guys ive been rocking the OR session harness for over a year now.

:)

great harness..

but.. MAKE sure you keep the slip covers over the straps.. i didnt and the constant rubbing against the spreader bar wore through a little bit .. too much wear in it for me to feel safe.

i called OR and they had me ship in the harness for repair..

well.. instead they just mailed me back a brand new harness a couple weeks ago.. so.. even tho i didnt follow their usage instructions they still honored the warranty 100%...

that is the *general* policy that most companies seem to stick to. i know that some folks have fallen through the cracks with problems.. but for every problem that i have had ive been completely compensated by the company and/or the shop that ive purchased through.

having options is amazing. we are damn lucky.

i can get something i ordered from extreme kites in my hands the next day every single time.. as well i can go to WSW (out of my way) and get quality gear and service.

there is absolutley no need for slinging BS around regarding this topic.

i love to kite.

i love to have options on where to purchase my gear.

i love to know that if i have problems I can make a couple phone calls to get things sorted out as quickly as possible.

nuff said.

Yup, I always seem to forget that part of the lesson. Congrats on the new kite, Sean. Time for a name change bro...........You can pick one, or we will pick it for you.................What's it gonna be?

Steve, I wish it was more positive but for some reason you took personal attack on riders in the community. You went so far as to call us wankers and moaners. Then you laid into a personal attack on me when I responded to your post and now you are asking all of us to be positive after you took a personal shot on somebody.

Since you asked here’s how much gear I bought at WSW:
I stopped purchasing from WSW approximately 3 or 4 years ago. In terms of kite gear I probably bought 6 kites, 6 bars, 3 harnesses, wetsuits, etcetera, etcetera… At that point in time their choice of boards and accessories was so limited that I looked for another kite shop that was dedicated to kiteboarding.

I’ll keep this short, once I’m given exceptional customer service from a very knowledgeable rider who stocks all the major brands, I remain loyal to that shop, especially if the prices are very reasonable.

In terms of doing good deeds, I don’t feel I need to do them on an announced day for them to add up. I’m quite confident that I have done several good deeds whether you witnessed them or not. To claim that a good deed is only worthy when pre-announced and publicized goes against the grain of a “true” good deed. In terms of SWAG I don’t remember taking even a hat.

I happen to believe in Karma.

lol...shit I don't know. I'm gonna go poop, and before I come back, SURPRISE ME! :) Just nothing gay like KiteQueen or BridleBoy. lmao

*PLOP*

New nickname for Sean...Man-Grover. Since Roy is leaving we need someone to follow in his footsteps!!! ;)

Glad to hear you got a new kite Sean. Hope that Waroo gets fixed soon. I'd loan you my 14M but I got rid of it because I had some overlap, my 16M Thruster came in the mail today!!!

On another note, does anyone on this thread know how to be the "bigger person" rather than shooting insults back and forth? I think I'm gonna set up an FKSA user name for my 15-Month old Niece so she can run a forum seminar about maturity and getting along with others even if you do have differences...

I guess not since you just did it yourself. :D

Much love to watersports west dey be da bes' ting roun'

Big ups to John Cleckner!!!!!!!!!!!! Bryan Eagle, Allan Lindsey!!!!!!!!! Toby Wilson!!, Neil Hutchinson, Steve Levine, Steve Visnage, Steve Saddler, Randy, Roy, East Coast Paddle Surfing, Arnette, Dennis "Rusky"!!, Jayson Orkins, Billy Parker, , Amber, Chris Moore!!, Tammy, Josh, Raul and Paul Menta, Brian Wood, Mira, Nikki, Gabe. These are all people who have directly helped out with the promotion of our school, club, riders, college kite scene, ect... there's a damn cool group of kiters around here and we're super stoked to be accepted into it. Watersports West made it possible to get in touch with these people and accomplish what we have, we have a pretty large demand repping over 10 different companies, they provide service for all.

This is lame.

