Lightwind Kiting Options

[ice1969]

I've recently sold both of my old kites and am in a position to rebuild quiver from scratch. In particular, I want to be able to kite in lighter winds 10-15 mph since that is what we see most frequently here in the mid-atlantic.

I am 175-180 pounds and have not been kiting much in recent years but want to get back into it. One of the things that seems to be happening in the sport is that more and more people are choosing to hydrofoil under smallish kites in light winds. This is a very interesting and enticing option, however, it seems to me that in winds this low > 15 mph, I had trouble even keeping my 12m 2011 Cabrinha Switchblade in the air, let alone trying to figure out how to hydrofoil. Even when I had an Ozone Zephyr (gen 1) back in the day, I was unimpressed with its ability to stay in the air. I am certainly open to the idea that my kite flying skills may not be expert level, but I think I'm a decent intermediate. I can stay upwind, do fairly smooth transitions, and was just learning to jump when other hobbies put kiteboarding on the backburner. Is it possible that I just didn't or don't have the right skills to keep these kites aloft? Has the kite technology improved to where today's kites are just so much better than those kites I've used from 10 years ago that I would see a huge difference today?

I still own two twintips; a 143 Slingshot SX and a Nobile XTR. I have no experience with strapless kiting, but am open to trying. I would love to try hydrofoiling. I am also not opposed to "moving the lawn" with a big kite and a TT as I improve my kite flying skills.

I was originally thinking I'd rebuild with a 9m and a 12m again. But, am now wondering if I should consider 12m and 15m or 17m. Or, stay 9m & 12m and learn to foil. Any suggestions? Thoughts?

[Exal]

Regarding kites it is crazy how much difference there is. I have a 12m 2019 evo and just bought a 2020 juice in 15m and the juice is weighs less than my evo. The kite also stays in the air with barely any wind. Not saying get that kite just that they make incredible light wind weapons now.

[BOEMIX]

If you want to hydrofoil there are a lot of zero/one strut kites that are very stable in light winds but without a lot of wind range, and not very good with twintip

[ice1969]

Thank you, Exal and BOEMIX!

It really is amazing how much materials and design have advanced.

Exal, do your Juice and Evo have the same number of struts?

BOEMIX, I am not sure I want to get something so specialized as a one strut kite just yet. I kind of want to keep my options open as I see where my kiting takes me.

[JakeFarley]

You may want to consider a Flysurfer Soul 12m. More complex bridle, different launching and landing technique, but will stay in the air at 10 mph or less. Similar relaunch as LEIs. Floaty jumps. You might be able to use it for hydrofoiling as well.

[ice1969]

You may want to consider a Flysurfer Soul 12m. More complex bridle, different launching and landing technique, but will stay in the air at 10 mph or less. Similar relaunch as LEIs. Floaty jumps. You might be able to use it for hydrofoiling as well.

Thank you for your reply! I guess I'm just a little nervous about foil kites, as they seem more difficult to relaunch when wet and don't offer much if a self rescue becomes necessary.

[Windigo1]

I have both Airush Ultra and Naish Boxer single strut kites they will stay in the air easily in 10 MPH and actually much less. You can foil in this kind of wind no problems with a big wing like the Moses 633. For over 10 years I was riding a 17m 50% of the time because we also get mainly light wind here. Foiling changed the game I can foil when regular multi struts kite won't stay in the air. It's way more fun to foil on a 9m or 12m than a huge 17m and a big door board!

[ice1969]

I have both Airush Ultra and Naish Boxer single strut kites they will stay in the air easily in 10 MPH and actually much less. You can foil in this kind of wind no problems with a big wing like the Moses 633. For over 10 years I was riding a 17m 50% of the time because we also get mainly light wind here. Foiling changed the game I can foil when regular multi struts kite won't stay in the air. It's way more fun to foil on a 9m or 12m than a huge 17m and a big door board!

Thank you for this reply! Were you able to learn hydrofoiling at those kinds of speeds? I do like the idea of foiling with a smaller kite.

Also, what sizes are your Ultra and Boxer? Thanks!

[dave1986]

Depending on your budget and the wind/ weather in your area you have a few different kite options for light winds (Most options are a BIG improvement compared to kites from 5 to 10 years ago).

