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New to Kiting. What Type of Trainer Kite should I get?

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jakemoore
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Re: New to Kiting. What Type of Trainer Kite should I get?

Postby jakemoore » Tue May 26, 2009 5:54 am

Thats a reasonable idea depending on the wind and the flier's understanding of the wind and skill. My first traction kite was a peter lynn s-arc 840 in 2002-3 so I was using the same logic, but I was in a very light wind area. i.e. 12 knots was a good day. And even though I had spent quite some time flying 2 line delta stunt kites before that that kite received a lot of abuse. And then there was the time it dragged me across a field on my stomach or the time it almost dragged me into some power lines. Things are a lot better now but some of those small kites are pretty strong. One big plus about an open-cell foil is you can always crash it for emergency depower. And the foil will take a beating. One big plus about a small SLE is you can also practice waterlaunch. And if you buy a Kitefix kit and then you will also be able to practice repairing a blown out leading edge.

FWIW I think an ATB/Mountainboard is a good choice first board unless you live within 30 minutes of the water and have reliable wind. Its great to learn the principles of going upwind while you are dry and need less power and don't have to worry about the body drag or the relaunch or the swim. Just my opinion.

Jake

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Re: New to Kiting. What Type of Trainer Kite should I get?

Postby gcp01 » Tue May 26, 2009 8:25 pm

hello again. thank you so much to everyone that put some thought into some advice for me to take. I definitely want to get into the sport and ive been doing some research on the wind avgs here in the lakes fronts of milwaukee and the surrounding areas. They seem to hit around 11-18 knots and ive even seen 20+ buts thats kinda rare. So i want to start with a kite thats as realistic as the larger kites but has the safety of a trainer. My current choice in trainer's is the HQ RUSH III PRO 300 or the HQ Hydra 300. They both have 3 lines which is best for easy relaunch and full depower, but the Rush III Pro cost $189 and the Hydra cost $265 idk what the benefits would be of each kite. By the way should i get a beginners DVD, do they help as much as they say they do?? But im not sure which one would be best for simulating standing up, body dragging or actual movement. I want to get the best out of my lesson this summer so the less time i spend on a trainer during lessons the better. But once im done with my lessons theres going to be a time when i just want to have fun with the kite. So i realize that it is going to come down to personal choice, but again this information ive gathered is sure going to help me in the future. I'll keep you all posted on what i decide on and my first lesson. take care guys

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Re: New to Kiting. What Type of Trainer Kite should I get?

Postby CaptainArgh » Tue May 26, 2009 8:42 pm

Either of those HQ kites you mentioned would be fine.

The Hyrda cost a little bit more because it is a closed cell foil...meaning that when you crash it, the kite will stay inflated. This means it will float...the typical open cell trainer kite can not be easily relaunched if you crash it in the water. This may not be an issue as typically you don't fly trainer kites over the water anyway, but it is a fun feature to have. If you are watching your budget, just ignore the Hydra and find yourself a traditional 2M or 3M trainer package that includes a DVD.

Some kits come with a training DVD and book. Here is what came up on a Google search.

KHK 2M Sensei w/ DVD (they have the 3M package as well - search for it.)
HQ & Sensei trainers (I'd get the Sensei in 3M size, drop down menu option)
B2 Trainer w/ Real DVD (Real DVD is a nice starter DVD - doesn't cram too much knowledge in here, just the basics to get you going)

gcp01
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Style: i dont know yet
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Re: New to Kiting. What Type of Trainer Kite should I get?

Postby gcp01 » Fri May 29, 2009 6:55 am

hello again everyone at kiteforum. here again with some debating and its time to buy the trainer and it seems that my questions are a little bit redundant but i cant make up my mind. but i have a couple questions if i baught a HQ hydra 300 ($265) would i be able to ride it on the shore if wind conditions permitted or would i be i be better off with HQ Rush 3 PRO 350 ($265 w/ dvd this is a bit larger)?? the thing is that i want to buy something worth my investment. i want something i can keep on using for fun and pull me on a snowboard or bugee when conditions permitt it. at this point if im going to spend $215 for the HQ Rush 3 PRO 300 whats an extra $50, well i could use that $50 for lessons, but regardless whats your opinion on it. thnx again for anybody willing to put some input into the matter.

thnx again from gcp01 a new addict to kiteboarding

p.s. anybody here from the milwaukee, wisconsin region?

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Re: New to Kiting. What Type of Trainer Kite should I get?

