Average “Texan” Review: 17M Cloud C1 and 2012 14M SS RPM

[ronnie]

Self launch and land of a C1 13m Cloud. They are very light, so self landing needs to be in light wind for the kite to stay there.



How to relaunch a C2 Cloud (probably 17m) from the water.
The key is to let the kite drift downwind, so the canopy slides onto the top of the water as it goes downwind, then the wind fills in from both sides and lifts the canopy. Don't tighten the trailing edge and trap water on the canopy.



Information on how to fly the kite at the Cloudwritings 2 section (November 3rd 2014). Worth reading the extra paragraph of someone trying to switch to a Cloud kite.
http://boardridingmaui.com/wind-cloud.html

[aeberl]

I have just traded my 14m SS RPM for a beutifull longboard and could not be happier with the trade. That kite was a disapointment each time I had to fly it. Now, when the wind is not hitting 16 knots, I am having fun noseriding until it picks up enough for my BRM 9m C2. For those low wind days I'd rather wait for the BRM 13m C.5 to be available instead of flying other B52-like kites that take for ever to react to steering input.

[ronnie]

So, is the Cloud a good kite for someone with limited experience?
I understand it's different than other kites but is it inherently more difficult to fly or relaunch? Seems to me that it has many qualities that while different, would actually benefit a beginner.

It requires a bit more finesse and the relaunch and flying are a bit different from other kites, but safety is good and though it might take a bit longer to figure it out and get used to, Greg Drexler designed it very much with safety in mind and taught his wife to kite using Clouds.