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Cool accessory or Next item on the banned list?


SmoothWaterMan

Wakekite Preliminary  

122 members have voted

  1. 1. Like or Not?

    • I like it
      74
    • I don't like it
      48
  2. 2. Safe or Not?

    • From what I have seen it's safe, and the safety aspect won't stop me from buying one.
      82
    • From what I have seen, I don't think so, I feel it's too dangerous for my friends and family.
      40


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http://www.wakekite.com

Interesting, looks a bit safer than the flying tube on national recall?

The one video is really the only thing to watch. On the drawback side, note how the kite holds the handle up so much I'm not sure how hard you can cut into the wake, and then how the kite is slower than the rider, so it slows him down in the air.

On the cool side, might be fun for the "something different" times. The parting shot with the skier on two skis, for example, reminds me of the little 3' jumpers we used to play with....

Peter. :)

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While the equipment itself maybe safe...use of it remains in question. By that I mean that on a crowded lake that thing could be very dangerous. In a sticky situation the boat can just shut down to avoid a problem but if the rider is airborn... Shocking.gif ...too many variables. There are enough fun (not to mention dangerous Biggrin.gif ) sports to participate in behind a boat why does everyone want to leave the water? Crazy.gif

I keep remembering all the old "file footage" of the guys strapping on wings back when man was trying to "learn to fly"... Crazy.gif ...some of those wipeouts are fantastic. :lol:

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I notice there's a person in the boat sitting under the tower with a red rope in hand. I'm guessing that's a release. I noticed on one of the guy's falls that the kite didn't keep heading toward the boat, the line must have been released.

The only concern I would have with the kite is getting tangled up in all the lines after a fall.

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I notice there's a person in the boat sitting under the tower with a red rope in hand. I'm guessing that's a release. I noticed on one of the guy's falls that the kite didn't keep heading toward the boat, the line must have been released.

The only concern I would have with the kite is getting tangled up in all the lines after a fall.

I seen that as well. Mike did you see you can even use it for sking Surprised.gif

It may be safe on a slow lake but with a lot of traffic a boat could run over the kite and take the person with them. For those of us who can't do inverts or even go w2w, well that would be no problem with the kite. Yahoo.gif

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That's really an ingenious way to keep the kite open - to have it a balloon on the rim. Very smart.

I think it's a cool idea, but I doubt I'll be willing to pay the $600+ they're probably going to want for it.

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I notice there's a person in the boat sitting under the tower with a red rope in hand. I'm guessing that's a release. I noticed on one of the guy's falls that the kite didn't keep heading toward the boat, the line must have been released.

The only concern I would have with the kite is getting tangled up in all the lines after a fall.

I seen that as well. Mike did you see you can even use it for sking Surprised.gif

It may be safe on a slow lake but with a lot of traffic a boat could run over the kite and take the person with them. For those of us who can't do inverts or even go w2w, well that would be no problem with the kite. Yahoo.gif

My son has been asking about just such a device as we have driven by the kite boarders in Hood River. Looks like it could be some fun, but you need A LOT of room to operate imo.

Definitely not for the crowded lakes or rivers. (noticed the pics were from Lake Merwin and Upper Willamette . . . I can't imagine trying to pull that thing on the upper Willamette)

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It looks like it could get tiring with the kite trying to pull the handle up. It looks like the riders are holding on like they're hanging on monkey bars. You have to fight the boat pull and the kite pull. It does look like it's alot safer than the kite tube.

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You know, that thing is "Probably" safe and maybe good design and all that, but messing with more lines and equipment has got to be a pain in the butt! It's hard enough to get just keep the tow rope out of the prop, now add that kite line and the kite blowing away, other boats around... yep, looks like a real mess waiting to happen!

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Reading some of the deatils on the site, if the rider lets go of the handle the kite section lets loose automatically from the handle. Good safety aspect. I would think a traditional trick release on the boat or built into the system on the boat end would also be a good idea as I can just see the rider geting tangled up in the kite lines.

I agree, crowded water or windy conditions are gonna be a pain, but that's nothing new for anyone that skis or wakeboards. I think the real risk here is gonna be the tendency to go past that perfect speed and go totaly airborne, using the thing like a para-sail. A fall from 50' with a wakeboard on your feet could cause some serious leg damage.

I also envison skiers, jumpers, and footers giving it a try. Since it is not designed for those activities and speeds ther could be some safety issues that arise there too.

My opinion, I'll probably buy one..... (before it gets recalled). It will be popular.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

It will be interesting to see how mainstream this goes. Good for the inventers for taking an idea and running with it. Kiteboarding has certainly taken over the Hood River area. You used to see the river loaded with windsurfers, but now it is almost all kiteboarders.

On the press release there are links to parts of HO - the last two link to a checking company and a car dealer in Louisville, KY. Someone didn't check those out too thoroughly.

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  • 1 month later...

Did any of you the latest Wakeboarding Magazine page 162? It goes for only $1499.99. Crazy.gif

When I watched the video I thought maybe $400, maybe $500, but $1500 is ridiculous.

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  • 1 year later...

i rode one of these a few times last fall,,,have a "dealer" friend that had one. there is a release at the handle,,,and also a manual release in the boat. was kinda fun,,took a little bit to get the hang of it. definately gives your fore-arms a workout with the constant upwards pull of the handle. did get some decent "hang-time" actross the wake a couple times. OVERALL OPINION----fun,,but not worth $1,500

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It's a huge work out. Our dealer let us borrow one for a few weekends to try it out. If you're a big guy, it's not that fun at all. If you're the 170 pound and less size, then you can get some major air with very soft landings.

Just as was said, it's a cool novelty, but it does get boring pretty fast. Plus your forearms will burn for a long time! 10 minutes tops is about all anyone could do on it. Myself being at 250 pounds, I couldn't get much air if any at all.

Glad I tried it, but at $1350, it'll never make it to mainstream.

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  • 1 month later...

Used one with a group of guys quite a few times last year. Very fun, very NOT safe. Forget that it looks easy, that the landing appear soft, etc. You end up cranking the boat to 30+ to get the extreme air- when you land, the kite can pull you back up and then down, and catching an edge at 30 mph is violent. You cannot get the air they advertise at 18-20 mph, no matter how good your technique is. We had some pro level boarders doing it, and you need to put the hammer down. I've never seen so many big smiles, and also have never seen so much carnage and violence. One guy got launched out of his bindings headfirst about 40 ft in the air and still isn't quite right in the head....

The kite itself is huge, and a huge pain to store, assemble, and get back straight after a crash. The kite tube is you standing on the tube and flying- if you want to bail out, you can jump off, cannonball to the side, etc. With the wake kite, there is no bailing out, you're on your board. Kneeboarding on it- I don't think so..... Rockon.gif

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  • 1 year later...
  • 3 months later...

had one, used it memorial day, my cousin got about 35 feet of air.. looked real dangerous, sold it on ebay the following week.

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  • 1 month later...

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