I’m off to Cornwall for 10 days and I fancy taking a kite with me.

But will I get bored with it after 10 minutes?

What sort of kite should I buy for maximum entertainment? (I’m not planning to go kite-surfing or anything like that, I just fancy a little bit of a fly every now and again.)

Cheers, aviators.

Peter Powell stunt kite?

If you’ve got a Decathlon near you, they have some fairly cheap indestructible flying lilo type things.

I like 4 line foil type kites. Something small enough that it doesn’t drag you down the beach with every moderate gust but big enough to get the adrenaline pumping. Then it depends on your budget really.
Stunt kites are ok but while I can launch and relaunch a foil kite on my own ive never managed to master it with a stunt kite. Which makes them (for me at least) a bollock ache to fly if I’m on my own.
Have a look on any of the kite shop websites and see what you like the look of. 2-3m kits are pretty good for a beginner. I don’t surf/buggy or board with mine, Just static. But it’s fun for an hour or so until my arms start to tire.

My first power kite, foil type, was / is a HQ Symphony 2.2m. Plenty powerful enough to pull me around, and I’m a big bloke, but controllable. Easier than learning on a 4 line, goes up in a gentle breeze but will handle upto 25-30 mph winds. It gets very fun at that wind speed.

HERE

EDIT: Generally stunt kites, delta type, triangular, have a very narrow wind window. They maybe suitable for 10-15mph say. Outside of that they either won’t fly, not enough wind, or be so twitchy that they are uncontrollable for a beginner. Foil kites are a lot more forgiving when you crash it. And you will crash it.

I have some great memories of my Peter Powell stunt kite on various family holidays around Britain. Would happily disappear for hours with the thing. Built like a tank and easy to use (and repair).

Decathlon, 4 line. Cheap, robust, stable and not too powerful.

It will entertain you for more that 10 mins. Even if that is 10 mins every other month or so. Mine lives in the car, and gets pulled out at all sorts of opportunity…

We have a flexifoil sting that mostly stays in the car and comes out on any moderately windy day.

4 lines gives you easier landing (just gently keep pulling the brake lines more and it’ll come straight down in front of you) and it can turn faster with a bit of brake. Plus ours has kite killers so if you let go (or just if you lose your footing and fall over) the thing just brakes and lands on the ground.

Wouldn’t go somewhere like Cornwall without one.

i started out on a 3m HG Beamer. relatively inexpensive, yet well made and very controllable.

small enough not to kill you in low winds, yet will still drag you along if you get it right/wrong. not enough lift for it to pick you up and dump you. liked by buggy kiters.
when the wind is up it is a great kite for blasting about on a board. quick through the air, and controllable.

soon caught the bug and moved onto bigger things…..
[url=https://flic.kr/p/oeWeZ]rebble[/url] by sod_the_taxman, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/4AHFKG]DSCN0196[/url] by sod_the_taxman, on Flickr

edit: get some Kite-Killers when flying on a four-lkine kite with handles! could save you and anyone unfortunate enough to be standing in the ewrong place a lot of bother. do not let anyone run under the kite!

Do you want a kite you can do stunts and acrobatics with, or something more action-adventure that can haul you off your feet?

For want of a better analogy, there’s some great full-sus suggestions here that will be of little help if you’re road riding.

FWIW I don’t know anything about this but do fancy a power kite and noticed that the Flexfoil website has acouple of deals on just now.

Cougar – that’s the battle I have in my head.

Don’t know. But none of my bikes are full-suss; I’m a purist, I suppose.

I reckon I’ll get one of those Harmony ones that Bigblackshed recommends, partly cos it seems good value at £50.

But I might get the slightly bigger one for £80.

Thx all.

Can’t wait to get away. I’ve also bought a new frisbee for me and the dog.

Cougar

You can do stunts and acrobatics with a foil or “power” kite. They aren’t as dramatic as stunt or “delta” kites, but are far more forgiving when trying to learn how to fly. As I said most delta kites have a very narrow wind speed window which can be very frustrating when trying to learn to fly. A two line power kite is far easier to get the basics right and your confidence up.

IMO four line kites are the next step up. Primarily used for buggies, boards, etc. You can still use them for simple flying but the techniques to get the best out of them are for more experienced flyers.

To use your analogy, it would be like buying a 160mm full bounce bike and throwing yourself down a red run with some drop offs and big jumps, the first time you throw a leg over a bike off road. Best to start off with a nimble hardtail and get some green or maybe mellow blue runs under your belt. 😉

EDIT: typed whilst you replied OP. The 2.2m will be plenty big enough. It’s pulled The Wife off her feet a few times and it will drag me along the beach if the conditions are right. But in light winds Boy2 can fly it, he’s 12.

Thank you Shed.

OK then, 2.2m it is, on your advice. We don’t have kids but Mrs.Knob is petite, and I want something she can enjoy too.

Excellent.

Bit of a PSA, Peter Powell Kites are available again – My boy was flying my 2014 version only yesterday.

Order placed – I’m now quite excited!

(Not a Peter Powell by the way – although I can remember really really wanting one, back in 1976, presumably.)

Practice real hard, and you might be able to fly a kite like this one:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87JvCGMC514&sns=em[/video]
Weather’s on the change there, too.

CZ that’s ace. What model kite is it?

If I tried that with my flexi Rage, Id probably kill someone…

Looks like one of the rev four lines: http://www.kiteworld.co.uk/acatalog/Revolution-Kites.html

They’re pretty incredible to watch.

Unless the flyer knows that nipper, I wouldn’t be too happy about him trying to grab my £350 kite!. First rule of kiting–people will ALWAYS walk through your flying space no matter how big or how fast the kite is!-dogs find them irresistible too. I also had one buzzed by a hawk on a beach in the Gambia.

Cougar

You can do stunts and acrobatics with a foil or “power” kite.

I know, I have several. (-: I was just trying to ascertain what the OP was looking for before trotting out the default “buy what I have” response and ensuring he’ll be taking a guided tour of Cornwall’s A&E department.

Looks like one of the rev four lines

It’s a Revolution 1.5 SUL (Super Ultra Light). The Rev is – or at least, was, it’s a while since I last looked – the Must Have stunt kite. We’ve got a Rev in the family but I don’t think it’s ever been flown, which I really should do something about.

If you want a fun wee 2 line delta kite
You can’t beat the prism micron
It’s fast & furious despite its small size

Dead portable ( stick it inside your camelbak)

£45notes ….

http://www.kiteworld.co.uk/acatalog/Prism-Kites-Micron.html
I’ve got one and love it to bits