If you follow your line from your kite down to the bar, does it get to a ring then go through it and tied to another ring if so hook the leash to the ring that is attached to the line going to the kite. Then when you pull on the leash the line should run smoothly through the other ring which will flag the kite out. as your bar heads away from you. If you hook it to the ring attached to the line going to the bar and you let go of the bar the kite will loop continually. so be carefull

Hi rtlm,

It depends on the kite you have, can you tell us a brand name or even model? I'm thinking if it is a 5m and 2 line, it is likely to be a Wipika Classic or earlt Wipika Freeair or maybe a Naish 3.5 (With the hawaiian turtle or pirate logo in the middle of the canopy.

These assumptions are based on the premise that it may be an inflateable kite, if it is a foil kite, that changes everything.

For the inflateable kites, they used to use a fixed leash system with a long line connected to a wrist leash. The line from wrist cuff to where it is TIED onto the flying line should be approximately 3m or so from the bar.

If it is a reride system similar to what Waxman is talking about, the side lines should slide through the bar ends and have a knot or stopper ball to prevent the line slipping through the bar. There is usually a small loop under the ball which you can connect a leash to. When you let go of the bar, the line should slide through the bar thus pulling on only one line and flagging the kite.

The old kites of their day were almost all fixed systems with the leash connected up the line by 3 or so metres, so be wary and make sure if you can before you attach a sliding type leash system to a fixed bar as it will lead to your immediate demise

If it is a foil kite, there is little you can do aside fromrun a third line down from the leash to the centre of the trailing edge of the klite and leave it a bit slack when flying.

If you are unsure please feel free to call me and I can talk you through it or sort it out for you over the phone. 0433 982 696

Cheers,

DM

It does sound like a bit of a relic, are you sure the guy that gave it to you is a friend. Just be careful with it as you said it isn't a trainer it is a old sle kite that could become quite dangerous if used incorrectly. It could pay to look for a trainer or just go and get some lessons and forget about the kite for now.

Um, yes....... 7.5m long, and I assume at least average 1m or likely more wide - we are talking at least an 8-10m2 kite, possibly more.....and 2 lines no less - with a wrist leash?

Be afraid, be very afraid....

rtlm said...

The kite is a "Torque eighty-eight" and measures 7.5m from wingtip to wingtip, so I'm guessing not a trainer kite (does seem to generate a lot of power even in lesser winds)
It is inflatable and the wrist leash measures just over 3m. The cord going from the bar to the lines is exactly 3m so I am guessing that is where I should tie it on?

Err, I think that's actually a (very) old Slingshot kite.

Funny enough, someone's trying to sell a couple on seabreeze. Does it look like either of these?

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing/Kites/~r08_c/2002-Slingshot-Torque-12-metre.aspx?search=dGwB0wElmDPoiUvm5H1M9A2BT5WRDyVP&t=0

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing/Kites/~r08_j/2002-Slingshot-Torque-9-metre.aspx?search=dGwB0wElmDPoiUvm5H1M9A2BT5WRDyVP

Trant said...
Err, I think that's actually a (very) old Slingshot kite.

Funny enough, someone's trying to sell a couple on seabreeze. Does it look like either of these?

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing/Kites/~r08_c/2002-Slingshot-Torque-12-metre.aspx?search=dGwB0wElmDPoiUvm5H1M9A2BT5WRDyVP&t=0

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing/Kites/~r08_j/2002-Slingshot-Torque-9-metre.aspx?search=dGwB0wElmDPoiUvm5H1M9A2BT5WRDyVP

lol, someone is cleaning junk out of the garage. I think the "novelty" wore off pretty quickly in 2002 with that beast. Love the Stonker directional!

rtlm, you seem to have the right attitude and you will be learning kite skills with what you are doing. However be very careful and only fly it in light winds (under 15kts) with lots of space and no "joe public" around. When you can, get proper lessons and upgrade to a modern (safe) kite. Don't try to progress to higher winds or board riding with it. It can of course be done and plenty of people did learn on that type of kite. Plenty came to grief too.....

Also, forget the leash. You don't want that thing attached to you and if you are in lighter winds you won't need it.

4 lines might help a little, but the reality is that you have a Model T kite. You could wack some modern brakes in it but it is still going to be a dog.

You can buy 2nd hand kites very cheaply these days that are still fine for learning. There were some significant leaps forward in safe and user friendly designs since 2002 (mainly SLE profiles) and any entry level kite from 2007/2008 onwards will work OK for you. Before that the designs made the learning curve much steeper and much riskier.

Alternatively; buy a 2-4m power kite from Pansh kites, and get safety leashes. Heaps cheap and gave me amazing fun and kite skills. I actually (truth be told) got started on a stunt kite :)

By the time i hit the water i was riding upwind in a few hours, backrolls in a week.the more time you practice with a trainer now the more you can focus on board skills and jumps when you hit the water.

Here's a vid of how i got started, i went from stunt kite to power kite in a few weeks, when i got back to Aus (filmed in San fran) bought a Proper kite immediatley:

So much fun to be had in the learning stages... I used to own a tiny inflatable trainer, I rigged up a pole from tip to tip and used my longboard with it... very good for flat coastal plains.

And as for the kite, don't be too discourage by the relic, yes they are dangerous and the newer kites anything post 07 really are much safer and easier. But they wouldnt be anywhere without those old kites, I started in 06 with a Naish X4 (14 metre C kite)... wayyyy too much power for my 70KG frame, but it looked cool, was cheap and kept me interested long enough to buy real gear.