Buffomarinus

Explosive bolts?!!! .................. Joking aside Thercman, I'm in the same situation. Long sessions leave me a bit pegged out for a couple of days. Clipping on to a harness (as primative as mine is) has made an incredible difference in the fatigue factor.

Markus, I'm new to the four line power foils myself. Nigel's right about the Sam2, it is a well made and finished kite. I recently scored a 3mt. Sam2 from kitepower when they had a 10% discount sale. I believe they're now cutting an even better deal with a 20% discount. Before the Sam2 I had a 2mt Ozone Imp. Since I scored the Sam2, the poor 'ol Imp hasn't been out of the bag. The Sam2 is a real pleasure to fly in variable, gusty conditions. I reckon that at one point last weekend I was getting the Sam2 to remain airbourne in just about no wind at all! I'm keen to connect up to some wheels myself. I'm currently checking out the possibilities of everything from shopping carts to my floor creeper at work! Welding up a nice little buggy is a good possibility.

Peter, Thanks for the advice and URL for your very informative website. I found the packing tips interesting and useful. When I first got my 3.0 Sam2, I tried winding the string set on the two handles, but I really found this produced a bit of drama and tangles when I went to unwind. It got to the point that I was spending too much time getting my lines in order and not enough flying. My current solution of using a separate homemade winder seems to work a treat. I've also found that packing the kite so that it is possible to run the lines and handles out while leaving the kite in the pack is also a better option. I like having my lines clear and pinned down before I open the Sam, especially when the winds are gusting. I field pack basically the reverse: stow the kite and then retrieve the lines and handles. This is similar to the method that I used when I was parachute jumping over 35 years ago (before foils). Here's a couple of photos with some laminated Qld. Maple winders that I made up. The red bag holds the handles and winder and is packed on top of the kite. This protects the kite fabric from the winder and handles and also keeps the fabric and bridle lines away from those pack zippers (let me tell 'ya, gettin' stuck in a zipper can cause some damage...OUCH!!!) The second winder is just a spare.

The winds picked up enough today to head out to the lake and try the technique. Wow, it works!!! Thanks again. Buffo FarOutNorthQueensland

Thanks for the advice. If I still have good winds tomorrow I'll definitely try out this move. It sure bets unclipping the strop from my harness, pegging out the handles and flipping the bugger by hand! Ordered the video this morning from kitepower, hopefully it will answer a lot of similar "newbie" questions. Thanks again, Buffo.

Mojo, I'm located up on the Atherton Tablelands. There's bit of "action" down along the coast (esp. Yorky's Knob), but not a lot of "kite freaks" up this way.

I've got a 3.0 Sam 2. What's the line move that will flip the kite into launch position when it lands leading edge down? Occasionally I luck out and manage to flip it, but what's the "sure way" to do this with a four liner? I'm using handles and not a bar.

Thanks for that Joel, I just located the same link for the DVD through the search function. Sounds like what I'm looking for. Buffo.

Any good tutorials (online, DVD, "You Tube," etc.) availiable on power kiting? I'm a bit isolated from the mainstream up this way and I'm looking for some good tips on the basics so I don't have to spend so much time "reinventing the wheel." Buffo.

Another try at photos...

Managed to get enough wind today to test out the new harness. Worked well. Here's a couple of photos of the gear in action ("bum surfing"). The gas welder's shield isn't some weird costume, it actually protects my face and eyes when "flying into the sun."

Rob, Thanks for the suggestions. I did a "hanging act" from the rafters and the release seems to work well. The original release ring was a bit piss-weak, so I silver solder another up out of stainless TIG wire. I saw a good Petzl mini pulley at one of the climbing gear shops... looks like a good replacement and the price wasn't too bad.

Had to re-work the quick release shackle to bring it up to standard with the more expensive breeds (that's $15 as compared with $60). The pulley leaves a bit to be desired (no ball bearing), but I'll make something better up on the lathe as soon as I get the chance. This rig is mainly for taking the load off the arms and shoulders. It also gives me something to muck around with until we get a decent weekend with some wind! True "kite bondage gear!" Any suggestions or comments?

Took a little trip down to Cairns and hit the boat and climbing equipement shops. Here's what I managed to put together using a ladder safety belt that I had around the shed...

There are quite a few marine hardware shops down in Cairns that may carry the needed bits. Prices on the stainless steel quick release shackles do tend to be a bit high. I use to sky dive in my youth and I faintly remember a device called the "capewell" that was fitted to both risers. The capewells contained a quick release for dumping the main in case of a malfunction. I'm curious to see if it might be possible to score one of these off an ex-military harness and see if it's possible to adapt them to a kite harness.

kitefettish and .Joel, Many 'tanks for the advice and photos. I'm up on the Atherton Tablelands. There's a kite shop in the Northern Beaches at (I think) Yorky's Knob. After flying a 2 mt. Imp, the Sam2 presents a whole new set of challenges. Even though it's only a 3mt kite, the four line Sam2 has a bit more power/pull then I expected. I'm trying to work out some way of using this power besides being pulled around on my arse' Thanks for the help. Rob.

I'm new to this, so please bear with me and my ignorance... Does anyone have a clear photo of a body harness setup with all connections when using quad handles? I've got a 3.0m Sam 2 and I want to connect it to a wide safety belt I've got laying around so I can take a bit of load off these late fifty year old shoulders. I've got the Ozone handle strop. What's the best set up for connecting the handles to a belt? Roberto FarOutNorthQueensland

Salt is my biggest problem. I usually hang the foil on a clothes line with a half dozen of those two piece wooden pant's hangers. I then gently rinse the outside and inside with water from a garden hose. The pant's hangers work a treat because unlike clothes pegs, they take hold of a greater surface area and put less stress on the heavy, wet fabric.