new guy needs some help!!

[Greg]

Maramenides can kill it on any kite...

The key is a kite with solid pull/good low end grunt and not super fast turning. Unlimited top end is more a fanitisea trait then a reality at this time in kitings deveopment. Yes kites have good to great top end but choosing the right kite is VITAL to your success and safty. That said a good tuning will make any kite work better for its intended rider/conditions. And finally I wholey agree that making the right friends will be extremely helpfull to your progression and future safty.
Have fun!!
L.M.G.

[luigi]

so should i not practice on the 6m pilot. is it not a good idea? safty comes first for me so i want to make the right desitions befor i do something stupid.

[michael]

so should i not practice on the 6m pilot. is it not a good idea? safty comes first for me so i want to make the right desitions befor i do something stupid.

Luigi,

"safety first" is absolutely THE right way to start.

Until you have good skills controlling the kite - any size will seem to you too intimidating. In my opinion, no lesson will teach you this skill (no offense to instructors). Once you get good skills in controlling the kite, the size won't matter (assuming the right size for right conditions).

Transition between practicing on land with the trainer kite to practicing body dragging on water is THE most difficult, in my opinion. You can practice with the trainer kite everyday, until cows come home, but once you are in the water with a kite that has nothing in common with your trainer kite - no instructor can do anything to teach you how to control it.

Yes, 6m would be good for body dragging, and would make this transition very smooth. However, at the end of your second session you will realize you won't need this kite anymore. Ever. This might be an expensive investment, and most people simply skip it and either start practicing with a big kite right away, or keep taking the lessons.

When I was in your shoes, I couldn't make this transition by making a step forward. Instead I went one step back - got a much better trainer kite, practiced with it for 2 weeks. The first session of body dragging on my own with a 12m was a piece of cake.

No matter what approach you choose (6m, lessons, good trainer kite) - it's an investment. Expensive or cheap, one way or another - the safety should be indeed first.

[jowall]

That said a good tuning will make any kite work better for its intended rider/conditions.
L.M.G.

I think LMG's point is very good, but when I was a beginner, I had no idea how to tune my kite beyond the sheeting line and was reluctant to mess it up. To be honest, I still don't consider myself that good a tuning kites. I tried flying my old C kites on a different bar and they never seemed to fly right.

I've been kiting 2 years and assume there are plenty of other people in the same boat. Perhaps we could do a tune-a-thon next season?

-john

[Greg]

I'd be happy to assist went ever possible,
L.M.G.

[K. Cliff]

Very good point... especially when it comes to beginners buying used equipment too. I mean we went out and bought a full quiver of used kites to use and totally trash while we were learning. All the kites were in great shape and the bars and chicken loops were in perfect condition. The lines and the safety release looked OK. In reality I spent the first couple of months totally over powered and when things got hairy and I had to let the kite go (pull the safety) it was all screwed up because it had never been used. When I finally figured out the reason why I was so over powered it wasn't because I picked the wrong size kite. It was because the guy who owned the equipment before me (and myself) had the lines so stretched out that I was flying a full powered kite with the bar sheeted out. Hell! I didn't know... I'm just saying if you do buy used equipment just because the kite holds air and the lines aren't frayed it doesn't mean it is ready to go. When you take your lessons pay close attention to where and why the lines are hooked up. Ask why the back lines have slack and what does a well adjusted kite look like in the air..... It sucks that nobody tells ya these things or that your just so exited to get out on the water that it goes in one ear and out the other. One way or the other Luigi, you will learn :).