Help Foil or Inflatable

[RipItUp]

Selah

Very funny stuff, and pretty darn accurate.



Guest....

I started out on ARC's and they were great to learn on because they are so stable. Once I got some time on the water I found I just liked the performance of inflatables better. The turning response, and lift you get is great. The hard core foils like the Blades turn way tooooo slooooowwww for me. That said.... the foils will out last the inflatables in terms of longevity, but I wouldn't even worry about that. If you turn out to be a real kiteboarder, you will be so addicted to this sport dude that money won't matter anymore. In fact a lot of other things won't matter anymore. You will just want to kiteboard all the time, and you will get whatever kites and equipment you need to do that. Maybe you will like a foil, try one and see. Also try the newer inflatables. Most of the 2004 inflatables are really good. They are very stable and rarely luff or fall out of the sky like the older ones did in days gone past. There are advantages to both type of kites, but if I were starting out right now I would go straight for a 2004 inflatable.
Besides which of selah's groups do you want to be in? I must tell you a truth though.... if you buy a foil and are accepted by the foil click beware! Their acceptance of you is dependant on flying a foil. If you stray from the path of the foil grasshopper and purchase an inflatable you will have ventured over to the dark side and will be forever banned from the foil click. We all have choices to make.... choose wisely.

[funalex]

Try if you can...the problem is that the best kites are easy to try, because of a poor distribution...Peter Lynn Phantom

[funalex]

h[img]ttp://funalex.site.voila.fr/phantom/phantom3.jpg[/img]

[MonkeyAir]

Sellah!!
That was a brilliant foil vs tube personality profile. I laughed so hard, sand came out of my nose. Most of our local foil guys also fly tubes so many of the socially insecure base their kite decison on which group to associate with as their skills would not meet the perfomance bottom end of either style kite. So it's the lei, tragically hip,recalcitrant, spoiled brats or the tofu, foil, Tolstoy, Monty Pithon wisecracking, tree huggers. Whomever has the most fun without shutting the sport down for us all wins!!! One group might have more access to exotic means of transportation and lodging so may be more attractive to a potential kite buyer/ clan social acceptance group seaker than the other. Lots of lobbying to do trading between the teams like an NBA draft and often times, like the NBA, the team with the most money can pull in player they can use and then trade. So in a lot of ways many guys pick their kite and it's support group as girls pick a potential hubby...."Well he is an nice person, butt his dad did give him lots of money. I'll go with him. There's always hallucinagenics and a new range rover to get me over my decision.."" Everybody is selling some kind of kite so more finger pointing and mumbling regarding the only brand of foils (taking away from tube sales) than at the many different brands of lei we all schlep on our beach. A real comedy if you step back and watch. The rest of the world could really give a rats arse about wether you fly a PL bomba or a Naish Newcolor Newmodel. Think most people are more worried about getting food on the table. We are some blane bramaged primates in this kite game. You sure hit the screw right on the head with a hammer on that one.. Great post. If the entire town will hate you for flying something they aren't, get whatever it is they fly. For god's sake, don't be an individual...!!!!
Traig

[selah]

And I quote,

"Everybody is selling some kind of kite..."

"There's always hallucinagenics and a new range rover to get me over my decision..."

"If you stray from the path of the foil grasshopper and purchase an inflatable you will have ventured over to the dark side..."

I think these statements make the most sense in sequence as above. That or else someone's been smoking grasshoppers through foil.

Sorry gang, an irreverent piss-take. A few commas would've done wonders for that last statement, though I much prefer its Wizard of Oz imagery and will play it as it lies.

Thanks for the laffs.

[dt]

I learned with foils but I recommend you go with the flow and get inflatables because you will be surrounded by other kiters who can give you a lot of advice about learning with inflatables whereas you would be all alone with foils. With foils you launch differently and when you land, most kiters with inflatables won't know how to catch your kite. Also they won't know how to tune them, how they should look in the air or how to fix a broken or knotted bridal.

Eventually you will want to sell your kites and it would be more difficult to sell foils in a hood where everyone uses inflatables. There is a good reason all the others in your neighborhood use inflatables. Give yourself a break and go with the flow.

dt

[chemosavi]

I just got tired of pumping the thing up and always hauling around a pump. And then after freezing to death a few times because it wouldn't relaunch, and then after spending hours untangling the lines because I had to self land the kite on it's safety system and the inevitable spiraling. And that was before they (ram airs) were as good as they are now. But I kite alone and if all my buddies flew one kind that's probably what I'd fly too.

[radiorental]

Sella, you're too phucking funny.. but drinking stella... thats a little below me my friend. Red wine please.

I think DT has probably made the most valid point. I fly pl foils and would recommend them for ease of use, non luff and self launch cos I aint got no fwends. However my experience of LEIs is about 3 years old now and everyone says they dont spank so hard anymore.

If you're starting out there are so many fine points to getting the maximum amount of energy out of a pl foil. If no one is around to help and you're left begging for advice on ARCusers when your launching goes to hell in a handbasket you know you got problems.

If everyone else has an infaltable girlfriend at your local then you will have an easier time, people will want to help as opposed to scratch their heads.. grunt a little and continue about their knuckle dragging business.

As for DT's last point, WTF? if everyone else is riding a kite why on earth would they buy second hand kit of a newbie? Sell your gear on ebay to some muppet who doesnt know any better.. if you havent completely trashed it. As for going back to the dealer for parts... heh hee, thats a downside of LEIs but most dealers are cool on keeping you hooked in to paying double for pumps with the word kite on them.

pauric

[BigKahuna]

Selah,

I avoided this thread because my first reaction was, "Jeez... yet another agitated foil vs. lei post?"

... but your post definitely gets my two thumbs up!

Paul

[Kiteboarddog]

Naish Boxer
You will learn faster
Simple relaunch
Stable power
Low cost (for a naish)
surprising performance

Once you "know it all" and don't need advice at the beach you could change to foils.
Most LEI riders don't even know how to assist a foil rider.
You won't be outcast at most beaches but you won't be helped as much.
This sounds cold but many foil riders are not receptive to advice so many people (lei riders) have stopped trying.
they are all good
Just get out and ride
Joel

PS. I don't work for Naish