I did a lesson in botany bay and by the end i kited from kurnell back over to brighton. I went and bought a 2008 Liquid Force Havoc 12m. What i didnt think about in the lesson was that i'd have to ride switch to get back.... Anyway, i have been out a few times with mixed results, and im loving it. A problem i have had a number of times in winds rangin up to 20 kts is: When i am stationary and i let the bar out the kite will fly at 12 o'clock upwards. If i leave the kite at 12 it will often fly over my head and stall. It will often fall all the way to the ground but sometimes the lines go tight again in the window and i get dealt with. haha. This happens when im about to water start, when im walking upwind. pretty much all the time. What could be the problem? could it be the kite, as i have been told its more of an intermediate kite? Another problem i have is if i let go of the bar it wont stay at 12 oclock like i see many other kiters do. i have to constantly steer it to keep it from turning. When i did the lesson i used a 2010 cab switchblade and it never got close to stalling and would stay at 12 quite comfortably. Any ideas would be great Thanks

Sounds like it could be a trimming problem or your lines have stretched John. I suggest you to get advice from a local instructor, and ask them to have a fly on your kite.

Often when the kite falls out the sky, it is caused by one of the following errors:

- too much back line, i.e. back lines are set too long for the conditions, or too much depower has been put on,
- backlines have stretched longer than the front lines, or
- the user let the bar out too much.

First I would check if your lines have stretched. Peg the bar down (not the chicken loop), depower rope set to maximum power setting, and see if all 4 lines are of same length.

If you rig your back lines to the most outer knot, move it in to the 2nd or 3rd knot and see if it still falls out the sky. Setting it to the next knot in changes the angle of attack and will make the kite sit futher back in the wind window. The Havoc has got tremedous depower so I very seldom set the kite to the most outer knot unless it is in overpower conditions. Also setting on the inner knots allow faster and more responsive turning.

The Havoc was our top selling kite in 2008 and certainly stalling or falling out the skiy was not an issue. The kite was voted kite of the year by a number forums/magazines around the world, so set it up properly and you will have tons of fun with it.

Let me know if you still have problems, or send me a PM with your number and I'll call to help.

Padi

Jmorson said...

I did a lesson in botany bay and by the end i kited from kurnell back over to brighton. I went and bought a 2008 Liquid Force Havoc 12m. What i didnt think about in the lesson was that i'd have to ride switch to get back.... Anyway, i have been out a few times with mixed results, and im loving it. A problem i have had a number of times in winds rangin up to 20 kts is: When i am stationary and i let the bar out the kite will fly at 12 o'clock upwards. If i leave the kite at 12 it will often fly over my head and stall. It will often fall all the way to the ground but sometimes the lines go tight again in the window and i get dealt with. haha. This happens when im about to water start, when im walking upwind. pretty much all the time. What could be the problem? could it be the kite, as i have been told its more of an intermediate kite? Another problem i have is if i let go of the bar it wont stay at 12 oclock like i see many other kiters do. i have to constantly steer it to keep it from turning. When i did the lesson i used a 2010 cab switchblade and it never got close to stalling and would stay at 12 quite comfortably. Any ideas would be great Thanks

Thanks for the help guys, il check a few things and go out a few more times. If im still having problems il come down to brighton. Thanks again

koma said...

If it is just a beginner error and not a tuning problem then two things should fix it:
1. Don't leave the kite at 12. There's just no need. If your in the water getting ready to go, then leave the kite at 11 or 1.
2. Especially don't leave the kite at 12 and fully depowered.

Most kites in perfectly smooth winds will be able to stay at 12 depowered, but throw a single gust into the mix and it'll shoot the kite over your head, slack lines, and down she goes. If you keep the bar pulled in a bit (~50%) then it should make the kite a bit more stable.

thats exactly what i did wrong the other day, learned.
cheers

I have a havoc to, i think its a great kite, but i have been going for a few years now... anyway, something else which i dont think has been mentioned, if you are going to be faffing around and getting ready pull the stopper down so there is some back line tension, this will keep it a little further back in the window.. then when your ready to go push it out a little.. It is also good to use so when riding so if you let go of the bar it doesnt end up so far away and you can easily grab it Caution tho, the stopper on the havoc works great... ie, it will never let go so dont pull it down to far

You arent stalling it. Stalling is when it will drop backwards. You are overflying it dude.

Oh and the Havoc is a piece of crap too