The B series is Slingshots offering for land traction kiting. They are marketed as dual line kites, but have attachment points on the trailing edge for break line bridles (I am currently trying to track down a conversion kit to fly mine as a quad).
The 2003 B series comes in a comprehensive range starting with the 2.0m (called the B2... go fig) and topping out at an 8.0m (named the B8.... sensing a pattern yet). Slingshot has since retired the B2-B3 in favor of the Wasp series of trainor kites (Wasp1-3).
When I bought this kite (my first traction kite), I did what I thought was alot of research, talked with a number of salesman/kite fliers, and shopped around for prices. Because of my size (6' 4" - 210lb) and that I wanted to ultimately land board , the consensus was that I needed to go large (one guy even tried to talk me into going with an 8m... funny guy... haha).
After digesting all of this info, I decided that a 4m dual line would be a good starting point and I called up Kitehigh.com to place my order. Once I started talking to the rep, he told me about a clearance sale they were having on the 2003 slingshots. The B5 was actually cheaper than what I was planning on paying for a 4m, hmmmm.... what's one more meter and heck, I don't want to pass up such a great deal. I happily revised my order and the B5 was FedExed to me that very day. Ordered on a Monday, it arrived on the following Thursday.
Packaging and Kite :
The B5 comes in a 2.5ft long nylon black & white bag with the Slingshot logo and kite name on the side. The bag unzips at one end and has mesh at the other end so the kite can breath as well as let sand and other stuff fall out.
It has a brief case style hande in the center to make it a bit eaiser to carry and a second handle over the back end of the bag to make pulling the kite out a snap. The final nifty feature of the bag is a set of clips that allow it be rolled up and clipped shut into something that looks like snail and takes up about a 1/3 of the space the bag with kite inside takes up lying flat (if you aren't storing a bar with the kite).
When you are out flying, the bag can be balled up and stuck in a back pocket or a cargo pocket (it's a bit large to fit in a front pocket) It comes with a good owners manual, Slingshot sticker, 24inch profire carbon bar, 300lb 23m lines, harness strap, and the surefire safety release system (basicly a wrist leash).
The kite slides out of the bag quite easily. The 2003 B series all have the same basic logo design, but come in a wide range of colors. My B5 is red/black and out of the kites I own, looks the best as far as eye candy goes.
It has a design on both the back and front so you aren't just stairing at a blank underside while you are flying (it's a good point as far as I am concerned) plus, it just looks aggressive.
The material of the kite is rip-stop nylon with very solid seams. Black bridles are in the usual configuration. When it first arrived, I layed it out on my living room floor... I was bit shocked at the size and it got me reconsidering my decision to go with that extra meter (I'm guessing it is about 15ft from wing tip to wing tip).
Trepidations were quickly put aside and I moved onto setting up the bar. The Profire Carbon Bar is a quite solid. The grip is covered in comfy neoprene that has color coded sligshot logos to delineate which line connects to which side. Each end of the bar has heavy duty rubber caps that double as a winder and the first 8 inches of the leader lines (which are also color coded) are encased in thick foam to protect your hands from the lines when making hard turns.
The lines were prestretched, quick to seperate, attach to the bar and than wind back up on the bar. The SureFire safetly release was equally simple to set up. I chose to leave off the harness strap at the time, simply because I didn't own a harness. I have since gotten a harness and attaching the harness strap is another quick and simple procedure. I procede to repack up the now ready to fly kite, following the instructions included in the manual. ~~And my mother said all that time folding paper airplanes was a waste.
So everything is setup and I am itching to go get dragged around the beach. I check the weather report for the next day. They are forecasting 5-10mph winds which sounds like a good starting point to me. I go to sleep with visions of kite flying dancing in my head. Flying: I finally make it out to the beach around 2:00pm (I'm self-employed, but still had to get some work done before heading out).
First lesson, add about 5mph to any non-specific area-weather report when going to the beach. I'm guessing now that it was blowing at a solid 12mph. I take a moment to digest my surrounding. The beach is mostly empty, the wind is blowing down the beach (getting pulled down-wind wasn't going to dump me in the ocean or up into the sand dunes), and the tide seemed to be out. All good, so I start setting up the kite.
The kite comes out first, I weigh down the trailing edge with sand, check the bridle for tangles, and than procede to unwind my lines. After gaining an education on keeping lines untangled, I finally get everything layed out. I connect the lines to the kite, walk back to the bar, put on the wrist leash, pick up the bar and brace myself for my first attempt.
Heeding the manual, I had setup for a side of the window launch. It took 3 tries because I didn't know what I was doing, but I finally make the necessary mental connections to do an edge of the window launch and the kite goes airborn. It scared the crap out of me as it shot up to 12 o'clock. No matter how much your read, the first time you get pulled by a kite is a memorable experience.
