[limejudge69]

Looking forward to a nice family vacation in Myrtle Beach SC. Me and the kids have so much fun flying kites on the beach. Some of the newer kites are so cool and complex, but I wax nostalgic and long for the Classic Gayla Bat kites of my youth. Anybody else remember the blood-shot eyed Bat kites from the 70's-80's? When I was a kid these were the kites to have. My favorite is the white kite with purple eyes.

[goatless]

Yup, I had the black one.

[Deadhead]

I had the black one too. Ever use a fishing rod to fly your kite? Guy showed me how to do it off his deck one time. Great way to have fun and strike up a conversation when people see you doing it. Perfect for the beach.

[limejudge69]

Originally Posted by Deadhead

I had the black one too. Ever use a fishing rod to fly your kite? Guy showed me how to do it off his deck one time. Great way to have fun and strike up a conversation when people see you doing it. Perfect for the beach.

No, I never used a fishing rod but it sounds awesome. Would love to hear more

[goatless]

Nope, never used a fishing rod, but I do remember having a 300' roll of string and letting all of it out flying a kite on a Cape Cod beach when I was about 10. It took forever to roll it back in!

[indymanjoe]

No line burns with a fishing rod.Easy up and down!still fly kites,kinda calming lol my kids think i'm nuts though

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Those Bat kites would go up with no wind.
I liked them as a kid because you didn't have to run with them very far.

Anything will fly at Myrtle.

We used to tie kites off overnight at Myrtle a lot of times because we put out too many rolls of string and everybody was too drunk to want to wind them back in.
Fishing rod might have helped.

Kites are still fun

[Bob Dillon]

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trks...at=0&_from=R40

E-bay, $14.99

[Deadhead]

You just fasten the kite to the line - stick the sucker up in the air and release. It is easier with 2, but one can do it. Those light bat kites would be perfect. First time the guy showed me how to do it was on a deck in Frederick, MD. He held the rod way up in the air, when the kite caught he began letting line out until the sucker got way up there and then fastened the whole thing to the railing. He used a regular rod, but surf rod would be even better.

Crazy drag racing electrician long-hairs.

[limejudge69]

Originally Posted by Deadhead

You just fasten the kite to the line - stick the sucker up in the air and release. It is easier with 2, but one can do it. Those light bat kites would be perfect. First time the guy showed me how to do it was on a deck in Frederick, MD. He held the rod way up in the air, when the kite caught he began letting line out until the sucker got way up there and then fastened the whole thing to the railing. He used a regular rod, but surf rod would be even better.

Crazy drag racing electrician long-hairs.

Awesome! Sounds like a blast. That just went to the top of my "Crazy Fun Stuff To Do' list

[fasteddy]

We used to launch the kite and then tie the end to our potbellied pig's harness. She would just keep grazing. We thought it was funny-she didn't.

[67_Krewzer]

Originally Posted by Deadhead

You just fasten the kite to the line - stick the sucker up in the air and release. It is easier with 2, but one can do it. Those light bat kites would be perfect. First time the guy showed me how to do it was on a deck in Frederick, MD. He held the rod way up in the air, when the kite caught he began letting line out until the sucker got way up there and then fastened the whole thing to the railing. He used a regular rod, but surf rod would be even better.

Crazy drag racing electrician long-hairs.

Kinda did this too but we just use a whole spool of 10# test. Put a pencil through the hole and away she went. School I was going to at the time (early 70's) had a kite flying contest. Prizes for the best looking, biggest and highest flying. I won 20 bucks for highest flying using this method with a black bat kite. I asked the Judge before hand if I had to reel it back in and he said No. (Thank God).

[sts]

They weren't that fancy when I was a kid. But I, again, took up flying kites with my daughter and, now, with my grandchildren.

Flying kites with a fishing pole was the only they did it in Texas. The best pole to use is a 9 level peen. Spool it up with 3 lb line, about a mile or so of line. It's the only way to fly a kite.

Grampy just took the grandchildren kite flying a few months ago. I grabbed my sil's pole, and let one of my gradaughters kite loose. It took Grampy about 45 seconds to hang her kite up in a towering oak tree. She took it a lot better than I expected.

[1967SC]

Yes,we had plenty of these as a kid.We would often lose them over the ocean.
They used to cost $1 in the late 60's early 70's.

[2002Z4CSS]

Not many kids fly kites these days.

[limejudge69]

Originally Posted by 2002Z4CSS

Not many kids fly kites these days.

True, but if we don't pass the traditions down they die out!

[Rob B]

Originally Posted by 2002Z4CSS

Not many kids fly kites these days.

Not many kids do much of anything these days outside of playing on their phones, laptops, video games, or watch TV...
I remember flying kites so high that we would try to get them to snap or fold up.

[Region Warrior]

We built our own out of balsa wood and paper to see who could fly the largest one with the longest tail.
Start with a 4'-5' section of rags, and add 1'-2' more one at a time.
Dad kept a box of old cloths for rags for when work'n on anything.
Sometimes he'd come out in the field and make us bring'm down lol.