Kite Surfing

Hey all,

First session of the season for me yesterday and I'm pumped to make up for lost time. One aspect I wouldn't mind some advice on is self launching my tube kite. I've watched some of the other guys doing it last year and had some advice but most of it's seemed to have fallen out of my head in the months since I've had a good session

If anyone has seen some good online vids that would be great as well

I have no problems self landing and I'm flying a 2007 GK Sonic with a four line bar and upgraded naish smart loop if that's useful to know when giving me tips. I know it's an old kite but it water relaunches really easily so I imagine it should self launch easy too.

Thanks guys,

Ant

Easy to do ...... hard to describe.
To start I'll say this is what 'I' do, and not what 'you' do. It works for me
Make sure you have SPACE
Do it with a friend while you learn.

I use 3 methods .... launching on the edge (safest) hot launching and reverse launching (not as safe).

1. Self launching on the edge.
Before you even start self launching on the land, practice self water launching to death and you will have 90% of the process covered



Here we go ....
Rig up your lines as you would normally and pay special attention to making sure the bar is FULLY de-powered.
Check your QR works.
Note: You are NOT hooked in yet.

Walk your kite to the ocean side of the wind window to approx 45 to 60 deg towards the edge of the window.
Make sure the lines are running clean and have not caught on any beach crap.

With the leading edge facing DOWN place the kite on the sand making SURE the outer lines are CLEANLY running UNDER/BEHIND the leading edge and the closer lines are in FRONT of the leading edge and also running clean.
Tangles = trouble.

As you should already know, the wind will now hold your kite to the ground.
If it's blowy ... say 15 + put a few handfuls of sand on the canopy .... towards the down wind tip.

When you have double checked your rigging is running clean, slightly turn the kite so the outer tip begins to catch the wind .... how much you turn it will depend on the wind speed and your confidence.
The more you turn it, the more wind the tip catches, the more the kite is prone to doing it's own thing.

Watching the kite at all times, pick up and gently hold the flagging line and walk back to the bar, this is just in case the kite goes to take off before you get back to the bar.

Once you reach the bar look over it. It is COMMON that with all the friggin round at the kite a tangle or 3 may be found at the bar.
Once the lines/bar are clean hook into your safety first ... then the chicken loop.


Through the rest of this process ALWAYS BE READY TO HIT THE QR

Slowly walk away from the kite, keep the bar sheeted OUT at all times and keep the lines straight.
The aim is putting GRADUAL tension on the lines .... the downwind/outer lines WILL tension up first.
Is the outer tip is filling with air and being held up by itself ?????

If not, you may need to turn the kite more so it can catch more air (This can be done solo but is best to use your helper while you learn) If you have to go solo, walk towards the kite till there is NO tension on any line.
Walk directly upwind of the kite and, keeping tension ONLY on the outer steering line (Make SURE all outer lines are slack) tug the outer steering line which will allow you to turn the kite more. DON'T wrap lines around your fingers !!!!
Once you are happy, take the tension off the outer steering line and walk back to your original launch position.

Now that the outer tip is filling nicely with air the kite will want to turn/roll itself and the tip closest to you will stand up.
Make sure the bar is sheeted out and increase the tension on your outer steering line.
The perfect scenario is the kite turns, outside fills first, inside stands, then the whole kite smoothly lifts.
The worst scenario are many .... it can roll back to the center and hot launch, the lines can tangle on the tip causing instant kite loops the lines can tangle at the bar .... blah blah blah.
Whatever the case, if you are ready with your QR ... ya are prepared


I state again ... the MORE you practice self launching in the water the more you will have it wired for the land.
Light wind launching and high wind launching use the same method but come with different consequences


Hot launching and reverse launching are a different kettle of fish and my brain is now buggered .... so get the EDGE sorted first



Hope that helps

Great reply JKS, now all Black Ant needs to do is print out and laminate it to his bar for quick reference . No really, gold advice. It just goes to show how many things one thinks about during launch what most of us take for granted after having engrained the method and safety procedures in our heads.

