Just to clarify , the conditions are 6-10 ... not average 10 knots. More lulls than gusts.
I'm ~80kg with the equipment on.
The front wing is a Moses HP560, not really a big beginner wing (maybe that was one of my decision errors?)
the 560 is fine, it has plenty of lift. I have used 12m kitech and on the comet race wing in 8 knots and was plenty powered.
Im telling you man. Kitech. You wont regret it. Or Ozone Hyperlink.abel wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2017 10:34 pmRight! There is a relation between the skill, the refinement of the equipment and the kite size.Mossy 757 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2017 6:29 pmI understand what you're saying, and it's clear from this thread that there's disagreement on the wind range of kites. We will continue to disagree on this point until you provide evidence of you riding in 6-10 knots with an 8m kite. Until then, my recommendation (one of many from lots of experienced people!) remains unchanged.Johhnn wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2017 6:19 pmMossy, it's just not the case: "...a 15 m is never the wrong choice for 10 knots on most of the production foils available today..." For the past 3 years until this spring I had been riding the AlpineFoil XLP wing, a beginner/intermediate setup. I rarely used my 12 meter foil kite and only on the lightest days. As soon as there were whitecaps I'd be on my 10 m or 8 m foil kite. I didn't even own a 15 m. I upgraded to the newer "Sport" wing at the beginning of this year and immediately needed a 15 m. I weigh about 170 lbs. At 10 knots on my XLP setup I would have been on my 8 m or maybe the 10 m.
@Abel, you're throwing your money away if you get anything less than a 15m, in fact, get an 18m!
Kite size drops when higher the skills and more effective hydrodynamics.
I'll take Mossy's advice based on my own experience when started kiting during the early modern kite ages :
The dealer sold me a 12m 2-4 lines convertible Wipika, which caused me a lot of frustration (trying to ride in 11-13 knots).
Then I leaped into a North Rhino 16 and suddenly felt like an expert.
And yes, talking about overpowered, once I got caught with the Rhino in 20-22 knots and by the "no options" law I had to deal with it
I'll opt for a 15 foil and have handy my current 12 and 10 inflatos, should the wind be >10 knots (I also bought a 6.5 for the lucky case of 14-18 knots )
Thank you all guys for this educating thread.
Now that I narrowed the decision to a 15 foil, will have to make a "tougher" decision about the type.
Tougher because no possibility to test, as the few foils around are race type or Flysurfer giants (19 and bigger)
So what I'll be looking for is:
1- No high aspect race type
2- mid aspect "less tip collapsing" foils having light weight
3- enhanced relaunch capabilities.
I would love to do that experiment back to back. I think the only metric you'd see change would be speed; those slower foils wouldn't be able to get up and run like the Delta because of drag. I think their lowend would be about the same, and certainly the Delta is easier to ride if you know how to handle it when it starts going fast. I also don't think 99% of people with that price point of foil take the time to properly tune their setup; that adds another variable to the conversation. I'l also admit, it's possible to find the high end of most kites with a hydrofoil, if you're even barely overpowered there's a point of sail where you can find yourself uncontrollably lit with apparent wind. This happens with any boat in a blow and you learn to sail safe points of sail that are controllable and give you the ability to quickly bleed speed or power up as necessary to maneuver safely in strong conditions. This restricts the sense of freedom of the foil a bit, but isn't what I call overpowered...knowing that I can't broad reach with the kite low and the trimmer all the way out is just a fact in heavy air.Pedro Marcos wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2017 9:50 pmYou are not a beginner , 17m it's not normal kite length lines and the delta foil has a small front wing .Mossy 757 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2017 3:27 pmI can ride comfortably on my ElfJoker7 15m and Delta hydrofoil up to about 17 knots on 17m lines, beyond that I get too overpowered to hold it down and get dragged downwind where I can't edge upwind. It really shines in the 12-15 knot range.
I think anyone who says they're overpowered on a 15m in 10 knots doesn't know what 10 knots of wind is...
Put a beginner on 25m lines and 15m foil kite , with a big foil wing and he will immediately overpowered in 10 knots or maybe less .
I've been there !
Ok , so we have very closed point of view actually. -20 kg approx corresponds to 3 or 4 m2 lower kite surface.Mossy 757 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2017 5:55 pmYou misunderstand me, I would agree wholeheartedly that the wind in the video is not above 10 knots. You're also 20kg less than me from what I've read, so that might account for the difference, but a 15m is never the wrong choice for 10 knots on most of the production foils available today with most of the production kites available today. Again, the thread is 6-10 knots, not 8-12 knots and certainly not 10-15 knots...this is about going riding powered up when the wind is in single digits.
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