TritonKiteboarding.com

Well said Toby, Tom, and Amber. I was simply pointing out on my earlier post that Randy has been selling Best just like Steve-O pointed out that WSW sells Best. I did not think it would lead to all the name calling and tension. I do not have any aliases and do not have any ties to any kiteboarding business. I have been kiting here for a long time and consider several of the people mentioned on the forum as good friends. Many have bailed me out in times of need-this is what makes our sport different-you need to be able to take care of yourself but it's good to have a brother (or sister) to help you out once in a while. Keep the peace and share the stoke.
Bruce

That's kewl Big G...do you know how to use it or would you like some help?

I could use some help thanks, its my first....Bow/Hybred. Thanks for noticing thru all this shat chat on the forum....

Ahhh, Triton, Wa’ppun rude bwoy?

Gang,

Why yu fe galang so with de tek smadi mek poppy-show? I no come to hear about how horse dead an' cow fat!

Everyting Crash, come bad in de morning can't come good a evenin'

More time!

Irony
 

I find it funny that WSW is selling Best now. As most of you seasoned guys know, Randy use to promote Slingshot for WSW through his lessons and probably was the best word of mouth advertising for WSW. I find it ironic that when Randy decided to Rep. Best, that Steve at WSW flipped and cut all ties with Randy. Now WSW is going to sell Best? See the irony?

Randy has spent just about 7 days a week for the last several months (wind or no wind) beating the sand and getting his little operation going. I think WSW should have tried to discuss their decision with him, just like Randy did when he made his decision. They have known him for years. Big or small, Randy is still a local kite shop. I’ve read and also listened to the reps at WSW say, “support your local shop.” Maybe its time to practice what is preached?

This is not at all a stab at Steve O or John. They are both very cool guys.

Let me "Jump" into the fray! First, help with that Waroo. I had the leading edge seam in destruct mode on both sides of my '06 14m. I restitched with fishing line and sealed with sail tape. I can hear the cringing, but that was over a month ago and a few good high speed whacks into the water with that leading edge. The kite performs like new and the repair is perfect. I recently had a bridle failure on the same kite. I saw that the wear area was about 1.5 inches, so I tried tying a knot at the failure point and doing the same on the opposing side. Hey, I hear the cringing again. That was 2 weeks ago and many flights 10 feet off the water. Result, kite flies like new and bridle will not wear out again!

My approach is one of self sufficiency within reason. I know the risks involved and would not choose hospital bed over another day of riding.

My time in the sport is only 5 months. My thanks to everyone that have unselfishly given support and advice.

Personally, I question the BEST companies choice to trample the territory of an established dealer, but these are things better left to the pros to decide.

I am currently trying to support my local shop, but my kite has been on order for over 60 days! Seems all manufacturers are having trouble supporting their lines. The sport is not main stream enough yet to actually receive a product advertised worldwide in ones choice of color advertised worldwide!

No slams intended on anyone in our community, we're a pretty lucky bunch to have the riding areas and knowledge base so local. Safe Flying to all....

Amen... local is not only wsw.

I can understand Both sides of the story. I own A Scuba Manufacturing Company and I understand how important it is to support your local shop. They can help you out with warranty issues and items you might need ASAP.
However I too have had bad expieriences with WSW. Granted it has been awhile since I have been there and shops/people can change. The first time I went to WSW about 3 years ago, I was trying to get info on the sport how to get strated ect. and I was grilled about having lessons first, Before they would even show me any equipment or give me the time of day. So that put a bad taste in my mouth. Also when I was looking to purchase gear, WSW seemed way over priced.

I have been Kiteboarding now about 2 years w/ 1 year off due to a knee injury. A couple of months ago I went into WSW Just to check out The new Undergrounds and equipment. I was greeted by a younger guy who was very helpfull and didn't grill me about how many lessons I've had and who I took them from. He was very nice and took the time to answer all of my questions.
He did alot for the way I see WSW.