Hey Marty,

WOW thanks for that

I will practice with diligence, a partner, great care and only after doing heaps of self water launching first
I also scored myself a 7m Trix through winter so the smaller size may be a better option to practice the launches with till I have it nailed.

I love my tube, but have to admit the launching and landing part of it does make me wonder sometimes if it would be good to have one of those nice flysurfer's like Southerly Buster has

Regards

Ant

No worries Ant

7 M definitely better as it will be safer but bear in mind it will have different launch habits to the sonic. Even a 7m sonic will behave differently to a 11m (Same model)

I actually had a bash with my 15m FS today ... it's an oldy and though it's in great condition, it's not really designed for those basic things like de-powering and turning

Norman

With most bow kites we self launch and land using a strop(m-cycle tiedown) just set your kite up at the edge of the window and secure the strop to a log ,post,towbar whatever ,pull on a reasonable amount of depower and hook the strop to your chicken loop, stand the kite up and settle it at the edge of the window and it will just sit there ,walk down and transfer the loop to your spreader and fly it off its tip.

This is one of the best meathods we have found to launch as there's no chance of accidently wrapping the tip ,works with all supported lei kites, a good way to practice is to launch your kite and then depower it and drop it down on its tip at the edge of the window ,once you have settled it let go of the bar and stand with it for a minute or so to get used to it ,when self landing you just have to do this right by your strop and hook to your loop then walk a step forward to let the strop take the pull and unhook.

its an ultra safe meathod ,once youve done it a few times youll never look back,and have the confidence to kite solo anywhere.

Hey extreme

How does this method go in gusty/lumpy conditions ?
I have always preferred to be attached and ready to flag the kite during the launch ..... just in case.

Works perfectly mate im in wellington nz and wind here is gusty as we get winds 15-40 at times and i go out and set up this way all the time ,just remember to depower the kite and it will just sit there ,i prefer this way of launching even when there are people there as you never know if an idiot is gonna do it right, so prefer to do it on my own,as do most of my local riders ,been launching this way ever since supported lei kites came out,and now teach the method to all my students,its basically idiot proof.

I have seen it many times on video but never attempted it myself.
Prolly cause I mainly land kite which mainly gives me onshore winds which doesn't leave many options for anchorage.
I'll have to give it a go sometime



I completely agree with you about asking others for launches ..... I much prefer to do it myself and if the location / conditions don't suit .... don't kite.

Most of the time we have a straight onshore but there are usually plenty of logs to tie off to,in a couple of spots we go directly off the towbar on the car and we also have a short warratah we made up just in case we have ltd space or we need a different angle,give it a go its better for the kite and way safer.

With most bow kites we self launch and land using a strop(m-cycle tiedown) just set your kite up at the edge of the window and secure the strop to a log ,post,towbar whatever ,pull on a reasonable amount of depower and hook the strop to your chicken loop, stand the kite up and settle it at the edge of the window and it will just sit there ,walk down and transfer the loop to your spreader and fly it off its tip.

This is one of the best meathods we have found to launch as there's no chance of accidently wrapping the tip ,works with all supported lei kites, a good way to practice is to launch your kite and then depower it and drop it down on its tip at the edge of the window ,once you have settled it let go of the bar and stand with it for a minute or so to get used to it ,when self landing you just have to do this right by your strop and hook to your loop then walk a step forward to let the strop take the pull and unhook.

its an ultra safe meathod ,once youve done it a few times youll never look back,and have the confidence to kite solo anywhere.

