lejonklou

Price on 128? And shipping to is same as UK I guess?

impmad, how did it fly with the bridle stuck on the rear spar end?

Hey Dude, why don't you answer questions sent to you through ebay? I asked about the colour and shipping. The colour is specified as Red/Black, but that is not much help if you want to understand what colour scheme it really has. All of them have black and several have red! Then the pic showing a V1...? I was seriously interested, but I just don't get the right vibes here.

I've built 3 woodies and am on my 4th. I agree completely with jnicol to make it as simple as you possibly can, because you will soon find faults with it. Then you want to try to correct the faults and the easiest way is to just make a new simple one. Pieguy, my smallest is also 122 long, but 37 wide. It needs a lot of wind to work well, but the main problem is that it tends to submarine. The answer I think is more rocker, a different foot position or both. The foot positions really matter a lot on your homemade boards, I have changed mine twice on my favourite ply (which is 140*40) and the last cm improved it considerably. Now it's starting to rot (after 2 seasons, pretty good for just ply and a little varnish) so I will make a new one. Maybe 42 wide this time...

Please Dan? This thread has got me longing for a finless session again, haven't tried it since early 2005. I remember the skatey slidey feel... /Fredrik

This is really a difficult comparison to make as they benefit from different riding styles. If anyone with a small and slow board tries a Venom 13, he will probably say it matches his 9-10 LEI but turns a lot slower. If he rides a flat and fast board, however, he will likely say that the power and turning is equivalent to a 12-13 LEI. Getting power from a Venom (or any Arc) is all about board speed. This is also a main reason for their large windrange, because if you kill your speed, your Venom will pull a lot less and you won't get overpowered. Cheers, Fredrik

Funny you should say that, as I very seldom read complaints about the Phantoms. But I think I understand what you mean, I have owned a P12 and flew it with very mixed feelings. The depower was great and the speed I could get on snow was tremendous, but the feeling of it never really appealed to me. On the other hand I have always loved the feeling of my B10.5, while I must say that in most aspects the Phantom was probably "better". I have never been able to explain this preference in words, but you might have just helped me: It could be related to feedback from the kite. It could of course also be that I'm not good enough to really take advantage of a Phantom... Cheers, Fredrik

Yes please, I want to see it too! I'm on my third plank and contemplating the shape of the coming fourth. Yours seems interesting... /Fredrik

It says "12-16 mph" in the end. 13 would be rideable if you whipped it around but no jumping is my guess... What do you say, Tyler? You do own both. /Fredrik

Niice video, Dude! /Fredrik

I haven't flown the V13 yet, but I suspect the mods are more needed on the 16 and 19. Mainly because those are the sizes you use when the wind is low and you get a bit frustrated, wishing your kite would perform as one of your smaller ones do in more wind... Still think the original V16 is a great achievement for PL, lots better than the B15 and G15 I have had in the past. But with these mods, you push it one step further. Have never gone as fast upwind on anything as I do with my modded V16. Cheers, Fredrik

I can really recommend Bob's bridle. What it does is to keep the tips from flaring out too much when the kite turns, while still letting them move a bit. When the length is set correctly, this line will be slack when the kite is parked at zenith, but will tighten as soon as you move the kite around. The effect is that it pulls better through the turns, so you can really fling it around and still go upwind really fast. I didn't put a hole in the middle cell, but instead sew a 20 kg dyneema fishing line into the stitching at each side of the middle cell, making the ring hang from a "V" instead of from an "I" as in Alex's pictures. No difference in performance, the advantage is that it can be removed without a trace. And BTW, in combination with a "conservative" TET (Trailing Edge Tuck) of 13 mm and 20 mm in the 7 middle cells, the V16 really gets a nice boost in performance. Both these mods are removable in case you don't like them (you will!). Cheers, Fredrik

For good and inexpensive fins, I can recommend Dovetech: http://www.dovetechaquasport.com/ Cheers, /Fredrik

I did exactly the same last year (think the middle is 39 cm wide btw). It went really well but was heavy as... well, very heavy. Tried a Flydoor and it does ride in a similar way, but it flexes more and is a lot lighter. Feels more like a snowboard while my big ply feels like a door. Next I did a 140*40 ply in 10 mm thickness. The outline is like an Underground FLX 142. A much better board, the increased flex really makes it much more enjoyable. I'm light at only 63 kg so 10 mm is more than enough - I'll never use any thicker ply in the future. The board has stood up for an entire season of abuse without any problems. Now I have a 125*37 ply in 9 mm waiting to be tested. Surprisingly, 9 mm is a lot more flexy than 10 mm. Will see how it performs, I intend to use it on moderate to heavy wind days. Long live the ply's!

