Questions from newbie

[KenBrackins]

Hello All,

I have gone out the last two afternoons only to get set up, launch and have my kite practically fall out of the sky because the wind just stops. I'm pitiful. Soon as I pack up to leave-it picks back up!!! Anyway as I am anxious to learn I am very eager to practice. I am having a rather difficult time launching. I definitely need to learn how to launch better before I get around anyone. What is the best way to practice that? MY other question is when I try to sheet in with my strap (2008 Best bar) it immediately returns all the way up. Have I got something set up wrong? It doesn't do it every session but when it does it, it will do it every time. How do you determine what knot to set up with? I have a 2007 Best 13 and 9. I weigh 155 lbs. Thanks for any advice. I hope to see yall soon as I get a little time ON THE BOARD for a change.

Ken

[toby wilson]

Ken, did you take any lessons? You SHOULD be learning to launch proficiently with others assisting you prior to even attempting a self-launch. If so, maybe you should contact your instructor for some follow up sessions. If not, you shouldn't even think about launching again before taking some lessons first. There are several area instructors who would be more than happy to help you. Steve Sadler at TBKA, Matt Sexton at Triton Kiteboarding, or Steve-O at WSW among many others would probably prove to be very helpful to you at this stage...

A few bucks now will pay off later...

[ricki]

Hey Ken,

Toby's points about lessons are spot on. I would do it if you haven't taken an adequate quantity of quality pro lessons already.

Getting into another important topic, weather. If there isn't enough wind to keep your kite flying, using reasonable skill, there isn't enough wind. This is NO surprise this time of year, there OFTEN isn't enough wind. You should read over key posts dealing with getting through the summer at: http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=500&page=4

In some ways now may be the worse time of the year to try to learn kiteboarding here, infrequent useable wind.

Yesterday there wasn't enough wind at times and at others a possibly fatal quantity of wind, lots of nasty storms raking over wide areas the State, tornado warnings, etc.. Seasonal weather in other words. You knew that before rigging up and launching, right?

http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar/nids/images/BREF1/KTBW/20080618_165914_black.png
What's coming in from upweather?

I am reexaming an old fatality right now, one that happened to an 18 year old in France 6 years ago. He was trying to learn on his own, people advised him storms were inbound and he shouldn't go out. A squall came up and he was blasted inland sad to say. There have been other newbie losses similar to this over the years.

Your instructors may or may not spend a lot of time on weather planning and monitoring. You need to still know how to do this in any case. A few ideas on this topic appear at:
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=69

[KenBrackins]

I did take 4 hours of lessons. I got right up on the board on my first try. Perhaps I advanced quicker than I should have before I mastered the basics. We didn't spend a lot of time on the launching as I got lucky the first few times and got the kite up with no problems.

[DJ HiPPiE]

In some ways now may be the worse time of the year to try to learn kiteboarding here, infrequent useable wind.

Which is why I have no plans on taking lessons until later this year....I'm gonna get the trainer in the next few weeks but I have no intentions of starting up on this until the weather is right for learning....I would rather wait and be instructed properly than rush things that could lead to disaster.

[amber]

unfortunately, getting up on the board is the easy part. There is soooo much safety that needs to be addressed whether you get up on your board the first try or months down the road. Practicing assisted launches is crucial. Its always good to have someone out there watching your back and vice versa. It is an individual sport but I have seen fellow kiters save lives more time than I can count. If you feel good in the water, take a land lesson. Self-rescue, proper launches and safety systems. The weather here in the summer is wacky. Definitely use caution.

as far as what knots to use, your sheeting system on the bar, etc. I'd recommend getting with someone who is proficient and hear what they have to say. On my '07 waroo I use the 3rd knot from the bottom. If you depower your kite all the way on that bar the kite will stall and fall backwards. leave it a little bit powered to prevent that. Good luck

[Tom Stock]

Ken, there are two straps on the bar. The red strap is the depower strap... if you pull it, it should stay put. The grey strap is the re-power strap. You need to pull it gently, about an inch and when you let go of it, the red strap will snap back in about 3 inches or more. Thats how it works.. it is supposed to slip after you let go of it.

