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is super light wind the promised land?!

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neilhapgood
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is super light wind the promised land?!

Postby neilhapgood » Mon Sep 03, 2018 12:12 pm

Hi all,

I am considering getting a 15m foil kite but with limited funds and time to go to the beach I am wondering how good it is in super lightwind, i love the idea of cruising on those lightwind summer days with flatter water however wondering is it as simple as that!

If you have a steady 6 - 8knots of wind and a 15m foil kite can you generally expect to have an easy launch and cruise up and down ok or can it be a lot of kites dropping out sky, swims, getting quickly overpowered and essentially as many sessions that go wrong as go well?

maybe a tricky one to answer as every session is so different but interested to hear peoples experiences on those super light days

thanks

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Re: is super light wind the promised land?!

Postby tomtom » Mon Sep 03, 2018 12:15 pm

You did not state your board. It is much more important than kite. Hydrofoil make much more difference than kite for example

And no way you will ride on 6kns on 15 foil kite and normal size TT

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Re: is super light wind the promised land?!

Postby Regis-de-giens » Mon Sep 03, 2018 12:23 pm

maybe below video is self-explanatory ! you can see how easy it is with a suitable kite and hydrofoil
from 0:43 in 12m2 (20m lines) and from 1:40 in 15m2 28 m (thin lines)

https://youtu.be/CHQEZzPzDFs

I am 60 kg . I did lower wind but you need some work and Technics for waterstart phase or to recover the kite in a lull.

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Re: is super light wind the promised land?!

Postby neilhapgood » Mon Sep 03, 2018 12:25 pm

my board is a moses fluente with the standard 550 wing, thanks

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Re: is super light wind the promised land?!

Postby tomtom » Mon Sep 03, 2018 12:45 pm

Ah my mistake - it was in HF section so obviously HF. Then answer is definitely yes. It is promised land and first time in kite history light wind is FUN!

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Re: is super light wind the promised land?!

Postby neilhapgood » Mon Sep 03, 2018 12:51 pm

probably should have said i have a 12m one strut which gets me out in 8 - 12knots

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Re: is super light wind the promised land?!

Postby jumptheshark » Mon Sep 03, 2018 1:53 pm

Yes and no.

Funny, a decade ago I would have called 12 knots super light wind.... now its more like under 8.

There is amazement and novelty in riding the super low end, but it's not for me. Figure everyone will have a different threshold, but there is a definite on switch for any particular set of gear and skill set. I know there is a lot of low end range available with different gear and a bunch of practice, but Im not motivated to discover it. 5-9 knots has no draw for me.

10 knots is as low as I care to go. Its just such a solid on switch. Below that Im working for starts on my gear. Its limited riding angles straight lines and challenging just to turn around. I get that others may really get into this, but its not what I would call the promised land.

10 knots is a powered up good time. Water is still pretty flat, which gets to be a bit of a bore after a while, but its nice for working on things. Starts are simple in that kind of wind, great angles, and the swim to ride ratio does not even come into play. Down below 8 knots you just have to accept that a certain percentage of sessions are going to see it drop to nothing and you swim.

Foiling is enough fun in the early stoke to get you to test your low wind limits, but I eventually your limit just naturally starts to climb. I feel really fortunate to get out as often as I do. Has to reach 12 knots for me bother. Think Ive been out 15 of the last 18 days with a few doubles mixed in there. Today looks like another sure thing. In fact its been so good lately that Ive had the luxury of picking my moments to slip away for an hour or two on the water when it best suits family and work. Never could have dreamed of that a decade ago.

I use my 8.5 about three times as much as my 12m.

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Re: is super light wind the promised land?!

Postby Johhnn » Mon Sep 03, 2018 3:29 pm

Well, I had a super session the other day in about 6-10 mph of wind--measured at the local meter. I was fully powered and able to tack. Just perfect. No whitecaps, very smooth water. I was on the AlpineFoil with the large Lift wing and a Sonic 2 15 m. I had plenty of power and was able to work on refining my tacks. One of the local riders was out with friends in a boat wake riding on a surfboard. He hollered over to me, "Hey, you can't be kiting. There isn't any wind!!!"

On another lightwind occasion I had tried to interest the same guy in hydrofoiling. He rides a twin tip. He said no. I like power and speed. Well, I've been out in lightwind many times now on my 15 with plenty of power and plenty of speed.

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Re: is super light wind the promised land?!

Postby plummet » Mon Sep 03, 2018 7:31 pm

Yeah. You can have an awesome session on a 15m foil kite in 6 to 8 knots. 8 knots is relatively easy. The kite will float air in the air when you are not moving. but in 6 knots it becomes very interesting the kite may not float when you are static. Yourl have to keep line tension and move the kite arpund always.... Essentially you need good light wind flying skills to milk 6knots.

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Re: is super light wind the promised land?!

Postby Regis-de-giens » Tue Sep 04, 2018 1:52 am

Johhnn wrote:
Mon Sep 03, 2018 3:29 pm
On another lightwind occasion I had tried to interest the same guy in hydrofoiling. He rides a twin tip. He said no. I like power and speed. Well, I've been out in lightwind many times now on my 15 with plenty of power and plenty of speed.
Fully agree and no need for high AR kite or HF :

One day with 6-7 knots (absolutelly no micro-white caps on the open see and some glassy areas), i was foiling around 21-22 knots (average on 300 meters and competing with a semi-rigid and the whole family smiling) .

With a freeride kite and foil, no race equiment and long 27m lines ...High tension in the legs and jump could have been awsome (not the skills and courage for that)

"What else" ?


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