Ah yes you heard it. I've been very recently thinking to make a 7 X 2 meter Power Kite from scratch. I saw some of the videos on youtube and looks like a lot fun. The power kites could be used in Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. For winter: You would be able to go on your snowboard and skis to let it haul you around, without a snowmobile pulling you, or finding a hill to go down. But with a fast enough wind speed. The power kite would be able to also pull you up the hill instead! No more walking up hills for me!! For summer: Put on your water skis or wakeboard, and go sailing across some waves, without the use of a motor boat. (for those that can't afford a motor boat) Rip across open fields, with a 3 wheeled buggy, mountain board or with a pair of rollerblades, etc. Just as long as you got some wind, and protective gear and all of that shabang, then you're set for a hell of a good time. I would buy a powerkite if I could find one in Edmonton. Some of the kites can range from about $50-1,500. So I'm thinking of spending 600 bucks at most. 300 bucks for the equipment, and 200 for the kite. 100 for extra supplies if needed. So yeah if I can't find one I guess I could then make one. -I would use the 4 or 6 mil poly vapor barrier as being the canopy to add stength. (40 or 50 bucks for a 100 foot roll) -Pool Noodles (creative!) as being the frame for the kite. It's light, flexible, and would hold the kite into shape. Instead of it twisting and warping out of shape. It would help me getting the kite into the sky faster. Since there are pool noodles I would have to double wrap the plastic sheet over the pool noodles and then I would use a handheld heat gun to bond the plastic on both ends together. Or I could just use.. Duct Tape without the second sheet layer -String (possibly 300 feet of nylon string) -Handle bars (already made by me) -Safety (I own hockey equipment so there's more than enough protection. ) Anyway I hope it'll turn out great for me when it's completed!
I bought a couple of Ebay a couple of years ago, small power kite and a Martin Lester stunt kite. Tried them on a blustery day and went flying, I'm sure my arms used to fit into my shoulder sockets before that:dunno: Kayaking is good fun with a power kite, so long as you don't land flat. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RuE5t1-H9k"]YouTube[/ame]
Yeah I guess you need a certain amount of training before heading out with the bigger kites that are "supposed" to be for the more experienced kite flyers. For the big kite that I'm going to make, I was thinking of maybe saving it for a light windy kind of day, a wind speed great enough to lift the kite off and stay hovering so I could then recognize the amount of pull that I would expect coming from other windier days. The max windspeed that I'll fly the big kite will be at a moderate wind speed of 40-50km/h. (Hoping not to get flown away like that guy in the video. That's crazy because it reminds me of what you see in cartoons.) But I could indeed make smaller kites on very windy days. Kayaking with a powerkite.. Hmmm very interesting there, I'm going to have to try that out. I figure it also works on motorboats too when you relize that you ran out of gas, chuck out the rowing paddles and say hello to Mr. Power Kite!!!
I've been trying to find some video of kite kayaking for you but all the stuff on youtube is people using them to tow boats. It's quite big around here for the adrenalin junkies and they get some serious air on windy days. I never realized the power of the wind, even after the kite incident, until I put my sons sailboat up in the back garden just after Christmas (his present) Scary stuff that's very unpredictable, makes your heart pump:heart::heart::happy::banana::heart:
Haha, well I browsed and did a search on youtube and I must say that powerkites could be used on.. Well anything that is movable nowadays. As for the kayaking that's an innovative way of not using your arm muscles, except for holding onto the tow bar, that's about it though. Other than that, you must get quite a rush from the power of the wind, and speed that you get out of it. There's some engineering going on to make this wind generator by using multiple kites as a source to generate electricity by spinning this large rotor. It's called "Kitegen" The problem with this design is that there are a lot of uncontrollable draft winds.
