This kite is right

Summertime activity is the perfect gateway to a new hobby

Buying a kite from COBRA KITES in Toms River (732-270-2112, www.cobrakite.com) is like buying a basketball from Kobe Bryant. Owners Jeanne and Ray Merry are legends in the kite world, holding several patents for their designs.

(Among them: “the Stacker,” the first commercially sold recreational power kite, which Ray developed in 1972.) Jeanne says her customers run the gamut from kids getting their first kite to retirees looking to start a new hobby, even sportsmen who propel themselves in kite-powered beach buggies. “Kites mean different things to different people,” she adds. The $21.95 Easy Flyer singleline delta kite, for instance, is ideal for beginners, with beautiful appliqués and vibrant colors; a twoline steerable stunt kite like the $44.95 Vision Epic, meanwhile, is a great choice for the two-line beginner or intermediate pilot—it’s easy to fly and has excellent handling across a wide range of wind speeds.

Kite enthusiast Dennis Craig of Parlin, who owns “more than 10 but less than 20” kites, loves that he can take his hobby wherever he goes. “I find a beach or park, open up the trunk and get my kites airborne— it’s that easy,” he says. Craig recommends the beaches of Belmar as one of Monmouth’s best flying locations.