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How much are old kites holding me back?!

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noel1983
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Re: How much are old kites holding me back?!

Postby noel1983 » Tue Feb 13, 2018 8:50 pm

Cheers blackrat, I suspect mine to Speed 3 would feel like jumping into a Porsche....jumping to a FS5 would be like getting into a spaceship lol.

Will get in touch with some of the local people and see if anyone has anything similar I can try.

Cheers

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Re: How much are old kites holding me back?!

Postby jannik » Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:06 pm

I too would recommend Iooking at a Matrixx if you come across one. I've read somewhere that it is like an updated psycho4 but I have never flown that kite myself. I used to fly all V1 Matrixx and the 7 V2 though and still own the 7,9 and 15.

But on a budget you could also look at the Pansh A15 which is also a mid AR kite. You can get a brand new ultralite: www.panshkite.com/index.php?gOo=goods_d ... oductname=

andrewjohn
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Re: How much are old kites holding me back?!

Postby andrewjohn » Tue Feb 13, 2018 10:44 pm

noel1983 wrote:
Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:42 pm


I'm probably not gonna be out in 10ft swell and 30knts at my level so thankfully that bits not an issue!!
Hehe. I assumed that when I started.

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Re: How much are old kites holding me back?!

Postby airsail » Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:10 pm

Not too hard to analyse a poorly flying kite. If the tips are tucking try adding extra LCL extensions at the leading edge bridles at the tips, say 2 cm on the A's and 1 cm on the B's. These are very lightly loaded bridles so tend to shrink.
Bridles on foils stretch and shrink at different rates over time, tried returning a PS 3 to new bridle dimension as per FS line plan but it flew like crap. Ended up analysing what the kite was doing, removed some of the LCL extensions I had added and it is flying sweet now.
Or go down the Pansh route if price is an issue,I have heard their tuning has gotten a lot better.

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Re: How much are old kites holding me back?!

Postby kitexpert » Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:49 pm

Speed3 is still a good kite, but only if it is in tune and does not leak. Unfortunately if kite is much used both problems are there almost certainly. It is possible to correct line shrinkage, but it needs quite a lot work. Worse problem is leaking, both seams and the fabric - very difficult to repair successfully.

Last weekend I tested old 12m Speed3 Std, it felt actually quite bad because it didn't pressurize enough. Just like blackrat wrote, buyer must be very careful with old Speeds.

Differences between S3-S4-S5 are smaller than many think, there is only slight improvements. Speeds 1 and 2 is better to stay away, not that they are efficient kites but for their worse usability.

Psycho3 and Psycho4 are also both good kites if in good shape, difference to Voodoo and Psycho2 is clear. In fact both are better kites than many "normal" foil kites of today.

Matrixx is softer, slower and less aggressive kite than Psycho4. It is good kite for cruising around and it is a very light weight kite. This is for version 3, earlier models are different AFAIK.

Pansh is for sure worth considering. New crisp and airtight kite is better choice than old leaking one, even if it might need some tuning.

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Re: How much are old kites holding me back?!

Postby TomW » Wed Feb 14, 2018 1:49 am

You should get 3 lei kites that are marketed as easy and all-around kites. You'll get 3 of them with a new and safe bar for less than half the price of foil kites.
They will be way easier for you as an intermediate and you'll maximise your time on the water.
Disclaimer: i don't have any foil kites. I'm looking to get one for Hydrofoiling, been kiting 16 years and can fly a kite blindfolded and talking with someone at the same time. Still i get recommended to get a low aspect foil kite. So it can't be that easy to use them.....

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Re: How much are old kites holding me back?!

Postby jakemoore » Wed Feb 14, 2018 2:51 am

grigorib wrote:
Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:58 pm
The question is about of same essence as "how much different would be a new Porsche if I upgrade from old VW Beetle"
Well, maybe not as much but still...:)
So I'd compare it to choosing between an old Porsche 944 and a Hyundai Accent just a few years old. Unless you really enjoy the soul of an old sports car, the Accent is probably safer, faster, more reliable and more attractive to the ladies.

Voodoo 10 and Psycho2 17 were my 2 kite quiver from 2005-2007. Great kites in their day. Better depower than anything out there until the Crossbow landed. Very fond memories for me. Very little resale value today. At this point if they are in good shape I would ride them till they die.

Before buying new gear I would define what you want out of it. And don't discount the tube kites. I would rather patch a bladder than fiddle with the bridle of a kite that will only ever be so-so at best because it's porous or off-brand. TomW's advice is good.

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Re: How much are old kites holding me back?!

Postby grigorib » Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:40 am

TomW wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 1:49 am
...
Disclaimer: i don't have any foil kites. I'm looking to get one for Hydrofoiling, been kiting 16 years and can fly a kite blindfolded and talking with someone at the same time. Still i get recommended to get a low aspect foil kite. So it can't be that easy to use them.....
I've had many. I rode few more than I owned. I still own a couple.
They look pretty in the sky. They might fly in less wind. They look like a wing compared to a LEI.
I'd recommend you to try one.
So you can say "TF??!" and keep riding LEIs.

Two key comparisons in my kiting life were when I squeezed more lightwind session out of friend's 17m Core XR2 than out of my beloved 19m Speed3 Deluxe.
Flown side by side.
Second when I squeezed more power and agility out of my 10m Rally 2012 than out of my 10m Speed4
Flown side by side.

There are more reasons to fly a foil kite, but practically, for freeride foiling and for twintip jumping sessions LEI is my choice
Last edited by grigorib on Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

grigorib
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Re: How much are old kites holding me back?!

Postby grigorib » Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:51 am

jakemoore wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 2:51 am
grigorib wrote:
Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:58 pm
The question is about of same essence as "how much different would be a new Porsche if I upgrade from old VW Beetle"
Well, maybe not as much but still...:)
So I'd compare it to choosing between an old Porsche 944 and a Hyundai Accent just a few years old. Unless you really enjoy the soul of an old sports car, the Accent is probably safer, faster, more reliable and more attractive to the ladies.
...
Modern kites are shiny Cayennes and not only girls but also guys dig it. Safer, faster, predictable :)
My earliest Flysurfers were RookieII and Cool. About Voodoo period in history. Folks were still arguing back then that fixed-bridle on handles are superior. Holy crap all those could deliver some wild power....

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Re: How much are old kites holding me back?!

Postby plummet » Wed Feb 14, 2018 6:14 am

Yes, Your old kites are basically junk now. They will have very little depower and will turn like a truck.

Stepping into any foil kites or lei kites made in the last 5 years will feel like a revelation by comparison.


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