Slappysan wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2018 1:42 am
...It's still useful in short spurts because what you can plane in is different on the down stroke vs. the up stroke of your kite.....
Could be a difference in how I work the kite compared to you. I loop to build speed/momentum, then do not come off of plane as apparent wind keeps power in the kite.
Most other kiters consider me skilled in light winds as I use smaller kites at 100kg than almost all other kiters weighing in at only 75kg. In the past, I would ride a 5.5m Kahoona while other lighter riders were on 11m kites. This year, I have tried to go a bit bigger as the smaller kites in light wind were giving me some elbow problems from working them. The last day on the coast this year I rode my biggest current tube kite - a 13.5 Kahoona in light winds on the ocean with other riders on 17 to 19m inflatables. This could lead to me skipping over what you or others are experiencing by me having a necessity to keep my speed up to make up for a smaller kite at a heavier weight.
Slappysan wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2018 1:42 am
....This allows you to plane for a bit on the down-stroke and then come off the kite and lean on the board's buoyance to let it make it's up-stroke in really light winds.....
I would say therein lies the problem with going from planing forces (water falling off the top and back of the board) to displacement forces (water submerging the board and a portion of the feet). Resistance to forward movement is at it's peak when transitioning from displacement to planing. So you would lose out on a significantly larger portion of a kites downstroke, upstroke, or loop by constantly returning to displacement mode. If you just keep your speed up via turning downwind for a few meters, you could save this energy and maintain forward momentum.
Again, I do not think I am ever allowing myself to get to this stage. I just try to go fast. Thus I really need to try this back to back with a buoyant board. This gives me a reason to build a plywood kitefish, and a 4" thick one.
Slappysan wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2018 1:42 am
.....In really light winds if you don't come off the kite during the up-stroke it will backstall.....
I am pretty sensitive to backstall having grown up on foil kites. But I love backstall. My flying style departs from most other kiters with respect to how I use the backstall to place the kite in the window for maximum power, then sheet out to hook up airflow over the top of the kite at the most powerfull point in the window. If you watch me in light winds on water or the snow, you will see me stall the kite out all the time while using my momentum to over run it, then power it up again. Many kiters, not familiar with the positive attributes of backstall, are that way because they have little foilkite experience.
Honestly, writing this is making me think I am using backstall/rider speed in the same manner that you are attempting to use buoyancy. I still think that resistance of the board in the water at displacement is the biggest energy "black hole" you can get, especially when coupled with the loss of apparent wind.