In the wing foiling scene there is often talk that it enables you to foil in places where kiting would be impossible.
That is simply not true. You can kite as long as you have 3m/s of wind and over 1m deep water. There are no other pre requirements.
Here is a short clip of me kiting in our family cottage near tiny lake. The lake is about 1km long and 220 meters (660 feet) wide where I kite. There is 600 meters of water on the wind side. There are no shallow beaches to launch from. Usually I do drift launch from tiny island in the middle of the lake. Today I was lucky. I could do drift launch from our pier because it was side shore wind. No need to spend your day in a car driving to nearest kite spot full of people. Just go and have fun in the nearest pot hole.
edit: Disclaimer: This post was mainly meant to encourage people try to challenge themselves. Obviously sketchy kiting places are not for beginners. However I don't believe kiting in tiny lake is dangerous. Beginner would have very hard time to get the kite up in the air. And even if he/she could, you need constant kite control to keep it there. All foil kites will fly over and crash very easily in this kind of conditions without experience.
Tips for kiting in a small lake.
1) Use hydrofoil. With Twintip it is not fun.
2) Use foil kite. Small lakes have gusty winds. So you need a kite that stays in the air.
3) Practise in strong winds. When the wind is stronger, lulls are less severe. It is easier to keep the kite in the air.
4) Use bigger foil wings. In big lakes I use mostly 800cm2 front wing. But in these extreme conditions I want the extra lift. I had horue 1000cm2 front wing.
5) Trim your bar correctly. You want to be able to back stall your kite. So that you can prevent over flying.
6) Don't be afraid of a little swim. Try to take it from the positive side!
Last edited by haare on Sun Jul 12, 2020 8:18 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Nice video you are obviously not a beginner you're on a foil and you have some skills the wind must be really Gusty close to the trees like that many would get in trouble! If you have access to the water and you can pull it off it's great. On a tiny lake it really depends on the geography if you have montains sometimes it's not possible to have a clean fetch!
And in this scenario it is just the opposite, you would have no chance of winging it in these conditions, whatsoever, but on a kitefoil it is possible quite well with experience
Looks like you dont use the shortest lines, how long?
And in this scenario it is just the opposite, you would have no chance of winging it in these conditions, whatsoever, but on a kitefoil it is possible quite well with experience
Looks like you dont use the shortest lines, how long?
Peter
About 16-18 meters depending the kite size. I find it the sweet spot for me. Shorter make gusts easier to handle but lulls are definitely more manageable with longer lines.
And I guess it ends up with a deep water pack down and a swim? And a big dryout overnight?
Well i kited back to our pier and dropped the kite to water. Rolled the lines. Let the kite dry on the pier and then rolled it. Not too tricky. Fresh water is not harmful for your gear and atleast it is sand free . Think the positive and hang loose!
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