sir ROWDY forum posts in last 60 days

There's no "best" just different.

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eppo said..
bloody hell this reminds me of the early days of foil kiting in the late 90s early 2000s. dudes just get out and ride and get better ffs

hahaha, yeah in a lot of cases I think it doesn't really make much difference, modding things can be cool though if that's your thing.
As I said above though I think shortening up everything is a lost cause, better just sell and re-up while those models still hold any value. All these first and 2nd gen wings are going to be worth nothing in a season or two.

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Wingman WA said..

Forget everything else, just get a frigate, they are the best because Hilly rides them, Well at least this month !!

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Velocicraptor said..
There are a few tutorials on the Facebook Parawing group. The first time I tried it I used a loop to loop from the pigtail to the lines (note the lines weren't a loop), but as the lines tightened the knot the length became a little bit inaccurate and I was afraid they would slip. The second time I settled on knotting the lines in an overhand knot (like a pigtail) then larksheading the bar pigtail loop around them. The overhand knot is bulkier than I'd like but the connection is secure and the line length is accurate. the most critical part of it is carefully measuring and marking the lines and making sure they are shortened an identical amount and are not twisted. The black C lines are the hardest since you can't really mark them. I shortened 9" which is what most people are doing.

Taping the center lines is easy. I used tenatious tape and taped it around the center 4 lines for 2-3 inches. FoilRat did the same, and inspired this mod on the Facebook Parawing group.

I will try to get around to taking some photos.

My tip for splicing and making sure they never slip is to just put a little bit of super glue on it, works a charm.

I couldn't use a Jam Vest, I just can't stand how it looks.
Ozone bag has issues as I've mentioned, but I think that style is the cleanest and easiest approach if you only want to carry one wing. This will always be subjective/ personal.

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FranP said..
So-has anyone here actually done DIY line mods on the Pocket Rocket and is willing to share how they approached it?
Are there any photos, diagrams, or schematics floating around that you could point to?

Shortening Lines -
I've looked at it since my buddy flies the PR and was considering doing it and I was thinking of helping him.
Overall I think the biggest mod most people want especially on the larger sizes is slightly shorter lines (some people have also done this), IMO it's a massive task, you need to cut and re-splice a lot of lines to do this. If you have a ton of time handy and don't mind the hassle and small frustrations of doing it the process isn't actually that difficult but it just takes time. Depending what your time is worth it's also probably worth considering how much you can sell your PR now while it's still popular and move onto something else.

Removing B line Attachment -
I think this is a backwards step. It makes bar feel and handling worse much like a bridal kite Vs a C-Kite. I also don't think the B-lines are actually ever in the way, I have no issue with that attachment being there (sort of like how a depower line on a kite bar isn't actually in the way). The other thing I think is that it's more prone to heavy tangles in extreme scenarios.

Leash Attachment -
I don't think this is a good idea (using a leash) but you could easily put a small pigtail from the front of the A-line attachment, then larks head onto a leash with a knot on the end.

Bridal Modding -
Possible perhaps but also not easy. If you change things even a bit on these wings they usually fly bad. There's for sure different setups you could do but it would take quite some time and tuning to figure out and I'd say chances are high that you don't make it any better.

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FranP said..
Hi all,
I'd like to open a thread to collect ideas, experiences, and hands-on mods for the amazing OZONE Pocket Rocket[/b], especially inspired by some of the Power Pack[/b] improvements-but also anything new you've tested or are thinking about.

Some starter ideas to kick things off:

-Shorter handle-bar ?
-Removing the attachment of the B-lines to the handle-bar, similar to the Power Pack approach - pros/cons?
-Adding an easy attach/detach leash point - cleaner, faster, and safer solutions?
-Modding A-lines for easier stashing. Less knots, less lines, grouped A lines ?
-Bridle simplification or rerouting ideas?
-Anything else you've tried or would like to test?

If you've already done a mod, it would be great if you could share: What you changed Why you did it What worked / what didn't Photos or sketches if possible Even half-baked ideas are welcome-often that's where the good stuff starts.

Looking forward to learning from the collective brain trust ??

Not trying to take away from this thread or the ideas (I think it's actually a good thread since I love modding things), but with all the points you listed you might want to try out the Naish Hatch.

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firiebob said..
Might be interesting to you guys, this was back in 2004 at Yorkies FNQ, no idea who he is and the only time I've seen it done.

