Full kite deployment in water for safety (and access).

[FredBGG]

There have been many accidents due to dangerous launch spots.
One death recently at Lake Mohave of a very experienced rider.

Lake Mohavi, like Lake Isabella have both gusty winds and very crowded launch areas as well as rocks.

For this reason I want to share my experience with deep weater kite deployment.

I got intrested in this option when I wanted to teach my son to kitesurf.

The best spot to teach around here is Belmont shores, but the problem for me was that you only need on irresposible kiter to kill your kid... or scare the shit out of him.

So I decided to try launching my kite from deep water to see if I could teach my son from a small (affordable) inflatable boat with a small outboard engine (with a propellor cage for safety).

Anyway my forst attempt was to go out with my kite fully rolled up on my surfboard.
Then sitting on my surfboard I would pull out and deploy the kite.... a Flysurfer Pulse 2......

Anyway To cut a long story short it wokrd and I have so far had a 100% success rate
doing this water launch by drifting the kite from either a surfboard or a boat. I'm sure it would be doable with a twin tip and the help of a life vest.

For my sons lessons it was great. I gave him the lessons just inside the breakwater a mile or two from the crowds.

So I see this technique being a damn good idea for dangerous launch spots.
This with the use of big boards and small kites could make risky spots much much safer.

Now please don't read this as pimping any particular kite. Just want to make people aware of this option.

Anyway if anyone is intrested I'd be happy to continue the thread with details of how to do it.
Also anyone with ideas on how to do the same thing with other kites please jump in.
Some new kites have intresting new re-ride abilities that my make them apropriate for this kinfd of launch. The Spleene Q could be a candidate.

I think that ideas that in particular don't require a boat will be most intresting.

[OzBungy]

...

Anyway To cut a long story short it wokrd and I have so far had a 100% success rate
doing this water launch by drifting the kite from either a surfboard or a boat. ....

How many times have you done it?

[bloah]

I ve done it too two times, works perfect.

here is the video of other guy doing it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2PCJsKf3Jo

[FredBGG]

...

Anyway To cut a long story short it wokrd and I have so far had a 100% success rate
doing this water launch by drifting the kite from either a surfboard or a boat. ....

How many times have you done it?

About 10 times from within a small inflatable 8 hp dingy. Two times from the dingy, but jumping in and doing it all from in the water. Three or four times paddling out on a surfboard.

However I have not tried it yet in over 25mph wind.

The hardest part.. when paddling out on a surfboard has been getting my harness on....
well actually I already have the harness on, it's hooking the damn spreader bar in.

[ian c]

Dodgy launches - are they worth the risk?

I mention launching unhooked and people look at me like some kind of freak, or that is too hard...

1. Position your board as close to the water as possible
2. Tune you kite for unhooked properly
3. if you can't hold on in full control unhooked you have no business launching where you are.
4. Don't learn to launch unhooked at a dodgy spot
5. Don't aim to hold on for grim death THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT - the whole idea is to be able to let go in a gust or if things go wrong - not to get hauled onto your head.
6. If you have never unhooked and let go of your kite you are mad because you need to learn this, it is more important than getting a sandy kite. The reaction the first time you need to do this is soooo bad when I have been teaching people - only the 2nd 3rd time do they understand that letting go is the key to their safety - not hanging on.

just some thought and ideas...

[Kosh]

The most scary part with kiting is being in deep water with the kite and lines in the sea.
Always afraid when the lines loose tension. Too easy to suddenly get a part of your body around a line..
Would never try doing the stuff in the video (unpacking and launching the kite from water)

[diraklib]

Getting the lines sorted would be my biggest worry, but I suppose if you had a spool for each of the four lines you could manage that. A friend of mine self-launches by wrapping a leash around one of his car wheel spokes and then sets the kite on edge at the edge of the window, goes back to the chicken loop hooks in, unhooks from the "car leash" and that's that. Would you use the same principles in a deep water drift launch?

After "anchoring" your kite with a leash attached to a boat would you jump in and pull one of the back lines to get the kite on edge while still anchored or would you hook in once you know your lines are sorted, LE down, kite downwind, do a water relaunch, get your board and you are off? Looks/sounds reasonable on paper, but...

[Feng]

Ihere is the video of other guy doing it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2PCJsKf3Jo

Well, he is a Flysurfer team rider on the boat with the Flysurfer boss.
Does it really count ?
Does it really work daily for the "average kiter" ?

[bloah]

Ihere is the video of other guy doing it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2PCJsKf3Jo

Well, he is a Flysurfer team rider on the boat with the Flysurfer boss.
Does it really count ?
Does it really work daily for the "average kiter" ?

If needed it will work, besides how often do we need deep water launch anyway. But it could come up handy some time.

[voodoospirit]

already did it one time , it worked.

wind died, i packed the kite, started to swim to the shore
the wind came back; i unpacked, inflated the kite and launched it.
i m an average rider.