FOIL KITES
The ultimate low wind kite is normally a modern foil kite using ultra-lightweight fabric. These kites are not only super efficient and powerful, but also have superior upwind capability, and they will also stay flying in lower wind than even a light wind specific LEI inflatable kite. A ultralight foil kite will easily get you riding on a hydrofoil in 7/8knots, or on a large light-wind specific twintip from 10/11 knots. The biggest benefit of a foil kite in light wind compared to a light wind specific LEI is that the foil kite will stay flying in as low as 2 to 4 knots, compared with a LEI which will need significantly more wind to keep flying (say 5 to 6knots).
The size of foil kite you choose will depend on your body weight and whether you plan to use it on a hydrofoil or twintip. If it's for use on a hydrofoil then anything from 9m to 13m will normally suffice. If it's for use on a twintip then 12m to 18m is probably required. (Hydrofoils have significantly less drag than even a lightwind specific twintip which is why you can use a much smaller kite).
The downsides of foil kites compared to LEIs are as follows:
1) Some people don't like the more complicated bridle setup compared with LEIs (though this debatable)
2) Typically they are slower turning than LEIs (but not always).
3) If they get wet it's best to dry them out. So can be more faff to dry out than an LEI.
4) Potentially more fragile than LEIs
5) Typically more expensive than LEIs.
BUT you'll have the last laugh when you're the only person at your beach blasting around when other kites simply cannot fly!
Good light wind foil kite options are:
Flysurfer Soul
Ozone Hyperlink
Ozone Chrono V3 Ultralight
Several other options from smaller brands too.
(Note: the ultralight fabric of modern foil kites is a huge benefit in low winds.)

LIGHT WIND LEI KITES
The other option for light wind is a single strut or zero strut LEI. Recent designs are lighter weight than older designs so are much better at staying flying in low winds (but not as good as a lightweight foil kite).
Again the size you choose will depend on whether you plan to use it on a hydrofoil or a twintip. If it's for use on a hydrofoil then anything from 10m to 13m will normally suffice. If it's for use on a twintip then 12m to 18m is probably required (depending on body weight/skill etc...).
The main downside to a light wind specific LEI is that they are unlikely to be able to keep flying in as low wind compared with an ultralight foil kite (perhaps 5 to 6knots compared to 2 to 3knots). This means if the wind drops a little then the LEI kite will drop more easily whereas the foil kite will keep flying.
Good light wind LEI options are:
Naish Boxer
Ozone Alpha
F-One Breeze
Airush Ultra
Ocean Rodeo Roam/ Flite (new ultralight Aluula fabric)
(many more single strut or zero struts available)
Note : If you plan to use the kite in 12knots+ only on a twintip then you could also consider a kite like Ozone Edge or Ozone Zephyr... these are very powerful and perhaps more efficient than single strut kites, but they will need a couple knots more wind to fly due to being slightly heavier. Ozone Edge/Zephyr are perhaps not the best kites for a hydrofoil though.

I have not discussed it here, but you should also consider the twintip board or hydrofoil you are using as this makes an equally HUGE difference to your low wind efficiency.

Dave

[tmcfarla]

If you are willing to go to hydrofoils (added expense and learning curve), 10-15 mph winds are pretty good wind. On a hydrofoil, 10mph is probably about the absolute lowest end for my old 8m 3-strut surf kite (ok light wind kite, but definitely not optimized for it). At 15 mph, I could size down to a 6m if I wanted. Hydrofoils gain the most from lighter kites, because you can wait for a gust To get on the foil and can actually move (fast) during the lulls. You need less wind to kite along than you do to water start a hydrofoil.

If you don’t want to move to a hydrofoil, I found strapless surfboards to offer something fun and different in less wind than you can have any fun on a twin tip. Kites have definitely gotten better, but with a twin tip or surfboard, power is usually the limiting factor at the light end, so while a newer 12 m kite will definitely hang in less wind, they don’t magically give you more power than older 12m kites. They are still 12m kites, and they pull like older 12m kites. They will stay in the air in less wind, but this hardly helps unless you are on an efficient board. So I don’t really see the point of the optimized light weight kites for twin tips, I guess it is nice that they’ll stay in the air, but that hardly helps if the kite can’t pull you along.

FYI, if you are going to hydrofoil, most people end up with nothing larger than a 10m kite. The range and turning speed of larger kites makes them less practical on a foil board. I weight 150 pounds and have 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12m kites. My 6 and 8 see by far the most use, and cover me from about 10-30 mph. My 10 and 4 once in a while. I don’t remember the last time I used my 12m kite. My fancy lightweight one-strut 10m kite probably gets me out in 1-2 mph less wind than my old, bagged-out, heavy 3-strut 8m kite, and I much prefer the handling of the 8m.