I also Found out that WSW has some Used Gear a Pretty good prices for those who can't afford brand new gear.

Any way my point is I will give WSW another shot and others should think about doing the same, Maybe they have their shit together now.

Also,

A Good Shop, SHOULD Fix your equipment Or help You out any way they can
REGARDLESS of who you bought your kite from.

Good to see that its getting back to normal around here....

I wish that Skyway sensor worked as well as your guys edit/delete buttons.(Just kidding) but if youre gonna delete it, dont bother saying it.


My intentions were not to hurt anyone's feelings here, but please remember that if you insult me or post my business on here, its game on.... My posts are usually made in a joking manner, and should be taken as such. If you can't handle a good ribbing, the maybe you should not read my posts. If you still get your feelings hurt, I will buy you a box of Kleenex.....

Congrats to Matt Sexton and the Eckerd crew for completing their I.K.O. Instructors Course. That makes about 15 certified instructors in this area now.
Later

Wow
 

I never expected my initial thread to spark such emotions. I think it is incredible we have such strong feelings about our sport on and off the water....it truly shows our passion and dedication to one of the best sports in the world. How exciting to be a part of it....it has truly saved my life.

My only response to all that I have read is how folks tend to bend words around. We all know that misinterpretations happen on here all the time. I would like to address the comment that I have stated "support your local shop". I have checked all of my threads and post and I clearly state "thank you for supporting your local shop." The first is a demand or request while the latter is a simple thank you.

So yes thank you for choosing to do business with us. These days you have more choices than ever for your kiting needs, and we are certainly not the best, but we are working hard every day to get better at what we do. We want to support the local kiting scene, sponsor events, help create new opportunities (Eckerd) and get the latest gear on the water. As I have said in the past, tell us want you want, and we will try to get it. We are working to stock parts for Waroos as we speak to avoid nightmare's like Sean's.

I sincerely appreciate all of your support. I am the new guy and have always felt welcomed into the brotherhood. I think Scott said this to me one day amongst some of our talks....."You can't dwell on the past, you can only focus on the future". That might be a good lesson to us all.

Steve-O

I wish my kitchen would have gotten that much attention....damn thing looks great and my wifes happy.

Maybe I should post more pictures of it and some more family photos as well while I'm at it...

I think what generated a lot of "feeling" in this thread is the fact that Randy and his shop were overlooked when announcing the Best demos. It seems to many that he demos the stuff every day. It may have been an oversight.

Even after several people have voiced that WSW is not the only shop in town (and especially for Best kites), you (Steve-O) consistently thank us for shopping at our local shop (singular). You actually consistently call it "the local shop". Seems like you have missed the point. We presently have more than one shop in town. In the future I can guarantee you the numbers will increase locally.

Anyway, Randy isn't much of a forum guy. He is in the process of getting a website up so that oversights like this will be less likely in the future.

Here is a link to show that he actually sells Best products and is recognized by them until his site is done. He is third down on the list. Lists are definitely weird, someone is always left off. Probably an oversight.

http://www.bestkiteboarding.com/s.nl...pe.SS/SS.47/.f

Dictionary definition of shop
 

Main entry: shop

Function: noun

Etymology: middle english shoppe, from old english sceoppa booth

1: A handicraft establishment

2: a building or room with merchandise for sale

I dont know scott but maybe its you who missed the point, not steve-o

Shop
 

i did not realize that randy has a store front or shoppe. thats great. but it must be extremely recent. my point is that wsw has spent alot of money to actually stock a variety of kite brands and boards. and equally important is all the essential gear and bits and pieces that go with it. i think they should be recognized for that kind of effort and inventory.

I did see a shop with a bunch of Best Kiteboarding banners in the windows the other day. Not sure if it's open yet or not, I didn't stop. I buy a lot of gear from St. Pete Kite Sports center... small shop but a good guy.

Please support all of our local shops.

Bayflite has a shoppe? Damn, you learn something new every day.

