Background- Had a 2h productive lesson about 6 months ago, got my hands on my first kite yesterday and flew it at long reef today.

Ok well, had my first flight of my 2nd hand 2003 14m Naish x2 today (aware that its not a good beginner kite). Anyways in a 10knot wind it went pretty well, me and my mate were able to set it up and fly it withought too much difficulty. Did some drags allong the water and teh sand, and by accident learnt how to boost and controll landing, was quite the experiance.

Id like to thank the boys at windsurf n' snow for helping me with some line problems.

And id like to also ask if there is any northern beaches kiters who are willing to help a newbi trim his kite out and give some pointers.

Though today was succesful tehre were still probems i.e.
Don't think i was putting enough air into the kite
Couldnt trim the kite out
couldnt decide which knot to rig it to etc

Anyways the point of this post is to see if theres some1 out there willing to give me some pointers but id also like to extend the offer to post some of ur first experiances and problems,

Cheers

Go back and get another lesson !

Next time you "boost" you will end up in the bushes or the rocks/fence !

come back this friday you should be able to boost up over the other side of the golf course

Wow ur replies thus far have been heaps useful and constructive......IM well aware that boosting on land is dangerous. but could we get back to my original post please. I could really use the help and advice.

thankyou

Thankyou for ur constructive reply Rico, im about 78kg. I got the kite for dirt cheap, which is a big factor for me at the moment. Why are the 03 models considered dangerous as opposed to a newer bow kites?

Hi Lex, I'll try be constructive. I think the concern here is that the safety system on your 03 compared to an 07 would be considerably different. A bow has been suggested as some say they are easier to learn on.

At 78kgs I would think you could hold down a 14m in 10-18 knots as said. A newer kite for example would increase your wind range due to improved depower in kites.

I asked all the same questions not so long ago. With pumping the leading edge, you don't want to go rock hard as you may be crashing the kite hard for a few weeks yet. Still pump it firm 5-6 Psi so it keeps a good shape, you don't want it buckling. Don't bother with the knots on the pigtails just put them all on the same knot until you have a better idea. Always check your lines twice, middle front line to LE outer/steering/back lines to TE

My suggestion would be, if getting a new kite's out the question then ask a friendly experienced local to have a look at the safety system. Then reherse using it several times on the beach with someone applying tension to the line until your sure you can activate it in a hurry adequately. remembering when things go wrong it happens fast. Every millisecond counts when your hearding towards carpark/rocks etc.

Once you feel confident about yours and the publics safety go and do some more body dragging(in water). Try and get use to the pull of the kite going through the wind window. Once you've done that for a few sessions grab the board, you'll be up in no time with some persistance. Before you know it you will be looking for new gear, checking trees trying to guess the wind strength, thinking up lies to get out of commitments you already had before you knew it was going to windy. The list goes on

Hope some of that helps GL

Forgot to mention a refresher lesson would always be worth while. Can forget alot in 6 months...

Hey lex

I learn't the same way as you - on a 4 line 2003 kite. Don't forget, in their day they were fine. Newer kites are quicker to learn on and safer but that shouldn't stop you. In fact some of the techniques that I learnt on my 03 C kite have stood me in good stead.

With a 14m like yours I probably wouldn't go out in more than 17kts of wind. Also, make sure that you have a good safety release so that you can ditch the kite if you get in trouble. If you launch the kite and can't walk back upwind then you are overpowered - rather come back another day. Always launch away from people and obstacles.

One thing you must learn is relaunching a C kite off the water without a 5th line. I remember this being quite difficult without someone showing me. Do a search on this forum and the rest of the net for this technique.

Do as much as you can in the water. Bodydragging etc. You'll get hurt on the land/beach.

You should be pumping up your kite so that when you hold it up on one wingtip, it keeps its shape and doesn't fold in half.

As a general rule - If the wind is at the top of your range:
Front lines - inside knot (shortening front lines de-powers the kite)
Back lines - outside knot
and reverse for wind at the bottom of your range

If someone can show you the ropes then that would be good too as long as they are a good teacher and are willing to sacrifice some kiting to time to help you out. I've done this before for a mate after having a session so that I'm happy to help and not itching to get out there.

Good luck

If you can scrape some money together try to get your self a second hand Bow/Flat/hybred/SLE kite. I leart on a similar kite to you (wipika Wip) beacuse it was cheap after a year i was still struggling with the basics. I managed to get hold of a SLE (ozone instinct) and in one afternoon i was up and riding up wind and gybing with out my ass hitting the water.

You will find a newer designed kite will give you so much more i cant recomend it enough definatly worth the extra cash. I wish i had got one sooner.

You will get more days on the water and have a better time when your out there. BE WARNED THIS SPORT TAKES OVER YOUR LIFE.

Lex123, drop me a pm and I'll give you my number, give me a shout and we can help you out. I live in DY so we're all local. we'd rather you got your gear checked out so we don't have any incidents up here. #13;#10;#13;#10;take it easy#13;#10;Pete