I find bows much easier to self launch...

some bows are different from others

:rolleyes:

scott has the trick to self landing a bow even in 35Knots...
you just have to modify your bar to allow you to leash to a front line....

although im not sure it it will work with a cab bar.....

Was the tide low enough early to rig at South SW?

It was decent wind at N SW, nothing special.
Of course it died at 10am, it always does. I'd lay money on that one nearly every time. ;)

In terms of self landing. That mod on my Ozone got incorporated into this year's Ozone kites. The Ozone seems to self land no problemo in up to 30.
The new waroo 9m and 7m kites are so light, that I am not confident they would stay put after a self landing. The Ozones are much more beefy and heavy kites, especially near the LE.

Big R- Can you share your technique for self launching a bow? I tried the traditional sandbag method (C-kite) a few times with less than desirable results. I have seen people hooking the CL to something and balancing the kite on the edge of the window, but that seems very sketchy.
Drift launch is (by far) the safest method, in my opinion, and the easiest/most convenient launch at tight places like the South Side Skyway. I got tired of lugging everything out to the sandbar, so now I just rig in the parking lot and drift launch about 100 yards from shore.

I am sure BigR will share his technique.
Here is the one I have been using for awhile.
http://www.flyozone.com/video/self_launch.wmv

It's pretty easy, assuming you have enough room and the surface isn't glass or oyster shells.
Our fine sandy beaches are perfect for this, imo.

I rarely see anyone do this, but it's easy, especially with 12 and 9m kites. Big kites can get tougher.
Al-kite-ah did his first the other day (on a big kite)

hooking the cl to a fixed object and then placing the kite on its wingtip at the edge of the window works really well. The kite just bobs up and down on its wingtip. it will surge a bit if its gusty but always manageable. remember to depower it all the way with the trim strap so the pull is minimal. The way to self launch as shown in the ozone video I think is sketchier in that the leading edge will take lots of abuse raking over shells and sand as it pivots, and at least in this video the launch seemed more powered up or hot which has attendant risks.

self launch
 

Scott's outlined exactly how I self launch already; basically a reverse hot launch. I've done it on 17m, 14-12-9m kites in up to 35+ knts. ( I suspect that this method might be better for some kites that depower more than some others ).
I much prefer it to the CL method because you are in control of the kite at all times.
Hey Scott, the reason you don't see anybody launching that way is because if I happened to see you standing there, I would ask you to give me a launch instead....LOL! :D

I have never had a problem with the CL method but I would like to hear from more experienced people what are the bad things that can happen doing this. I will say I normally do it from a boat so there is nothing around me to hit , and ive done it from beaches without incident but maybe ive just been lucky! Thanks.

:confused: hopefully this weekends good but it doesnt look that way

This morning was good until 9am.
It's the same old story at the SW - with a 25 degree temperature differential b/n morning low and afternoon high, the winds picked up as it warmed (as the sun rose) then it gradually died starting at 9 am. The wind sensor for the SW was actually fairly spot on for this a.m.
http://www.iwindsurf.com/windandwher...149&siteID=812

Adam and I are the only ones who got there in time and really nailed it.
Lots of people showed after it tapered off and was dying.