Strutless kite RRD

[rogerkite]

Hi guys,

RRD is entering into the strutlesskite market!!
Sizes 6, 8, 10 and 12 are available.
Feed backs from first testers are very good about performances...
And logically, price should be lower than "normal" kite...
By.

12925887744_a186f0109c_z.jpg (86.38 KiB) Viewed 6122 times

[norcom]

And logically, price should be lower than "normal" kite...

I'm having lots of doubt on that.

[elliott george]

Despite a lot of people not liking the strutless kites, they must be doing pretty well since more companies are making them

[Aummm]

And logically, price should be lower than "normal" kite...

I'm having lots of doubt on that.

I doubt it also
But that kind of bastardized Walmart Rattle without the struts and performance is only for wannabe kids,
so the price should not be more than $400.00 as the worst kite also according "Average Joe Kite Review"
If people don't believe it should compare it's embarrassing performance with other similar size and price
and hear the limitations, what major brand's grown-up designers have to say about it

[turfAndsurf]

I love the strutless kites, I have a Cloud 13 and 17. It works great in the surf, I'm glad more companies are developing them. I wanted to buy the 10 m Cloud but they were sold out. Now the new ones are expensive. Hopefully, RRDs won't be as expensive, I will have to give it a try.

On Monday, here in San Diego it blew 17 mph, which is very rare so I put up my 12 meter 3 struts kite. It was slower than the Cloud 13, didn't drift as well and on the inside where the wind was gusty the kite dropped in one of the lows, that would have not happened with the Cloud.

[norcom]

I love the strutless kites, I have a Cloud 13 and 17. It works great in the surf, I'm glad more companies are developing them. I wanted to buy the 10 m Cloud but they were sold out. Now the new ones are expensive. Hopefully, RRDs won't be as expensive, I will have to give it a try.

On Monday, here in San Diego it blew 17 mph, which is very rare so I put up my 12 meter 3 struts kite. It was slower than the Cloud 13, didn't drift as well and on the inside where the wind was gusty the kite dropped in one of the lows, that would have not happened with the Cloud.

Love my Airush Zero 18m! Now with the Airush Sector 60 I can get out in 7-8mph and plane upwind. Carve small waves when no one else would even consider going out. Just can't drop the kite but that's expected in super light wind. It's way faster than my Switchblade 16m. I'd love to pickup a 12 or a 13m strutless for those light days when it picks up a little and the 18 is way too much. I also want it so I can put both kites in a backpack and take my fatbike down the beach to different spots where otherwise I wouldn't be able to get to.

[TomW]

I have not flown a strutless kite, but I read the entire cloud website. It says depower is very on and off. Quite sensitive.

I do have a kite like this- the switch method 7 m. And its not that fun over the long run with the on-off power. I guess it could be good in real waves. Like 2+ m swell.

Out yesterday on Core xr2 Lw 17. Super smooth depower and power. Kite never flaps or luffs or any form changes in upper range, despite dumping 70% of power. I was on 5-0 space pickle lightwind board and gusts to 22 knots. ( 80kg).
I was thinking of why anyone would prefer on- off depower to smooth throttle. Imagine if your car acted this way....

[GregK]

I have not flown a strutless kite, but ...
I was thinking of why anyone would prefer on- off depower to smooth throttle. Imagine if your car acted this way....

Car analogy might be the difference in throttle and handling between a big truck and a small performance sports car. If you put a truck driver behind the wheel of a Porsche he would probably find it very on-off at first compared to the smoother and gradual acceleration of his big truck, but then after driving the sports car for a while might actually like it.

Different strokes for different folks, all a matter of what you are used and what appeals to you.

Another analogy might be the difference between a soft or semi-soft windsurfing sail that can luff and one with tons of battens and camber inducers, where the shape of the sail is locked in regardless of the trim angle.

[BWD]

Well Tom, maybe nobody would like that.
But the Cloud is not like that in my opinion.
Since you bring it up, with the Cloud, it's more like this:
The first 6 inches of bar throw give you more depower than you get from most kites by moving the bar that amount, and little or no luffing/flapping.
Keep sheeting out and the luffing starts, and so does the drift.
Sheet out too much, maybe a foot and a half (like if you take the kite out in too much wind for the first time) and the canopy luffs a lot and makes noise.
Give it a try before condemning it.

The RRD emotion kite looks nice to me.
If Aummm hates it, it can't be all bad!
It is higher AR, but looks like it keeps stability by having more "bow" traits, smaller tips but maybe more coning. It would be nice to see a better video showing it reacting to more sheeting and maneuvers. It seems like strutless is still not the way to go for kiteloops, there is just not enough inertia to keep the tip rotating and finish the loop fast, or so it seems from the video.

[norcom]

Since you bring it up, with the Cloud, it's more like this:
The first 6 inches of bar throw give you more depower than you get from most kites by moving the bar that amount, and little or no luffing/flapping.
Keep sheeting out and the luffing starts, and so does the drift.
Sheet out too much, maybe a foot and a half (like if you take the kite out in too much wind for the first time) and the canopy luffs a lot and makes noise.

My Airush Zero 18 doesn't luff that easy and I sometimes wish I could make it luff. I can't make it luff on demand. I can throw the bar out all the way and it wont.

The current trim on the bar works quite well but I wish I had more so I can make it luff. When the wind picks up quick, it'll get past its range just as quick. I'm hoping that a race bar could give me a lot more trim when I need to get back safely or just stay out there longer as the wind could die just as fast as it arrived.

I'm thinking the 2014 Cabrinha 65cm race bar but I don't know how much trim it would have vs the Airush bar I'm using.