I would argue that in my, thankfully limited experience, the relaunch odds on a foil kite are actually better then a tube kite in extremely low winds.njrider wrote: ↑Tue Nov 16, 2021 4:24 amI really enjoy pushing the limits of riding and often go in 5-8knots of gusty nasty inland winds. Obviously sometimes this does not work out well. In any case, I'm looking for replacement kites and wanted suggestions. I think I'm stuck on LEI for the fact that water relaunches are more reliable. Thanks
njrider wrote: ↑Tue Nov 16, 2021 4:24 amHi. Well here is the good news, I got permission from management (my wife) to replace my beat up Naish boxers. The kite I use the most foiling is a 2017 9m. I really enjoy pushing the limits of riding and often go in 5-8knots of gusty nasty inland winds. Obviously sometimes this does not work out well. In any case, I'm looking for replacement kites and wanted suggestions. I think I'm stuck on LEI for the fact that water relaunches are more reliable. Thanks
If LEI is your thing, take a look at these kites:njrider wrote: ↑Tue Nov 16, 2021 11:32 pmI can definitely accept that the winds might be 8-10 knots. But some times it drops to 0 for great lengths of time - say 1/2 hour. I just sit and wait patiently and enjoy being in the water. I worry that a foil kite or a single skin will not make that down time. That being said, I'm going to buy a peak for steady 10+ winds.
So I think I'm stuck with a LEI - and I just want to buy the best for those low end sessions. Everyone says to go bigger, but the truth is at these winds the problem is not having power when the kite is flying, it is getting the kite off the water. So I guess I'm looking for a light wind launcher and when in the air decent stability?
So far I have BRM, Boxer, UFO - any others?
I'd include the Ozone options. Catalyst v3, that's basically an Alpha v1 but cheaper than the Alpha v2. In 10m these kites weight just 2.3kg and have excellent low end, combined with a large front wing and a board with good volume would not leave in a bad situation when the wind dies.SMJ wrote: ↑Wed Nov 17, 2021 1:16 amIf LEI is your thing, take a look at these kites:njrider wrote: ↑Tue Nov 16, 2021 11:32 pmI can definitely accept that the winds might be 8-10 knots. But some times it drops to 0 for great lengths of time - say 1/2 hour. I just sit and wait patiently and enjoy being in the water. I worry that a foil kite or a single skin will not make that down time. That being said, I'm going to buy a peak for steady 10+ winds.
So I think I'm stuck with a LEI - and I just want to buy the best for those low end sessions. Everyone says to go bigger, but the truth is at these winds the problem is not having power when the kite is flying, it is getting the kite off the water. So I guess I'm looking for a light wind launcher and when in the air decent stability?
So far I have BRM, Boxer, UFO - any others?
Strutless: Slingshot UFO, BRM Cloud (as previously mentioned)
One Strut: Core XLITE, Cabrinha Contra 1-strut
If your goal is to scrape the bottom of the barrel, then the UFO will stay in the air longer, but they can be tricky to re-launch. If you're concerned with light wind re-launch, then the XLITE is hard to beat. I've reverse-launched my XLITEs in ~4 knots.
From your description above, it sounds like re-launch is high on your priorities (as it was for me). Take a good look at the XLITE.