Pleased to announce you a new kite technology breakthrough : my High Pressure kite prototype is now auto-zenith !
Markets are huge : it opens the doors to kiteboating, it may divide kitesurf learning time by 2...
On this video the kite is in full power mode, I get dragged at the beginning in about 15 knot wind, kite being static in the wind window.
I repeatedly pull the kite down : it goes up consistently and never goes to the left side.
I won't explain publicly how I made it auto-zenith for now but interested brands can contact me.
No, this is not the first auto-zenith kite, in fact all single-line kites are auto-zenith and there is an auto-zenith power kite on the market for over 10 years, the Peter Lynn ARC but it is not used for kiteboating due to too low efficiency, I guess.
Last edited by brunolgx on Tue Mar 05, 2019 7:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
Can you make a video where you also show the other side?
One side could be that a line is shorter and therefore keeps pulling up again.
If you show the other side as well, then we can see it flies up from both sides.
I also see that your stopper is very low ysonyou set the kite on power. What happens if not on power?
Auto zenith can kill! I know of once such death where the guy got knocked out and then proceeded to be tea bagged for the next 2km unconscious. Not good at all.
My advice. Design out the auto death feature.
That's interesting, but I think from an usage perspective, auto zenith matters only if and when the kite is fully depowered. Any significant residual power would be detrimental to the most common use cases
Auto zenith can kill! I know of once such death where the guy got knocked out and then proceeded to be tea bagged for the next 2km unconscious. Not good at all.
My advice. Design out the auto death feature.
It could also save lives...hard to spot a crashed kite further away from shore...
Auto zenith can kill! I know of once such death where the guy got knocked out and then proceeded to be tea bagged for the next 2km unconscious. Not good at all.
My advice. Design out the auto death feature.
It could also save lives...hard to spot a crashed kite further away from shore...
Yes, but for bystanders it is harder to spot if they are in trouble or not. A downed kite is a clear sign that someone needs help.
There are dozens of scenario's for a kite at 12h in deep water where the rides is not in trouble so i doubt there is a safety benefit from auto zenith because it just takes longer to spot abnormal behavior like the difference between an unconscious rider with the kite at 12h or someone just fiddling with their board, straps etc with a kite at 12.
I think it will take therefore significantly longer on average to alarm the coastguard if you have an auto zenith kite.
Freak accidents aside: If they can't spot you with a downed kite you were too far offshore to begin with.
Great, auto zenith can give some options never seen before except for the old Peter Lynn Arc kites.
On a surfboard or a hydrofoil you can let the bar go fully and just surf the wave
Safer or not safer, can always be discussed.
But IMO a win win in most occasions that the kite stays up, you can also roll around in a wave without getting caught in the lines, nor having the kite rip when down in the break.
You can even fiddle with your board if needed, just "parking" the kite.
Auto zenith can kill! I know of once such death where the guy got knocked out and then proceeded to be tea bagged for the next 2km unconscious. Not good at all.
My advice. Design out the auto death feature.
I guess a matter of preference.
I too prefer my kites to drift to a side if I lose control for any reason.
Less chance of being teabagged when riding overpowered...
But I can see how some wave riders and beginners would prefer it other way around...
If the kite is flat enough, which it looks to be, and can depower enough, tea bagging is pretty much reduced to a near impossibility. Hasn't really been an issue in kiting for years now.
As to autozenith. From the video it looks nice and subtle. Interested to hear if it becomes more pronounced with some forward riding speed.
I had PL acrs for quite a few years, and still credit them.... I did however learn to dislike strong autozening tendency while actually riding. Required a fair bit of down pressure on the bar which is counter to comfort while riding one handed.
It can be a really handy thing for many stationary moments, but imo would have to be subtle enough to comfortably counter with a single hand on the bar, fingers straddling the depower line. If the hand has to cross the depower line to the bottom side of the bar, I'm afraid it would be hard to get people off the current state of the art.
Who know, from the look of the design, there may be many other aspects to consider. Just wanted to add and mostly inquire if you are considering this factor in working with your new design?