I think I understand what a shop is, but I appreciate clarification. Nothing wrong with agreeing on terms to make sure we are talking about the same thing.

Without getting flamed here guys...because I sincerely respect all of you, the only "real shop" around here is WSW. Period. They benefit from a little macroeconomic principle called "economies of scale," and furthermore a little concept known as "free cash flows." This is the main reason nobody has a clue that other "shops" are available. Who can compete with their pricing/availability?? They have room to negotiate with us. They carry big parts, little parts, fat parts, and skinny parts. The fact remains gentlemen, that for any shop to remain competitive in this area, they need to get big....and quick! I had to replace my CL and depower line on my waroo bar yesterday. Now without purchasing an entire upgrade kit for my '06 bar, what shops could have assisted me besides WSW in this area? We disassembled another bar just so I could have the line and loop. They have their shit together...love it or hate it.

Hope to see you guys on the water...if the wind ever decides to come back! :)

-sean

Noob, you're right that WSW is currently the largest shop locally...and they are getting bigger FAST! There was a time fairly recently when they really only sold the two most expensive brands. Things seem to be getting better.

But there are other kite retailers here with some inventory. I bought nearly all of my Best gear from these smaller shops over the past 3 years. WSW did not offer best so buying from them was not an option.

Nothing wrong with that bro. You buy gear where you can find it. Pretty crazy to think about WSW just starting to carry Best and will already have more inventory, once the shipments arrive, than most dealers that have been around for 3 years. More power to them, make prices cheaper for all of us. "They're carrying quite a few more brands these days," and I think that attests to their desire to serve US, the consumer, in the best way possible. Best of luck to all of the smaller dealers, it's gonna be tough for them. :(

It's true wsw is growing and it'll be good for us, but they are not big by any means. We have a shop 3 hours away (www.oceanextremesports.com) that probably sells more kites in a month than WSW sells in a year and they specialize in mainly kiteboarding.

Shipping is about 5-10 bucks and you will have it the following morning.

For me it's easier to check my mail than to drive an hour each way to wsw and waste 1/4 tank of gas (especially since they don't sell best, or didn't then). I haven't found anyone that can beat their prices yet either (anywhere). If WSW matches their prices I'll be impressed for sure. I'm getting ready to buy a small waroo so maybe I'll give WSW a look and see what they can do.

Wow...
 

I just want to say that I do not recall much from the night I wrote the rasta style rant...

spliff spliff...

back to the regular scheduled program...

nice :D

haha...ya 'mon I know da feelin'. ;)

I have no idea what that means Bryan
 

What are you guys talking about?

I will explain it to you Toby, right after I finish this triple cheesburger, box of Twinkies and a bag of Funyuns.........

it's an experiment in fuzzy logic.

Had to post on this one
 

Now I usually don’t post on stuff like this but I have to say something. Everyone needs to remember at the end of the day these are businesses that are trying to compete with each other. It's nothing personal at all.

They are just supplying a need because the demand is there for Best brand kites! Yeah before all they used to sell was Cabrihna and Slingshot. Because think about it, that is basically what everyone flew around here a few years ago I hear.

I totally see there point about saying the 06 kites “Looked” like they where cheaply made. You have to admit when you pumped up a 06 Cabrihna kite or 06 Slingshot kite next to a 06 best kite “Visually” the best kites looked not as high quality. Now a lot of guys flew the 06 kites and never had any issues with them at all with failure! Actually I think the 06 Best kites had fewer issues then the 06 Slingshot kites. Now how the heck would WSW know that at first that best kites where going to hold up? They don’t they have to look at the product and make a choice weather to carry them are not. It seems they made a wrong choice in not carrying the 06 best kites because everyone loves them that flew them. Oh well you learn from your past, now WSW is making the decision to carry Best now because they want to make money! It’s a business and they are going to carry product that sell. Plus the 07 best kites “Visually” look very high quality and are very up to par with any kite out there for quality.

