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I have a whole bevy of nephews & nieces who want to try kiteboarding every time they visit or I visit them - so I am in the market for a trainer kite to introduce them to the sport.

I could not find a thread on specific trainer kite recommendations so asking here.

-- they range in age from 20s to 9yrs old, and weight from about 70 lbs to 180lbs.

I want to introduce them in a way that they will find exciting but not overpower them and scare them - so not looking for a 4-line.
I am looking for recommendations on the better flying trainers & would like to keep it under $200. Might go a bit above that to get one of the water relaunchables, but thinking I can use the smaller trainer on the beach, then use a small 4-line on lighter wind days to introduce them to water dragging and getting used to a 'real' kite?

I learned on the B2 and B3 kites for a little while before trying a "real" kite and it helped me learn a lot faster. I still love flying my B3 with my longboard and skate kite around empty parking lots which is a ton of fun and helps your riding skills as well. I would say get the B3 because it pulls hard enough to pull a grown man around pretty fast on a longboard but a B2 would be fun for anybody who might be intimidated by flying a kite. The B2 flies fast but wont really pull anybody over in my opinion, even small kids should be fine with this kite. The B2 comes with an instructional DVD too. Read more about them here: http://ride.slingshotsports.com/kiteboarding/foil

Ocean Rodeo 2m trainer is a scaled down version of the Rise SLE ... flies the same as the big kite, just a smaller version, so a great training tool. Use it with the big bar to practice all the safety mechanism, self-rescue, etc. Good for practicing water relaunches. You can body drag it in high winds. The problem is, they go for about $400 new, $200 used when you can find them.

http://www.oceanrodeo.com/products/rise_2m_sle_trainer

[youtube]http://youtu.be/s8Pevl_BNxQ[/youtube]

Flysurfer Viron. 2.5m, 4m or 6m.

Indestructible. Very high quality. I have a 4m I use with my kids, looking to add a 6m in the spring.

The Captain wrote:Flysurfer Viron. 2.5m, 4m or 6m.

Indestructible. Very high quality. I have a 4m I use with my kids, looking to add a 6m in the spring.

Duhhh.. I re-read your whole post. Get a 3 line as they relaunch WAAAY easier. Something like an HQ Hydra can even be used on the water. Get the Viron if you are actually looking to use it and teach kids kiteboarding. I would say that if you plan on using it in the water, spring for something better, or be ready to sell the two/three line kite, as it will start to collect dust after a very short while when you switch to a small 4 line with depower.

The Captain wrote:

The Captain wrote:Flysurfer Viron. 2.5m, 4m or 6m.

Indestructible. Very high quality. I have a 4m I use with my kids, looking to add a 6m in the spring.

Duhhh.. I re-read your whole post. Get a 3 line as they relaunch WAAAY easier. Something like an HQ Hydra can even be used on the water. Get the Viron if you are actually looking to use it and teach kids kiteboarding. I would say that if you plan on using it in the water, spring for something better, or be ready to sell the two/three line kite, as it will start to collect dust after a very short while when you switch to a small 4 line with depower.

Yeah - there are 20+ neices & nephews ranging in age from 26 to less than one day old!! So I think I'll start with the 3 line like the hydra & then next year add a small kite to my quiver that I can use for double duty! Anyone actually have experience using the hydra? How durable is it getting smashed into the sand over and over?

HQ Hydra is a great trainer kite for sure. In my experience, it has been very durable as I've shown a few how to fly. It is easy to repair as you can get at most of the kite easily via the zipper on back to apply sailtape on both sides of the ripstop in case someone tears it. 3-line makes it safe, easy to self-launch/land, and easy to relaunch.

As far as it collecting dust, I only use it when showing people how to fly a kite on a bar, but I guess you could find other uses like kiting on a skateboard with it.

Without a doubt the Ozone Imp!

I have been teaching with these for years. The are very durable and extremely adaptable. The lines can folded in half for smaller people or strong winds and the safety still works. You can even take the lines off and connect direct to the leader lines and the safety still works (great for small kids, 4to 6 years)

Absolutely faultless flying in all winds. 100% reliable safety. Decent power created for fun experience.

I am not a rep by the way, just an Examiner/Instructor who has used many different kites since the sport began and always look for the best and safest equipment rather than the cheapest. This kite fits the bill.

Additional tip!

when you get them to the water get or make some short lines (10m/15m) for their first times out as the kite will be much easier to water relaunch and safer until they get the hang of it.

I run a kite school and we use both the Hydra and Viron. we've also used other trainer kites but they're just in the store room now.

The Hydra is good but can really pull very hard if the wind picks up. The Viron is hands down the the better trainer kite.

Although the Viron is small, it is not a fast kite at all, unlike the Ocean Rodeo Inflatable trainer which is very fast and fun.

For the Viron both the 4m and 6m is very good. The 6m deluxe is even better especially when the wind is light. In fact the Deluxe version doesn't even seem be the same kite at all.

Both kites are high quality. The Viron so far seems indestructable. You'll probably get a better resale value for the Viron as well.

I'm an FS dealer BTW.