Kite size

LAKAWA Knowledge Base - What are your secrets to wind and water success? Share what you've learned that may assist others.

Moderator: MK

BBAddict
Posts: 213
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:16 pm

Re: Kite size

Post by BBAddict »

Well, since we're stirring the pot and talking about cults...
I have looked at national historical meteorological data made available to me by some work opportunities. I hate to break it to you, but there is nothing special about MN winds. I have also kited all over in much gustier conditions than in MN. There are a lot of inland lake and reservoir kiting locations that are enjoyed by people flying all sorts of kites--actually not very many Slingshot in comparison. In all my travels, I have never seen a concentration of Slingshot kites like in MN.

Is that because of something to do with MN conditions or launches or anything else? I don't think so. Is it because there was/is a school affiliated with Slingshot that did a good job of hyping their kites and creating a local cult. I think so. Is there anything wrong with that? I don't think so. Is there something wrong with it if people actually believe that there aren't numerous other kites that fly equally well in MN conditions? I think so. Are there bad kites out there that are poor in MN (and all the other gusty locations)? Yes. The Slingshot Link and some of the Slingshot Turbo Diesels and old Slingshot Fuels that inverted or just didn't have good range come to mind. A lot of older kites with older designs didn't have the range or the gust-munching of today's kites. Are there other kites that perform great in MN? Definitely. Like JRN was kind enough to point out, it's hard to find a bad kite out there. There are definitely more safe and more user-friendly kites than others, but Slingshot has nothing that is inherently better for MN than a company like Ozone or Liquid Force or Cabrinha or Best or Naish or Peter Lynn or so many other good options. I am happy that people like their Slings*it kites ;) but there's something wrong when I hear from other people that they've been told that their bow kite won't work here because only SS works in MN.
...and since I'm logged in, if Slingshot makes kites so durable for winter, why do I hear people talking about leaky valves during winter because the plastic gets hard and having to change lines for winter? Maybe they are actually designed well enough for MN winters--take a break from the kool-aid and see what the kite market has to offer. I'm really enjoying closed cell foils, just to really get out there off the deep end! Does that qualify as stirring the pot?
jfm
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 1:46 pm

Re: Kite size

Post by jfm »

Guy's thanks for all of the information. It confirms a lot of what I've been learning. I'm looking forward to take some more lessons and getting into this.

jfm
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