Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Ram airs crash in 2017

Forum for kitesurfers
User avatar
Pump me up
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 960
Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2003 1:00 am
Kiting since: 1999
Gear: Inflatables
Has thanked: 138 times
Been thanked: 44 times
Contact:

Re: Ram airs crash in 2017

Postby Pump me up » Sat Dec 09, 2017 11:18 am

plummet wrote:
Fri Dec 08, 2017 7:37 pm
I have never had to swim in when flying a foil kite. The only times that I have been unable to relaunch a kite in the water is with lei's. Has to float in from about 500m out on Wednesday because my bloody ozone edge wouldn't relaunch in sub 10 knots. Had I been on my chrono it would never have falled out of the sky to begin with!!!!!!
It's just a matter of time before your ram air lets you down. Here are a few examples of ram air disasters and swim-ins:

[/color]e) Wind dropouts and gear failure
ALL kiters experiences a few gear failures (eg broken lines) and COMPLETE wind dropouts every year. Inflatables can be "sailed" (self-rescued) or swum to shore. If things are REALLY bad, the inflatable structure can support your weight, eg viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2368004

In contrast, ALL ram airs eventually become hopelessly waterlogged, un-relaunchable, and unable to support body weight.
eg viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2346569
eg viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2358958&p=608890#p608890
eg viewtopic.php?t=2359156&p=617396
eg viewtopic.php?t=2358602&p=704984
eg http://www.foilzone.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8130

The following is an example of "diraklib's" experience with ram airs in wind dropouts:
diraklib wrote:"the SA-19 is huge and can whack you silly if you let it get down wind of you in a low wind launch. It is downright scary - be ready with the QR at all times if not up and riding!!! I can't say I agree with claims that you can ride the SA-19 in anything lower than a steady 8 knots. I made a personal choice to not ride the SA-19 any more. It went down twice in lulls and managed to bow-tie on the way down - there was no way to relaunch. I was not as lucky as others that self rescued. My kite was full of water by the time I dragged my very tired and frustrated a$$ to shore. It sounds simple, "wrap the lines around the bar, fold the kite in half, roll it up on your board and paddle in"... noooo... there are lines everywhere under water that wrap around your feet as you are trying to manipulate the kite. You just pray that a gust won't pop the kite up and slice of an appendage. The kite ... is just too scary when it goes down. My attitude now is - if my LEI won't fly, I shouldn't be on the water. Anyone interested in a slightly used SA2-19m??? Cheap???"
For the full epiphany, checkout viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2360979&start=40

The following is the experience of "pmaggie" with ram airs in wind dropouts:
pmaggie wrote:I rode foils only a few times, so these are really my two cents. The problem I experieced with foils in very light wind when they suddenly fall. In my home spot, in very light wind days, sometimes the wind really goes to zero for 1 minute or so. When this happen, both foils and inflatables suddenly fall. In this cases, my inflatable, since it's far heavier than a foil, fall directly into the water with no line tangling and I just have to wait for a gust to relaunch (when possible, that means about 7 knots for my Core 17). When a foil falls with no wind, being very light, it's common that its lines roll over it and became completely tangled. At that point, it's not that easy to relaunch.
The other big problem with foils in very light wind is when the wind completely stops. With an inflatable, you just get your kite and swim attached to your little floating boat. With a foil, you have 20 sqm of tissue to carry home with you!
For the full story, checkout: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2376332

Here is the experience of "FredBGG" with a line failure:
FredBGG wrote:The other day I had a front line fail.
Wind was slightly off shore...
I really needed a tow to the beach.
I had the kite safely on the 5th line folded in half (flysurfer Foil)
I waved down two kiters.... both expert judging by their riding.
Both refused to help.
One even yelled if you can't relaunch it's your problem.
Anyway after a difficult ordeal in the surf and current I got back to the beach.
I had to rest a bit but my board was still out there.
For the full admission viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2362065
The problem here isn't with the other kiters, it's with Fred's choice of kite. If Fred had an inflatable, he would have been able to "self-rescue" by grabbing the tips and "sailing" to shore. The other kiters refusing to help is understandable: Fred opted for less safe equipment. It's his problem and he shouldn't impose on others to make up for his equipment deficiencies. Also, towing a ram air to shore is like towing a sleeping bag full of water - difficult and dangerous.

