Anyone try a wake kite?

[Big Wave]

I have a freind that told me about these wake kites. http://www.thewakehouse.com/detail.aspx?ID=1062
Has anyone tried one yet? It looks like a nice way to catch a lot of air with out punishing the old knees too much. I amm giving serious thought to buying one.

[jeanw]

Let us all try it out when you buy!

[Kito]

I tryed to kiteboard a couple of times. It is almost the same thing except no boat, just wind power. It was really cool. I was planning on buying the whole setup untill one day when I got about 30 feet of air and landed on shore and blewout all the ligiments in my knee. Not good. Four months out of work. Now I have dead people parts in my knee. I stay away from kites now.

[chadster2]

I think they are against the law here
What if 5 boats were doing that in the same area as 10 other boats
with wind gusting at 10-15 mph

they look over the top and I'd love to give one a try but
I'd go slooooooowwwwwww
15 - 25 ft air?

[laserfish]

Handle slipping out of your hand at 15-20 ft and dropping like a rock does not sound fun. Probably they will go away like the flying tubes and people being stupid and getting hurt. Then they sue the mfg.

[corey]

I've done it, it's pretty fun and it's actually a lot easier to use than I thought it would be. You need to be able to ride a wakeboard well enought to have edging and jumping down but aside from that it's a really short learning curve.

Since the kite pulls you up it's hard to get off balance in the air so short of letting go of the handle you are pretty safe from bad wipeouts.

You can not really use the kite if it's windy. A good wind coming at you makes it impossible to steer the kite which makes it impossible to get air. A wind at your back doesnt give the kite any lift so again, no air.

[Big Wave]

I've done it, it's pretty fun and it's actually a lot easier to use than I thought it would be. You need to be able to ride a wakeboard well enought to have edging and jumping down but aside from that it's a really short learning curve.

Since the kite pulls you up it's hard to get off balance in the air so short of letting go of the handle you are pretty safe from bad wipeouts.

You can not really use the kite if it's windy. A good wind coming at you makes it impossible to steer the kite which makes it impossible to get air. A wind at your back doesnt give the kite any lift so again, no air.

Thanks for the input. alot of our riding is done on an empty lake so other boats arn't a factor. did you feel like it was safe when there was no wind? and was it fun enough that you would want to spend a lot of time doing it?
Thanks

[Jetrey]

I think some of you are talking about kite boarding, which is different from the wakekite. I looked seriously at getting one, it is towed behind your boat and basically gives you extra lift as you jump the wake. looks awesome but I didnt buy it because of possible laws to prevent the use of it.

[corey]

I thought it was a great time, it felt very safe when it was calm. Unlike the kite tubes the rider has complete control over what is going on and the way it's designed the driver can't "help you out" by driving faster to get you more air.

If you want one let me know, I sell boats but our dealership sells them. I can prolly get you a small discount on one.

[rsjtmann]

Friend of mine bought one

and the 4-5 trips we went to the lake together it was always too windy to use it. Maybe next year.

[Domsz06]

Handle slipping out of your hand at 15-20 ft and dropping like a rock does not sound fun. Probably they will go away like the flying tubes and people being stupid and getting hurt. Then they sue the mfg.

your supposed to have the handle tied to you. They sell harnesses but people don't buy/use them. The harness ties to your handle so even if it slips out of your hands you can still get it.

Also, these kites are a four line kite. This means you have two lines to control and two to brake. Until you get good you always keep the kite braking so you don't go too fast/high.

[TJRiver]

Hate to be a drip, but check out the You Tube video clip of the idiot kiteboarding in one of the last hurricanes on the Florida coast. He was either very badly hurt or has since died. Wind is always variable and these traction kites can do a LOT of damage when an unexpected gust hits. (this coming from a windsurfer) Be careful out there...........

[Tincup]

I bought one in July, and sold it in Aug. It is fun, but you have to have almost no wind. Here in West Texas, you hardly ever see that. Some guy from Sweden is battling it now. You have to have everything just right. The lines get tangled, quick releases are a pain, and then fighting the kite in the wind. If a gust comes, it will pick the kite up, and you have to fight it, and then start the whole process over. The plus is it inflates and deflates quick.

[talltigeguy]

I looked once at my insurance policy...(I know, why did I even read it, it has so many exclusions that it had me wonder why I even needed it) anyways, one of the exclusions was kiteboarding. So I worry that if I or someone were hurt doing it, the boat insurance would not help pay for it.

It can be amazing how quickly 40K in medical bills could turn a friend without insurance into a plaintiff.

[TJRiver]

"It can be amazing how quickly 40K in medical bills could turn a friend without insurance into a plaintiff"



So sad but true!!