Noswar Posted January 24 Report Share Posted January 24 Morning all This seems to be the right place to ask the following - how do I get started in bugging?! I'm a 46yo kid who grew up flying stunt kites. I'm camping at Pt Leo at the minute, and at low tide yesterday there was no one on the beach, the wind was constant, and the beach stretches for miles. Felt like a buggy would be a good idea. A quick google didn't reveal a huge number of retail options for a buggy set up, and then found this forum. Would appreciate any suggestions on how to get an entry level set up - other than hunt on marketplace! Cheers all Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted January 31 Report Share Posted January 31 Hi Tim You're absolutely correct, there is not much of a buggy scene these days, even though the fun is still there to be enjoyed. A lot of the former buggy pilots have taken up blokarting https://www.victorianblokartclub.com.au/ The buggiers I know have more advanced buggies and kites which might be beyond your initial budget and skill set. I have a couple of foil kites on handles which I can sell you (freight is the killer on price - I'll be visiting Darebin on 8 March and can meet up, if you are still interested) Cheers BobM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noswar Posted January 31 Author Report Share Posted January 31 Hi Bob Appreciate you taking the time to respond. At this stage, without the buggy I'm looking to purchase a foil. I have a bunch of dual strings under the house, admittedly not flown in a while. I'll keep hunting, but appreciate the info. Cheers Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 Welcome Tim, As Bob has stated, there is very little around in the way of shops to get any kiting gear these days. There are two I know of in Australia (mail order should be available from either one). You can try: briskites.au or www.kitepower.com.au Not sure if they have any buggies, nor what they have in the land kiting scene, as it seems to be all water these days. Another option to try: plk.nz No mention of kite buggies on their web site, but email the crew at Peter Lynn Kites, as I think they might have a buggy or two gathering dust out the back of the factory. The Outlaw is the Buggy PL has if I am correct: Are you on facebook? Join: Victorian flash mob kite flyers Come down to one our Dingley fly days, and I can give you a fly of a foil kite. Or you can chew my ear off with lots of questions. And another question, your size and weight? Helpful to know as we can suggest options for you, both kites and buggies. With a lot of kiters moving to Blokarts, I am sure there might be a few who would be willing to part with some kit. I think andy666 might have a buggy for sale, but not sure. Give him a PM. You might might need to have 5 posts before PM's can be made? Hope that helps. Cheers, Nigel. Noswar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OBEwan Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 Hi Tim Where are you located? I'm in Hoppers Crossing, Vic. It's been some years since I kite buggied and am thinking of parting with my kit including the PL Outlaw buggy pictured above. I also have a pretty big selection of depower foils of various sizes and sundry spares and body armour that have all been stored indoors and are in good to fair condition. If you're interested, let me know and we can negotiate. If you're local we can take it all out for a spin. I'd highly recommend you get your hands on one or more foils with handles like the ones mentioned by BobM rather than depower kites to learn with (I don't have any, sorry). A small mistake with a depower kite that's attached to you via a harness can easily end in an OBE (Out of Buggy Experience) and a ride in an ambulance. A kite with handles allows you to let go when things go pear shaped as they inevitably will. Whenever I've asked a group of kite buggiers to raise their hands if they've ever broken a bone doing this, it's usually unanimous apart from the ones who can't raise a hand due to their plaster casts. Shane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noswar Posted February 5 Author Report Share Posted February 5 Nigel / OBEwan - thanks to both of you for taking the time to respond. Appreciate all the advice. To answer the queries, I'm 74kg, 178cm. I live in Belgrave. Perhaps the handle kite from BobM and the buggy from OBEwan sounds like a great place to start. Looking to minimise the OBE experiences! What sort of dollars are you looking for for the buggy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 36 minutes ago, Noswar said: Perhaps the handle kite from BobM and the buggy from OBEwan sounds like a great place to start. Looking to minimise the OBE experiences! Starting on handles is a very good move. As Shane says, easy to bail out off when it hits the fan. You will find your time in a buggy will be limited by your arm strength in the beginning. But, as you get more experience under your belt, you can then transition to a harness. A harness is great, as it puts all the load on to your waist, not your arms. Bob's kites would be a good start. The 3.5 Rage would be my pick, with the 2.5 Twister second (I'd get both to have a small quiver). I would skip the Ozone Razor, it's a full on race kite and needs constant attention when flying, not so good for cruising around the park. The Reactor is a big kite, which will only get a run (and used) in light winds, a fair handful. But to buy one in that size will cost a lot more than Bob's asking price. I would get it as well, just to give you a super light wind kite. Purchase a 4.5-5m kite next and you should have about 80% of conditions covered. You could also do far worse than Shane's buggy. It would serve you well. Not a heavy buggy, so easy to transport. Not a fan of the super grippy rear tyres, but you can change them easy if you want. Cheers, Nigel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noswar Posted February 5 Author Report Share Posted February 5 Thanks Nigel - appreciate the expertise. Sounds like I'm looking good for a fun start up kit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted February 19 Report Share Posted February 19 Noswar I have posted pics of the kites and 4-line handles in the following album As mentioned elsewhere, the Rage is going for $130 and the Twister for $100. If you are interested, I will be in Darebin (Melbourne on March 8, 9, and 10) and we can arrange a pickup. Let me know if I need to pack them in amongst the other gear I will need to bring down Cheers BobM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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