40 replies to this topic

[Dano]

I've seen in the power blast video that it was stressed to insert the rod through the bungie before putting the bottom cap on.
Does this same rule apply for the standard Blast, or do i assemble as a regular 1.5

Thanks, I'm finally getting out today for it's maiden flight..

[Baloo]

Well that is the way I set my Blast up.

Hope I am doing it right?

[Dano]

It seemed to be the appropiate setup, so that's what I went with.

[SynTaks]

The only scenario where this applies is on the Blast style kites, including the shockwave and supersonic because of the difference in sail type versus the 1.5 type. Also, running the spar through the bungee would be impossible on a stock 1.5, theres no loop in the bungee behind the sail.

That second set of vertical spars changes the dynamic of how the sail catches the wind and how it deals with it. While you may not get as much pull out of a shockwave compared to a Blast 2-4, the standard Blast can be comparable in 10mph.

So that being said, I just always run the spars through bungees on the speed/power kites out of habit and just in case.

[Baloo]

Also just an added thought.

When set up correctly you will see that the Leading edge has a distinct curl to it doue to the end caps being flexed over the leading edge.

This is quite correct and how it is designed.

[awindofchange]

I think the bungee helps keep the down spars secured to the kite and helps keep the end caps from coming off when the kite drags the ground or goes through some extreme flexing. The leading edge does curl around towards the back of the kite when the down spars are installed correctly, which could put some odd pressure on the down spars under flight which may cause the down spars to "fling" out of the kite on impact if they are not secured through the lower bungee.

I don't know if the lower bungee was a design feature or just something that happened that worked out just fine - but either way make sure to run your down spars through the lower bungee and then into the end caps. (on the speed and power series Rev's only of course).

[Dano]

Well the first flight was certainly interesting.
I did setup the kite correctly.
Wind was between 2-10mph variable and shifting about 90 degrees.

I was suprised that even up at 9mph i could not get any lock-in or any real significant pull from it.

Flying was nice, but once i disconnected the connector lines between the bridle it became more rev-like.
i.e. it became more responsive to my inputs.

I had the 1/4" rods in the LE, but am now thinking the SLE would absorb less of the wind and provided a bit more pull.
I couldn't see much difference adjusting the brake lines either.

The float of the Blast was the most different, except of course for the size of the kite when comparing it to my 1.5's
With more time learning to work that float, it will be pretty neat.

I know, i probably just need to get out some more with it, in a bit more wind.
I was hoping this kite would be suitable for pulling me around the grass on a mtn. board in less than gale force winds.

What'ya think?


Thanks,
-dano

[awindofchange]

The SLE rod will give you a bit more speed - which in turn will result in more power and also effect the way the Blast flies. I don't think you will get much power at all with the skinny leading edge in there, it will just bend and make the kite mushy to fly with very little power. With the SLE rod in there you will feel a bigger difference with the different attachment points on the bridle.

The Blast will not give much power until the winds start getting above the 12mph mark. Anything under 10 the Blast will be very floaty and fun to play with but won't pull that hard. I think you will probably need winds around the 15-18 mph mark to get moving on the mountain board - depending on what terrain you are trying to ride on. Tall grass or an area that has a lot more resistance will require a bit more power to get going. Dry lake beds and hard pack will be much easier to get going and require less wind to go. For winds in the 8 to 15 mph range, the Power Blast 2-4 (or even the 4-8) would probably make a better mountain board kite than the Blast.

For power, the Blast series kites (2/4 and 4/8) have a very tight sweet spot where the kite gets locked into the power and pulls hard. Too much brake and the kite will stall, to little brake and the kite will depower and the sail will rattle. If you are getting any noise or rattling out of the kite then you have not got is locked in properly for max power output. Adjusting the angle of attack through your hands will lock the kite in and stop the rattling and also make the kite much more responsive to inputs. Keeping it locked in will give awesome power and the harder you fly the kite while in this position the more power it will produce. Give yourself some more air time and concentrate on adjusting the angle of attack in very small increments until you get the feel of the kite in the power zone. It is a bit more technical than the 1.5's or Rev 1's but once you figure it out it is a real BLAST!!! (pun intended)

Hope that helps.

Hope that helps.

[Dano]

Thanks Kent!!

[Dano]

Well, Well, Well,
The second time out was a bit different.

Winds were about the same this time but with only about 45 degree shifting..
I swapped out the 1/4" rods (Race Rods??- Cool - ) with the SLE and pulled my top lines lines in a bit more.

Ripping big long fast side slides were quite fun to do, and the kite with 85' line covered so much of the window I was feeling like they were 100'+.
Turning the blast appears to need a bit different style than a regular 1.5 does.

But the big thing is that as i was getting ready to pack it up the wind got more steady and directional, albeit still sub-10mph, I got the lock and had no problem flying around under pressure. I think the Blast might just be quite a bit more happy flying in cleaner wind than squirelly.

This Blast is going be more fun than i imagined.

[SynTaks]

Most definitely the Blast, and both of the speed series have a different turning style. Its almost counter intuitive to a 1.5 and kinda hard to explain. I've found that it'll go sliding along very well and almost right out the side of the window.