Thanks mate, that sounds like a great way of doing it

By a m-cycle tiedown, do you just mean some kind of webbing strap with a hook at each end? I'm guessing a stretchy bungee cord would be a very bad idea

If there's no handy trees to tie to, can you just do it with a good ground stake or is that a bit risky? Some of our sites are pretty bare and isolated away from the car parks

Kind regards

Ant

by the way for u aussie a "WARRATAH" is what you call a "STARPICKET" here just so you know

I have heard of folk using anchors such as "The Wombat' or equivalent




http://www.rapidanchor.com/The_Wombat.htm

You can use a webstrap with a hook each end or i got a spliced nylon rope about 14mm thick from a boatshop ,sort of like a thinner version of a spliced towrope and put a stainless boat winch hook one end and spliced a loop the other,works great, also a mate had a piece of stainless rod that looked like a huge corkscrew that he screws into the sand but a spike will do with a small hand sledge to whack in at about 30 degrees ,the one we have is a piece of heavy duty alloy angle ,so it dosent rust .

The wombat looks like a great idea never seen one here,and no dont use a streatcy cord, use something strong,also if your tying off to a log make sure its a firm one.

Hey all,

First session of the season for me yesterday and I'm pumped to make up for lost time. One aspect I wouldn't mind some advice on is self launching my tube kite. I've watched some of the other guys doing it last year and had some advice but most of it's seemed to have fallen out of my head in the months since I've had a good session

If anyone has seen some good online vids that would be great as well

I have no problems self landing and I'm flying a 2007 GK Sonic with a four line bar and upgraded naish smart loop if that's useful to know when giving me tips. I know it's an old kite but it water relaunches really easily so I imagine it should self launch easy too.

Thanks guys,

Ant

Its a difficult thing to describe, so watch this.
The clip is a bit old but its still relevant to todays kites

Thanks everyone, that wombat does look the goods there Marty

by the way for u aussie a "WARRATAH" is what you call a "STARPICKET" here just so you know

Good one Wolfie, I thought it might have been some kind of stake, hence my question.

Though I have to admit the eccentric part of my sense of humor imagined all the kiwi kite surfers driving around with small potted warratah trees in their cars that they could use to launch there tube kites with. It could be like monty pythons Holy Grail, "we are the kite surfers who say NEEEEEH! And before you pass you must supply us with a nice shrubbery from which we can launch our tube kites" ..... Well I did say I was eccentric

Good vid there too Steve, no worries about it being old as my 11m kite is a 2007 and my 7m is a 2008, with updated safety systems of course

Ant

I did notice in the video he says to clip into the chicken loop before clipping into the safety.

This is NOT a good habit to start/have
If the kite suddenly rolls or takes off before you get a chance to rig it properly and then has to be ejected you will be the owner of a runaway !!!
I know that's a few what if's but better to be smart than sorry.



PS. Ant .... Juniper bushes .... lol .... you been into the home brew

I did notice in the video he says to clip into the chicken loop before clipping into the safety.

This is NOT a good habit to start/have
If the kite suddenly rolls or takes off before you get a chance to rig it properly and then has to be ejected you will be the owner of a runaway !!!
I know that's a few what if's but better to be smart than sorry.

Surely the kite would be rigged correctly, prior to attempting a self launch Marty?

Could you suggest a better time to clip the safety to the kite? When you get it out of the boot of the car perhaps?

Is the kiter required to clip the leash to the centre line before picking it up from the ground?

There is a certain risk with self launching, I'll mention one of them again, now.

At anytime after the kite is placed in the 'Launch" position, it is a loaded gun and a sudden wind gust could blow it away. The kite will not normally launch until the lines are tensioned, and the chicken loop, needs to be placed on the kiters harness, then the safety attached, then the lines tensioned, all in that order.

I've done this hundreds and hundreds of times, never had a runaway, and I'm suggesting that thousands of kiters do exactly this every day.

Perhaps JKS's comments are just a compulsive, obsessive need to criticise anything I post?

Used to use this meathod a long time ago was the scuff launch,wasn't that good on the leading edge and hopeless if thereare a lot of shells , ok in lighter winds but can get a bit hairy in 25-40 the tie off meathod is way way safer in any wind conditions.