Kites for the BIG guys....

[bryanleighty]

Gary..

with that board you are getting.. unless you are looking to kite in 10 or less.. you will be set with a 14-15m bow style kite.. I think you will be amazed at the low end of a royal or waroo compared to your 15 ion with regards to lighter wind riding.

at 200 lbs last season i found only a day or two where my 13m 2008 waroo could not get me going and having fun on my large board (smaller than the one you are buying)..

I still have my old 16m waroo that i now use on those rare rare occasions.

I'm working my ass off (literally) to drop serious weight before the winds come back and hoping to never have to inflate my 16 again.

You might want to PM Dan B... he just picked up a waroo 17m .. he might have a 16m waroo to sell if you are interested.

[inferno]

that 16m waroo is a great kite....
even though its a 2006 its got great lowend, right Tom?


i currently have the 08 15m roo if you ever see me and want to try it.

[Steve-O]

My two cents. For the bigger guy.....lets say over 200lbs+, its all about getting on plane, not just staying on plane. I do agree that a big dude with a big board and a 14M kite could ride once on plane and apparent wind is created....but its getting that weight out of the water in the first place where the problem lies. That is where a bigger kite can help IMO.

Scott......already tested the weight belt theory. I will admit this online and you all can chastise me.....so here goes. My daughter who weighs about 35 pounds has ridden with me in a Slingshot Kite bag on my back up at 3R. Conditions were light 10knots and water was smooth. With the extra weight it is very hard to get up and get out of the hole...I am 155 pounds....with her weight that makes me 190 pounds. So adding another 20 pounds to the equation would put me in a position of diving the kite and never even getting into a standing position to create any kind of board speed. We all know smaller kites move quicker and have less drag, but its that dive of the kite into the power zone that I see big guys with smaller kites struggle with. There just isn't enough pull there to yank them up in a standing postion.

So Big G is looking for opinions here so my vote is go big on the board and the kite especially if over 200lbs. Minimum 16M with 17M being an even better choice. I have compared a 14M Era to a 17M Contra and there is no comparison on low end IMO....not saying you need to buy a Contra. Shoot, I would put any 14SLE kite against a 17SLE kite for getting out of the hole assuming you have a nice big board.

The only way I could make a 10knot day work being 200+ is to already be on plane.....yet another great use for the stand up paddle board. Then yes, kite size really wouldn't matter....I could move around with a trainer kite.

On the other end, without her I can ride a 17M or a 12M just fine on a Flightdeck. I can get on plane with either size and go upwind. I do have to work the 12M though, and that's no fun. I have not tried a 9M, but I believe you, Scott, that it can be done and we are around the same weight.

I'm outtie and by the way, my daughter had a life jacket on and can swim. I am so proud of her. Before her 4th birthday she has surfed and kited with me. For all you parents out there with little ones, exciting times ahead. Jay, Adam, Rusky....

Where's the F'N wind!!!!

[inferno]

wow... that about hit the nail on the head perfectly, well put steve...
once on a plane, its easy to cruise, btu like steve said, getting on the plane is the hard part for us heavy guys....

your turn to try it scott

Getting on plane is the hard part for me too, using a 9m in 9 knots. You guys don't actually think that 9 is ripping me off the water, do you?
I don't have to work the kite at all, I just park and ride, even in 10 knots.
I am definitely not saying a bigger kite doesn't make it easier to yank your butt out of the water. But, once riding, I honestly don't see too much of an advantage (I just see more drag) to that big kite. My biggest kite is a 12 (and not such a good one for light wind... I honestly think the 9m does better... ugh....).

I also think in sub 13 or so, most of us are just mowing the lawn.
I guess it comes down to whether you like that bigger kite in 15 to 20. I just don't. If you do, definitely get the biggest kite you can hold down in 20. Why not?

Not much to do in light wind these days. I am gonna get a dive belt from Play it Again and put 50 pounds on it, then borrow Bob's 14m Era and try to ride upwind in 10 knots. I obviously won't go in water I can't stand in. I don't want to drown.

I have a feeling tying 50 pounds around my waist will be much easier than trying to ride with a person on me, like in your situation, Steve. The weight will all be centered and won't interfere with me.

I am interested to see what happens. If I can't make it work, I will be the first to post on here about it. I am curious about this now. You know it's light wind hell when we start talking about milking 9 to 10 knots. How sad!!

I just have to say, the guys saying they are jumping 15 feet on (won't name brand) in 7 to 8 knots really get under my skin.
Anyone ever read these posts on Kite Forum. I mean, c'mon.

