Upgrading after 8 years

[Laughingman]

Hey SENDIT,

I appreciate the response. I will look in to those. what about the LF solo 12m vs 15.5?

I'm gonna agree and disagree with SENDIT

The 14.5 Flite is a very powerful kite... so at 150lbs I would consider the 12m instead. You could easily use it with a surf board in 10 knots. I am 180lbs and use the 14.5m Flite with a twin tip in 10 knots, and I would not choose to fly it past 16 knots, rather take the 12m from 14 knots and up.
Oh and if you get a chance try the 10m or the 8m... they just keep getting more fun as you go!

[Soccer Du25]

I rarely would be at 10mph, but I have been in conditions at myrtle with my 11m waroo that I've needed to work the kite a ton in order to stay up. Granted that could be fixed with a surfboard. The added area would keep me up.

On that note I think It sounds like trying to find a 12m/9m combo wold be good. I will look on CL and used at real and kittyhawk. Issue is that I'm paying out the a$$ for a 2016, and that's all that I can demo!

New question. When I bought my waroo I literally spent $120 on the kite, $80 for a new bladder, $25 for the harness, and $50 for the bar. What on earth is up with the $200-500 range for bars!? I know that I'll only need to buy one bar for my kites so long as it's compatible, but really. What makes a $500 bar so special?

Would you guys steer me away from buy from the shops there? My experience is you usually over pay by a lot for buying in the shops. I know I can save a lot by buying on the manufacturers website, but I have to buy while I'm there.

[Soccer Du25]

thats 68kg right? So you gonna use your SB only or still use a TT. sounds like both. So something in the all round category. Pick a main kite, your workhorse that you will be on 70-80 percent of the time. Build a quiver around that. You are better off being 80 percent of the time in the sweet spot of your main kite than being in no mans land 80 percent of the time over two kites trying to cover a bigger wind range. That can be a lt of money in the sky (or sitting in your shed) doing little to f*** all. 142 for 68kg, that's pretty big..I'd get a smaller TT and your main kite would be between 8-10, depending on how much you'll spend on your SB or your TT. more on the TT a bigger kite in that range. TT's have also evolved, what year is it? I'd say 9-12 as per most would be a good start, then as someone said add a cheaper smaller kite. Mine only gets used 4 or 5 times a year, so I don't spend much on it. My workhorse though needs upgrading most years.

My bad, I meant to type that I am on a 132cm misfit.

[Laughingman]

What makes a $500 bar so special?

Would you guys steer me away from buy from the shops there? My experience is you usually over pay by a lot for buying in the shops. I know I can save a lot by buying on the manufacturers website, but I have to buy while I'm there.

Bars are over priced but you can find some blowout deals. A bar is a very individual thing, I would really look at all the options and buy the bar that has the features that are most important to you.
Features like
method of trim - above the bar or below the bar? Cleat or pull/pull? Adjustable throw or not?
centerline... double or single, Covered in PU or not?
Chickenloop... do you like one that opens or one that fully detaches?
below the bar swivel, above the bar swivel or both?
adjustable width or fixed?
etc...

I can't say I am much of a supporter of brick and mortar shops... I'd like to say I am but no one has ever really made the impression they really wanted my business. I know many people who have scored major blowout deals from Real and KittyHawk so definitely worth a look. They also have gear swaps so go to those! And you can pretty much bet there are a lot of used gear for sale in the local craig's list or kijiji ....

[Westozzy]

Alright at the height of your season where you get the most true winds and the best sessions are to be had...

What is your main wind range. (In knots please).

Is the wind thermal, trade, frontal?

What is the water type. Flat. Waves, ocean chop and is there any currents to be had. ?

[Soccer Du25]

usually 10-23 knots when I go.

Not sure the type of winds

Ocean chop

[ragzilla]

Sorry..... off the topic here.....

Do you have to pay $100 to demo a kite at Real????
That's pretty messed up to charge somebody money to 'try before you buy'
Just imagine you went to a car dealer and they charged you $1000 to take a rest drive.

Secondly, .... does Real not let you demo anything other than 2016 model kite's??
WTF??
Outta principle I wouldn't give them my money for a kite.... I wouldn't buy anything from them.

West Ozzy will back me up, here in downunder, I could walk into any kite shop in any given day, and they will happily let me demo a 2016 kite for free, or demo pre-season gear, or even 2nd hand gear on consignment....
Recently I traveled 5 hours and left my harness at home..... so I called a local shop and they let me borrow one.... FREE OF CHARGE..... I'm not even one of their customers......
When I returned the harness I gave them a 6pack of beer

WTF real???
You guys suck.

OP- don't even waste your time buying from them, go find a shop that will truly appreciate your business and will help you as a customer

[styleito]

Real's "demos" are really just daily rentals. You pay for a rental and can switch as many times as you want that day. If you buy, your rental fee is applied towards the purchase.

If you're okay with that, hold on, it gets worse.

- You're limited to items in their rental fleet.
- Unless you're taking lessons or staying in Watermans resort, you can't launch from Real.

So, to demo a kite at Real you have to:

1 - Give them $100.
2 - Drive somewhere else.
3 - Set-up the kite.
4 - Ride for awhile.
5 - Pack-up the kite.
6 - Drive back to Real.
7 - Repeat steps 2-6 as many times as you're able.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Kitty Hawk Kites. I stopped in there one day just to get a replacement strut valve and Nick says: "If you want to kite today, you can launch here and demo anything in the store."

[Westozzy]

Yeh you wouldn't last long here charging for demos. They write off this usage (must be a type of depreciation use anyway then sell them at the end of the year. It's part of doing business.

You say 10-23? No... On a normal good day, what's the range. 10-23 would be considered a cluster f*** of a day here and most wouldn't bother.

[FLandOBX]

Demo days at Kitty Hawk Kites this season are Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can ride there for free and, if you want, demo their stuff for free. They will help you launch and land, and you can use their air compressor and grassy rigging area.

REAL rents kites (it's a rental, not a demo), but you can't ride at their location unless you are taking a lesson or staying in their condos. Occasionally, REAL takes demo stuff to another location (e.g., Kite Point), but it's not often or a regular occurrence.