Hi,

Got the new 2012 Rebel 10m today and took it for a spin this arvo. I had it on the faster turning setting and felt pretty good. I was wondering if there are any other things you can to tune the kite better?

Cheers.

... there is one thing you can do, apart from adjusting the steering speed and that is adjust the bar throw by moving the cleat. The manual shows you how by the way. You can shorten permantely for short arms or for permanent power, instead of using the stopper ball but by moving cleat closer can make it easier to reach depower rope with your shorter arms.

Like Darren says, the Rebel flys great out of the bag!

cheers,

Robbie

... sort of off topic but, anyway heres my comments, to follow up on George's info (inside joke for Eppo) we had a good bit of wind yesterday, and while self launching I noticed a girl who is learning walking behind me, walking back up wind. I'm in the middle of self launching and now walking backwards just about to load up the lines and I notice she has stopped, right behind me, exactly where I'm about to walk myself.

She has the kite on the ground, pinned, as in has it steered there. "Whats up", I ask her and with a little fear in her voice she tells me she doesn't know how to get the kite down. With my kite now starting to slide slowly into position to self launch I tell her to slowly bring kite up and down again, as kite touches ground pull above the bar, the red 5th line. She pulls about 1/2 a meter and says, "it doesn't work". With the kite nearly about to go, I reach over and grab the red 5th line and pull in 3 arm full of line and her kite flops over, safe. I turn my attention to my kite and launch no worries. All good.

Got me thinking that maybe a little more attention needs to be given to beginners when learning regarding self launching and self landing and in this case, if in doubt, just pull the 5th line till the kite has stopped. Do they pay any attention to this in lessons, I'm not sure, haven't been there so don't know. I asked but she had a blank look????

If you have a new kite, why not take the time to try out how it behaves launching, landing and self rescue situation. I do it every new kite I get, so when the sh!t hits the fan your not surprised. I suggest, get in the shallows, fly the kite through the powerzone and punch out, get the kite in the worst position and see how it reacts, that way your not caught out in a real situation.

Anyway, enough off topic blah blah,

cheers for now,

Robbie

ps ^^^^^ + 1 on the check your line lengths, its worth it to keep your kites performance 100%, they still fly ok, just better if you lines are good!

Cut the 5th line off of it.

... yeah cut the 5th, thats helpful ... anyway on with my take on the self launch!

Since we have big tides and huge beaches, to self launch near the water can involve a 500m walk, so were all usually spread out and do it on our own. All of us self launch and are fairly good born out of necessecity. The day I saw my 13 yro son, self launch in 20 knots, and did it safely with ease was a great day for me and if a teenager can do it, every one can!

The two ways is running lines upwind or downwind of the kite when its sitting on the beach. For no other reason but just because, I started running my lines upwind and usually that way all the time, I run my lines upwind. When I was teaching myself, I figured that the bar ends up the right way when you grab it, as opposed to upsidedown whe you run your lines downwind.

1: Put kite down in an area where you have room for it to slide incase something goes wrong and make sure there are no sticks/rocks etc so if it does slide the leading edge doesn't get damaged or get caught up with someone/something else.

2: I usually put board on kite, fins up and if windy, put sand on also.

3: Run lines exactly upwind and connect to kite.

4: When ready, go to kite, pick up board, remove sand and pick it up on the leading edge right at the middle.

5. Lift up kite, don't flip over or anything, just pick it up and walk it upwind til you get to the Y point, then walk 45 degrees towards the way you want the kite to go ie kite towards the water usually. The idea is to get the line free from the kite so if it does slide, your lines can't catch on anything.

6. Put kite down and turn it slightly toward water then run to bar with your board and get the safety on, throwing board down so now its out of the way.

7. Walk around and away from your kite til you can see its underneath, until your 90 degrees from it and the wind direction.

8. Walk backwards away from kite slowly with your top hand on the bar (if the kite is on your right, your left hand will be on the bar to steer it up, or if your kite is on your left then your right hand will be the one to steer it up). Walking backward till your lines start to tighten and you see the kite move. Keep holding the bar, and keep walking backwards slowly.

9. As the kite starts to catch wind, you walk slowly backwards and slowly upwind. If you imagine, the kite sliding in an arc, you do the opposite, as if your the one sliding, but your walking upwind and around. The amount of upwind walking you do is also dependant on wind strength, the lighter the wind, the further up wind you'll need to be for the kite to roll over. By doing the walking upwind and backwards you sort of keep the kite in one spot pivoting at that point so you mimimize the sliding kite.

