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One strut kites - which the lightest of them all?

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RalfsB
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Re: One strut kites - which the lightest of them all?

Postby RalfsB » Wed Jan 24, 2018 10:26 am

Dwight wrote:
Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:21 pm
Ok, I’ll give you the long version of my search for the ultimate foiling kite.
Thank you Dwight, this is really good information. I had the same reservations about the Boxer but it is great to know that they have not overdone bombproofing the kite and that if flies light and nice.

stenner
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Re: One strut kites - which the lightest of them all?

Postby stenner » Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:18 pm

Please know that Herbert is at the very least an unofficial spokesman for BRM and is closely associated with the brand and owner. Dwight is now a Naish dealer. Not saying their comments and opinions are wrong or right, just saying they are both closely associated with the brands they are speaking about. Maybe everyone already knows this but I think it doesn't hurt to put it out there again. Also, I think in instances like this it's good practice for the author to clearly state their relationship with the brand. Again, not bashing, just saying.

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GregK
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Re: One strut kites - which the lightest of them all?

Postby GregK » Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:31 pm

My relationship with brands :

Boardriding Maui - ordinary user, own 6 & 8m C1 Clouds, love them on surfboards & foiling ; have simplified their bridles to just one slider per side

Ocean Rodeo - good friends & associates, do kite and drysuit repairs for them, also ride their kites, favorites are 10 & 12m Flites

slowboat
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Re: One strut kites - which the lightest of them all?

Postby slowboat » Wed Jan 24, 2018 8:37 pm

stenner wrote:
Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:18 pm
Please know that Herbert is at the very least an unofficial spokesman for BRM and is closely associated with the brand and owner. Dwight is now a Naish dealer. Not saying their comments and opinions are wrong or right, just saying they are both closely associated with the brands they are speaking about. Maybe everyone already knows this but I think it doesn't hurt to put it out there again. Also, I think in instances like this it's good practice for the author to clearly state their relationship with the brand. Again, not bashing, just saying.
I think your points are important and the theoretical possibility of bias should be disclosed. I always look at a poster's "brand affiliation" when considering their opinions.

herbert
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Re: One strut kites - which the lightest of them all?

Postby herbert » Wed Jan 24, 2018 8:38 pm

My disclaimer: I am long time retired and kiting is my post-retirement hobby. I pay for all my kites. For the past few years I have owned only Clouds. I do indeed know the BRM owner and he mailed me a one strut Cloud to try and I mailed it back after a couple of days of use. Although I have no financial incentive bias, I definitely have a bias in favor the Clouds, mostly because that is all I fly, except when friends loan other kites to me to try out. Since I just fly strutless Clouds, I think I am pretty sensitive to changes made, like adding a strut. I probably am biased in favor of the strutless, since that is what I am used to (I like what I am used to). I weighed the kites on my kitchen scale....which at least lately correlates well with the local postal scale.

S4mb0
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Re: One strut kites - which the lightest of them all?

Postby S4mb0 » Wed Jan 24, 2018 10:45 pm

A comment not actually related to the main subject, but I am a BRM owner, I have the 17MC1, 6MC1, 9MC2, 12mC2 . On occasions I have inverted the 6MC1, 9Mc2, and the 12MC2. I dropped the kite in front of a wave and didn't relaunch quick enough, wave takes kite, I pull QR , don't like getting dragged underwater. I think it happened once when I accidentally looped the kite but that may have occurred due to under inflation. Trying to un invert is almost impossible without deflating the leading edge quite a bit to twist back. Two people could do it but I quite often kite alone. I feel that one strut may help to stop this. I thought that perhaps inflating the kite hard would help to prevent inversion but this happened recently with my 12MC2 and I inflated the kite pretty hard. I would agree that the BRM are the lightest LEI kites around and I love flying them but I don't like the inversions that have happened to me so perhaps a strut would make inversion less likely to happen. I have not tried to fly the kites in the inverted state although I have heard they can be flown enough to get back to the beach. I have not learned how to foil yet but fully enjoy these kites with the North Nugget.

skideeppow
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Re: One strut kites - which the lightest of them all?

Postby skideeppow » Thu Jan 25, 2018 12:42 am

So i am torn between the LF and THe Boxer. I have a Cabrinah quiver of drifters, 7, 9 and 12. If I need more kite i switch to my foil. The 7 and 9 are great for foiling. When the wind is light though the 12 drifter seems to heavy.

I tried the LF and liked it, super light but i did get some flutter.

But now i am reading about the boxer, and wondering if that is the direction i should go. I would probably only do the 12 since the drifter 7 and 9 are fine for winds in the 18-21 knots.

Thanks for the feedback.

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abel
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Re: One strut kites - which the lightest of them all?

Postby abel » Thu Jan 25, 2018 1:02 am

I own a 12m Solo (2.8 kg) and a 12m Ultra (2.4 kg).
Those 400 g, structure and shape, make a significant perceivable difference.
Since I had the Ultra after the Solo, I almost forgot the frequent swim in sessions that I had with the Solo (in similar <10 knots conditions).
It is quite easy for me to compare because there is an area in front of the buildings named by the locals the "Black hole", where the Solo always dropped no matter what I did.
In contrast, many times I managed to maneuver the Ultra in that same Black hole and keep it back in the air, even the kite was almost touching the water.
My personal non biased (I hope :wink: ) experience.

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Re: One strut kites - which the lightest of them all?

Postby gbrungra » Thu Jan 25, 2018 5:33 am

abel wrote:
Thu Jan 25, 2018 1:02 am
I own a 12m Solo (2.8 kg) and a 12m Ultra (2.4 kg).
Those 400 g, structure and shape, make a significant perceivable difference.
Since I had the Ultra after the Solo, I almost forgot the frequent swim in sessions that I had with the Solo (in similar <10 knots conditions).
It is quite easy for me to compare because there is an area in front of the buildings named by the locals the "Black hole", where the Solo always dropped no matter what I did.
In contrast, many times I managed to maneuver the Ultra in that same Black hole and keep it back in the air, even the kite was almost touching the water.
My personal non biased (I hope :wink: ) experience.
Which year Solo? I heard the newer ones are better? Though probably still heavier than an ultra.

This topic seems like it needs a shared google spreadsheet of actual weights...

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abel
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Re: One strut kites - which the lightest of them all?

Postby abel » Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:51 am

gbrungra wrote:
Thu Jan 25, 2018 5:33 am
abel wrote:
Thu Jan 25, 2018 1:02 am
I own a 12m Solo (2.8 kg) and a 12m Ultra (2.4 kg).
Those 400 g, structure and shape, make a significant perceivable difference.
Since I had the Ultra after the Solo, I almost forgot the frequent swim in sessions that I had with the Solo (in similar <10 knots conditions).
It is quite easy for me to compare because there is an area in front of the buildings named by the locals the "Black hole", where the Solo always dropped no matter what I did.
In contrast, many times I managed to maneuver the Ultra in that same Black hole and keep it back in the air, even the kite was almost touching the water.
My personal non biased (I hope :wink: ) experience.
Which year Solo? I heard the newer ones are better? Though probably still heavier than an ultra.

This topic seems like it needs a shared google spreadsheet of actual weights...
I had Solo 12 V2 and now V3 , same weight and can't feel any significant difference.


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