Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Could a foil racer beat an AC75 around a course?

Forum for kitesurfers
User avatar
edt
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7316
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 6:27 am
Kiting since: 2010
Local Beach: Michigan
Gear: ride hard, no regrets
Has thanked: 529 times
Been thanked: 663 times

Re: Could a foil racer beat an AC75 around a course?

Postby edt » Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:07 pm

The only reason those ac75's have trouble sub 8 knots is that their current rules say that they call off a race when the wind is that low. There are I think something like 3 pair of foils and a dozen sails something like that and their foil rules are some sort of "box" rule it can't be bigger than this box. You tell the ac75 boats that they need to race in sub 8 knots and are allowed 1 more foil they will be much much quicker than a kiter. So the only reason they have problems below 8 knots are the rules. The boats themselves are happy to foil in winds much lower if the box rule for the foils are relaxed a little bit. I like the idea that the reason they are so fast is a matter of scale. That makes sense. But it could be something else, I dunno maybe it's that billion dollars of research done on these boats. Throw that at kiters who knows how fast we could go.

User avatar
tkaraszewski
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 727
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 7:03 pm
Kiting since: 2015
Local Beach: Hood River/Caribbean
Style: Hydrofoil
Gear: Ozone/Levitaz
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 52 times
Been thanked: 210 times

Re: Could a foil racer beat an AC75 around a course?

Postby tkaraszewski » Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:36 pm

geron wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 12:11 pm
I think a hidrofoil kiter could be faster; the wind is faster high above the water but the angle to the wind going upwind might be better with a sail?
The boats have a 26m mast and most kite racers are flying on 11m lines.

Hugh2
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1665
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:38 am
Kiting since: 2005
Weight: 180lb/82kg
Local Beach: Clinton Lake in East-Central Illinois
Favorite Beaches: Cape Hatteras and Cape Town (also sailing around the world, this season crossed the South Pacific)
Style: freeride
Gear: Cabrinha Nomad 5.5, Naish Pivot 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11, Duotone Dice 12
Long Ocean 136, Eleveight Master C+ 136, Naish Global 6'0", RB Sixty 3 Matador 5' 8", Slingshot Hoverglide H5 foil and Alien Air 4' 6" and Converter boards
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 98 times
Been thanked: 284 times

Re: Could a foil racer beat an AC75 around a course?

Postby Hugh2 » Wed Jan 27, 2021 1:08 am

tkaraszewski wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:36 pm
geron wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 12:11 pm
I think a hidrofoil kiter could be faster; the wind is faster high above the water but the angle to the wind going upwind might be better with a sail?
The boats have a 26m mast and most kite racers are flying on 11m lines.
I had no idea their lines were that short. Is that really true in a race like this? Lines seem pretty long to me.


User avatar
tegirinenashi
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 815
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2014 3:29 am
Local Beach: 3rd Ave
Gear: Bates 4000, Dominator MX-10
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 33 times
Been thanked: 36 times

Re: Could a foil racer beat an AC75 around a course?

Postby tegirinenashi » Wed Jan 27, 2021 1:22 am

The line length doesn't really matter, when they keep the kites almost touching the water surface.

User avatar
tkaraszewski
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 727
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 7:03 pm
Kiting since: 2015
Local Beach: Hood River/Caribbean
Style: Hydrofoil
Gear: Ozone/Levitaz
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 52 times
Been thanked: 210 times

Re: Could a foil racer beat an AC75 around a course?

Postby tkaraszewski » Wed Jan 27, 2021 2:34 am

Hugh2 wrote:
Wed Jan 27, 2021 1:08 am
tkaraszewski wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:36 pm
geron wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 12:11 pm
I think a hidrofoil kiter could be faster; the wind is faster high above the water but the angle to the wind going upwind might be better with a sail?
The boats have a 26m mast and most kite racers are flying on 11m lines.
I had no idea their lines were that short. Is that really true in a race like this? Lines seem pretty long to me.

They’ve gone to shorter lines over the last couple years and it looks like that video is from 2016. Regardless, fastest sailing is with the kite wingtip just above the surface of the water, especially upwind.

plummet
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 6819
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 11:25 pm
Local Beach: EE
Favorite Beaches: NZ
Style: Terrain riding
Gear: Old wornout ozone.
Plummet hydrofoil and mutant
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 11 times
Been thanked: 224 times

Re: Could a foil racer beat an AC75 around a course?

Postby plummet » Wed Jan 27, 2021 8:58 am

I agree with others. There is no chance in the the ac75's design range, However take the boat outside that range and it would be a different story.
Try doing 40 knots in a 4m swell and 30 knots of wind.... the ac's would implode. But it would be glorious to watch until someone died.

nothing2seehere
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1666
Joined: Fri Jun 27, 2014 3:25 pm
Kiting since: 2012
Weight: 72
Local Beach: Calshot, Hayling, Meon - Southcoast UK
Gear: Duotone Rebel, Evo SLS, Flysurfer Soul/Peak, Ocean rodeo jester, Airush Ultra, shinn boards
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 204 times
Been thanked: 292 times

Re: Could a foil racer beat an AC75 around a course?

Postby nothing2seehere » Wed Jan 27, 2021 11:27 am

Hugh2 wrote:
Wed Jan 27, 2021 1:08 am
tkaraszewski wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:36 pm
geron wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 12:11 pm
I think a hidrofoil kiter could be faster; the wind is faster high above the water but the angle to the wind going upwind might be better with a sail?
The boats have a 26m mast and most kite racers are flying on 11m lines.
I had no idea their lines were that short. Is that really true in a race like this? Lines seem pretty long to me.

Don't forget that the bridle lines are a good 5-7m on a foil kite. So 11m lines will be closer to 16-18m for an LEI kite.


Return to “Kitesurfing”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Aberdovy kiter, andylc, DanielorDani, Dirk, htsc, IvanoKite, KVL, nixmatters, rnelias, Sers, xoen, Xtream and 393 guests