Small (below 5m) kites

[azoele]

Hello all,

does anyone have direct experience with smaller kites?
Unfortunately, my preferred kite's (Kauper Maverick) smallest size if 5m, which I find a handful already in 20 knots.
I can probably hold a bit over that (one I was out in 24), but I very much prefer it when it's 15 knots, as it zips around lightning quick, has decent pull, but will not catapult me meters away from the foil if I botch a downloop

I do not see much for sale (am in Europe) in terms of smaller kites, and no one I know has anything smaller than 5m: care to share opinions on little zippers to be used on the foil?

Conditions to be met are not too many: I prefer/need a light bar, possibly smooth power delivery and... it can not be a Peak
(Peaks are unsuitable in the conditions were I'd need a 4m or 3m kite... I do not want to be left stranded – again! – because they will not relaunch in a largish sea/whitewater. Otherwise, I'd buy again a full quiver of them).

So.. ideas?
I found good deals on Cabrinha's Contra 3 & 4 meters, and 4m Drifter. A friend has Contras 9m & 11m and is very enthusiastic, but of course, 4m and 3m might be completely different beasts.
The UFO seems impossible to locate (and paying full price when V.2 is coming out in 2022 (well, someone posted a video on this forum! would seem not very smart)
And... can't not think of any other, actually (Duotone Mono's? but I seem to recall reading they are hard on the bar).

Can't try, unfortunately, so ought to buy sight unseen (which I did with the Mavericks, and love them! I may be lucky again )

Thanks!

[jumptheshark]

Tiny kites are one of the last frontiers for kite design and were seeing the demand increase with the growth in foiling.

At this point, the market has yet to really respond. There are a few reactive brands out there who have seen the niche. Flysurfer dropped their 3m down to a 2.5 but Peaks are not what your after. Concept air is a pretty small brand but well liked for foiling and I think they have some very relaunchable tiny kites in the firefly which comes as small as 1.5 and 2.5m

As for LEI:

I think Naish have the Boxer in 2.8, 3.5 and 4.0

Core make their X lite in 2, 3, and 4m as well.

I can empathize with the buying sight unseen. In my nearly 20 years of kiting it's been nothing but a gamble until I found models I like. In light of that, I have had best luck trusting brands for the way their kites fly. Naish is definitely an OG in the kite game and I have always liked the character of the Naish kites. That is not a massive endorsement especially when it comes to tiny kites as they can very much be as you say, entirely different beasts than their bigger versions of the same model. I had a 3.5m solo and hated it where I quite liked the 5m.

At least you know with the newer tiny kites like the boxers and xlites that they were designed with foiling in mind and will likely have some of the light character at the bar that you seek.

Good luck and let us know what you find.

P.S. I highly recommend shorter lines (down to 9-11m) for more comfort foiling with your smaller kites in higher winds.

[SMJ]

+1 for Core XLITE

They range in size from 2m - 13.5m, have light bar pressure, and outstanding relaunch.

https://corekites.com/us/kite/kites/xlite-2

https://www.thekiteboarder.com/2020/04/ ... ore-xlite/

[Windigo1]

My experience is limited to 5M but I can tell you I had bought a heavy 5M 3 struts for foiling and it just didn't work it would fall from the sky in the lulls below 15 knots it would drop like a rock. I replaced it with a Naish Boxer single strut and it's great it will fly easily in light wind and I can probably foil with it from about 12 knots to 30 knots it also works good with a twintip in strong wind well above 30 knots. So basically the weight is a big issue a tiny kite has little surface and if it has big heavy struts and leading edge it will fly in crazy winds but if the wind drops or your going downwind aggressively it hindenburg.. that where single struts or strutless have a huge advantage.

[1234567Simon]

Core section 4m
No pull at all.

Standing on the beach in 18 knots and looping…. Without pull,
But high bar pressure compared to what I was used to

Getting up on surfboard at 18 knots, you need a kamikaze. Powerdive

[Jyoder]

Do you ride freeride and load up the kite? Then get allrounder 3-strutted surf kite in 3-4m

Do you like to use as little kite as possible? Then get a strutless 3-4m.

I love my foilkites, and I use a 6m foilkite but I like tube kites for >25knots because it’s crazy gusty and unstable conditions and tube kite is less stressful when survival kiting. I use a 4m SST in 25-40 knots on strapless race foil with 15-20m lines.

[airsail]

I picked up my quiver of BRM Clouds secondhand, 2.8-8mtr. Love the 2.8 and 3.7 for high wind kitefoil swell riding. Yes, I had the Peak but due to the relaunch issues and our location found it wasn’t suitable.
With the rise of winging there seem to be a lot more Clouds available secondhand, check out the Cloud riders Facebook site.

[dave1986]

Ozone Uno comes in 2.5m, 4m, and 6m

[Peter_Frank]

Ozone Uno comes in 2.5m, 4m, and 6m

Seems like huge spacings?

That is like having a 7 and a 12 m2 (or 8 and 12) and nothing in between?

But okay in the small sizes, the small ones has huge peak power thus it sometimes works

Peter

[azoele]

Thanks for the suggestions: I had seen the Boxer on Naish website and noticed the very small sizes, but it hadn't occurred me to check Core (they are super rare beasts in my neck of the woods...).

Question: do you really fly with 9/11m lines?
That is... radical.
Shortest I used is 18m, and with those the 5m would rocket around. But amazing, amazing feeling during tacks of literally holding the kite in my hands.
Even 21m gives a bit of a muffled feeling, although it is a nice compromise for power. 24 feels like 1km now

I'll certainly try 15m then!

Tiny kites are one of the last frontiers for kite design and were seeing the demand increase with the growth in foiling.

At this point, the market has yet to really respond. There are a few reactive brands out there who have seen the niche. Flysurfer dropped their 3m down to a 2.5 but Peaks are not what your after. Concept air is a pretty small brand but well liked for foiling and I think they have some very relaunchable tiny kites in the firefly which comes as small as 1.5 and 2.5m

As for LEI:

I think Naish have the Boxer in 2.8, 3.5 and 4.0

Core make their X lite in 2, 3, and 4m as well.

I can empathize with the buying sight unseen. In my nearly 20 years of kiting it's been nothing but a gamble until I found models I like. In light of that, I have had best luck trusting brands for the way their kites fly. Naish is definitely an OG in the kite game and I have always liked the character of the Naish kites. That is not a massive endorsement especially when it comes to tiny kites as they can very much be as you say, entirely different beasts than their bigger versions of the same model. I had a 3.5m solo and hated it where I quite liked the 5m.

At least you know with the newer tiny kites like the boxers and xlites that they were designed with foiling in mind and will likely have some of the light character at the bar that you seek.

Good luck and let us know what you find.

P.S. I highly recommend shorter lines (down to 9-11m) for more comfort foiling with your smaller kites in higher winds.