Speed 2 19M in 6.2 MPH Avg. or Pipe dream??

[PBKiteboarding]

Our whole Country is basically light in the summer except for some thermal location... But summer has the most beautiful and warm days. Sailing is good but we can do that when we are 90...

On the lighter side myself 155lbs19m SA2 comes well alive in 8mph... but the kites just pulls like a 22m SLE and flies in 4mph, just stays up there, so it's better for any weight. See picts. A none kiter took these one day. Just happened to show the comparision of 19m and LEI's dropping... Most others are 185-205 the 19m has become their most used kite.

I love doing mega loops on my 8m Rise and 12m SLE... but when it's light, I still want my power back that I had when it was windier and will try to get it back with what ever will work, and I don't want to be dropping the kite like I used to with my 19LEI and 22.5 LEI just because of simple lulls, and this is great fun...

It's a good feeling to see guys having fun... Not to say certain kite are bad, it's more about having more power back, like a drug for us... We have the time and don't want to waste it. I'd even just be happy being out there on the water on a nice sunny day going back and forth in 6mph rather than standing on the beach or walking up the beach.

When it falls in sub 3-4mph or so. It kind of floats down. So you don't have to worry about it hurting someone like and LEI coming down heavy and fast

No matter what your weight, everything just gets better than whatever LEI you were on. It's just a physics thing when the wind is that lighter or just to have more power when it comes up some. Something to feel rather than to figure out why... That's why demos work so well. You kind of get eyes popping out.

You can see LEI's dropping here same time... in picts...The 19m didn't fall once. Even when it gets too light to kite. The kite will still stay up to wait a bit for the wind to come back.

Cherry Beach Picts

On a Spleene Door 59 here but many time on a Session 139 or 128.

Power for cruising


Going Into a Kiteloop


Backroll Kiteloop


Kiteloop


Frontroll

[Ted B]

I can stay up wind with no current and a monster door with the 19 in those conditions .One thing that no one has touched on here is how much fun you can have as a heavy weight when the wind climbs to the 10-12knt range and your lei is just barely keeping you upwind But with the FS 19 the super glidey jumps start.. At 225lbs I am always the 1st person the water and I use the Rip Max 140 as my light wind board.. Usually I am doing very nice jumps ( double rotations at minimum)before even the light guys can hold there ground. Here in Va. Beach If the guys see the silver arrow in the sky they will not even pump up... This kite at a minimum doubles my days on the water.. And in my opinion is PRICELESS a absolute must have for anyone over 200lbs.

[Tom183]

A key factor (and one that the original poster says he has) is STEADY wind. A steady 6mph is enough for a high-efficiency kite like the Speed2, but wind with big holes/gusts that "averages" 6mph is not the same deal at all - any kite will get you up in the gusts, then let you down in the holes.

What happens with the S2 in bad wind is that the kite will surge forward in the gust providing plenty of power to get up and get speed, then when the lull hits the power shuts off while the kite drifts back. Then after the kite settles it will produce power again even in the lull, but by that point you may have already stopped planing and it's not enough to get you up again. Shifty winds do more or less the same thing - and a lower-aspect, more "grunty" kite like the Psycho2 26m might do a little better in those specific conditions.

When the wind is steady, the Speed2 doesn't surge forward (or drift back), so the power is more constant and once you're up, you can stay up because the S2 thrives on apparent wind. Steady 6mph is much easier than "average" 8mph gusting 4-10.

[frez]

demo demo demo. A good local dealer of any brand of kites will have a selection suited to the local conditions that you can try.

My local FS dealer let me try out a Speed 2 19 and 15 and a Door 64 and 54. I spent a couple of hours trying them in various combo's before plumping for the S2 19 and the D64.

[Armin Harich]

Hi

Here a video from a testivall, where infltable riders tested the first time a Silverarrow and SPEED2 19.0 / 15.0.

At that Day, we had that little wind you describe with heavy guys at different FLYSURFER and Boards.

But it depends also a lot if you have 1 knt current, or if the wind increase in 20 meters like usually for 20-30% or not, …

But you will be the first on the water even earlier than light young guys.

http://www.kiteforum.tv/video/kite_and_grill_2007.html

bye, Armin