School Kites

[woodfu]

If you could set up a school with any kite for teaching what would it be? Can i get some opinions and experiances on peoples school kites (aside from the guroos and kahoonas, already have my own opinions on those........)?

Looking for strong build, easy relauch (quite like deltas for this, and yes i've used the revolts and kahoonas, quality is not up to the use a school kite gets, lines stretch/break to fast on both and the bar ends break off on the f-ones) and easy handling/ light bar pressure.

Considering Naish as i've been riding them for years but i have no experiance with them in a school setting.

No pimps please..
Thanks in advance

[kitesurfbali]

Ozone Light... They used them all summer at the local school and they hold up very nicely.
4 lines, super easy to relaunch, light bar pressure and an excellent price.
With the 14m you can teach in 12 knots of wind.

The guy here also like Cab for teaching..
Bye Jankie

[vp]

have been teaching on Kahoonas this season and super happy with them.. easiest relaunch i've ever tried, eats up gusts, simple, inexpensive, and durable (so far zero damages on any of about a dozen school kites since our season started end of April).. student success ratio definitely improved ..

[alexrider]

Foil kites. No tubes to repair and can be used to teach when the wind is too low for LEI.
I am surprised Jankie doesn't mention them as his school has been successfully teaching years with foils. Another new center in Bali just worked out that the savings would amount to 5000-6000 USD a month by using foils instead of LEI.
All the best for the school,
Alex

PS only drawback with foils is that you have to shake up the herd instinct; they are just fine in all the other areas...

[PAFF]

I use Naish and Cabrinha in my school.

Could use Best-SS-North also, but don't for various reasons.

This is my 4 year having a kiteschool.

[kitesurfbali]

Ciao Alex,
the school is not mine anymore!!!!!!!!!!! Almost 2 years....

Yes the locals also use Peter Lynn for learning the waterstart and first rides.
But this year less and less.. more Inflatables...

Maybe there are no tube to repair but internal wall exploding are quite common when a kite hit very hard the water... And flysurfer are not exempted...
So at the end is exactly the same.

The guy at the school is a magician with sewing machine so he use the Foil in the day and repair them at night...
I would not recommend for any school that doesn't have a repair work shop in the house.

Can you explain me where are the saving!!!!
They don't even spend that amount of money for all the kites they use in one year.
Bye Jankie


Ps. You are lucky that you were inside the lagoon last week....

[voodoospirit]

ARC/ foil kites.

no pump, fast set up, fast package, bomb proof, easy repairs, no bladder leaking/reparation cost. can be used for years,saving money.

waterstart: ARC have their autozenith feature, u drop the bar, the kite will usually (85-90%) go back to the zenith depowered.
for true beginners , for one LEI waterstart, u usually do 3/4 waterstart with an ARC because u dont spend some time to relaunch the kite. u dont have to focus on controlling the kite since it will be parked at the zenith depowered. if u have waves +current, u can just focus to put your board on, without forced to control the kite as well. once your board put, u can pick the bar and focus on the waterstart. one thing at a time. as a beginner, u WANT to get on the board as fast as u can, so more attempts = better (now as a school, u might want to slower their progression and stay with LEIs, some have that mentality, sadly, but i can understand that schools want to make money..)

ie: "LOL, nahhh i stay on my LEI, so if they cant manage to waterstart, they can still take another lesson, if they pick an ARC, they might waterstart fast enough to not take another lesson"

= that was epic, i was astonished.......and i heard from other beginners that some schools had that mentality......

intermediate riders: ARC have given them the reflexes to drop the bar instead to grab it like hell ( many peeps still do that...pullllll alll theee barrr in, increasing the problems), they will know how to launch alone, land alone, land/launch any type of kites and can pick LEI, ARC or foils depending their preferences.

relaunches: it s good to have some ARC, foil, a LEI and a 5th line LEI so peeps could have some clue how to relaunch different type of kites, despite most of them are relaunched while pulling a rear lines, the different type of riding and controls. u dont ride a bow like a delta or a C-shape. foils are usually relaunched faster than LEI, ARC pretty much as fast as LEI if u managed to drop them.

downside: keeping an open minded mentality is the hardest part. not being a Lemming and following everyone is a hard path...but you can have LEIs,ARC,foils in your schools.

i learnt on LEI (modern LEIs), i ride some LEIs, i own a foil and an ARC. if i could have learnt with an ARC, my learning progression would have been increased by a LOT, because fighting the waves+current+controling that stupid kite pissed me off a LOT.

[clamike]

I have used Cabrinha Switchblades and Converts for teaching the last 4 years and I have yet to find another brand that has the same characteristic that make these kites good for teaching. What I like about them: They sit at 9 and 3 oclock pretty much all day, this allows your student the ability to land it on the water (for rest, fix gear, listen to instructor, etc) without worrying about the relaunch. The relaunch is very easy, no gimmicks, just pull an outside line and they come to the edge of the window. Direct steering, light bar pressure and smooth flight, can't tell you how many student told me this after trying another brand first. And one of the most important: The quick release on the chicken loop is one of the industry's best, simply one motion action.

This is just my opinion, but I have taught also on Naish, Slingshot, Best and North. Not that they are bad kites, actually they are quite good, but for teaching the Cabs have top marks on all the characteristics that make teaching easier for the student and instructor.

Mike

[playacopal]

cabrinha converts and switchblades...easy relaunch, durable and stable...we use the 5m, 7m alot in Costa Rica, the 08 5m convert is awesome in high winds
it helps to have an expert repair person onsite (my wife), but the cabrinha kites are very durable.
the only draw back is price....
bob selfridge
cometa copal kitesurfing
bahia salinas
costa rica

[Nico]

I use the convert SE (school edition)
It is aprox 100$ more expensive at purchase, but they are bomb proof and built to take a non stop beating from all beginners.
They are also ultra easy to handle, ansd I often warn my students that they are learning with an unfair advantage and that only few kites are that easy going (launching flying, depower,....).
Nico