Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Self Launch - Questions

Forum for kitesurfers
User avatar
juandesooka
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1193
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2012 8:05 pm
Kiting since: 2011
Local Beach: Sooke, BC, Canada
Style: Canada's Kai Lenny (in my mind)
Gear: Ocean Rodeo wings&kites / GoFoil
Brand Affiliation: Open to offers
Has thanked: 88 times
Been thanked: 97 times

Re: Self Launch - Questions

Postby juandesooka » Thu Jul 03, 2014 5:09 pm

t3rse wrote:I had a kite take off walking back on the top flying line and by the time I reached the bar it was way overhead out of my reach and the kite spectacularly impaled itself on some erosion control stakes.
But that's the point of running your hand along....you give it a little pressure/tug to keep it down...and if it takes off, then you yank on it hard just like a self rescue situation, kite should 100% depower on 1 flying line.

FabsPH: not many people would self launch if there's other people around to help. Self launching is when you don' t have that luxury. I have done a lot of reading/research on drift launch, it seems to be a viable alternative but has serious negatives too ... if things go wrong (like line tangle or kite lines grabs a rock or seaweed under water), it can go very badly. At least with carabiner launch, if things go bad, your kite suffers but you are not attached to it. With a bad drift launch, you may be attached to a death spiraling kite in shallow water. I do need to learn to drift launch though (safely), for areas that have no potential for carabiner launch....and in these spots, it is drift launch or don't kite.

t3rse
Frequent Poster
Posts: 464
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 9:15 pm
Local Beach: Folly
Gear: RRD Obsession/Core XR/Cab FX
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Charleston, SC
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Self Launch - Questions

Postby t3rse » Thu Jul 03, 2014 5:24 pm

juandesooka wrote:
t3rse wrote:I had a kite take off walking back on the top flying line and by the time I reached the bar it was way overhead out of my reach and the kite spectacularly impaled itself on some erosion control stakes.
But that's the point of running your hand along....you give it a little pressure/tug to keep it down...and if it takes off, then you yank on it hard just like a self rescue situation, kite should 100% depower on 1 flying line.
Reeling in the top fly line in gusty conditions can also result in it flagging out via a spiral through the window, and where I launch this would have resulted in an impaled kite, as evidenced by the one that I did impale. The bottom fly line at least steers it back into the sand. The kite I steaked doesn't depower at 100%, maybe 80% so hanging on would have resulted in a shoulder injury and probably a proper slam into something hard.

But really it's what works for you. I've seen guys self launch with a sand bag clipped to the back of the harness to add weight when the kite comes off the sand.

I'm no expert and I'm not offering advice, only my experience.

User avatar
juandesooka
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1193
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2012 8:05 pm
Kiting since: 2011
Local Beach: Sooke, BC, Canada
Style: Canada's Kai Lenny (in my mind)
Gear: Ocean Rodeo wings&kites / GoFoil
Brand Affiliation: Open to offers
Has thanked: 88 times
Been thanked: 97 times

Re: Self Launch - Questions

Postby juandesooka » Thu Jul 03, 2014 5:50 pm

t3rse wrote: Reeling in the top fly line in gusty conditions can also result in it flagging out via a spiral through the window, and where I launch this would have resulted in an impaled kite, as evidenced by the one that I did impale. The bottom fly line at least steers it back into the sand. The kite I steaked doesn't depower at 100%, maybe 80% so hanging on would have resulted in a shoulder injury and probably a proper slam into something hard.
Just to be 100% sure....you are talking about running your hand along flying line, not steering line, right? A buddy of mine had this confused and had his kite launch full speed and crash full speed several times in a row...yikes. If you have pressure on top flying line, I think it should steer the kite down....kind of like how some people self land, touch down wing tip then quickly reel in top flying line and the kite falls on leading edge. (and I'm no expert too, reasoning this through, learning new stuff every day in this crazy sport)

As you walk back, if you are pulling flying line forward, with other 3 lines slack, kite should settle right back down...had this happen on one failed launch recently, where it was bouncing and trying to launch....halfway it shook the sandbag, so I walked forward to bring kite down, and back towards kite to set it back in position, but with more weight on it this time. Worked fine 2nd time around.

There's a little awkward moment though where you can't hold that top line, as you have to clip in ... that's where things can go sour. If kite falls on its back....then you either punch out quick and risk your kite, or in a lower wind situation maybe take your chance with a partially hot launch. :o

For the drift launchers...this is a newer video I just found...systems seems more manageable than others I've seen, I like the idea of the lines being all out and confirmed clear before you release kite. The problems I have read with drift launch are from tangles on the bar and from 1 line catching as it drifts, causing launch and spiral....this addresses both. But requires a shallow beach.

t3rse
Frequent Poster
Posts: 464
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 9:15 pm
Local Beach: Folly
Gear: RRD Obsession/Core XR/Cab FX
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Charleston, SC
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Self Launch - Questions

Postby t3rse » Thu Jul 03, 2014 6:15 pm

Front lines (ones that attach to the harness), not the brake lines--don't touch the brake lines. I clip the leash as fast as possible so if something goes awry I can still eject from the teather and flag the kite, and then slide into the loop and then disconnect the teather. But like I said, who knows if this is best. Of my four kites, two are happy and will sit even in gusty conditions and other two will bounce around quite a bit, and one of those will lift off by itself at times.

User avatar
edt
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7316
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 6:27 am
Kiting since: 2010
Local Beach: Michigan
Gear: ride hard, no regrets
Has thanked: 530 times
Been thanked: 664 times

Re: Self Launch - Questions

Postby edt » Thu Jul 03, 2014 6:15 pm

t3rse wrote:
Reeling in the top fly line in gusty conditions can also result in it flagging out via a spiral through the window, and where I launch this would have resulted in an impaled kite, as evidenced by the one that I did impale. The bottom fly line at least steers it back into the sand.
the bottom line flags out better but the top line helps hold the kite down like someone else said something to be said with holding either line. but no matter how careful you are if you launch directly upwind of sharp stuff your kite is eventually going to get stabbed. one option is to swim out a line length from the beach put your tether down in the sea floor with a carabiner on a float. As long as it's not more than 10 feet deep you should be able to dive down to the bottom and screw it in.


Return to “Kitesurfing”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: andylc, Bing [Bot], Brent NKB, DanielorDani, funalex, plasma180, SolarSet, thatwildtype, voodoospirit, Yahoo [Bot] and 607 guests