The world of kite buggying

We have discovered, since buying our kite that there are many things to do with a kite on the beach. We have now started to kite with a buggy. There are many different kites out there to buy, but if you are serious about buggying then get a kite which is built for buggies. Ozone Razor is a serious race kite, Ozone Little Devil is a very stable buggy kite. The Blade is also a popular choice - beware of the blade - it has loads of uplift - great for 2 wheelers but no good for racing.

But there are a few things to sort out first......

In order to buggy you must first learn how to control the kite on land and be confident with turning the kite. Get yourself some safety gear, a helmet is a must, insurance is a mighty fine idea.

And you need to learn about wind speeds, directions and the wind window.

Only when you have mastered the above can you think about getting into a buggy. Ask around about where you can buggy, many beaches ban the use of buggies, others are fine. Some locations are better left until later in the day (here in the south-west the beaches are very busy during July and August, so it is better not to go out until later in the day, or just leave it until after the holiday season is over, then you can get the beach to yourself and enjoy higher winds too). Also check the tides, aim to buggy a couple of hours either side of low tide for maximum beach space.


It seems that kites are best flown using handles when buggying this gives you maximum manouverability, you can use a harness/back strap as well to get a bit of a rest whilst flying in a straight line.

Make sure you are well prepared before you get into a buggy with your kite, decide which one of the following 3 things you would prefer to happen and work towards it!!

1. You'll get into the buggy, catch a gust of wind and get yanked straight out again, to end up in an undignified heap on the ground.
2. Your arms will be pulled from their sockets, you'll let go of the kite, and be seen running at break neck speed down the beach after the kite
3. You will move off in a very graceful manner


Oh Yes! Once you have mastered getting started, you will need to know how to stop. There are 2 steps to this, one is to bring the kite immediately overhead (this takes the wind out of the sail), and then put both your feet down on the ground and gradually decrease speed. Of course if you are headed towards the sea you will want to master this quite quickly.

Basic buggy tips

One place for buggy tips is the flexifoil website. Just bear in mind that the products they talk about are their own, so there are other equally good products on the market. But the basic lesson on what to do tells you all you need to know.
http://www.flexifoil.com/roughguide/howto/buggying.php
There is also www.x-zone.co.uk and www.kitezone.co.uk. Both of these sites have excellent tutorials.

Advanced buggy tips

For those of you who want another challenge, you could always take up 2 wheeled buggies, otherwise known as kitebikes.

Pulling a 2 wheeler

More Pictures

For more kite buggies photo galleries visit the site below