I know there is a for sale section but i only found one in there and it has two strings and since we are getting into the warmer season maybe can prompt someone to clean out there cupboards and sell your trainer kite that you don't use? Are two string trainer kites svn so bad??

I'm located in Victoria, Hamilton 3300 and can get down to Portland, Warrnambool, Portfairy, Fitzroy River etc or i guess could get it posted from afar. I'm new to the sport so any suggestions on buying a kite to train with. From what i can gather i should go for a three string for easier launching and about 2-3Mtrs.

Any ebay actions of gumtree etc that anyone might want to suggest feel free to drop some links in. I notice some $39 ones on ebay and there are from hong kong not sure what these are like. Cheap & nasty but if they work i don't mind.

Got a couple sitting in a shed in Norway
could probably get them sent out if you don't get any better offers

Search ebay for "trainer kite" or "power kite" or "stunt kite" and get one with a control bar rather than handles. 2-line is fine. The bigger the better.

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bene313 said..
Search ebay for "trainer kite" or "power kite" or "stunt kite" and get one with a control bar rather than handles. 2-line is fine. The bigger the better.

3 lines is better, that way you can try to avoid the learner death clutch, ie learn that it's good to drop the bar when it goes pear shaped and let the kite depower.

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Rails said..
Got a couple sitting in a shed in Norway
could probably get them sent out if you don't get any better offers

That's the sort of things i was digging up. Pity it's in Norway. If i can't get anything sooner i might come back to you!

Looks good

Or this Brand new if your going to spend $150

From Ben Wilson Surf. BWS

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Rails said..
Looks good

What are you gunna want for your kites including postage Rails? Are they two or three lines with bar??

Just an off topic question! How can i subscribe to this thread so that i get an email reminder when anyone replies?

I had someone PM with a secondhand kite and made a purchase today guys... thanks for your help, offer, tips and suggestions.


Believe i'm getting a 2.5 Ignition Red/Blue in colour with three lines, bar etc $175 delivered from Sydney. I'll see how i go.

Not sure if it is this exact one secondhand but will see when it gets here?, it may be a secondhand make before it since think it has the blue colour.
http://www.kitepower.com.au/ozone-ignition.html

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Jaffasoft said..
I had someone PM with a secondhand kite and made a purchase today guys... thanks for your help, offer, tips and suggestions.


Believe i'm getting a 2.5 Ignition Red/Blue in colour with three lines, bar etc $175 delivered from Sydney. I'll see how i go.

Not sure if it is this exact one secondhand but will see when it gets here?, it may be a secondhand make before it since think it has the blue colour.
http://www.kitepower.com.au/ozone-ignition.html

Just recently got one for my boys - great fun those are!

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LostDog said..

Just recently got one for my boys - great fun those are!

Cool! Looking forward to doing this... will be something to do when going on trips away/holidays. I've been using a little meter wide kite and it's lame as and near impossible to fly.

mate i used the one from ebay.. taught me about the wind window... now i am off standing up and yeahhhhhh haaaaa you won't regret it

Why don't you buy a small old kite ? It's much better, especially since it has 4 lines, depower and you can keep it for high wind :)

I am selling my old 2009 Cabrinha switchblade 6m if anyone is interested. It was my trainer kite :)

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Alysum said..
Why don't you buy a small old kite ? It's much better, especially since it has 4 lines, depower and you can keep it for high wind :)

I am selling my old 2009 Cabrinha switchblade 6m if anyone is interested. It was my trainer kite :)

The problem with small (less than 6m) LEI kites as trainer kites, is that they require a lot of wind to keep them in the air (over 25knots), which in my view means it's dangerous for beginners. Trainer kites are specifically for training/beginners because they can be flown in very low winds which means less risk of injury.

A 6mt LEI kite is for kite surfing in high winds - not to be used as a trainer.

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Loftywinds said..


The problem with small (less than 6m) LEI kites as trainer kites, is that they require a lot of wind to keep them in the air (over 25knots),

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Loftywinds said..

