SA
7 posts
Any one know how to self land a switchblade 2
QLD
476 posts
I use a sand bag (nike gym bag 600x300x300mm) with a stainless carabiner ($10 from the yacht supplies section of the local hardware store) attached to the bag by about 1m of strong rope.
Landing: Before getting near the beach clip your safety leash to the ring on the left steering line. At beach punch the bar through the override stopper so you have full depower available. check bag is still in good position - move/drag if need be. Get close to carabiner, get kite almost on the deck, then push bar all the way out and let kite rest on wingtip on sand. It might jiggle a bit but basically should stay pretty stable. Unhook your chicken loop and clip it to the carabiner, and then walk up one of the center lines to the kite.
Same in reverse to launch. I've done it in gusty 22-28knots with my 12m, no problems.
There is a vid on the kiteforum site....search under "self-launch bow kite" or something. Saffer was the author....he has a link on seabreeze too.
There is also a vid on kitetv.com called "east side ride" or something similar where one of the cab team riders self lands by flying the kite out the side of the window, and then just lets go the bar and hauls in on the center line (several meters, well up to the point where the lines have split above the depower buckle) and the kite just falls gently foward and lands le down on the sand. I haven't tried this one yet cos I don't have much beach to play with, but I should give it a try over shallow water just to get the knack.
Hope that helps! what size SB2 did you get and where are you riding? Great kite by the way, but you gotta take the time to keep the pulleys as clean as you can.
Andy
WA
272 posts
Yeah try it in light winds first so you get the hang of it.
You'll need to fly the kite about 15-20 ft of the ground (make sure your safety is attached) then steer the kite slowly toward the ground whilst move toward the kite. During this part you need to give a sharp yank on the centre line closest to the ground. This will pull the kite onto its guts (leading edge down)
just make sure you get to the kite pretty quick in strong winds to put sand on it. After a while it'll be a piece of cake...
ps dont try this is you've got beachgoers downwind in case you stuff it up.
any Q's just flick me an email
Cheers
Dale
WA
1140 posts
As Dale says,but,pull the trim strap all the way in for max depower beforehand,and let the bar all the way out,then yank the centre line.
QLD
853 posts
make sure it is the centre top line tho,
VIC
772 posts
Center top line for sure. (I actually go for both of them first then about 3 meters of the top one, bit of a knack but it comes LE straight down)
WA
54 posts
Hello, I self land my SB2 by firstly depowering the kite fully through the stopper unit so i have full depower available, fly the kite at about 40 degrees at the edge of the window, i then fly the kite forward and towards the ground so when the kite is about half a meter off the ground it has flown as forward as possible to the point it cant fly any more forward and wants to drift backwards, when the wingtip is just about to hit the ground i grab the front line closest to me about 12 inches ontop of the trim strap and pull down, the LE drops forward and the kite lands on the ground.
