Should I buy a trainer kite?

WannabeKite · Since 17 May 2011 3 Posts Kook

Hi,

I've decided I'd like to learn to kiteboard. I've been reading a lot about it online lately and I fully understand that taking lessons is a must. However, I was curious if it is a good idea to buy a trainer kite beforehand to practice with and get used to? I understand that most schools use trainers as part of their curriculum, but I was wondering if it might really help me progress much faster with lessons if I spend a good deal of time with a trainer beforehand? It seems like trainers go anywhere from about $100 to $400. I can't see myself spending more than $200 on a trainer, but if anyone has any more advice or insight into this, I'd appreciate it. Are their any brands you could recommend? Thanks!

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4910 Posts Portland Unstrapped

cant hurt...

http://www.amazon.com/SlingShot-Slingshot-B2/dp/B000K84V8Y/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1305664057&sr=1-2-fkmr1

http://www.amazon.com/Best-2-5m-Kiteboarding-Trainer-Package/dp/accessories/B0021MCXKA

or better yet stop by a local shop - theyll give you some pointers

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

Yes! Still have my original trainer kite, they are bomber and fun and great learning tools...

Also fun if you get into skate kiting Very Happy

krueg · Since 16 Feb 2010 51 Posts Wenatchee Wa **CGKA Member**

Still have mine and now my kids use it to land kite in the school yard or when we go to the beach. It gets more use than any other kite I've owned.

Nak · Tue May 17, 11 1:49 pm

Yes, get one. Absolutely. The Best 2.5 and the Slingshot B2 are both great, along with many others I'm sure. I'd recommend getting one from one of the local shops. The expertise and advice they'll be able to pass on to you will be invaluable.

jack · Since 12 Mar 2006 211 Posts Stoked

I say no. Not to say it isn't beneficial to fly and practice with one, but after a weekend or two it might just collect dust. I have a dusty one you are more than welcome to borrow as long as you need it for assuming you are in the pdx or hr
area?

If you are interested send me and we can make arrangements.

WINDUDE · Since 10 Jun 2010 558 Posts GORGE! Addicted

I've had a slingshot B2 for damn near 8 years, great fun to teach friends on, even fly with one hand while holding a beer when it's not windy enough to kite

K2 · Since 30 Apr 2009 274 Posts Hood River, OR Obsessed

I bought a Slingshot B2 and was a little unhappy about how small it was the more I used it. Maybe go to a local shop and buy a Slingshot B3 or a slightly bigger kite than a B2 so you can skate kite with it if you like it. Just be careful but yeah I would get one if you could afford it.

Pepi · Tue May 17, 11 2:36 pm

Yes. Especially if you want your accomplish something significant at your first lesson and have an instructor who is stoked to work with you.

We hear all of the time from instructors who tell us that they can tell within the first minute of whether a student has spent much time practicing with a trainer kite and if they will actually be able to do something or not with that student during the first lesson.

Kraemer · Since 24 Apr 2006 1736 Posts Sky Pilot Unicorn Captain

Campbell · Since 07 Sep 2008 409 Posts Camas, WA Obsessed

If you do, get the slingy B3. More utility down the road.

kochease · Since 03 Jul 2008 760 Posts In Ft. Stevens, OR Opinionated

Screw the foil trainer kites, lame!!! They wont help you much to save money in a your lessons. Go with a inflateable trainer kite that has 4 lines just like a real kiteboarding kite. Spend a few extra bucks on a trainer but save double that in your water lesson times. Inflateables fly like the real deal because they are. Come lesson time you will already have a great feeling on how the larger kite will fly and how to relaunch a kite which will save you money and help you progress through your lessons more quickly. Kite Companies with Inflateable trainers are Airush, Epic and Ocean Rodeo.

Plus if you ever wanted to kite during a hurricane you have a kite for that lol!!!

Bolt · Since 02 Nov 2008 111 Posts Floras Lake Stoked

Yes, you should buy a trainer kite!

For so many reasons, the Slingshot B2 (2m) has my vote as the best trainer kite on the market. Flying a kite requires a lot of subtle movements that take a bit of practice to dial in. So much you can learn about the wind and flying a kite for only a $100!

tonyb · Wed May 18, 11 7:00 am

When you do get your trainer kite make sure to learn the correct techniques, don't just whip it around the sky like a bumble bee on speed. Too many people spend time on a trainer that doesn't teach them the correct skills. Sure, you can loop the hell out of a trainer kite, whiz it across the window at full speed, paint figure 8's in the sky and even do a handle pass. But you don't want to be doing that with a real kite during your first season on the water.

You need to be able to put it 1 o'clock and hold it steady there for 5 minutes without having to stare at the kite. Then do the same at 10 o'clock. Then do it one handed. Then sit on the ground and try putting your board on your feet while holding the kite at 11:30 or 12:30.

When you finally hit the water with a real kite you should be completely comfortable putting the kite in one spot and holding it there so that you can body drag upwind right from your first session. Screw the whole downwind body drag lesson thing, it's a waste of time. Learn to go where you want to go rather than being a tea-bag on the end of a string.

Tony

MarkWorth · Since 02 May 2011 149 Posts Hood River Stoked

Trainers can be useful but can also create bad habits. I recommend the sling shot B2 or the liquid force 2 meter. 3 meter kites pull hard and can injure or generate fear in beginners and teach the student to lean back and pull.
The goal of flying a trainer is to teach yourself good body mechanics so that you can control the tension of the lines and make kite turn smoothly.
About half of the students I have worked with used trainer kites before lessons. If they flew the trainer more than 12 hours, they are able to reduce the time in lessons about 1 hour. However sometimes they develop a bad habit of leaning back and pulling hard every time they fly the kite deep in the window. This habit can be extremely difficult to overcome and the student will repeatedly launch themselves into the sky during lessons because they refuse to depower the full sized kite.
The cost of the trainer is about the same as 1 hour of lesson. If the student only uses the kite for a 2 or 3 hours, it’s generally not cost effective. If the student develops bad habits, correcting the body mechanics can be more difficult then teaching a student from scratch. If the student uses the kite for 12 – 20 hours the student will progress faster in the lessons and have a better understanding of the kite’s relationship with the wind.
There is a full description of how to improve your skills with a trainer at: http://www.gorgekiteboardschool.com/08-trainer.htm

Aeolus · Wed May 18, 11 8:22 am

The B2 will get the job done. Buying it from the local shop is a good idea....

for example.....Will Brady at Floras Lake Kiteboarding (my local shop) outfitted me with a new B2 trainer some years back....and outfitted that thing with some used steering lines from an LEI......for some heavier wind speeds. This was a great addition and good insider advice...priceless.

A $100 looks significant now....but you're going to get some lessons (for not a small chunk of change)...then you get hooked...and then you turn your house into a pawn shop for RPM's. Just go to your closet right now and see all the stuff that's going to go away on craiglist. Laughing

Bolt · Since 02 Nov 2008 111 Posts Floras Lake Stoked