I really doubt that the fact that Randy carries Best gear is the reason is the reason WSW is carrying best. Again it’s a business and they want to carry product that sell! Of course when Randy decided to become a Best dealer WSW had to cut ties with him. For them to send him student would be a BAD business move. The reason they used to send him students is so the students learn and then buy kites from WSW! I mean if they where to send students to him now it would be honestly just “Stupid” on there part. Again it’s nothing personal at all!

I honestly feel bad for Steve-O because anytime he post anything on the forum about gear he has people jump all over him for pimping!!!! I mean his last post a while back he did had a very “Pimpin” feel to it and everyone jumped on him. He learned from that mistake and this time he just posted that they are carrying Best gear now. I mean everyone reads the forum it is a great move for Steve-O to post that they are carrying Best now. A lot of people buy Best kites and he was telling people there is another vendor for Best kites in St. Pete now. He was basically telling us we have another option. Yeah if we call up WSW, and talk to Steve-O to buy a kite from him he is going to make some money off the sale. He sells kites! It’s his job, so good for him.

Really if there is some rule against pimping gear then bad Steve-O. Rick should delete the post and tell him not to pimp gear on this forum. I really don’t know what the rule is. Honestly I hope that is not the case because if they get some cool new stuff I want to know! This way we can demo it and see if we like it. If the other shops are not going to use the forum to say “Hey we got are now carrying (Insert Brand) now” OR “Hey on (Insert day) we are going to demo (Insert Brand) at (Insert location)” then that is what they choose to do. Everyone advertise differently and if Steve-O wants to use the forum I think it is unfair of us to jump on him for doing it because none of the other shops are doing it. (Providing there is no rule against it)

Again everyone it is a business and it is nothing personal at all! At the end of the day who cares where you buy your stuff from. As long as you are happy with what you got that’s all that matters. If it was a great price, good customer service, great product, want to support a certain store, etc that made you buy it from where ever you got it then good for you!

Let just be cool with each other and have good time on the water. It’s great when everyone gets a long and shares the “Wind” buzz together!

Had to post on this one
 

Edited "Posted it twice" My bad! LOL

Amen!!!
 

AMEN!!! Nice post Roy.

"Its not personal...its just business"
-Donald Trump on 'The Apprentice" :)

Summary:

This seems to have started because someone posted their surprise that wsw (alleged best hater) now wants to carry Best. Others eluded that it's most likely an attempt to shut down Randy out of retaliation for leaving wsw.

Someone people jumped in with personal attacks taking the thread way off track ... and then that finally settled down.

I didn't really see anything bashing Steve-O. I really don't think anyone has a problem with him. He's been doing a great job of proving himself out there and I am sure everyone recognizes him for it. I know I do.

Open competition sounds good, but if you knew anything about how kite shops do business you'd know that they do not agree with this philosophy. Typically the smaller shops want protection from the larger shops.

I understand what you and Toby are saying about business is business. I sort of feel the same way. Business is war. Shops should be free to compete and set prices where they want to based on their overhead costs. I don't think the distributors allow this because I know they try to enforce retail price (but there are some loopholes).

Anyway, it's time for this thread to die. It's off track and not really going anywhere. Lets just see how it all plays out! Cheaper prices, more availability, etc ...

-tom

Just a reminder
 

I just wanted to chime in here and remind everyone that from Steve-O's original post he stated a few things:

1) He is aware of the "pimpin" rule
2) simply stated that WSW now carries BEST
3) Listed other brands
4) Thanks people for the support

It seems that his intention was not to insult anyone or post a list of the WSW competitors that carry Best.

If Steve-O sells kites, and there is a kiting forum where his target audience communicates, WOW imagine the idea that he might want to get involved with that forum to stay in touch with his customers, present and future.

That post has generated quite a buzz and I certainly have enjoyed the continued posts!

Thanks for supporting your local forum!!!!