The 61/49 is a light wind, controllable single line kite. It can make those days with light and variable, frustrating winds fun!  One of our friends calls the 61/49 “the most fun you can have with only one line!” I tend to agree. It’s a natural bridge between the worlds of the static single liner and the often frantic stunt kite.

I'd built a lot of kites before this one came along, but If I were to pick one kite that was a turning point in rethinking design and construction as a whole, it would be the 61/49.  I started the project with a vague idea of where I wanted to end up, but the 61/49 taught me so much along the way. It's informed design decisions in every kite since. It was a major influence in the updates of the Ichiban and Reprise.

Thirteen years in, it's still the kite I always keep at hand at festivals. When the wind lulls, the 61/49 becomes my dance partner, and it's still teaching me new steps.

show - about the name 61/49

The name 61/49 is inspired by the legend of 1930's blues man Robert Johnson. Robert was a solid but unexceptional musician with a strong desire to be the best that ever lived. One dark Mississippi midnight, Robert met the devil down at the crossroads and made a deal for the talent to be the best in exchange for his soul. That crossroads? You guessed it, the intersection of routes 61 and 49. As for Robert Johnson, he died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 27, having recorded only 42 "takes" of 29 songs. His music, however, has lived on to inspire and influence many musicians, including Keith Richards and Eric Clapton.

Of course, the story of Robert Johnson and the crossroads is a legend, some say a fairy tale. I see it as a metaphor for change, and for making a decision to move in a new direction, even if there might be a cost. For me, the 61/49 represented not only a new kite, but a change in philosophy that impacts pretty much everything I do as a kitemaker. A crossroads, if you will.