Alysum said..
Why don't you buy a small old kite ? It's much better, especially since it has 4 lines, depower and you can keep it for high wind :)

I am selling my old 2009 Cabrinha switchblade 6m if anyone is interested. It was my trainer kite :)

The problem with small (less than 6m) LEI kites as trainer kites, is that they require a lot of wind to keep them in the air (over 25knots), which in my view means it's dangerous for beginners. Trainer kites are specifically for training/beginners because they can be flown in very low winds which means less risk of injury.

A 6mt LEI kite is for kite surfing in high winds - not to be used as a trainer.

25 knots ?? Rubbish, I can fly the 6m in light winds no problems, 15 knots from the beach is very safe, it's a tiny kite. Remember I'm not doing kitesurfing. It worked really well for as I learnt the strings quickly without having to fork out extra hundreds on just a trainer. Quite a few have done this on seabreeze

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Alysum said..

Loftywinds said..

Alysum said..
Why don't you buy a small old kite ? It's much better, especially since it has 4 lines, depower and you can keep it for high wind :)

I am selling my old 2009 Cabrinha switchblade 6m if anyone is interested. It was my trainer kite :)

The problem with small (less than 6m) LEI kites as trainer kites, is that they require a lot of wind to keep them in the air (over 25knots), which in my view means it's dangerous for beginners. Trainer kites are specifically for training/beginners because they can be flown in very low winds which means less risk of injury.

A 6mt LEI kite is for kite surfing in high winds - not to be used as a trainer.

25 knots ?? Rubbish, I can fly the 6m in light winds no problems, 15 knots from the beach is very safe, it's a tiny kite. Remember I'm not doing kitesurfing. It worked really well for as I learnt the strings quickly without having to fork out extra hundreds on just a trainer. Quite a few have done this on seabreeze

yep lofty lifts once again

I've done probably 16 hours on this trainer 2.5 three line kite. It takes next to no wind esp after you work out how to get it going side to side to keep up momentum and i've got the drift on how to fly in higher winds keeping it in the safer window zones and doing some dives, circles, figure eights etc in winds light enough. It's been fun and keeps my mind occupied. I was dumping it on the ground a few times as i was learning and pushing the boundaries etc. But it's not that often it will touch the ground now.

I used to think to myself muscle memory seems hard but after a while was holding it with one hand and walking up the beach or the oval and not looking at the kite for intervals, just seem to know in your brain where the kite is after a while.

There was a nice strong breeze flowing with a river to the mouth of the sea that stinking hot day the other day, seemed right so i when out and body dragged all the way down to the sea and feel the power spots and that. But it sort of pulls you side to side still it was a bit of a learning curve. Had to fly the kite from left to right dipping it through power zones! It is not recommend i know (to fly three string trainer in the water) but i bent the rules a bit and it was fairly safe river shallow and did not drop the kite once in the water.

It's got my confidence up and since done a self launch on a 10 meter kite and body dragged down the beach with a wind going almost directly across shore it was a wild experience and getting smashed by waves and trying to look at the kite and getting lifted, it was a bit crazy actually it terrified me and the landing was a little rough body dragged up the beach and released the safety release. It was amazing how in what seemed like seconds was half kilometre down the beach. Got to the kite and sat on the kite bladder and found the air valve release and let it out and thought to myself far out these things are CRAZY.

Next step i went to another location where i could drive up on the beach and tethered myself to the toe bar of the car because i wanted to fly the big kite around a bit and get some confidence without it going crazy and dragging up the beach and hardly any ppl around. There was a guy that knows a bit about kiting on holidays so he was right behind giving instructions (private free loosens GOOD). We did assisted launch, flying 3, 9, 12 o'clock, practiced trying a self landing until finally got it second day. Got self launching down pat and self landing and a few safety releases. This was good to do all this stuff knowing i couldn't be dragged down the beach or the kite getting out of control and not panicking and fly the kite a bit. On day two i did this for 5 hours as seen in the photo below and got heaps more confident at it.

I might be ready soon to go back out and do a body drag under better controlled conditions!?

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Jaffasoft said..
Next step i went to another location where i could drive up on the beach and tethered myself to the toe bar of the car because i wanted to fly the big kite around a bit...

Please don't ever tie yourself to anything again. Ever. A guy died up in north qld doing that about 8 years ago.

Gust comes thru you'll go straight up to the height of your rope (looks like say 5m in pic?) and at that point anything can happen, most likely you come straight back down again and break. Good way to die.