[inferno]

here you go gary.....

http://www.oceanextremesports.com/ca...b71qpahsjirgl5


hypertype 2 15m.....

[BigR]

I did the opposite experiment back in 2000-2001. I already had had quite a few years to perfect my light wind kiting. What I did was lose 30 pounds in a few months from 200+ to 170's. with the same kite and board ( Nitro 19m + 5' 10" directional ) I was able to go in 10knts after I lost weight and 12-13 kts before I lost it. Also, I felt the kite to be pulling so much more I could barely hold it anymore. At 200+ its not a problem at all

Sorry Scotty, I gotta go against ya on this one

No worries. I can add weight in 10 seconds with the belt and it will make for a fun experiment.
Thing with your experiment Raul, kites really sucked back then. Not many of them were any good at all with generating apparent wind.
Back then, it really was raw horse power and we ALL fought the kites if we wanted juice, b/c they tried to pull us downwind a lot more.
None of them were any good at "keeping you going". Lulls were a nightmare.
I never dreamed of coasting upwind in less than 12 knots back then.

My logic is this - around here, we literally have 3 kinds of wind. 9 to 13 knot days, then 15 to 25 knot days, then 20 to 35 knot days, for the most part. For me, the 9 to 13 knot days are sort of boring. I would just assume use my 15 to 20 knot kite on that day, with a bigger board.
It's just a philosophy about mowing the lawn. I can't justify buying a huge kite to mow the lawn.
But, if you can hold (and enjoy) holding that big kite down in 20 plus, I would get it.

Everyone is different. I am basically saying you don't need a huge kite to make the light wind work.
I will try the 50 pounds. I still think I will get on plane and ride no problem with the 14 and Glide. If I sink, it will change my mind.
Fact is though, I already saw a 250 pound guy do it already, so I have few concerns. I am not trying to talk Gary out of anything here, btw. What I actually said from the get go to Gary was - demo several kites (like I always say).
From there, I think it lead to boards (IDK, not going to read it again)

Yep, light wind discussions. Summer. Boredom. LOL>

[Danimal8199]

Just my 2cents but when I replaced my quiver back in late feb/early march I debated whether or not to get a 16.5 or a 14.5. I am 195 and was kiting in lighter wind with a guy on a 16 when I was on a 14 and could barely keep up with him. The thing was that on our 14s and 16s neither of us were doing anything fun besides diving the kite and mowing the lawn.

In the end I decided that if the wind is so light that i need a 16.5 then I'd rather not be riding.

If I can ride my 14.5 then most everyone else should be having a pretty good time becasue I can even ride that with my lightwind board in around 14mph.

[Whitey]

Originally Posted by BizGuru

As far as "not going with anything bigger than 14" I feel it applies to smaller guys. If you are larger you will notice the advantage of that extra 3m. Also new kite techonoloy helps a lot, the 14 meter contra 3 pulls more than the 16m switchblade 1 I had. However the 17m blow both out the water. I have been out when I could not on a 14m and when I can be on a 14m I and having a blast on my 17m. The power pulling smaller guys downwind bigger guys can convert into upwind.

As far as FS I have looked into them but I have a few questions 1 why are they so expensive, I think if there price was petter they would have a much better shot at stealing some market share. Also how is the depower, One thing I like about some of the new kites is they fly just as well fully powered and fully depowered. How is the range on the FS speed 2?

The Flysurfer kites are expensive for a couple of reasons.
1 The amount and quality of material that is involved in the kite.
2 The amount of skilled labor involved in the kite.
3 The exchange rate on the dollar.

The kite is not like a big trainer kite. There are lots of design concepts built into the kite that results in it's performance. The cells fill with air quickly but do not deflate quicly unless you open the deflation zipper. They are self draining of water and sand when flying. You have to get up close to one and look inside of it to appreciate the amount of thought that goes into it.

The Speed II has very good depower. Once the wind hits 14 of 15 knots I change kites. I can still safley ride it but I have more fun on my 14SB in 15 kts than I do the FS 19. (How many days did we have this summer with wind above 9 and below 15)

I weigh 200 lb and I use the 19m FS from 8kts to 14kts. They show the wind range for the 19m speed II up to 22kts on their web site. I would not want to be on that kite in 20 plus kts of wind. It's not a one kite quiver but it is by far the best light wind kite I have found.

I am considering getting a 12m speed II. It is really nice not having to carry a pump & pump up a kite, not having to run out and hook up the lines, not having to ask someone to launch you or land you.