Kite Questions

[deslyxia]

I have been Kitesurfing for about 2 months (well trying) and i have some questions. It seems that none of the local shops that give lessons will help because they all want to sell their gear...... so here i am....

Im 6'2" 245 lbs and currently im flying a GKSonic 14m kite .

I have been out in the water a few times now with the board and in 13-15mph wind i can fairly easily pull myself out of the water when on the board .... unfortunately that is about all i can do ... by the time i dive deep enough to pull my larger frame out of the water i dont have enough power to sustain it and i drop back in the water. My first question is two fold ...

#1 today there were about a dozen other boarders out in the water (some pulling 6 or 7 ft airs with ease) but none were quite my size .... is this still just not enough wind for me to learn in? .... or #2 is there a tip or trick to maintain power after i dive deep to pull myself up.


Also I have read that my kite is supposed to be flown with some slack in the rear lines ... but too much slack in the rear lines lets it fly overhead at zenith and stall .... and it seems that when i get that right and it flys at zenith easily it wants to fly backwards (the rear tips buckle in and the kite flys backwards when close to the ground in the power zone) causing me to push the bar out to correct it. My front lines each connect to a pulley that rolls on the bridle. In the bridle is a "knot" that stops the pulley from moving too far in towards the center. My question here is how far in should those "stopper knots" be? What are the effects from moving them in and out? and could that be causing the issue im seeing?

Thank you in advance for your help and please remember im stil learning so any help is appreciated.

[pj sofine]

What size board are you using? When you dive kite to get going are you pulling bar all the way in? Don't you'll "choke" the power. As you get up are you edging against kite and stalling? Don't, follow the kite and edge away as you get moving. You should be able to get going with that size kite, problem is your just starting out and you're not efficient yet. If your back lines are to short that will cause backstalling, I think you had it backwards. It takes time, keep at it! I'm sure others will be more helpful.

[deslyxia]

Thank you for the reply. The board is a 151cm Twintip. You pretty much nailed it too a tee ... everything you said not to do i was doing ... pulling the bar in as i dove ... trying to get up on an edge instead of letting the kite pull and then turning out ...

This is good stuff ... if anyone else has any suggestions that would be great

[backcountry]

Keep at it, everyone goes through a learning curve. Right now you probably just need to relax and let the kite and board do the work. PJ was right, let the board pick up some speed down wind before you try to edge too hard upwind. Don't keep the kite at 12, 1 and 11 will keep the kite from stalling.

[dyyylan]

bottom line is that 13-15 mph is not really enough for your weight, 13-15 mph is pretty much the least amount of wind i would even consider going out in, and im over 100 lbs less than you

you can get a bigger board but really you just need more wind. once you are better at riding you'll be able to kite in less, but for learning to ride, the more power the better

[NYKiter]

Travel for lessons before you get killed.

[Jantrit]

I took lessons from a couple different shops. I used my gear once I got to the board riding stage and the shops were happy to teach me on my gear regardless of what brand they were selling.

If you are saying that the instructors won't teach you unless you buy their gear it sounds sketchy and I'd probably consider traveling to take some lessons from a shop that will help you learn your gear better.

How old is your kite? It sounds like there is an active kite community in your area, have you reached out to the local riders?

When I was starting out, on more than one occasion I'd ask the local riders in the area to walk my gear with me and help me launch. It may sound newbish but I did meet a lot of folks and it also let folks know that I was a new guy and that I might need a little extra space from them. I am far less worried about the guys that come up and tell the other kiters they are new and unsure about something than the ones that show up, rig a kite and never say a word until you have to go talk to them because they are doing something dangerous.

[ben newman]

At your weight with the gear you are describing and as a newbee you need at least 15 knots. that is 17 mph.

Your specific kite needs a little tension on the line, always. but that's only a little.
Everything said above is true.
Give it time and don't give up. The first time you'll go upwind will be a memory for life.

[deslyxia]

Let me jump back in here for a second and say that i appreciate the tips i am getting so far.

Also its not that i havent or would not travel a few hours to get lessons its that when i traveled 2.5 hours to the closest shops i know of they would not even look at my gear to tell me what kind of shape it was in (citing that they were only experts in the gear they sold) they also told me that I could not use my gear in private lessons with them as it would be an insurance violation (not sure the validity of this) .... they did however go on to tell me that I needed something larger than the 12m kites they had in stock and they would be more than happy to let me pay for lessons if i first purchased a full setup from them.

I tried to go the lesson route and I feel like I just caught one business owner who was out to make a buck ... it is what it is ... also where i have been boarding the locals are very nice and very helpful so far .. I didnt get to sit with them and pick their brains too much as they were mostly out in the water but the few i have gotten to talk to were nice enough and offered some tips.

Again guys thank you for the help so far and if anyone has anything else to add I would definitely love to soak it up before i get back our there.

[Air_Pharaoh]

The first time you'll go upwind will be a memory for life.

soo true.

I am also a new kiter and I just got passed the waterstart and upwind phase. My best advice is when you do your dive don't pull on the bar. Think of your hands like boxing out and back. Don't pull on the bar while doing your dive (its a naturally reaction that we all do).

Keep practicing you will get it.