It's a testament to how solid this kite is that all it did was give me a short drag on my heels and than just sat in neutral. No overflying at all (since my first attempt, it has been my experience that the B5 will only overfly in winds of 6mph or less and I have been working it quite a bit to generate pull... it has only happened twice).
I let it sit in neutral for a while, trying to get comfortable with the feel of it and than begin working it through the clock positions. It goes to and sits perfectly in each position making me feel like I know what I'm doing. I move on to doing wing stands on both edges of the window with no problems what so ever. Just flat out great control. So, I'm feeling a bit cocky and decide to move onto figure 8s. I go for a small one at the top of the window and get dragged about 10 feet ending up on my a$$, my adrenaline pumping, and a smile on my face from ear to ear.
I also, at this moment, came to the conclusion that I needed a smaller kite to learn on (I bought a Slingshot Wasp1 and an Ozone Little Devil 3.0, to give quads a try, the following week). I played for a little while longer, mostly working the clock positions again. Basicly, I stayed out until I felt like my arms were going to fall off (the B5 is a hell of a work out if you aren't wearing a harness) Now that I have been flying for awhile, I've come to value the B5 even more and be alot less apprehensive about it.
It's a great engine for landboarding and scudding. Jumping is an area I haven't attempted very much of, so I can't confidently comment on that aspect. I am hoping to convert it to a quad line to make pulling hard turns a bit less work and jumping an easier maneuver, but even on the bar the kite turns exceptionally well.
Conclusion:
If you are ready to upgrade to larger kite, I recommend the B5 highly. This should not be a "first" kite. No matter how many places you see it listed as beginner fiendly. Because of the size, you are more likely to hurt yourself than enjoy the learning process.
I got lucky my first time out. Start with a 3m or 2m. After saying that, the B5 has a very strong build that will survive the inevitable crashes, a stability that makes it a joy to fly, enough power to keep most folks very satisfied and is a great value once you factor in the all it comes with in addition to the kite itself (as of this writing 5/2004, the 2003 series are still available and on clearance at most retailors in preperation for the 2004 line).
By : slothart
This is Slingshot's entry level/trainer kite. The wasp series replaced slingshot's b1-b3 land kites. Packaging: Comes in a straightforward black draw-string bag with a yellow slingshot logo. While nothing overly eye catching, the bag easily disappears into a pocket and serves it's function, well. The kite itself is a solid little 2-line on a 16 inch bar that is comfortable in the hands. The wasp series only comes in one colour scheme of white with red, black and yellow striping/logo. I'm rather neutral on the graphic design on the kite. The lines(20m) are already attached to the bar, so it is just a quick matter of unwinding them off the bar and attaching them to the kite and you are ready to go. Dump some sand or a couple of smooth rocks on the trailing edge of the kite to hold it down long enough to get back to the bar. Once back at the bar, give it a quick tug and it shoots up. A DVD is also included with the kite, demonstrating all the basics to flying as well as tips for training for kite boarding. It also includes a music video style montage of the slingshot team kiteboarding (fun and gets you all excited to get out and get flying). Flying : It needs at least a steady 5mph wind to get up and stay up reliably (in this wind, it will require a fair amount of flying it to keep it in the air). At 10mph+ it stays stuck in the sky. At this point it becomes fun. The kite has got some zip and maneuverability and does a good job of showing a newbie where the power is in the window without scaring 'em or dragging them down the beach. Because of the size, it is hard to get it to stay in one place, though. All of my crashes have come from taking my eye off the kite for a second and when I look back, it's shooting off in an unexpected direction. It takes very little input to get this little puppy to turn. In 20+mph wind, the kite generates enough pull to do a bit of leaning against it (depending on your size). With a large power strokes, it can give a taste of what a beefier kite can do. (a small tast, but a taste) The next truly gusty day that rolls through (30mph or better) I'm going to give it a try on my 24 inch bar with 300lb lines to see what kind of pull it can generate. Conclusion : It is not much more than a stunt kite, but provides a safe intro to traction kites for a low price ($90-$110 USD depending on the retailer) and a buffer between your more expensive/serious kites and friends/family who want to give them a try. Also, it a good size to get a kids involved (my 6 year old nephew was handling it safely in 7-10mph wind). After having mine for awhile now, I wish I had gotten a 2.0m as it would see more use, but I still fly the wasp 1 occasionally it rather relaxing. Plus, when you don't have much time it's good to have something that takes all of 5 minutes to setup or pack up. It is a good tease to traction kiting. It was a bit of an impulse buy for me and I have gotten my money's worth, but if you do not plan on owning an arsenal of kites, go for a 2 or 3.0m. And, well, at that size and cost, I would recommend an Ozone Little Devil over a wasp2 or 3. The extra control the little devils provide being a 4 liner, just makes them a better value no matter how much I am biased towards slingshot kites. By : slothart
