I am just learning and have been using my instructor's Bow Kite but I have a C Kite and am a little unsure about using it as my instructor has said that it isn't as safe as the Bow Kite because the safety is different. Can anyone please elaborate on this as I have been told not to hook up the chicken loop and donkey dick and I would really like to go out and use my kite?

I have a Naish Boxer 8m. it's either 05 or 06, (i don't have the receipt handy) I bought it 2nd hand from a shop. I was told not to hook up because it won't depower the same way that the Bow Kite does (by just letting the bar go, which I have been told not to do with my kite)

Cool. Thanks for your help. I will have to see if my instructor will at least just give me a run down on my kite. Thanks heaps

Why didn't your instructor teach you on the kite you were going to use????
I'm a bit confused on why someone would teach you on a bow if you owe a C (unlesss you bought the kite after the lesson, but then one would have expected you to buy what you knew and were comfy with)...
I'd recommend you take another lesson with your C-kite rather than working things out on your own. Your instructor should have offered to, really... Nothing's that tricky about C-kites and they're perfectly safe if you know how to open your quick release... I believe you'd be better off having someone running you through on your first go tho. You will be more comfortable as well.

mytchook said...

I have a Naish Boxer 8m. it's either 05 or 06, (i don't have the receipt handy) I bought it 2nd hand from a shop. I was told not to hook up because it won't depower the same way that the Bow Kite does (by just letting the bar go, which I have been told not to do with my kite)

A newbie buys a kite from a shop and the staff tell him never to hook-up ??
Get-out-of-town !
What shop was this ?
Was it a kitestore ?
lol.

These days most kites have gone and become more "C" shaped. Some "C" shaped kites have bridles, some have 5 lines. You can do more stuff with a 5 line kite.
Look here www.newkiteboarding.com/latest

Best bet is to hook in to all kites to launch, theres more control being hooked in.
Also only hook your leash to a flagging safety system when on the beach.
The suicide leash set up is a bit dangerous if your flying a kite with no control.

Suicide leash.
seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6583
If you release this suicide leash it will flag the kite for you.

DaveSpruce said...

Kitehard said...

... Personally I'll be glad to see the end of the no big depower "C" kites as they seem to be ending up in the hands of newbies with little money cause people are practically giving them away. But thats another thread.

Good winds, (flame on!)

Ohh is that because you wanna sell more of your own kites and make more money? What about us that still have C kites that we want to sell you think we should burn them so the newbs can buy your kites instead?

I've been trying to sell my 11m C kite for 300 bucks, WITH bar (bar with lines is probably worth like 100-150 bucks), but no luck!! And the only reason for that is that you hybrid/bow kite retailers and teachers bag the **** out of C-kites.. Well if they are so ****ing dangerous and bad how come we could all learn on them and still walk the earth?!? What's wrong with learning on something cheaper? If I had just started I would much rather learn on something for 3-400 bucks than something for 1000 but most newbs don't even consider that because you teach on bow/hybrids and like you said, even if they do have their own C kites you don't even use them?!?! You make them take 2-3 lessons (read: pay for 2-3 lessons) before you help them out and show them on their own eq. The eq they most likely are going to use on their own..

I have sold 3 C-kites before, Wipika AMP2 13,5, Takoon Skoop2 11,5 and a North Rhino 16, all pretty hardcore C kites. All the guys I sold them to I gave a quick runthrough on how to set them up and all and then told them to take a lesson so the teachers could show them exactly how to use it. All that's needed is about 1 hour of teaching and showing how to set everything up but if you guys don't wanna do that that's pretty cheap of you..


Thankyou for your support Dave. I didn't buy my kite because it was cheap (because it wasn't) and I didn't get it off ebay I bought it from a Kite shop and the only reason that they told me not to hook it up was because I had absolutely no idea on how to do so because I had just come to this sport from Windsurfing and they said that I should have some lessons before I do anything so I wouldn't get hurt. I don't mind that I have learnt on a Bow Kite but I just wanted some advice on the difference because I am a newbie and in all honesty I don't care that my Kite is a C-Kite I just want to get out there and use and abuse my kite. Like you say it is a far better idea to learn on something a bit cheaper than to go out and possibly ruin a new kite that would have cost me a fortune.

I think it's quite funny.... I have had 3 students in the last 2 months present me with exactly the same kite that they bought on ebay before their first lesson. It was a blue and white Wipika Airblast 10. This kite has now been sold (on ebay again) to some other poor sucker wanting to get into the sport. No functioning safety, no instructions. It's a giant revenue merry-go-round.

