Tune your SLE but know the reccomended throw for your

bulae99 · Since 12 Jul 2006 1692 Posts XTreme Poster

Kite! Usually the smaller the kite the shorter the throw. All kites vary

Tuning is a bit of a mystery for most people, including me, but I have learned a few things over the past year.

1. Check your bar for even lines: Carabeener them to a pole and a stretch them out: Hang your ass from CL and pull the lines even. Measure the throw under load as that is what happens when kite is powered.

***All kites are different when it comes to throw specs. Problems arise when people are trying to fly T2 bars with Best Kites etc.. I get this question all the time, "Can I fly my 06 best bar with my 08 kite?" My answer in the shop is, "No, you shouldn't do that because of the specs on your kite." You can but you need to know how to fly it and tune it to the proper throw length.

2. Definition of the throw is the difference between your steering lines and your front lines as pull bar to power, or push to depower your kite.

3. Set your stopper ball on your bar to keep your kite from falling out of the wind window. What this means for you begs. is that the if you let your control bar go and your kite is looking like it is going to stall you may need to trim using the stopper ball(This is also a skill level thing as your piloting of the kite will affect stalls etc).

My rule of thumb is:" Ok the wind is light so I'm going to set my stopper ball to shorten my lines so that my kite doesn't stall or invert if I yard sale." Trust me on this if you set the ball and fall you will become a water plow, or if your on land a land plow.

4. When setting my stopper ball I always consider this:" Ok I'm setting my stopper ball and if I yard sale am I willing to take the ride if something happens and I have to let go of the bar?" ****WArninG If you are high wind and you set the stopper ball shortening your lines significantly your are reducing the depower ability of the kite!!!!!!!!!!!

5. Power and Depower straps: Currently I've flown the 08 best bar with waroo, and nimi 7 to 14, aka knuckle buster, and the Rev SS bar 08,7, 15, and the Td2 7-14, and Caution Mayhem 08 7to11, and the Ozone 08 instinct 9,11, bar and they all have great systems with Depower and Power options. **One thing I can tell you about my learning progression is that tuning your kite on the water is really an advanced skill. Most begs. don't do this, but do depower to deal with gusts etc as a safety. Using depower and power straps is a skill you should develop with lessons or practice in safe conditions so that you don't stall your kite.

6. Tune your kite by choosing the right board. If you choose a board that is too small your more likely to drop your kite. If you choose a board with enough surface area you are going to be able to ride more and think about your board less.

All of this is my opinion and may vary with kite and your experience. If you have any questions about your gear go to the shop you bought it from and ask them to help you tune your gear. Don't mess with it if you don't know what you are doing! Don't build your own bar!! Don't mix off year gear!! Don't upgrade shit if you don't know what you are doing. If you do know what your doing you probably work for a kiting company. Very Happy

kitezilla · Since 22 Jun 2006 453 Posts gorge Obsessed

What would you say is the minimal "throw" for a 7M, '07 Waroo: when used by a 110 Lb person, in a moderate wind range for the kite (about 13 to 23 MPH)?

We are planning to set up a new kiter with this particular kite, and want the kite to depower enough to fall out of the sky and go to the edge of the wind window, when she lets go of the bar.

If someone has already worked this problem, we would appreciate knowing what you discovered. This is a common problem with short-armed people. We have already set up the bar with the smallest chicken loop available, and the kiter will be wearing a board-shorts "Starlet" harness, which positions the hook at the lowest possible location of any harness...we did this all in the attempt to maximize the amount of throw that the short-armed kiter will have available to her.

I know that the '06 Waroo manual recommends 60cm for the throw on all the kite sizes, but we think that this is excessive for a little kite. One rider has told us that he thought 45cm was enough throw for his 16M Waroo. If that is true, we are hoping that 40 cm will be enough for a 7M. Our plan is to set it up that way and test it out, before giving it to the newbe.

Any thoughts on this?

We will find out eventually, but would appreciate some expert opinion on this, to give us a starting point, and to shorten our learning curve.

Thanks in advance.

Spike · Since 13 May 2007 1414 Posts Alameda Spelling Expert

tstansbury · Since 06 Jun 2006 649 Posts Rowena and P.C Addicted

the best way is to get a bar with extra throw and a stoper and then try it. I tried to get the number for the different size waroos from best and they did not even have them but it does go down as the kite gets smaller sheeting in the kite can also lower the through that is why as you slingshot has that ball that moves down as you sheet in.

Nak · Thu Aug 14, 08 8:43 am

Bulae, I'm a little confused. You talk about setting the stopper ball to prevent the kite from stalling if you let go of the bar? I understand that some kites are prone to invert if you sheet out too much, but stalling is caused by sheeting in. The definition of a stall is when the wing (Kite) exceeds the critical angle of attack the airflow separates from the surface, drastically reducing lift. We increase AOA by pulling on the bar, letting go of the bar will decrease the AOA thereby preventing a stall.

Spike · Since 13 May 2007 1414 Posts Alameda Spelling Expert

pappas · Since 10 Jun 2007 58 Posts

Forget about the poor beginners trying to get information from this dude. That jumbled information might just mess up experienced kiters as well.

If I see a fat guy on surfboard doing "tricks", I am outta there.

Pappas... Two, Utah... two...