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Switchblade 11m experience?

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mikelet
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Re: Switchblade 11m experience?

Postby mikelet » Fri Jun 08, 2018 9:07 pm

Waves perpendicular to the wind ( sideshore winds ) most of the time ??.get a faster turning and agile 3 struter kite ..Drifter 13,11??
Waves parallel to the wind ( onshore to side onshore) most of the time ??, Switchs are perfect for surfing the wave with kite parked and surprised me how well they drift and keep stable in the air in LW for a 5 struts platform.
My 12m Switch has the same low end and turning as my old FX 14m....

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Re: Switchblade 11m experience?

Postby iriejohn » Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:43 pm

Van Hunk wrote:
Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:46 am
Ahoi

If you have a 9 go for the 12 switchblade. You won't regret it. It is slower but you'll be kiting when most other guys are sitting on the beach staring at their navels hoping for more wind.

My suggestion is also to further pimp your quiver by buying 6m line extensions from your Cab dealer. (Gets you to 30m lines)

Line extentions turn your 9 into a 11 and your 12 into a 14 when required. (line extensions is without a doubt the most value you can add to your quiver for the least amount of money.)

Good luck
Do 30m lines really turn a 9m into an 11m and a 12m into a 14m?

Given that wind speed increases by perhaps 10% between 20m and 30m how does that work?

From another thread:
iriejohn wrote:It really is not very complicated.

A kite (wing) develops different amounts of lift (power) at different wind speeds.

Wind speed does decrease nearer to the surface, water in this case, but not as much as most people imagine - as is demonstrated by this graph.

Image

For example, wind speed at 10m is about 88% of wind speed at 20m.

hth

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Re: Switchblade 11m experience?

Postby Kamikuza » Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:56 am

iriejohn wrote:
Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:43 pm
Van Hunk wrote:
Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:46 am
Ahoi

If you have a 9 go for the 12 switchblade. You won't regret it. It is slower but you'll be kiting when most other guys are sitting on the beach staring at their navels hoping for more wind.

My suggestion is also to further pimp your quiver by buying 6m line extensions from your Cab dealer. (Gets you to 30m lines)

Line extentions turn your 9 into a 11 and your 12 into a 14 when required. (line extensions is without a doubt the most value you can add to your quiver for the least amount of money.)

Good luck
Do 30m lines really turn a 9m into an 11m and a 12m into a 14m?

Given that wind speed increases by perhaps 10% between 20m and 30m how does that work?

From another thread:
iriejohn wrote:It really is not very complicated.

A kite (wing) develops different amounts of lift (power) at different wind speeds.

Wind speed does decrease nearer to the surface, water in this case, but not as much as most people imagine - as is demonstrated by this graph.

Image

For example, wind speed at 10m is about 88% of wind speed at 20m.

hth
I thought the greatest advantage was the extra time/distance the kite has to accelerate?

A quick google: 2πr(arc length/360) so say 72 degrees for a power stroke (easy math), then
for 24 lines, the arc is 30m versus 37m for 30m lines. 23% longer arc?

I dunno, too tired to brain.

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Re: Switchblade 11m experience?

Postby iriejohn » Sat Jun 09, 2018 8:32 am

Power stroke when the kite is sined, yes, but much less change in wind pressure than most imagine. The probable reason for the misconception that wind speed increases with height in some sort of proportionate way is because near the ground, where we stand, there is a large shear effect and we therefore naturally assume that the same applies above our heads and higher.

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Re: Switchblade 11m experience?

Postby Kamikuza » Sat Jun 09, 2018 11:01 am

iriejohn wrote:
Sat Jun 09, 2018 8:32 am
Power stroke when the kite is sined, yes, but much less change in wind pressure than most imagine. The probable reason for the misconception that wind speed increases with height in some sort of proportionate way is because near the ground, where we stand, there is a large shear effect and we therefore naturally assume that the same applies above our heads and higher.
Right, but stroking it up to speed is more effective, no? And when you're desperate for just that little bit extra it's gotta count for something :D

I like extensions on my foil kites because they need the space to dive, pick up speed then turn at the bottom of the stroke.

One of the few times I've tried extensions on a tube, I put 6m extensions on the Crossbow 16. Little bit more power but the thing I noticed most was that loops were "smaller" in the window.

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Re: Switchblade 11m experience?

Postby iriejohn » Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:45 pm

Kamikuza wrote:
Sat Jun 09, 2018 11:01 am
iriejohn wrote:
Sat Jun 09, 2018 8:32 am
Power stroke when the kite is sined, yes, but much less change in wind pressure than most imagine. The probable reason for the misconception that wind speed increases with height in some sort of proportionate way is because near the ground, where we stand, there is a large shear effect and we therefore naturally assume that the same applies above our heads and higher.
Right, but stroking it up to speed is more effective, no?
That's what I said.
Last edited by iriejohn on Sat Jun 09, 2018 4:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Kamikuza
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Re: Switchblade 11m experience?

Postby Kamikuza » Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:46 pm

iriejohn wrote:
Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:45 pm
Kamikuza wrote:
Sat Jun 09, 2018 11:01 am
iriejohn wrote:
Sat Jun 09, 2018 8:32 am
Power stroke when the kite is sined, yes, but much less change in wind pressure than most imagine. The probable reason for the misconception that wind speed increases with height in some sort of proportionate way is because near the ground, where we stand, there is a large shear effect and we therefore naturally assume that the same applies above our heads and higher.
Right, but stroking it up to speed is more effective, no?
That's what I said.
Groovy. So your problem with it is people thinking that they're getting lots o' wind way up there.

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Re: Switchblade 11m experience?

Postby iriejohn » Sat Jun 09, 2018 4:31 pm

Kamikuza wrote:
Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:46 pm
iriejohn wrote:
Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:45 pm
Kamikuza wrote:
Sat Jun 09, 2018 11:01 am

Right, but stroking it up to speed is more effective, no?
That's what I said.
Groovy. So your problem with it is people thinking that they're getting lots o' wind way up there.
iriejohn wrote:[there is] much less change in wind pressure than most imagine. The probable reason for the misconception that wind speed increases with height in some sort of proportionate way is because near the ground, where we stand, there is a large shear effect and we therefore naturally assume that the same applies above our heads and higher.
Groovy. ;-)

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Re: Switchblade 11m experience?

Postby ktflyer381 » Sun Jun 10, 2018 12:00 am

I have a 2017 11m SB. I would agree with the comment that a 12m would be better if you already have a 9m. I use my SBs strapless in onshore conditions and they are fine. I also use them with my twin tips and love the air they give me. I tried the FX but the glide wasn’t there. Although the SB is not the perfect wave kite, it is good and a better solution for me than having a dedicated wave kite that sucks on a twin tip. BTW, I have the 11m because I have a 12m SB and a 13 and 15m Contra. There is a big low end difference between an 11 and a 12m SB.

K

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Re: Switchblade 11m experience?

Postby Cab Driver » Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:02 pm

The 11m Switchblade is a hidden gem. Day after day my retailers sell troves of 12m Switchblades while I quietly ride the 11m (and 9m btw). They all tell me that it's hard to sell the 11m. The 11m turns almost as fast as the 10m and has almost the low end of the 12m. In onshore surf it produces great low end when you need it, it has parked upwind drive, a big wind range, and is okay for drifting (but nothing like our Drifter). The 11m Switchblade has more low end than all 12m kites in the market save a few specialty kites. This is not opinion, but fact. Personally, I ride the 11m over the 12m and I weight 185 pounds.


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