For Sale Sticky for Newbies

dangerD · Since 27 Jun 2005 134 Posts Bingen Heights Stoked

dats it! C kites are three wheelers!
theyre fun, they rally, and you can learn on them if youre not a puss...
They are dangerous, but they have a "death trap" reputation because of many gaper casualties

dangerD · Since 27 Jun 2005 134 Posts Bingen Heights Stoked

And flatkites are 4 wheelers... more stable and lame, better in the hands of a begginer... Great for going back and forth

Kodiak · Since 01 Aug 2005 563 Posts Addicted

I must respectfully disagree. Both 4 wheelers and 3 wheelers are lame. Dirt bikes are where its at.

jblum · Since 13 Jul 2008 5 Posts Hood River, OR Kook

pdxmonkeyboy · Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:08 pm

terremoto · Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:41 pm

I gotta give a shout out to the '05 fuels. They aren't the most technologically advanced kites - but they are stable and have somewhat decent depower. These are not the killer kites that people should avoid like Jason from Friday the 13th - on halloween - in a dark alley - at midnight - without any stars or moon - with a black cat crossing your path . . .

OK - seriously, if you are talking old school kites they do not have a lot of depower. Which means that when a gust comes you can get smacked right on your face. If you are in the water - well, you you do a belly flop and most likely your kite will come crashing down tomahawk style (hopefully no one is underneath you). If you are on land and a gust comes and you are not prepared - you can get dragged dirty superman style.

Old school C kites can be ridden and used to learn - but the risk of injuring yourself or someone around you is greater than a newer kite.

Forrest is just trying to protect himself and his fellow kiter. The sand spit (where I'm pretty sure Forrest has taken up a temporary residence) is a very crowded place with tons of new people. These new people pose a risk of injuring themselves and the people around them - people get dragged on the sand, they tomahawk people - they slam their kites into other kites - this sh*t just happens down there. This type of unsafe behavior is heightened without the ability to depower - the new people are not able to control the power and the kite gets out of hand. If you do not believe me - come out to the spit next weekend (this weekend is reserved for the GG). You can see first hand what type of havoc and chaos can occur in a crowded beach with many, many beginners.

4_me_2_poop_on · Since 17 Jul 2008 7 Posts Kook

my 3 wheeler/4 wheeler comparison had more to do with new/old rather than c kite/bow kite. the c kites these days are plenty stable and most have as much or almost as much depower as the bow kites. whatever floats your boat in my opinion.

Blue · Since 03 Jul 2007 96 Posts pdx

Spike · Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:02 pm

[quote="Blue"]

blowhard · Since 26 Dec 2005 964 Posts Florence Oregon Windward

obviously many views on this
but if a dumb fuck like me can get up and going after 3 lessons in a tiny lake
on a kite that wouln't go upwind for anybody (it's why I got it?!)2000 sling
I'm pretty sure someone else can also do it.

now for the judgement thing

If you are in a crowded situation and have no help (lesson)
you are a danger to everyone
thats not a fault of the gear
it's you being a moron and endangering yourself and everyone else
if you buy junky gear you are ignorant
if you don't know how to rig you are ignorant etc,
get some fuking help dumbshit

all kites act up, some more than others

this ain't knitting

I don't know all about modern kites but my 2006 and 2008 sle kites generate and enormus amount of power weather "depowered" or not
in fact my sle kites generate the MOST power when sheeted out and sined hard while leaning back on front lines
like one might do while falling over backwards and pulling in on the bar on one side Embarassed

sleestack · Since 07 Dec 2006 58 Posts Land of the Lost

[quote="stringer"]. . .
Maybe even get somebody's 3 year old to draw us a nice map or two.

This way we can answer newbie questions by telling them to click the link, leaving us more space on the main board to talk about unicorns and related things.

quote]

Hey ROD or TODD, not sure which brother you are, instead of being a startass, why don't you be proactive and make the map yourself and send it to PKH. I'm sure PKH has much to do, and not enough time. Yes, the spots sections could use a touch-up, but they work.

Forrest · Since 21 Jun 2005 1500 Posts Hood River Hick

Again, this was just about making a recommendation to the uninformed. Just because you had success with some older kites doesn't mean it's okay. When most of us were learning we had no choice. Now there is a choice, if you're informed.

Wind Slither · Since 04 Mar 2005 808 Posts The 503 Metal

I think we can all agree that many newer designs have safety adavantages of:

More depower (for C-kites I think this is more about bar design)
Better stability
Easier water relaunch

For me, these improvements make for a better kite but not a "much, mcuh, safer" kite. Nor do they automatically render the older designs as "nasty and dangerous".

Several people have referenced certain older C kites as being "really dangerous" and I am curious which ones people have in mind. The Naish V4 was mentioned, and I remember this kite as being a fairly benign low aspect cruiser.

I would be interested in a list of specific models that people consider "death traps" to be avoided. None of them would be on the retail market anymore so PKH shouldn't care.

Finally, and I promise I'll shut up now... Wink

A warning to new kite buyers is a good idea, how about:

All traction kites can cause serious or fatal injuries. The most common accident is getting pulled into hard objects at high speed. Many newer designs offer safety advantages such as greater depower and control. You should consult with your local retailer or certified kite instructor before making your first kite purchase.

Smile

manplesvanuatu · Since 17 Jul 2008 4 Posts Kook

Hey all,

Good dialogs and some pretty funny stuff coming out of this in the end. All in all, I think we don't mean to preach and take sides on type of kites..(I am just opiniate on those old, very old c-kites circa 2000-2003 he!he!)

Bottom line is that we don't want some clueless person to get hurt:-)

one writer said something like.."there are some people who just go out there and figure out as they go. And the are so clueless that it is just plain dumb".. I could not agree more.

some people are fast learners and can figure things quick! Unfortunately it is not the case for the population...so those are the ones I try to worry for when I originally sent out that long post (hahaha! take it lightly ok guys?)

As for the C-kites:
heck I want to try a fuel one of these days ( I fly bow kites at the moment) cause you look at the top guys flying them and the old timers..they can do some amazing stuff with it.

4_me_2_poop_on · Since 17 Jul 2008 7 Posts Kook

sleestack, i almost went into a seizure looking at your avatar! lol

wind slither, the v4 was a mid to high aspect kite, not as high as some of the other's, but definitely higher aspect than the boxer. horrible beginner kite. (given the choice).

Blue · Since 03 Jul 2007 96 Posts pdx