Couldn't find the picture that I thought I had here... On my P12 I had simply one piece of complete velcro (both sides, joined together) that was about 1" long and 1/2" wide. One of the short sides of this rectangle was sewn to the lock (in the hole of the little handle that you grab when zipping or unzipping) of the inflate zipper. Very simple and functional and easy to remove without any trace. Just open the velcro, put your downwind lines through it and close. The lines stay on top of the kite until you give them a pull. You might think that pull on the lines would open the zipper slightly, but it never did. Pre-inflation is essential, though. I think all of my failed launches have been due to insufficient inflation. /Fredrik

No, the Venom replaces the Guerilla II. The Bomba and Phantom remain in the kiteline for 2005. Some people have spotted PL crew test flying something looking very similar to a Bomba, so it is possible that a Bomba II is somewhere around the corner. A bit more speed and even faster turning for the wave freaks, perhaps? /Fredrik

Actually, I think it's two different colours. Seems some people are getting the raspberry red and others the plain red. Haven't seen the difference in real life, but from reports and pictures it does seem like PL is using 2 different "reds" on the Venoms. Hm. And the stack pictures are for real, I'm certain since I've been in contact with several people seeing it. Bob Dawson who's riding even managed to relaunch them after they dipped in the sea! /Fredrik

Well said, this is true for almost all products that are under constant development. I was once learnt that the key to success in electronics development (my profession) was to know when it was good enough to release it. Anyone with enough insight into a product will see that there are compromises that were settled on because there was not enough time to check everything. That's just how it works. In a product like a power kite or an amplifier, the number of details to change are almost infinite. That's why it often takes many years for a great design to become perfected. Best regards, Fredrik www.lejonklou.com

In my experience, it works great. But the measurements that are recommended are too big - didn't like them myself either. They seem to suit those who always ride the V's with the strap tight and want even more of that effect. See my latest post on Arcusers for a "strap loose" amount of TET. My guess is that almost everyone will like that amount. Probably works well on G's, P's and B's (probably need it the least) as well, if you stick to a small amount of TET. Too much and you get sort of a Bomba effect: sits back in the window and pulls/turns better. Best regards, Fredrik

Hi Hank! It's a 16, not a 19 (those pics were not mine)... Can't compare to G2's, because I have never flown one! Had a G15, but that was long ago (and I didn't kitesurf then), so can't compare there either. It's definitely more powerful than the Bomba 15 I had and has better top end too. Just love the V16, very quick, responsive and powerful. Best kite I've had! Trying out the TET mods right now, makes it even more responsive. But the TET mod has some drawbacks (at least to me), so I'm trying to determine the right amount. See Arcusers list if you don't know what I'm talking about. The 16 flies great without any mods, of course, it's just that once you try this you realize it can get even better! Cheers, Fredrik

I thought the colour combinations were rather daft, but ordered a black-red-orange one after looking at a lot of pictures. By mistake I got a black-blue-yellow one and was disappointed at first. But when I got it inflated and had a look at it I must confess that it looks really great. Much much nicer in real life than on any pictures I've seen. A nice gallery of the two above can be found here: http://www.dynamikite.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=32&page=1 Fantastic kite, btw! Cheers! /Fredrik

I don't agree. I would put it like this: Phantom= Speed, lift, depower Bomba=Turning, smooth power, autopilot feeling Too long since I flew the G1, but I do remember both turning and flying speed to be a lot slower. More park and ride kites than the above, which both really like to be worked through the window. The P needs a lot more attention while the Bomba can usually be flown without looking at it, which means you can focus on other things, like yourself and the board. Can't comment on the G2 as I haven't tried any. /Fredrik

Other people have reported this also. The problem with the proto Phantoms has been reported to be some instability - it won't fly well when wet for example. I guess PL decided to tame it down a bit and make it bullet proof before releasing it, rather than get bad reviews of a kite that was not as stable and predictable as people expect from an Arc. Having owned a P12 myself, I'd love to one day get a go on one of those proto's. Looks great as well IMHO. /Fredrik

The problem with that comparison is that the 840 is, as you say, a far more powerful kite. Better to compare it with a 10.5 or even a 13 Bomba. I suspect the 10.5 would cover the bottom end of the 840 plus give you additional top end. The 13 would probably cover the top end of the 840 and give you additional bottom end. /Fredrik

Gentlemen, you may very well be right about the Phantom vs Venom. Quite a few landboarders seem to prefer the P and remembering one session on flat ice last winter I think I can understand why. The P absolutely rocked in certain winter conditions. Right now it's water season for me and the V grunt comes in very handy. It feels less technical to fly and its turning speed is also very impressive. For a crossover kite there is no doubt which one I'd choose. No, I think it more like V8=P9, V10=P12, V13=P15, V16=P18, with the P's being a tad stronger.