Not sure what Amber meant to say, but in correction, your kite will not fall backwards if depowered too much. But, it will do that if the kite is stalled (too much tension on back lines and no airspeed). It stalls similar to an airplane wing, and falls.

I think what Amber meant was that it will hindenburg in light wind if it flies too far over your head. Meaning, if you depower too much in light wind, it could overshoot your head, tucking the leading edge. It will flip upside down over your head and crash inside out. This almost never happens with modern bow kites .. you have to do something really wrong like swing under the kite, let the lines go completely slack, or over depower in really gusty but light winds. C kites and hybrids will typically hindenburg more easily. Amber is correct in that it is important to keep at least a little tension on the back lines when the kite is over your head. I use the stopper ball for this.

Light wind flying technique requires keeping the kite moving at all times (figure 8's above your head) to avoid slack in the lines.

I do not recommend riding alone, especially as a beginner.

However, if you are going to do it anyway, and you are self launching, I recommend connecting the chicken loop to an anchor of some sort (dog chain screw, trailer hitch, sign, bench), and walking the kite out into position, standing it on a wing tip. This will force you to be in the correct launch position or the kite will not stand up and sit still. Double check everything while it is ready to go, run back, unhook it, and launch, holding the chicken loop in one hand and the bar in the other, kite fully depowered. Once the kite is flying and looking good, hook in and connect your leash.

Don't do this near people. Find a place clear of a crowd and especially kids.

We are trying to avoid two important things here.

1) Getting lofted, dragged, and killed if the self launch goes wrong. Instead the kite will be ripped from your hands.

2) Hitting or hurting anyone with the kite, even if it gets loose. The best prevention for this is distance. Down wind should be clear of people for at least 300 (or more) feet.

Those are the two most important parts of the launch. Good luck, use lots of common sense. If you see a column of rain in the distance land immediately regardless of what you THINK is going to happen.

Also, fwiw, I do not recommend this self launch technique with a C kite.

-tom

[LSUkiter]

I agree with Amber about getting up on the board. Not that its the easiest part, but that once you get up and can ride some that doesn't mean you're done with lessons. I was actually the opposite of you. I took an embarrassingly long time to get up on the board on a consistent basis and ride more than a couple of yards. I'm sure even if they don't realize that it was me, most of the people on this forum at one point in time saw one of my yard sales at the skyway(there were ALOT of them). I got too distracted by flying the kite, that I kept forgetting about the board. Regardless, I made the mistake of starting my lessons towards the end of the summer, and I was taking lessons in subpar winds, simply bcasue thats all my work schedule allowed(ie. it wasnt because my instructor was pushing me to take lessons on the wrong days). Because I took lessons at the wrong time, it ended up taking 14 to 16 hours of lessons(about 7 lessons) to get me where I am now, which is able to safely ride my board, but not quite able to stay upwind well; but I'm getting there very slowly. The point I'm eventually getting to, is that although I took way more lessons than most people do, I feel I'm way safer becasue I didnt get up on the board and then get sent on my way to do it alone. I had the extra time to be taught why my kite does certain things in certain winds, how to understand why I change the way I select my knots and depower strap setting. And most importantly, I got lots of chances to practice launching and landing, as well as self rescue due to crappy light winds make my kite unable to stay out of the water.
Basically, I wish I was able to get up and riding quickly like you, cause at times it was embarrassing, but at the same time I learned so many things from taking so many lessons, that I probably wouldn't have learned till either I looked like an idiot, hurt myself, or pissed somebody off.
Good riding/Richard

[Skyway Scott]

Definitely good posts. I also disagree that getting up and riding means anything. It's means very little, if anything. My very first lesson (with Paul Menta) I got up and rode on my first try. That sounds great, right? Not.

I rode approximately 300 yards (he told me to stop at 50 yards, btw) and then fell in the water. The kite crashed. I almost drowned getting dragged by the kite.