Your spot there looks good - clear downwind - you should just have had those 1-2 guys ready to grab you if you reached the end of the sand.

I learnt that the rope was little long as powering up a couple times lifted me half a meter or so off the ground and after showing someone the pic informed me to shorten the rope which i haven't done yet as i haven't been out again. This only happened when i did some 12-1 12-2 and powering up the kite then i stopped it. Most times i could fly it just a step back with the lease tethered but loose as though flying the kite without it.

What about shorter rope or is it still regarded as not a good method to use?

I've done this in lighter winds ONLY, the wind coming from the sea into the mouth of this river with no big sand duns, trees or any obstacles all around was very constant and steady for five hours straight at about 12-15 knots making sure it's only winds with enough to get the kite flying. But still i don't underestimate what wind can do with gusts.

The guys there could prob grab me but they seem to get board of watching the kiting and jump in the car out of the wind and spend all there time wearing out finger prints on there iPhone trying to chat up chicks.

"far out these things are CRAZY"

I remember the feelingl
you should be right to untie yourself
once you can stop the kite wherever you want in the window you can walk back upwind
anyway if you start getting dragged and you don't like it let go of the bar

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Rails said..
I remember the feelingl
you should be right to untie yourself
once you can stop the kite wherever you want in the window you can walk back upwind
anyway if you start getting dragged and you don't like it let go of the bar

It was insane madness, mainly just cause so hyped up, nervous, and a gallon of adrenaline released, so much going on waving crashing, kite going out of site, stinging eyes wave crashes and trying to see it, how i didn't crash the kite i don't know.

... and yep yep even if i did it wrong by being tied up, that little go was enough to settle into flying it, particularly the releasing the safety latch i pulled it that hard two hands i broke the elastic in it

Let go of the bar "got it". Will the kite just back off then if I'm getting confused in the water or stuck and then just grab the right or left side of the bar again to steer it up again?

Should i go out in waves and swell and body drag? it's not huge waves but can go out waste deep 50m out or so, they or sort of like little waves two/three foot waves or sort of choppy swell (not as rough as first go). River mouth here is ok but it's not a very big area and only about 2,3 foot deep.

Or anyone up with other good newbie spots along Warrnambool, Portfairy, Narrawong, Portland and or any quiet little beaches in-between??

This is the Fitzroy River Mouth where flying the kite as in the photo and still here now few more days anyone that wants to come out:
beachsafe.org.au/beach/vic/glenelg/tyrendarra/fitzroy-river

Looks like you are having fun. Now you have some kite skills under your belt. Grab a lesson or two as lessons are a lot cheaper than hospital bills or a new kite if you trash yours. Try and spend the least amount of time as possible on the beach with the kite as that's where accidents happen. Also try and kite when there a couple of other kiters to help launch/land and help if anything does go wrong. Most kiters are more than happy to keep an eye on you.

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Jaffasoft said..

Rails said..
I remember the feelingl
you should be right to untie yourself
once you can stop the kite wherever you want in the window you can walk back upwind
anyway if you start getting dragged and you don't like it let go of the bar

Let go of the bar "got it". Will the kite just back off then if I'm getting confused in the water or stuck and then just grab the right or left side of the bar again to steer it up again?

that's right

Guys,

Please do NOT EVER tie yourself to a kite. It's called "tethered kiting" and it is as dangerous as anything you can do on a kite, it puts you well and truly in the nominations for the "Darwin Awards". There have been many deaths over the years from this sort of thing.

Do yourself and everyone else a favour and get a professional, structured, lesson. You can learn guitar without instruction and you can sort of learn to play, but most likely with bad habits which, uncorrected, will be much more difficult to rectify in time. Same with kiting, only difference to learning guitar with bad habits is, bad kiting habits can injure or even kill you, or innocent bystanders.

Its great you have found a remote location and we're all glad you are getting stoked on the sport, but please, get a proper lesson from a professional instructor rather than a mate.

It takes one small accident to put you in a wheelchair for the rest of your life, and it can happen in an instant. I have many first hand stories of accidents ending in permanent and debilitating injuries where guys have been off work for many months and looking for anyone whom they can sue to cover medical bills.

Don't underestimate the potential of even a small kite when things go wrong.

DM