G'day All,
First post on this forum.
Just a quick fill in of my eperience with kiteboarding and then some questions as its
a bit of a curly one

I live in Rye Victoria
I finished school about 10 years ago
bought a kite with my first pay working with the old man.
I have a Peter Lynn Arc 840 Ram foil.
The bloke who used to have the kite and trinkets shop in Rye showed me how to launch the kite etc and roughly fly it.
Then he closed the shop and due to bugger all money and starting an aprrenticeship.
I taught my self all I know.
but due to the Northerly I need to ride in Rye which isnt many and mainly in summer when the beach is chockers with tourist I get to fly my kite once or twice a year if im lucky.

Any how Ive got a modified surf board and a Mojo 65 i think which I love but use the surfboard if im struggling with the need for more wind.

So I bit the bullet and found a nice patch of safe beach in the surf at portsea/sorrento. Down Franklin Rd if anyone knows it.

the wind wasnt what I wanted so I played around on the beach and did a few body drags and just played around.

So I found this forum and have been slowy reading through the newbie info
And have relised I should maybe stick to the front beach and change a few things.

Eg ditch the leg strap I havent been smacked by the board yet and cant remeber over the time of dropping my board to be lost. so i think ditching the strap is the way to go.

But then reading the same post to recover a dropped board I need to body drag up wind to go and get it back.

not sure I can do it or not. I guess ill have to try it and find out but with the board left on the beach and more body dragging practice.

My experience level I guess is proably average.
I can self launch the kite and land it.
I can ride the board from the beach and get back to the same spot.
I can dodge and ride around other kites and try to be conciderate of others.
by putting the kite up high (read somewhere about it lol )

I can turn etc

Ive only tried a relaunch in the water once in the very beggining and failed.
so i just let it pull me back to the beach.

since the only time of dunking the kite in the drink once ive never done it again.
im not busting big jumps or anything so i guess thats why i havent drowned it.
im pretty happy just to get out there and cruise up and down and then go home lol.


So im not sure I what i need to work on????
1. probably learn to get my board back if i lose it.

is there any videos online on how to drag up wind.
i think i should be able to do it and will have a go at it when i can get out next.


kite setup
stuffed if i know how to trim it in ive never touched the lines since the bloke at the shop set it up all those years ago.
accept replace the rope for power and depower.


Does anyone have the original peter lynn setup/instructional video or know where
i can download it?
I had it on VHF but not sure where it is and i dont have a tape player hahaha.


Does anyone ride down in Rye??
Just to have a chat and watch and general talk some crap and pick your brains

Also when I can get out Im pretty paticular on wind direction etc as not to put myself in the sh!t.
the surf beach spot i found ticks all the boxes safe, no big rocks just a few small ones, hardly anyone there, lots of southerly winds for direct on shore so i can blow back onto the beach if somthing goes wrong.

but im not sure wether i should stick to the front beach before heading back out to the back beach. what do you guys think???
I feel pretty confident in what im doing well i thought i did.
just those few little things have got me thinking


Sorry for the long and dragged out post but i need some reasuring
and want to be safe.

cheers cam

juicerider said...

Hi Campatrol
Best advice you will ever receive is to ditch the Arc they would be about 10-11 years old now and were crap even when they came out. They have virtually no de power, no safety and will only pull you down wind. I believe the PL Gorilla was better but I would rate the Arc as one of the worlds worst kites. I don't recon I could body drag upwind with an Arc either

HHHmmm thats a bugger.
Thats all i could afford back then hahaha
Id like to get another kite. Ive been looking on ebay for a second hand one in the budget. which isn't all that much haha the same old thing young kids and other toys.
Hopefully in time i can get another one maybe bigger i was thinking so i dont need heaps of wind to keep me happy and hooting along.
(slightly mad and love adrenilin)

Is there a youtube clip floating around on how to body drag up wind just so i can see whats meant to happen??

thanks for your reply
cheers cam

But for now I can only use what ive got

BurkeyBoy said...

You have said you can already body drag. All you need to do to go upwind is to use your arm as a rudder. If going left, hold the bar with your right hand, have the kite about 10.30 and use the bar to create reasonable momentum. Use your left arm as a rudder. Hold your arm under the water and out-stretched pointing upwind. As you drag along, your arm will steer you across and slightly upwind. You may need to do a few tacks to get back to your board going each way. This is the same principal as a sailing boar that leans into the wind and uses the rudder to direct it.
As was said, your kite may not help much with this. That said, you've done well to self teach on old gear and not get in the s#*t.

