Hi Guys,
Does anyone one have or know of a trainer kite they or someone else wants to sell? Preference would be in the 2 to 3m range. I do not mind brand, as long as it has three lines and in good condition I am happy.
Thanks a million,
Cheers
Hey
I recently bought an Ozone Imp 1.5m ($239) and its doing the job. I was told by the shop I bought it from (kitepower) that size doesnt really matter for training.
Its got 3 lines for easy relaunch.
I've had 3 goes and I can now fly it with my eyes closed :)
Cheers
Jonny
The Ozone Imp 2.5m is great.
Enough power to give you a taste of the real thing, flies great and typical Ozone niceness.
It is worth buying a new one and selling it on once you have finished with it.
Thank you Jonny and tobes...I guess that will then be the kite to get. I will probably go for the 2.5m as I need to get used to a 'strongish' kite...
I took my brand new Cabrinha Switchblade 12m out this weekend and let's just say I am quite stiff, so a trainer kite is definitely the way to go...I did not end up in a tree though jackgearo :)
Hi,
Beats me why there isnt a sticky about trainer kites, as this "which trainer is best" comes up very often.
I have tried quite a few and still carry 2 in the car with me at all times (ozone imp & an ocean rodeo rise 2m ).
The imp is the first one you give to people who have no idea what they are doing, as mine seems to be indestructable, and once they are ready to move onto a 4 line kite you pass them the rise 2m.
The three lines makes the imp extremely easy to relaunch, but the rise 2m relaunches the same as any 4 line full size kite, and therefore takes most people some time to master. I hope this info helps you make your choice.
note - I dont sell either of these, and im not some sponsered rider - i just fly for fun
Thank you xgames.
It seems to me the way to go is the imp, they are just quite expensive - $289 for the 2.5m, and I have just spent $3k on new gear two weeks ago.
Currently I am just taking my 12m Switchblade out :) I had to make an adjustment to the bar anyway so I thought it might be best just to get used to that. I still need a trainer for the 15 knots plus days, so thank you, your info has definitely helped. :)
Ive got a 2.5m imp. Had i the choice again i would get the 1.5m.
I usually give it to friends who come to the beach for a go while i am out on the water. The problem is that because the imp is a pretty flat kite with no depower it generates quite a bit of pull- particularly for someone who is only getting the feel of it.
I find that once the wind is above 17kn (what im looking for) it is too high for an inexperienced person to fly the 2.5m trainer safely. Hence id get the 1.5 if i was back again.
Also i dont know if you can get 4 line trainers with depower but if you could it might be worth going the extra for this functionality. It would help with learning the use of depower and make the kite more versatile for mucking around with when you are experienced.
my 2C
keeponsmilin
Hi guys just to throw a spanner in the works ive been kiting for years and i still pull out my trainer kite on light days and when im boered great for practicing handle passes landboarding front rolls and general kite control Myself prefer 2 lines not 3 mainly becuase ive got kids, and preferr the saftey on the 2 line ones . Peter Lyn 2 or 3 are both great but $250 -300 so not cheap but well made.hope this helps
George
Smaller kites also handle/fly more quickly so train you to have quicker reflexes and more instinctual kite handling. My Trainer is a T-Foil 2 line with a bar bought from ebay when I was in the States, works well as a trainer (I don't use it now unless someone else wants a go when down the beach). Not sure of the size but I would say it would probably be 1m max at a guess. You wouldn't be abole to use this for much else though.
D
Thank you KSA and D_Meredith79, much appreciated.
I currently 'train' with my 12m Switchblade, so have had a few funny moments. I luckily live on the beach and only go out when no one is around and obviously very light winds.
I can understand that the smaller kites develop reactions better, so I guess I am off to the shop :)
we use Peter Lynn Impulse 2 and 3m for training students they are all good have tried quite a few others and can really recommend the Impulse
I've recently bought a 2 line 2m Slingshot "B2". Cost me $169 from Choice Kitesurfing in Perth so pretty cheap compared to some of the other options.
Relaunching is a pain though easy enough once you work it out.
The video that comes with it is pretty basic but at least it's something.
It has no safety or depower so I'm thinking about tying a surf board leash to one side of the bar and the other to your wrist. Saw that system on another trainer kite video on youtube and it seemed to work. Anyone got views on this?
Only had a few sessions with it but still seems pretty solid. It's certainly taken some serious slams into ground and seems none the worse.
It's pretty easy to fly. Flys in 5kn (just), good in 10-15, at it's limit in 20-25, (or at least my limit)
btw my plan is to get to the stage where I can confindently steer the thing single handed with eyes closed and can do "water starts" on land before taking formal kiting lessons. Should hopefully reduce the learning curve.
btw2 - this is my first post so hi everyone!
Shane
ff
Hi fred great little trainer and in 20 plus have ridden land boards and surfboards with that kite, If your fitting a wrist leash make certian its a sliding system or atleast pulls enough of one line that it dosent just kite loop if you ring me ill talk you through it.
have fun george
Hi guys...
I would like to share my choice of trainer kite (as an absolute newbie)..
I bought IMP 3.5 on the begining of this winter with intention to get into Kitesurfing more progressively (before I took "real kite" lessons, hope this summer). In descision, how big kite will suit my needs, i've been told that 2.5 is ideal 4 me and a bit cheaper, but with 3.5 it's more "fun", so I took bigger one... Now, I can say, that was great choice!!
On IMP by itself is really easy to learn Kite steering and wind window basics and because its 3line kite I never needs any assistance with launching or re-launching after crashes, also 3rd line have got a small, kind a chicken loop, so you can simulate hooked in water starts or one hand steering. About the size,, yeah,, its bigger and flatter kite so in rugh winds can generate enough power to tow U in places U don't wanna be. But if you are not bloody idiot, and take your first sessions in lighter winds (as somebody here says,, this kite can fly from 5knts!! which its absolute true..), you can get the basics and confidence after three sesions and than just try new things (as jumps,...) or just practice water start in higher winds on the near playground and have a heaps of fun with it, before you go to the water with much bigger kite..
Actually im practising in winds around 20Knts, to get more confident with bigger power and also simulations of water starts (with kite attached to harness).
A I said before, This kite (brand and size) suits me(27yrs, 85Kgs) perfectly and I will keep it as loong as possible, just because as great fun tool for me, with my girfriend or with friends..
PS. in my hunt for "best" triner kite, I found this comprehensive trainer kite review, which helped me a lot with final descision (Iam a little bit fussy about style so I chose IMP too, becase its got nicer bar and kite desigh:))).http://www.kiteboardingevolution.com/trainer-kite-reviews.html
Also there are a hepas of helpfull tips and tricks for newbies (so you dont need any instructional DVD), or just do a bit of research same as me, before you'll try to fly a kite first time.
Hope that will help you guys, and good luck..
cheers Ivan
Hi JTheron,
Here is a link to our Trainer kite practice exercises. Something for you to play around with once you have a trainer, otherwise you'll think you have mastered flying the triainer in 10 minutes like most people seem to think.
Here's the link http://www.aksonline.com.au/index.php/kite-reviews/trainer-kite-exercises.html
Enjoy!
KH
Thanks a million KH,
This is great! I can see how things can be deceiving and make people think they are King-Dingeling until they take out the big kite and end up in Tazzy :)
I will let you know how I go as I need to customise my bar a bit, but all should be good :)
Cheers