Coming to Bradenton Beach August 1-4 - Looking to learn
 

Every year we head down to Anna Maria island and stay the week in a condo on the beach. In the past I've spent most of my time flying stunt kites and enjoying the beach in general, but I recently found out about kiteboarding and I figured FL would be the place to give it a try.

I'm in the process of contacting a couple of the trainers mentioned on the forums here, but I'd still love to get in touch with some of the local hobbyists. I'm not sure what the regulations are, but maybe you could come board at Bradenton Beach and show me how it's done! :)

- Gaines
(615) 412-9739

hopefully you can rent out a hellicopter to land near the beach and use it to create wind that you will need....

ha.

seriously tho.. there is only a marginal chance that there will be wind enough to even fly a kite during those days.

contact a local kite instructor.. maybe you can do some land lessons to get your knowlege up on the sport, but if you really want to learn in ideal conditions Florida during the summer is not the place to go. Head to Hatteras area in North Carolina or to some choice spots in Texas... there you can sign up for one of those 3 or 4 day lesson packages where you will get some real on-water experience in correct conditions.

Winter in Florida is prime time..

goodluck!

-B

Yeah, the summer sucks. :(

First, I'd like to thank Steve Sadler for taking the time to call me and chat. It seems to be pretty definite that the wind is going to be weak during the first week of August and I don't want to waste time/money trying to get on the water without wind, so I'm thinking about just getting a trainer kite and spending some time on the beach getting a feel for it.

My biggest issue is that there's no place around here (Nashville, TN) to pick up that sort of stuff so I'll probably need to wait until I get down there to get a harness and kite. So if anyone has a used trainer kite that they'd like to sell, I'll be looking for one come August 1st.

As for the harness, where's the best place near Anna Maria Island to find one? I'm a pretty big guy so chances are I'd need to get a new one (most people aren't my size).

This may be a dumb question, but would you consider the handling of a Revolution quad kite (1.5 SLE) is similar to a traction kite?

Gaines, I have a backup harness and am 6'6" tall and 250 lbs, are you bigger than that? I would be more than happy to let you use my extra one while we ride...

As for a trainer kite, try EBay. Also Ikitesurf's buy/sell section is a possibility. Just make sure to read the 'scam alert' thread on this forum before buying on either site. Or you could go to www.oceanextremesports.com or www.watersportswest.com if you want to buy a new one (they are a bit expensive, about $250). www.bestkiteboarding.com has some less expensive new ones...

Good luck and feel free to send a PM if you have any other questions...

nah, not that expincive, more like 150

http://www.watersportswest.com/shopc...&ppinc=search2

You sure about that Josh? Does Watersports West sell trainers other than Slingshots? Are you talking about Flexifoil trainer kites at Ocean Extreme? They (Ocean Extreme) have trainers for as low as $99 so I stand corrected...

http://www.oceanextremesports.com/ca...hp?cPath=21_39

I appreciate it. I'm two inches shorter (6'4") and about 50 lbs heavier. My guess would be that I'm a good bit...umm...thicker than you. *grin*

...but I don't know how the harnesses usually fit and if they're adjustable.

As for getting a trainer kite, I kind of like the idea of getting a small quad so I can get used to them since I don't figure I'll end up using a dual line.

All of the trainer kites at Extreme Kites seem to be dual lines. Is starting off with a quad that uncommon?

A harness isn't really important until you have several hours of flying a trainer kite anyway gaines. You are welcome to try mine on though for size... Lessons would be my first concern prior to purchasing any gear if I were you. You won't know what gear is right for you until you have tried out several different harnesses, kites, boards, bars/lines, etc. The best way to learn what you like is to take a 'test drive' on demo gear from your local kite shop or to just see if you can try out someones stuff. You will be surprised, a lot of the guys don't have a problem sharing their gear as long as you have good control and proper instruction. Good luck!