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15m light wind kites Juice/Turbine/Zypher

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Xtream
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15m light wind kites Juice/Turbine/Zypher

Postby Xtream » Wed May 26, 2021 4:53 pm

Any current users of these kites can comment on their performance in light wind 12-15 Mph on TT
Looking at 2018 to 2020 kites.
Whats the minimum wind need to stay in the air.
Minimum wind to ride upwind on TT @ 175lbs
How does it jump in 12-15mph winds
What the top end.
Upwind ability.

Thanks

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Re: 15m light wind kites Juice/Turbine/Zypher

Postby Iridian » Wed May 26, 2021 9:12 pm

Really gotta recommend against getting a kite like this.

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Re: 15m light wind kites Juice/Turbine/Zypher

Postby appelton » Wed May 26, 2021 9:29 pm

Iridian wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 9:12 pm
Really gotta recommend against getting a kite like this.
Why ? I have Cabrinha Contra 15m + Flydoor6 + line extensions..I can go out in no wind. Nice lightwind summer sessions during sunset ...priceless :)

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Re: 15m light wind kites Juice/Turbine/Zypher

Postby StellaBlu » Wed May 26, 2021 9:38 pm

Iridian wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 9:12 pm
Really gotta recommend against getting a kite like this.
Sage advice! :clap:

I used to have a Turbine 15 and sold it. The kite "works" at ~13 kts, but it is overpowered at ~17kts, so the wind range is very narrow. And while it works, I didn't find it to be particularly fun within that window. Yes it can jump, but the size makes it fly so slowly that the jumps are not very exciting. It saved a few sessions where I would have gotten skunked on the TT otherwise, so there's that... but I wouldn't say they were particularly memorable sessions.

I demo'ed a Juice 15 a couple of times and liked that kite a little more. The wind range was probably a little bit wider (handled power a little better).

I just find foiling more fun below 16kts, so my largest kite is 12m these days.
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Re: 15m light wind kites Juice/Turbine/Zypher

Postby Flyingseb » Wed May 26, 2021 9:42 pm

Iridian wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 9:12 pm
Really gotta recommend against getting a kite like this.
Kitesurfing has got a really different meaning for some :D

To the OP: I would think the Juice is a good light wind kite, having kitesurfed side by side with one in marginal conditions. But make sure that your TT is also a light wind board to match it, because it is at least a 2 factors equation.

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Re: 15m light wind kites Juice/Turbine/Zypher

Postby Havre » Wed May 26, 2021 9:56 pm

I don't know if the Zephyr has gotten lighter in the later generations? I think it is a brilliant kite for its uses, but I wouldn't be able to fly mine much in 15mph. It will stay in the air, but at 100kg I would more or less just stay afloat in flat water in those winds. Should be said I haven't got light wind board.

For me the Zephyr is more for 15mph+ not below. You are lighter so I guess you can move it down a bit. Not sure if any other kite not being Aluula have got "better" low end?

As for the "narrow" wind range on big kites. I can go above 20 knots with the Zephyr so I'm not sure it is that narrow. And almost every place I have been to kiting, it being Zanzibar, Langebaan, several places in the Caribbean etc. the wind will often be somewhere around 15 knots. At those places it rarely varies a lot on any given day so when it is 16-18 knots it stays that way. Quite different when you go out in 30 knots and the wind can vary 5 knots up and down in a completely different way.

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Re: 15m light wind kites Juice/Turbine/Zypher

Postby glfmkg » Wed May 26, 2021 11:39 pm

Xtream wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 4:53 pm
Any current users of these kites can comment on their performance in light wind 12-15 Mph on TT
Looking at 2018 to 2020 kites.
Whats the minimum wind need to stay in the air.
Minimum wind to ride upwind on TT @ 175lbs
How does it jump in 12-15mph winds
What the top end.
Upwind ability.

Thanks
Hi there, I have a 2020 zephyr and at 220lb I can get out and ride upwind using a door style board at about 11/12 knots - The best thing about this kite is the wind range really! I can hold this kite up to 20 knots and, at that wind strength get, some pretty high jumps. I can start jumping in 12 knots about 3 meters or so, and if the wind increases the jumps height also increases. It is a pretty lofty kite, so keeps you in the air for a long time and it can fly with very little wind. It is a 5 strut kite and I'm always amazed and how this kite stays in the air! Without knowing the size of your board it is hard to say the minimum range, but I can guess that you should be able to ride upwind with 10knots on a TT that is not super small. I think the depower on this kite is amazing! I know that many times I should use my 14m but I stay with the Zephyr as it can handle the wind so well!

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Re: 15m light wind kites Juice/Turbine/Zypher

Postby iriejohn » Thu May 27, 2021 12:24 am

I'm 80kg and had a Zephyr V5 which I could ride from about 12 to 20 knots on a 138x42 twintip. By choice I wouldn't be on it in 20 knots but rather than changing down I could stay with it. Huge wind range for sure.

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Re: 15m light wind kites Juice/Turbine/Zypher

Postby jedi1 » Thu May 27, 2021 10:26 am

I have a 18m2 Juice 2016, so I can only assume new ones got better. I don't really get comments discouraging from a big kite (whether to get a 15 or 17 will depend on your weight). If people are into foiling and find that fun in marginal winds, go for it. Not everybody wants that though and that's why we have big kites.

Regarding questions about how much wind it needs to stay up in the air. That is a tricky question, because a wise answer is always it depends. In stable conditions I would assume around 8 knots is fine. Riding will largely depend on your board. I don't have a light wind twin tip board, so in marginal conditions I use a directional. In this setup at 95-100 kg weight, I can kite in around 10 knots. I can't say definitely, but me and my friend on big kites were the only ones kiting apart from a few foilers.

On a regular twin tip it is much harder to ride upwind on a big kite, so I need a bit more wind. I would assume around 12 knots, but don't quote me on that, as it depends on stuff like tides etc. When there's more wind, it's much easier to go upwind on 18m2, so I don't quite get some comments stating the opposite.

Regarding jumping. Obviously you will not jump big in 10 knots, at least not on my setup. I don't usually use my 18m2, when I know I will be able to ride a 13m2, so there's not many of those sessions for me, when I am really powered on 18m2. Having stated that a couple of sessions ago, when I arrived at the beach the wind was kinda dying and I pumped up the 18. After I finished the task, the wind picked back up and most of the people were ok on 12-13m2 kites. They were not lit though, so it was ranging around 14-18 knots probably. I still launched my 18m2 assuming the wind would drop soon. It didn't. I had a blast though in this wind with good, high jumps. A very important thing though is good edging technique. Without that you will struggle and the kite will be controlling you. A big kite can get really powerful and you have to force it to the edge of the wind window. This is very similar to riding overpowered on a smaller kite, you need good control for that.

I would not recommend a huge kite for beginners or early intermediates.

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Re: 15m light wind kites Juice/Turbine/Zypher

Postby Havre » Thu May 27, 2021 12:19 pm

I think "stating the opposite" in terms of being able to go upwind would be related to power (not sure). If you are slightly overpowered on a 17m (or similar) it is tougher to go upwind. Not anything different than going upwind with my 9m Enduro (with the right power) is easier than going upwind with my 12m Enduro (with the right power). When I'm really powered with my 17m I can just forget body dragging upwind if I lose my board.

Disagree on big kites for beginners. Obviously comes down to conditions a bit, but the kite I used the most as a beginner was my Zephyr. In 15-16 knots it is an excellent kite to learn on in my opinion (not sure if that is what the OP is after though). Only got to be a bit careful not getting overpowered.


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