Ahh right'o Ive just found a short clip on you tue how to do it.
And your dead right with the arm being the rudder.

Wow I never thought my kite was that bad
I spoke to a guy last year or the one before that had an arc he rekons they were a great kite. must have been talking sh!t lol

I guess I lot of dermination has got me where I am.
I remember taking a few sickies when the wind was good and the beach was empty
And sitting on the beach kite attached to me for almost the whole day
sitting and reading a print out from the computer on how to do things hahaha
I went through the whole thing step by step during the day body drags etc.
some parts were frustrating.
A few walks back up the beach (a lot)
but now all good so far (touch wood)

Im interested to know what it will be like when I fnely get another kite.
Me and the kite have got some good memories hehehe
shes got blood splaters and all on her.
soft wet hands and a snap hook in a hurry to get her down didnt help the cause lol.
Had a great day though.
barley ridable wind for most of the day and a lot of work keeping the power going.
and eventualy the wind was cranking then got crazy a storm was coming and others were bailing out.
I hung in till the end and made the most of it. cracker of a time hahaha

Hey cam
What year model exactly is your kite (and brand and size and so forth)

Just had a look at the wind/kite chart
forgive me but im having trouble working it out

Id like somthing with a wild wind range if there is such a thing.
from say light wind up to half a stiff breeze
5 - 25?? possible? or 8 to 20? somthing like that

If i can get one to suite most occasions would be great

Harrison1 said...

Oh BOY! 2001 8.4 m your 75kg right i would say 17 knots to do a water start with that kite but frankly you should get a new kite like the 2009 Starkites SBow 11m has a good wind range and if its used should be cheap its wind range is around 13-33 ( If i sounded rude in this first paragraph i apologise)

Or if you need something for lighter winds a 13m 2009 Starkites EXa that will give you the power you need

No wukkas mate
I was 65kg for ages and slowly bulked up a bit bout 70 havent weighed myself for a while hahaha
Yeah shes likes a bit of wind and I get sick of trying to generate power by doing the sine wave.
I like to just put the kite at a good spot and cruise or hold on hahaha
about 20knots bit more is nice. and then ive always got it wound in to go harder


So I should be looking at 13m range for light and upwards?
are the 13's pretty much the same? give or take a couple of knots?
thanks for your help so far
cheers cam

I tell you what if you end up getting a newer model kite your gonna be like oh its so easy now and then you can get BOOSTING

Harrison1 said...

I tell you what if you end up getting a newer model kite your gonna be like oh its so easy now and then you can get BOOSTING

Im looking forward to it
the only jumps i do is walking into the water and loading it right up and jumping like hell and get water up the nose hahahaha
done a few jumps by accident try a turn and having the kite not quite right and too windy lol

With alot of the bow kites you spend so much more time riding and building your skillz and not trying to keep the kite in the air or waving it up and down

Ahh Ok
Id like to ride both in the surf and on the flatter water.
I'll keep it in mind when the tme comes to look for a Bow kite.

Um the boards lol
Ive got a modified surf board that happend to be at the back of the shop where i got my kite.
its about 6 foot maybe a little less.
modified rail and 2 extra fins added so a 5 fin directinal board
oh and its got stonker foot straps. nice and simple
i use it when the wind isnt so good. a bit more surface area. got it for 100 bucks

and the other board i got from cash converters for 90 bucks
off the top of my head its a Mojo 65 so i guess 65 inch. about 1.3 meters at a guess.
looks more like a wake board. and has a small fin on each corner. with straps.

poor mans board well bargin in my case hahaha
not paying 600 bucks for a board that gets used once a year
im happy with it.
I want to use my wake board but the biding are too small to get on and off easy.
have to use washing up liquid to get it on and pain in the arse to get off.
it does come off with a big wipe out behind the boat lol

I know someone who can probs get you a SBow 11m 2009 from 400-$800

If you live anywhere near brisbane you should go to sandgate sometime thats where im headed this thursday

Oh i dont know any good spots down there

SKILLZ