Flexifoil Kites

[jbirdmarin]

I don't think it is fair to label team riders as dishonest - they fall into the "love my product" category like most of us. Team riders use their brand all the time - do we really think they would ride a kite 5-days a week they didn't love? Do you love your kiting brand? I do. Do I recommend it to others? Yes. Does that make me dishonest? I hope not. We love kiting and the product that gives us the high, so we recommend it. Reps love what they ride and are happy to post about it. I never see team riders trash other brands - now that would be different.

I really like the BAK forum for lessons learned and entertainment, but I don't see using it to help decide what kite-line to buy. Get out there and demo.

(wow i had to edit this down after a late night posting with too many beers).

[pacspeed]

Thanks for editing. I too am prone to PUI.

Let me respond: I should have said "objective reviews" rather than "honest". I was not suggesting dishonesty, rather that team riders are not objective. They are clearly biased by their industry connection. No dishosnesty implied, it's their job to market their sponsors' product.

And as to the question of "would we ride a brand we didn't love", my answer would be that, unless you're one of the top 8 or 10 pros in a given sport, yes, you'll ride whoever sponsors you.

[maxsteamer]

Hello kiters,

I would stay with a kite that works like a raft if it need be... Last winter we pulled a kiter to safety just a few yards offshore "Flysurfer" he had lines on his head, neck, and feet, I cut 10 bridle lines from his feet so he could climb in the boat?? I was blown away how many line this kite had!!! he was in a state of "Shock" as he could not move his legs to swim just a few yards to safety.

He told me that he was fine for the self rescue? but when he got to the kite?, he tryed to keep it floating by grabbing some of the bridles to get some wind in the kite? as he did this the other end of the kite sunk under his feet and he could not get loose from the lines...he had a line around his neck, that had cut his ear and it was bleeding so this caused him to panic a bit..after I got him in the boat I saw his legs had cuts but were not bleeding??? I asked him why his leg cuts were not bleeding?, and he said that was from another incident...I saw him the other day and I had to ask him how he was doing?? he told me alive and well but as far away from kiteboarding as he can get..

Max be with you " " but not on a flysurfer

[elli]

Max the Flexifoil kite we talk about is an inflateable tube kite, not a foil kite. The company name has "foil" in it, but the kite is not a ram air foil. The kite looks like all the other kites you see on the beach, no more no less. You have to pump it and if you slam it on the beach and hit a used needle it will blow up.

[maxsteamer]

Hello Kiters/elli/Peter,

My mistake!!! The kite was a flysurfer foil not the flexifoil....." #-o " I stand to be corrected..Thank You both, you know me on names.
Max loves Flexifoil kites " " SOOoo Sorry!!!!!

[yojimbo]

Peter Lynn now makes a ram air kite called the Synergy that does not have the multitude of lines at the bridle like a typical ram air kite. It is rigged up just like a 4 line bow kite.

I have been thinking of getting a Synergy as I understand ram air kites are more efficient, have greater wind range, and there is no need to pump up the kite. They also tend to be less expensive than a SLE kite.

[pacspeed]

Sure ram airs are all good if you never, ever touch the water with them.

When that happens, the show is over.

It was about 10 years ago that somebody said of the Wipika inflatable patent "Inflatable struts are what let this thing go from a stunt to a sport".

You may not remember that phase of the industry, but it was true then and it's true now.

[elli]

pacspeed are you sure you know what foil kites are. Water relanchable foil kites were much easier to lunch than tube kites for years. That changed with the first bridles tube kite. Today a bridled tube kite is as easy to relaunch as a water foil kite (or to be more specific as a foil was 5 years ago), no more no less.

If they touch water show is far from over. I actually had flysurfers before my first C kite, relaunch was probably their biggest advantage over tubes. Peter lynns however are different because they are not bridled, you have to turn the kite in a certain position and it can hot launch by itself.

Anyway, this is kind of off topic, this thread is not about foils.

[ramsey]

Uh, what was this thread about? Oh yeah, flexifoil. Just get the Hadlow pro kite then you can do megaloop KGBs :)

[pacspeed]

Well I guess I cant say I've ever seen or used a water launching ram air. The ones I'm thinking of were the kind people used in the late 90's, flimsy affairs derived from god knows what, parafoils or buggy traction kites or something. If they hit the water, they crumpled like toilet paper.