For me, the hardest part to deal with isn't the wind changing direction, but when it starts getting gusty and then drops out entirely.

I'll never forget a spectator observing a recreational Blast fly.... "you shouldn't fight the wind so much"... as I was leaning back enjoying the hanging on for the ride.

[hyzakite]

Could someone post a picture of the vertical through the bungee then into the cap, I think I have it with one wrap of the bungee but I'm not clear unless I see a picture

[awindofchange]

don't have an actual picture, but here is one I quickly drew up.

Hope this helps.

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Edited by awindofchange, 11 February 2011 - 11:20 AM.

[hyzakite]

don't have an actual picture, but here is one I quickly drew up.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Kent. I see my kite has 2 knots, so i would have to tie the bungee together instead of being held with the washers, I take it the washers can be discarded at that point.

[awindofchange]

Do you have the Blast, power series, Shockwave or Sonic? If so then your bungee should already be tied this way. If you have any of the other models - 1.5, EXP, B-Series, Rev 1 or Rev II, those have two knots with the washers on the sail and the bungee does not run all the way across the area where the vertical runs. For those models, it is not necessary or recommended to run the bungee over the vertical.

With the speed / power series kites, the sail is very taught and they have extra reinforcements at the connection points, making it ideal to run the bungee this way. For the other series kites, the reinforcements is not needed and the extra weight they add is not wanted on the sails. If you run the bungee like the picture on those models it can distort the sail. You can try it on your kites and if you are having a problem with the Vertical spars ejecting from time to time, the bungee mod will fix that.

If you do have an authentic Blast, it should be tied this way. If it is not tied like this then you can remove the washers and tie the bungee in one loop with no problems. It is possible that the earlier versions of the Blast used the washers and two knots, I am not sure on this. To my knowledge all the Blast bungee's were looped as in the picture.

Hope this helps.

Edited by awindofchange, 11 February 2011 - 03:47 PM.

[hyzakite]

It's an older sonic, I haven't flown it yet and maybe the bungees have been replaced, actually I originally started looking into this kite on the forum today when I checked the kite out and noticed the 4 sewn black strips on the front of the kite and wondered why on the front and not on the back where the verticals would contact the sail was odd to me but found the subject about the spars being bungeed around, so before I tie the bungees as a loop I'll probably drop a spar once or twice, bring me back to the original question I haven't searched for is, Why are the black strips of material sewn on the front of the sail and not on the back where it seems it would be protective of wear on the sail like a cushion?

[dave sainsbury]

While we are on this topic, could I ask for some help with setup?
I have inherited a sail but not handles or instructions.
What length handles do you recommend for the blast?

And what is the story with the multiple attachment points for the lower bridle?

I have two centre leading edge rods.
The consensus seems to go stiffer?

Thanks for any advice

Dave

[dave sainsbury]

Another question to demonstrate the fact that I should not be trusted with a blast
What is meant by "dumping the wind"?

Dave

[SynTaks]

While we are on this topic, could I ask for some help with setup?
I have inherited a sail but not handles or instructions.
What length handles do you recommend for the blast?

And what is the story with the multiple attachment points for the lower bridle?

I have two centre leading edge rods.
The consensus seems to go stiffer?

Thanks for any advice

Dave

Another question to demonstrate the fact that I should not be trusted with a blast
What is meant by "dumping the wind"?

Which Blast? From the multiple attachment points, its assuming that its the "standard" Blast. The inner vs outer lower connection has to do with the turning control - I think the outer ones provide sharper turning. Sometimes there is a bridle line that connects the top half to the bottom half of the bridle, which affects the pull of the kite. If I remember correctly, when it is there, it tends to make the kite have less pull. On that particular sail, regular handles will work most of the time. Having some knots on the bottom leaders for adjustment might come in handy.

The leading edge has to do with the wind speed and the pull on the sail. Just flying around up to medium wind, go with the lighter ones. The light LE and a bit of talent can make a Blast almost be considered a light wind kite. Even with the SLE, you'll notice a lot of bow in the leading edge when its under full tension.

That brings me to "dumping the wind"... which while flying a regular rev is just like running it straight up to the top of the window, letting off on the bottom lines. Tension on the bottom lines is what generates all the pull, which the next closest handle feeling is a hover with a regular rev on a windy day. That being said, probably the hardest early learning curve is getting any of the speed series into the air. After you're about 10' up, they do a great job of catching the wind and floating. Best advice is if you can watch someone fly one, or the next best thing of youtube. [Don't forget to put the spars under the bungees!]

I too used to think that I shouldn't be trusted with any of the Blasts...

[awindofchange]

Here's another cheezy drawing of dumping wind. Basically you are letting the wind spill or dump off of the sail so that it will not generate any pull. You do this by controlling the position of the handles. Pointing the bottom of the handles towards the kite lays the kite forward so that wind spills or "dumps" off of the bottom of the kite. Holding the handles near perpendicular to the ground is normal flying and the wind hits the sail directly. You can also dump the wind off of the sail by pulling the top lines in to far and letting the wind spill or "dump" over the top of the kite.

Hope this helps.

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Edited by awindofchange, 16 February 2011 - 05:16 PM.