a99
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1055
Joined: Tue Jul 18, 2017 11:10 am
Kiting since: 2013
Gear: North, SabMoses, Flysurfer, Liquid Force, Blade, Xenon.
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 562 times
Been thanked: 128 times

Re: Ram airs crash in 2017

Postby a99 » Sat Dec 09, 2017 2:08 pm

There is nothing new, of course ram kites are problematic if you like ride in open ocean 1-5 km from shore in LW :) but if you riding nearnormal shore perimeter than there is nothing worse withthem.
Just they have bigger hangtime and nicer low wind possibilities than LEI. But of course with ram you will not win rb king of air title :)

User avatar
Pump me up
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 960
Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2003 1:00 am
Kiting since: 1999
Gear: Inflatables
Has thanked: 138 times
Been thanked: 44 times
Contact:

Re: Ram airs crash in 2017

Postby Pump me up » Sat Dec 09, 2017 11:06 pm

a99 wrote:
Sat Dec 09, 2017 2:08 pm
There is nothing new, of course ram kites are problematic if you like ride in open ocean 1-5 km from shore in LW :) but if you riding nearnormal shore perimeter than there is nothing worse withthem.
Just they have bigger hangtime and nicer low wind possibilities than LEI. But of course with ram you will not win rb king of air title :)
WRONG! Ram airs have many more problems, necessitating self-rescue:
1) Collapsing and twisting in cross-offshore situations, gusty conditions, and/or downwind of obstacles (e.g. headlands).
2) Apart from light winds, ram airs sometimes fall because of line breakages.

And once they hit the water, you've got the nightmarish prospect of getting them to shore without dying.

However, you are very correct in alluding to the inferior jumping capacity of ram airs (relating to their overall inferior aerodynamic performance).

:pump:

naishdude
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 968
Joined: Tue Oct 14, 2008 9:14 am
Local Beach: Holland
Spain
Danemark
France
Favorite Beaches: everywhere at the seaside, where it is allowed to kite
Style: cruising& wave
Gear: Airush Sector 54 V5, Cypher5'8 active, compact 5'6, Compact5'5 active, Limit Waves custom 5'6
Ozone reo V5 12 9 7 5
Brand Affiliation: none
Location: outer space
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 6 times

Re: Ram airs crash in 2017

Postby naishdude » Sat Dec 09, 2017 11:34 pm

Pump me up wrote:
Wed Dec 06, 2017 12:48 am
Well, it's that time of year again. Time for a wrap-up and analysis of the failures of ram air kites in 2017.

Despite a multitude of ridiculous over-the-top CLAIMS from ram lovers, ram airs cRaSHeD.

It's interesting to note that NO ram airs..... no NOT ONE (!)…. feature anywhere near the top of the World Kite Tour in ANY discipline http://www.worldkitetour.com/ Ram airs crashed in Freestyle, Wave, and Speed disciplines.

The same ol’ problems keep recurring: the low-end of large rams is 7-8 knots at best. Ram airs are INFERIOR on downwind legs (collapsing, bow tying, etc). Ram airs really suck in gusty conditions and downwind of obstacles. They are positively lethal in cross-offshore conditions. Relaunch is a NIGHTMARE. Ram airs suffer rapid obsolescence through stretching, bridle deformation, and by being superseded by newer models.

Ignore the LIES and exaggerations. Ram airs are grossly inferior compared to inflatables.

:pump:
Look whois back...alive and kicking....feed him up boyzzzz


Return to “Kitesurfing”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: ak200, andylc, Baptiste_FR, chet, Chriz76, funalex, gl, Greenturtle, marinjo77, Pitu, purdyd, suisd12, Xtream, Yahoo [Bot] and 555 guests