10. The kite may slide into position but timed well with experience you can get it to stay put. When the kite gets to its balanced point it will want to roll over and now be on its edge and ready to steer up. Strong wind will do it sooner and quickly so watch out. Have your other hand ready to punch out!

Important note: don't do too fast in stronger winds, it can roll over and if too agressive, slide too far and hot launch and even worse, catch an edge, loop and really make it a bad day. Steady is the key! More wind means go slower!

Important note 2: remind yourself where the safety is and be ready to punch out, just incase you stuff up and need to let go.

11: You may have to walk downwind a little depending upon how fast you've done the roll over, but once rolled over slowly steer up to sky. Don't try to steer too fast as the canopy may scrap the ground and damage kite, slow and steady till you get really familiar.

12: Grab board and have fun!

Hope this helps

Good luck and have fun.

cheers,

Robbie

Yes logic dictates cutting the fifth, it is a 4 lines kite - it is called the fuse by the way. The rebel will not fly on 4 lines, the fifth is loaded.

and your notion of no dramas ona 4th line shows a degree of ignorance. Please give advice when you only know what you are talking about, unless of course it was for pure humorous reasons, which is cool.

Charlie, leave the fifth on...

Hi if you have any question reguarding your new kite the guy at the shop where you bought it should have shown you how it set it up and any tuning options!!!!
Rod

the walks said...

when self-launching, ALWAYS make sure your kite is fully depowered,

... yes + 1, put this at say 3.1 in my list!

Did the visual, get ya totally. Differences. I set up lines downwind, then used to turn the kite at 45 degrees, but in place. Hence at 90 degrees the lines do have a chance to catch.

Also your point of moving upwind as the kite pivot in an arc essentially downwind, in a counter mover makes sense. it will, if done correctly, avoid what i have always got the kite drifting on the sand heaps before the 'roll over'. Your method of walking upwind and backwards gives much greater chance of the kite pivoting in one place - also greatly reduces the chance of a hot launch. Then if you are too upwind, just move downwind a little for it to catch, probably best to do this anyhow to get the leading edge off the sand.


I have one question and it's a real dumb one.

When you pick up the kite a lay it back dwon at 45 degrees, facing the leading edge away from the wind (i.e more canopy to collect wind), do you put sand back on the kite and if so where mainly?? Dumb but I like to think of everything as you can tell by now...

a vid would be just awesome...cheers mate

Hey didn't realise it was you vidoeing your son, cool mate. 13 hey, so i only have 8 years to wait before i can ktie with mine. Yeh water/wind reminds of time up past karratha, (obviously more so where you are), but same principles, big tides, real sediment style beaches (which can be a bitch for wear if you slide it too often) and light winds.

I am wondering though, if you rig up the other way (as most do), and you just turn the kite a little away from the wind - as the 45 degree walk does, you will still then be walking behind the kite - i.e. be in the same position as your son was in - you just wouldn't be walking as far, nor would you have to drag the kite - just lift a little and turn.

but, but I presume you method, gets all lines out the way as they blow away from your and downwind, hence no chance of catching...is that why you do it this way...

and I suppose you don't have to twist the bar, it's already correct. Sometimes when self launching if not in right position it launches as it untwists - a delayed reaction from the bar end to the kite end...

Just did another visual, yeh I can see your method really does reduce certain things that can occur - especially at the top end of your kites, where we ride nowadays after the years in the water...mmmm

Hey tell ya son next time I want to see him land it...ha ha ha how's he doing now in the water?

I tend to self launch a lot now as it is quick and easy, my mates often get me to help them first, which I don't mind. This is what I do. 1. Set up your bar run lines down wind. 2. Attach kite and put on a little sand. 3. Turn nose of kite down wind until the wing tip furthermost down wind starts to catch some air from the under side of the wing. 4. Walk back hook on, then walk to a cross wind position. 5. Pull the wing tip that is already catching some air towards you, the kite will fill with air roll on it's side into a normal launch position. You just have to watch that it doesn't get blown down wind be ready to sheet out if it does. Cheers Egga.

Yeh pretty much how I used to do it or maybe still will. But robbies method lifting kite to the y then basically do what you do in situ seems to clear all the lines. Also without a twist needed. But in the end you are in the samle position. I still learnt a lot from Robbie method but will combine his with yours/ ours. Just the technique of once you are ready to launch to work against the slide of the kite.