That's an extreme example, but a true story. I actually walked away from kiting after that lesson (1999) and waited until 2001 to return to it (when I saw others kiting locally). Riding is only a fraction of what you need to know to be safe and self-sufficient. Much of what can possibly go wrong and put you in trouble in kiting is not overtly obvious or common sense when you have limited experience. That's why the class at WSW, or similar, is such a good idea. You can discuss and learn many of these things.

Anyway, welcome to kiting Ken, have a great time, etc. Just don't underestimate things is my advice.
Unfortunately, this is a horrible time to practice and it gets frustrating due to the lame wind.

[CrazyJay]

Yeah! and don't borrow someones new board in 2001 and tell them u know how to ride. Ain't that right Scott! I guess u did know how to ride it... unfortunately all the way across the beach and road ;0)

[Skyway Scott]

Yeah! and don't borrow someones new board in 2001 and tell them u know how to ride. Ain't that right Scott! I guess u did know how to ride it... unfortunately all the way across the beach and road ;0)


Very funny stuff. Hey, I DID know how to ride.
I just didn't know how to stop! That was funny as hell, Jayson. A day I will never forget.
I still remember the board. A red LiteWave Dave. You have to admit, I went out of my way taking a back drag/beating to insure your board didn't get a scratch. :)

Don't hesitate to let me know when the next poker night is. Just don't deal Haus a 3 when I have AJ again, okay? :)

[Etch44]

I did take 4 hours of lessons. I got right up on the board on my first try. Perhaps I advanced quicker than I should have before I mastered the basics. We didn't spend a lot of time on the launching as I got lucky the first few times and got the kite up with no problems.

It's true.. this is the worst possible time to get started. I'd recommend a kite trip somewhere with good wind and a respectable school. Cape Hatteras? Cabarete? A few more hours of lessons and then all the practice you need to get proficient before the winds finally pick up again in Florida.

[Tom Stock]

Yeah! and don't borrow someones new board in 2001 and tell them u know how to ride. Ain't that right Scott! I guess u did know how to ride it... unfortunately all the way across the beach and road ;0)

LOL I heard that story. Classic!

[DJ HiPPiE]

It's true.. this is the worst possible time to get started.

That's what everyone at Sunset beach has told me....And that's fine with me....Even if I wanted to start up right now I couldn't do to the recent move so by the time the winds are back and it's the right time to train I will have the money to be able to do this and do this right.

[Kiteboarding Tampa Bay]

It may not be the best time of year for kiting, but there's still plenty of stuff to practice on all summer long.
I have gotten 5 or 6 people in the last week comfortable rigging,flying, launching/landing, simulated water start, etc. in 10 knots or less. I don't do the water part of the lesson in the Gulf, but they have something to chew on while waiting for good wind. Once its here, they are ready to body drag and water start and every one of them knows the self rescue procedure, even before hitting the water.
After doing these "beach lessons", they can fly the kite pretty well and thier comprehension of what they are reading is also WAY up, because they have experienced handling/flying the kite firsthand. They understand sheeting in and out and its effect on steering, and stalling the kite. Light wind is better for this and there's no immediate danger as long as its a safe location.


Please remember that when practicing on the Gulf beaches- even at 100' offshore, your kite will crash right on the beach users and swimmers. If you are practicing body drags and water starts in the Gulf, please go outside the swim buoys. The safety discussion at the cookout will cover this and other safety tips.
Some might say I posted this to make $$$, but its quite the contrary. I have more lessons than I will ever be able to do, and not asking for a per hour fee. (A 20 knot day when I am really itching to ride might cost ya though! (haha)
I have been meeting up with students at Treasure Island (101st) and going through the basics. Come and check it out to see if you learn something at no charge. If you feel like you did, then you may donate whatever to TBKA. If not, no worries.... At least you got to fly a kite and are learning safely.

[amber]

yes Tom, i was referring to it hindenburging. thanks for clearing it up. In gusty light winds your kite can definitely do some unexpected things.

its a very helpful and useful group of riders in this area. Just remember to respect people's objections and suggestions. We are very lucky to be able to play in an area with few restrictions and we'd like to keep it that way.

Anyone that disregards this will be approached hopefully in a respectful manner and please take their suggestions to heart. This is not meant to be mean but as a means of preserving our access. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the beach eventually!