fun in light winds.

But you surely need a board more ideal for light winds than the Jarvis is for you if you are ever going to accomplish going out and coming BACK in light winds. It takes more than just the bigger kite.

Johnny

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Johnny TBKS on 2002-10-08 04:03 ]</font>

[aklbob]

Still, all the 2003 kites have a lot of hype surrounding them at the moment, until everyone has had some extensive experiences with them, all the reports are very subjective. The Naish X2 hype has died down now, but is still the benchmark which everyone is using, and it's a very good kite. I think the performance improvements will be smaller increments now.
Board shapes play a big role in how any kite will perform too.

[BLOWN AWAY]

On 2002-10-08 03:48, Johnny TBKS wrote:

Actually am known for light wind prowess....but I wasn't the one reading the wind meters, and the ones that were had no reason to lie. Manta has very much volume. I am pretty light at 165 lbs. I spent the better part of a year learning to kitesurf on a big board and small kite, and I think that because of this, I am in fact able to go out and stay up or at wind when alot of people just cant do it. I agree that I couldn't do this with last years 14m SS kites, but last years SS kites dont turn like the 2003 15's do either.

Johnny

I myself are still known for my "big board small kite" setup. aklbob allways uses a bigger kite and smaller board than me.....

I'm used to being underpowered and rely on my speed to get kite power..... that's the directional way.....

BLOWN AWAY

[Xboy]

"Hi my name is Xboy and I'm a Up-to-date-aholic"

"Hi Xboy" "hi xboy" "yooo Xboy"

But seriously folks like many have said if you going to invest in anything in 2003 I would say look into Safety first! From what I have been seeing for 2003 Safety looks to be paramount at a Kite-bar level,there is nothing you can really do to the kite body itself to make it safer (unless you use det-cord as a substitute for stitching).

We have had a terrible 2002 with many serious and fatal accidents that in most cases could have been avoided and be honest nobody has re-invented the wheel from a kite perspective IMHO ...ok expect for the LEI with the wing in the middle I saw pictures of (has anyone tested it yet)?

Conclusion: If you are going to buy one piece of equipment in 2003 buy a kitebar that is loaded with Safety...and if your specific Kite manufacturers bar don't have safety's show them the 1up and buy a bar from a manufacturer that has caught a wake-up and spend your money there. Two brands come to mind so far WIPIKA and NORTH lets see if the others follow suit! I know where my moneys going in 2003.............

[Mr Jo Macdonald]

Most of the guys round here take all the safety gear off their bars. Saw one guy learnin about a week ago with a wrist leash on the bar instead of on his wrist (like the dude in the vid yesterday). He was hooked in and playin with the kite at zenith, not too far from some concrete sheds that plague our launch site. When I asked him about the leash he said he couldn't get on the board with the leash on.
New gear won't change yer head.
Stay safe.
Jo