Pretty fun experience. Surprisingly this used to happen quite a lot at the old comps (Coconet, Cairns Kite Week, etc) when people were all stoked to just be hanging out on the beach together and talking smack. I remember people even doing 3 up a few times, it really handles badly though haha. The main issue is the smaller kite turns quicker than the bigger kite and they end up getting out of sync at some point, the shorter the lines between help but it also then blocks the wind getting to the one above.

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Sheps said..

sir ROWDY said..
My 2cents -

1 - Jam Vest just looks ugly, I also don't think it really solves any issues once you figure out a good technique to stow, in my eyes it maybe even makes things harder as pushing a wing down and in is easier while pumping than pushing sideways. (stroke your stomach pat your head type scenario).

2 - For the same reason as above I'm not a huge fan of the side entry on the Manera belt, I don't think it's better and I think it makes stowing bigger wings much more difficult. I think the only advantage in my eyes is that it collects less water when nothing is inside it if that's a big issue you face. I also don't like it kinda forces you to use the bar holster.

3 - Bar holsters are pointless. I've had one the whole time and I find not only is it a pointless intermediate step for most people but it also tends to tangle far more if left in the holster than simply wedged on top of the wing in a top load bag.

4 - I think the Ozone bag most people have is the right idea but uses the wrong materials. This is why people complain about using it whilst pumping. I have a similar bag but the majority of it is made from stiffer 2mm neoprene with some other stretchier parts and drainage areas and I never have the issue people have with the Ozone.

5 - I really think the simplest and most obvious design (like the Ozone) is all that's needed. The only things that need to be improved in my opinion is a bit more support for using it more as a harness (maybe a positive of the Manera for now).

Good run down and I totally agree that the side entry is harder, but I have to say that the Manera can fit large parawings and using the holster makes this possible. I can't fit my 4.5m Paia into my Ozone easily at all and when I do it is so unsecured I can't foil properly with it moving around. When wet forget it. With the Manera, you can feed it in slowly and it fits rather easily and it's so small and secure once done. No comparison. The bar holster method unfortunately has to be used or it simply won't fit. None of this matters once it's away when you are finally able to enjoy a long dw run, not noticing you are carrying anything.

I haven't tried the Ozone with a bigger wing. As I said I have my own custom bag which is bigger and easily keeps my 5.1m and bar in together and secured. I think the Ozone style bag is the go just that it's a bit of an average design (needs different material and stretch zones). I really like the aspect of not catching water with the side load style, but that's also such a small issue for me it's not big enough to switch because of it. I also think feeding it in instead of just loading it kinda all at once from the top is more prone to tangles.

In the end both probably work fine just get used to what you have.

Love the reminiscing about the old days with crazy big kites. The first kite I bought was a Cab 15.5m (21m) Black tip, it was a total piece of cr@p and almost killed me countless times as a 50KG boy in the ages of no safety releases.

My 2cents -

1 - Jam Vest just looks ugly, I also don't think it really solves any issues once you figure out a good technique to stow, in my eyes it maybe even makes things harder as pushing a wing down and in is easier while pumping than pushing sideways. (stroke your stomach pat your head type scenario).

2 - For the same reason as above I'm not a huge fan of the side entry on the Manera belt, I don't think it's better and I think it makes stowing bigger wings much more difficult. I think the only advantage in my eyes is that it collects less water when nothing is inside it if that's a big issue you face. I also don't like it kinda forces you to use the bar holster.

3 - Bar holsters are pointless. I've had one the whole time and I find not only is it a pointless intermediate step for most people but it also tends to tangle far more if left in the holster than simply wedged on top of the wing in a top load bag.

4 - I think the Ozone bag most people have is the right idea but uses the wrong materials. This is why people complain about using it whilst pumping. I have a similar bag but the majority of it is made from stiffer 2mm neoprene with some other stretchier parts and drainage areas and I never have the issue people have with the Ozone.

5 - I really think the simplest and most obvious design (like the Ozone) is all that's needed. The only things that need to be improved in my opinion is a bit more support for using it more as a harness (maybe a positive of the Manera for now).

My thoughts and opinion as a rider of the Hatch.

Remember back in the early 00's when everyone had a 15-19m kite in their quiver? Those kites then were pretty basic but I also feel like people got after the conditions a ton more back then because of it.

If you're not foiling or want to ride a twin-tip some of the new big kite offerings from various brands are actually pretty good. I tried out the 17m Pivot recently and was pretty impressed by just how light of a wind I could ride in, it was about as light as I usually have fun kitefoiling in.

I think heavy weight riders would also really like this kite because it holds it's shape well and goes upwind when you're more powered, it's not so much of a flappy bag as many other big kites are.

Cheers.