I think I recog. the accent and face on the vid.

This technique works, but must be practiced, and you will always have that "slide" of the leading edge on the launching surface. Clean white beaches with no shells, or grassy spots are about the only place you can even attempt to try this one until you almost eliminate the dreaded "slide" and POP!

The reality is, most kite launching surfaces are littered with shells, rocks, bottles...you name it! Due to 2 POPS I'm on my 2nd leading edge bladder, and my kite looks like scarface from all the sewing. I really try to avoid self launches. I'm a big boy and can do it, but do not like it at all. The best self launch for the bow is in offshore winds, and that is when I'm usually alone anyway. It the same launch as on land, but the surface is the water...a surface that kites are made to withstand.

It is best when having a bow kite to have lots of freinds on the beach and to get that you need to land and launch as many others as possible. Bow kiters are social by necessity...and they are all gay EMO's.

thats how i launch my waroo....

you can actually get it to kinda roll onto its tip and it doesnt slide one tiny bit once you practice... but you gotta move fast....

quote:

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Originally posted by eightfootplus

whats a gay EMO ?

looks like some fun is to be had at Dolls with those starts.

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Yep, its so simple and once you are in the water Dolls is a place to have some fun. heaps of us launch like that at Dolls all the time. I did it last night with my 16M SB in approx 12/13 knots, did not get dragged one inch, too easy.

Don't knock until you try it, you do not even get dragged. If you move upwind slightly as the kite rolls there is virtually no slide and no damage to the kite.
There is hardly any pressure on the leading adge where it is contacting the ground anyway.

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve McCormack

Well done Steve and thanks to Richies and Others AAAAAAAAAAAAAll info is helpfull a Vido on Landing would be good.
Thanks again for Kitepower going the exther mile.

yeh I can do the same thing with my normal kite.

But I wouldnt do it in over windy conditions cause the kite might run off the wind without sand pinning it down.

From the video the crossbow seems perfect to self launch in super windy conditions

Is it easy fishing the bar back and pulling the turning line for relaunch?
There will be fully heaps of pull (off the wind) when its blowing harder.

Good job, we can all self launch better now.

No worries Gone to DS, we will try to do another one on self landing soon, now that we have a shop video camera.

Someone from Caloundra sent me a private message about the self launch video but somehow I deleted it, please contact me again.

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve McCormack

I've been self landing a crossbow - doing the hover on wingtip pull top centre line till the kite sits flat on the beach method - for almost a year now.

What I'm finding now as I go out in stronger winds.... is that this potentially is pretty dangerous as the kite can take off again....

Would like to know if there are any other ways?

Don't be scared to use the sandbag technique if you're alone. A lot less likely to damage your kite and if you pack the bag with enough sand, your kite won't go anywhere. You can still walk up the centre lines if you worried.

Airush sell the bags for around US$10 but you could probably make your own with an old pillow case.

This shows the basic technique for self launching. Self landing would be the same but I would advise walking towards the kite with your hand on one of the front lines.

It was a step by step guide originally put together by the Naish dealer in Cape Town, South Africa, and posted onto kiteforum, but I'm pretty sure it could be achieved with any bow kite.

http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2328980

I would advise testing in various conditions to make sure the bag is weighted down enough to hold the kite, so you don't end up chasing the kite. The other alternative that was mentioned was using a stake in the ground, however I reckon this would be dangerous on the odd chance someone lands their kite on top of your stake and it rips their kite.

The reverse launch works well but has pros and cons. The con is that any time you're dragging your leading edge on sand, you have the potential to damage the leading edge if it catches a sharp shell. Its one of the reasons its better to get someone to launch and land you than self launch and land.

The sand bag alternative does work for launching and landing and is nice if you're in a location where all of you are kiting so there is unlikely to always have someone on land to launch and land your kite, but again, if you have someone who can launch or land you, use them.