Postby grantman54 » Fri May 29, 2009 7:00 am

if your going to spend that much money why not get an actual "small" kite such as the Ocean rodeo SLE trainer? http://www.oceanrodeo.com/kiting/rise_2m_sle_trainer
those look like a blast and probably could pull you in shallows on a skim. Maybe a buggy too. Plus if you ever get tired of it you could always send it my way! :lol: :lol: :D

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Re: New to Kiting. What Type of Trainer Kite should I get?

Postby grantman54 » Fri May 29, 2009 7:04 am

oh any by the way, my original trainer was the 25$ "T-foil" off of ebay. Does the trick. Small and wont pull you around (unless your on a skateboard in a parking lot :P ) but cant go wrong for 25$. I also now have a 3m foil now which definitely will pull you around, but I would not spend more than 150$ on a trainer
Like I said above^^^^ why not get a 2-4M actual kite if you want to spend that much money?

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Re: New to Kiting. What Type of Trainer Kite should I get?

Postby kelhalla » Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:01 pm

All the HQ kites you mentioned work well. The nice thing about a quality trainer kite is that you will end up keeping it and using it even after you've moved to bigger kites. Also great for getting friends and your significant other into the sport.
The Rush is a basic 2 line, it's simple and inexpensive. The Rush 3 Pro adds the third line safety release which is great for training with a safety as well as an improved relaunch.
The Hydra is nice because once you've mastered it on land, you can do some body dragging in the water and simulate a bigger kite. The closed cell system really makes it easy to continue your training in the water before moving up.
Would recommend at least a 3meter no matter which one you buy.

http://www.powerkitesdirect.com

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discojuggernaut
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Re: New to Kiting. What Type of Trainer Kite should I get?

Postby discojuggernaut » Thu Jun 04, 2009 3:55 am

I also currently have a T-foil, and it's still in my kitebar bag, for messing around in marginal winds waiting for the wind to pick up, or for letting other people mess around with. I've also used it at spots when I'm visiting for the first time, I put it up in the air and fly it around to feel the steadiness of the wind.

I also (recently) had a 3M Waroo LEI, which was fun, could be rigged to my high wind kite bar, and is fun for skateboarding, but the kite is super squirrely and tricky to trim due to its small size.

When I started, I got a 2.5M stunt foil with handles from ebay. It was fun, and helped me to get acquainted with the wind window, but the handle experience is far different from having a bar.

I then stepped up to a used 6M naish boxer (back in 2005) and flew it on the beach in 10-15mph winds. Flew it a lot and learned a lot. I would recommend the same. Gets you used to the harness, rigging, pumping, lines, launching, the whole lot.

Things I learned from this kite that are invaluable:
body dragging
simulating waterstart by sitting down and diving the kite
how to keep the kite in the air in marginal wind
how to relaunch the kite
getting an intuitive feel for the power delivery from the kite's position
quick release system practice
depower and sheeting
unhooking

Flying kites is fun, even if you're not riding. If you want to go the whole hog, get a foil trainer for convenience of setup, then a small LEI (4-6m or so) for real simulation.

Also check out
http://www.flysim.com/kitesim/kitesim_features.html
for shieets and giggles

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Re: New to Kiting. What Type of Trainer Kite should I get?

Postby jmw » Thu Jun 04, 2009 7:10 pm

I gotta agree with those who said who to get a small size sle, 4 or 5. I bought a 3.6 hq, which I definitely learn a lot on but it does get limited rather quick (i weight about 150lb). I work with kids so its a great kite to have around for others but personally I wish I had gotten a smaller sle. I also think it is not quite as valuable to learn on because it has no depower; i tend to only enjoy it in higher winds now and you tend to learn to pull harder the harder the kite pulls. I learnt the hard the way the first time I launched my warroo that that habit will give you alot of trouble. a used 4M would be perfect if your smart about where you take it out.

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Re: New to Kiting. What Type of Trainer Kite should I get?

Postby dimitrisGramma » Thu Jun 18, 2009 2:16 pm

Hi,
I most definitely agree with Laughingman. I am a beginner just like you and have a trainer Rush 2.5m.
I have exhausted its limits and now its of no obvious use but playing with it with my kids with a little boat. However, I believe that if you want to learn by yourself you should begin with a small kite. Therefore, my advice would be to get a 6m SLE so that you can use it on high wind days after you have learned with it on low wind days.
However, you must be very careful (on the wind speed) since the 6m SLE has enough power to cause you trouble, while a small trainer (say around 3m) can be easily controlled even in high winds.


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