I notice very few kiters will bother to assist a fellow kiter landing a foil kite onto the beach, perhaps because they are unsure how to. A friend who flies foils and loves them(as I did), comments that other kiters don't put themselves out to assist with landing especially in stronger windier days.
So here's how:
Catch the kite fabric at the wingtip end (not the lines), simply step towards the kiter to loosen line tension and the kite will flag out downwind of you. Either sand up the wingtip or wait for the kiter to release and come takeover the kite from you. Ask if unsure.

Most foil kiters don't need assistance, but please do assist.

ha ha ^^^^

they are awesome light wind machines but i agree the price tag is rediculas

I think that Kitehard might have forgotten to mention Peter Lynn's foils also...

I've flown PL Venoms since starting kiting back in 2005 & can't complain. Sure, others don't rate them, but for ease of launch & landing alone, they make kiting enjoyable. They are considerably cheaper than Flysurfers without the hassles of the bridles.

I like the big, floaty jumps I get from my 13m & 10m Venoms & would strongly encourage anyone who hasn't tried them to give them a go before bagging them.

The new PL Synergy's are a significant improvement on the Venoms, with a seriously improved turning speed & boosting ability. I've only managed to fly a Synergy 12 once, but it was enough to know my next kite(s) will be PL Synergy's rather than going all inflato instead.

And before anyone shoots me down, I'm not selling PL's...I just think they are damn fine kites.

Juddy

this thread and subsequent jokes should take the heat off the griffin thread for a while .Ah the fun and games of winter

Now now Rellie,

we are all being polite & nice to each other today...



Juddy

Jeff R said...
Yet no body will offer to assist in the landing of foils .

Doona-flyers never need an assist with launching.....
why do they need an assist with landing ??

waveslave said...

Jeff R said...
Yet no body will offer to assist in the landing of foils .

Doona-flyers never need an assist with launching.....
why do they need an assist with landing ??

no bridle doonas don't so **** off i don't need ya

MarkFranklin99 said...

I would like to think that Kiteboarding is a sport that attracts people who are different; for the mainstream folks there are lot's of more accepted options to choose from.

What I can't reconcile is the level of narrow mindedness that seems to prevail already, and the sport hasn't even really been fully established. If a kite looks different to the norm it gets questioned.

I'm just pleased that there are and always will be individuals who dare to be different. If there weren't, we would still be flying the first and original style kite ever made. Only, we really wouldn't be, because they would be too hard to fly, and too unsafe.

It's called evolution. You don't have to seek it but don't put the pioneers down who do. Without them none of us would be out there.

Just because something has many followers does not make it the best choice. It only makes it a popular choice. History is full of examples of that, VHS/Beta, IBM/Mac, Blackberry/PocketPC/iPhone. First to market is a big driver, but it's not the criteria for a good choice.

My 2 cents worth, now I'll get off the soap box.

Have fun out there, share the joy and help one another! It's all good!

Already? .The sports been around more than 10 years .It took 5 minutes for the bagging to begin.Unfortunately this sport has just as many blinkered lemmings and bullys as the rest of western society

From the P/L manual

Launching with a helper

Launching with a helper is better than a self launch when the surface is rough (like
rocks or dirty beaches) or when you want to launch from a different location than here the kite was pre-inflated, for example if you wish to stand in the water before launching.

With the kite inflated as much as possible, the helper grabs both tips firmly, holding the sticks close together.

Make sure your lines are at 45 degrees, fully tensioned.

The helper holds the tips parallel to the ground, with the leading edge towards the edge of the wind.

When you are ready to launch, signal to your helper.

Note: make sure the helper waits until the kite takes its shape before releasing the
second tip, as letting go before the kite takes its shape can result in very dangerous situations!

The helper now first has to release the tip on top.

Keep your rear lines slightly tensioned. The kite will take its shape and the tip that
was just released wants to fly off.

At this moment the helper lets go of the other tip.

Keep your rear lines slightly tensioned until the kite has completely filled up with
air.

Landing with a helper

Fly your kite all the way to the edge of the wind window, and slowly steer it down to the ground.

A helper can then grab the spar closest to the ground.

Run forward to release the tension on your lines and the kite will flap in the wind.

The helper now lays the kite on the ground and secures the tip with some sand.

Check out the instructional pics for assisted launch/land at:

http://www.peterlynnkiteboarding.com/pdf/tsman08.pdf

You really don't need someone to help you land a PL kite, (just hold the leash and unhook, or hold one of the back lines and unhook etc). Basically though, if someone helps you, your lines are tidier. Everybody likes tidy lines!

Also; KH is very right - those Flysurfers are precision german engineering! They really are designed to milk efficiency out of the wind, and that means they need exact design and cutting. That's why they cost a lot, and also why they go upwind in nothing.

Good one Waveslave........
As I said most foil kiters don't ned help to launch or land just like most inflatable kiters, but it's safer for all especially when the wind conditions are stronger. Please don't forget that most kiting injuries occur on the beach, so do the right thing and offer to assist.
We're all part of the same sport no matter what we choose to fly. That foil kiter might well be the only person close by when you need help.

waveslave said...

Jeff R said...
It is annoying on the beach when it is blowing 25 to 27 knots & NO one will come over to assist in the landing of a Flysurfer kite .

lol.
You can never find a good kite-betty when you need one. ^^^

To the uninitiated, the doona-style launch may seem somewhat suss.
Because a doona needs to be launched dead-straight downwind,
and looks like a sick jellyfish leaping out of the water when being launched,
an inflato-guy might consider this solo move to be a bit sketchy.

Inflatos are pumped-up real hard and they frame-up solid.
They are grunt-ready on take-off.
Doonas are flaccid rags on take-off cause they are under-inflated by the wind at ground-level (on purpose)...
and therefore they only have 25% of built-in power when launched.

A doona is a limp dick of a kite on launch and doona-flyers like it that way.
They like it soft.
Only when the doona has auto-zenithed to 12 o'clock (and hovered for several minutes filling up with fresh air)...
can it attain full power potential.

Now if only they could make a doona a limp dick just prior to landing.....
requests for a kite-betty would never be heard.

Slave you really need to get your ignorance right for you to have at least a bit of cred

There are sub species of doonas
Spagghetti doonas , (theyre the ones that have all the tangly bridles)FS
no spaghetti doona (no bridles)Actually thats not true PL now have a useless bit of bridle on the wingtip
Spaghetti doonas don't auto zenith
PL doonas are generally launched on the side of the window like any kite and are full of air and not limp .They can be launched directly downwind but this is not recommended
PL doonas are the ones that are easy to land on your own even in a cyclone

With all the proposed bans from the public mainly regarding close encounters with kites why wouldnt you land somesone's doona?
Putting a doona down to rest is easier than an inflato.... grab the bottom of the kite run towards the guy, throw it on the ground when all the lines are slack and throw some sand on the kite, no flipping required. I'm happy not to land a doona flyer's kite that doesnt help out on the beach, but I'm yet to find one.

I flew foils for years and I never had any trouble getting people to catch my kites.

Most kiters have enough sense to grab fabric and hang on. It is kind of funny watching them try to turn a foil over to sit it LE down.

You can self-land a foil at the edge of the window and flag it out. It just takes practise. It's not as easy as self-landing a tube but it is doable.