I love teaching on SLE/Bow/Hybrid kites. I don't mind teaching on C kites. People seem to find their rhythm a lot faster with SLE's. The depower function smooths out the mistakes. C kites don't leave much room for error. I agree with Kitehard.... students' own kites should stay in the bag until their skills are sufficient to tackle their own kite.

Don't blame the shops. Some customers walk in demanding a kite to suit their budget. If all they can afford is a second hand C then that's what they walk out with. The shops have bills to pay. However, the customer should always be provided with specific instructions to operate their equipment.

I think its time to "enlighten" Spruce again !

Hey Kitecrazy,

If you are at the point where your SLE no longer depowers enough to be safe, it would be fair to say that you are using it well above it's recommended wind range.

An SLE kite will flag exactly the same as a 4 or 5 line kite provided you attach your leash to a front or back line sliding safety system (preferably front to reduce spiraling).

Relying soley on a kites ability to depower when you let go the bar (not using a safety leash which flags the kite through a front or rear line sliding safety system) is a bad idea. If you end up with a tangle, as can happen, which prevents the bar from sliding out, or the kite inverts and tangles the bridle around the trailing edge of the kite, then you have no depower and no leash to depower or flag the kite in such an emergency. Your only option is to release the kite and hope it doesn't collect someone else downwind.

Riding a leash connected directly to the chicken loop is still a suicide leash whether it be on a SLE or any other kite for that matter, and should not be considered as safe as a proper sliding safety system.

Getting caught out in ballistic conditions can happen and should only be attempted with a proper flagging leash system.

Good winds,

as if i would ride an SLE on one line ditch. firstly my leash doesnt reach the centre line ring and secondly it spins and becomes tangled especially in the surf.
I would obviously move the leash to the side line o **** handle if the conditions required but i wouldn't go out if i knew the whole time i would have it there.
if im not making any sense then why does airush make the vapour?

yes i would have been over powered but i still find the same thing when im perfectly powered, it was on shore and frontal so i wasnt going to be taking risks.

anyway, this was a topic about whether a C kite is dangerous and all i was saying was i feel safer on a good C kite rather than a kite with a bridal and no fifth line.

chook, dunno if your still reading this thread but you will be fine on the kite so long as you have your safety leash attatched to the 5th line, and practice using it a few times.... as far as donkey dicks go, if there is no way to quick release the chicken loop when you are hooked in with the donkey in place, then that is a " problem ".
You will probably find the relaunch on the 5th line kite after you have activated the safety to be a lot quicker than on the bows or 5th line hybrids.

nick

Kitehard said...

Hey Guys,

Where has the love gone in this forum? Wow, everyone is so testy Any kite is cool to fly if flown with an adequate leash system and the safety systems are up to date.

The Vapor is what I call a supported leading edge kite, it's just not bridled. In my understanding, any kite that requires the 5th to fly properly, maintain structural form, or to enable additional depower in normal flying mode is a supported Leading Edge (SLE).

A lot of different understandings of terminology these days. I wasn't suggesting you would choose to fly massively overpowered and am sure you would attach your leash to a sliding system in the event of a foreseen mishap.

Does anyone think I am only speaking to one individual when I type these posts? There are hundreds of noobs browse these forums looking for information and tips.

My original point was that 4 line "C" kites with limited depower are not as safe as hybrid/SLE/bow.

And thats way more than my 2 cents worth.

Good winds, bring back the love!

Sorry, Just wanted some advice. Didn't realise it would get like this. (I guess everyone has their preferences) I just wanna get out and have some fun!!!!!! Ain't that what it's all about?

and i get confused when i hear people call a c kite a SLE, why don't we call a non- flat kite that is c-shaped, without pulleys/multi bridles a c-kite, a flat kite a bow, and anything in-between a hybrid?

I don't know how this has ended up being so focused on how much someone has spent on their kite. All I wanted to know really was about the safety and differences between a C-Kite and a Bow Kite. I know that the C-Kites are cheaper but that is not the reason I bought it, I asked a lot of questions and did a bit of research on the topic before I bought my gear and when I bought it I also paid for lessons and was told that my kite won't be a problem as long as I get some proper instruction. I am confident with flying a bow kite but now I want to use MY kite which happens to be a C-kite and all I wanted was a bit of advice and helpful tips before I go out (with my instructor) again.

Your not bitchy at all mytchook. Get out there on your kite and have a blast. C Kites are great fun and there is a trend back to this kite style because of the direct feel you get. Surely they they will make a great come back like telemarking has in skiing.

I love flying different sorts of kites and enjoy then all. It is all what you are in to I guess...some people even make their own kites and boards. Just get to know the gear and how it works.