Blakout said...
hi , anyone got any ideas on where to buy or how to make a kite hook for self launches ?

Do you mean an anchorage point to tether launch

www.dlightcanarias.net/crossbowlaunch/crossbowlaunch.htm

If there is no rock to tie a rope round, use a heavy duty garden refuse bag with handles and fill it with sand.

terminal said..
www.dlightcanarias.net/crossbowlaunch/crossbowlaunch.htm

If there is no rock to tie a rope round, use a heavy duty garden refuse bag with handles and fill it with sand.

The sand bag is a much better idea than a fixed hook. If the kite powers up and breaks the hook then you have an out of control missile. A sand bag will simply drag along and depower the kite.

Even better is to spend the time to learn to self launch and land your kite. If you can't do that then you really don't understand your kite and you are a danger to yourself and everybody else.

The only time it makes sense to use an anchor to launch a kite is when there is insufficient space or the surface of the beach is unsuitable for kite launching.

I don't understand why people aren't taught to self launch and land. In the early days of kiting we had to teach ourselves and the first thing we learned was how to self launch and land. If you didn't do that then you couldn't go kiting. Why is it so hard now?

Agree with Gorgo but not Lofty…oh all right, I agree with you to Lofty… Save yourself lugging another piece of kit down the beach and learn to self-launch you’ll love the freedom.

Might be obvious, but if you don't ride Cabrinha, you'll probably want to study other videos as their system seems quite different to other systems.

In my experience the most helpful video for self launching is this one, I believe made by someone on seabreeze.



Edit: Having rewatched that Cabrinha video their idea of self landing seems to be everyone else's idea of bailing out with a quick release. If you have a low Y then self landing without pulling the QR is pretty straightforward.

Blakout said..
Nice video finn12 tried it today and worked a treat first attempt looks like I've saved some cash not buying a sand bag :)

Great. Now practice it a few million times in a range of winds and conditions. The more you practice the better you get. It's really good to practice getting it wrong. You can recover from everything, you just need to have a good understanding of what is happening.

I have used the Cabrinha launch method since the 2009 IDS kites. I prefer this method as the kite seems to just roll over and launch without moving across the sand in most cases. Launching newer Cabrinha kites this way seem to launch hotter than the original 2009 IDS So beware.

I am not a fan of the second method as the kite typically wants to slide around on the sand risking more damage to its leading edge and collision with other stuff on the beach, this is especially the case on hard sand. Requires more space which is not always available at high tide.

I have never been a fan of using the safety system for self landing. There is a more elegant method that works with a lot of brands that involves grabbing a couple of handfuls, with commitment, of the centre lines etc, etc. The video below covers a few different methods...

'Blakout' - I made up this simple and strong leash for self launching and landing - usually use the bull bar or some other strong anchor point and always depower the kite for launch and landing. Tethered launch/land is much kinder on the kite where I play - to many sharp objects for the kite to slide over :-(
If the kite is depowered and is sitting at the edge of the wind window they generate very little pull so I really cant understand all those that say tethered launches etc are dangerous ??? Just my 2cw !