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Ultimate lightwind kite for foiling? UFO or Single Skin

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flaps1111
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Re: Ultimate lightwind kite for foiling? UFO or Single Skin

Postby flaps1111 » Thu May 12, 2022 11:19 pm

Lighter winds and have fun I said.... I doubt that for 99% of people it's crawling through the water and finishing the session with a swim and a big wet cloth anchor most of the time.

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bitxopalo
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Re: Ultimate lightwind kite for foiling? UFO or Single Skin

Postby bitxopalo » Fri May 13, 2022 7:51 am

obviously not a party. but generally if the kite ends up in the water, then you have enjoyed the challenge of sailing in light winds, smoth and usually alone.

Almost for me it is worth it, 90% of the days local wind is +-8knt and going down to 0knt, so if am not ready for a swim I take my bike and forget kite.

Allways measure wind (2m) , not to promote the result, just to choose the correct kite. But there are many factors apart from windspeed... humidity and temperature... spot turbulence etc.

I (65kg) have good results with Pulsion 12 and 1350 surf foil. I dont need more here 95% of the days .

Hope it helps
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Re: Ultimate lightwind kite for foiling? UFO or Single Skin

Postby Peter_Frank » Fri May 13, 2022 9:21 am

flaps1111 wrote:
Thu May 12, 2022 11:19 pm
Lighter winds and have fun I said.... I doubt that for 99% of people it's crawling through the water and finishing the session with a swim and a big wet cloth anchor most of the time.

I dont understand your post?

As I read it, you are referring to somebody who claims 99% of the time it ends up with a swim?
And you disagree.
But I cant find the original post?

Or is it the other way around, you find that its a water journey ashore 99% of the time when marginal winds, and often a downed kite?

8) Peter

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Re: Ultimate lightwind kite for foiling? UFO or Single Skin

Postby Peter_Frank » Fri May 13, 2022 9:37 am

Humidity has no effect on the wind "power".
At least not nociceable.

Temperature has some impact indeed as 10 % difference in pull if temperature changes 30 degree.

But humidity going from 99 % to 0 % (moist to dry air) gives you around 0.8 % more pull only, which is "nothing" IMO :wink:

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bitxopalo
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Re: Ultimate lightwind kite for foiling? UFO or Single Skin

Postby bitxopalo » Fri May 13, 2022 10:19 am

Peter_Frank wrote:
Fri May 13, 2022 9:37 am

Temperature has some impact indeed as 10 % difference in pull if temperature changes 30 degree.
But air viscosity also increases with temperature increases, your 10% takes it into account?
Or is just the density variation effect?
Image
As viscosity increases, reynolds number is higher and the airfoil works better.

I ride with lighter winds if there is hot and dry... but yes, different spot. So I cannot cuantify the effect.

flaps1111
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Re: Ultimate lightwind kite for foiling? UFO or Single Skin

Postby flaps1111 » Fri May 13, 2022 3:02 pm

Peter_Frank wrote:
Fri May 13, 2022 9:21 am
flaps1111 wrote:
Thu May 12, 2022 11:19 pm
Lighter winds and have fun I said.... I doubt that for 99% of people it's crawling through the water and finishing the session with a swim and a big wet cloth anchor most of the time.

I dont understand your post?

As I read it, you are referring to somebody who claims 99% of the time it ends up with a swim?
And you disagree.
But I cant find the original post?

Or is it the other way around, you find that its a water journey ashore 99% of the time when marginal winds, and often a downed kite?

8) Peter
I wasn't referring to the original post but I read it and that's exactly what I was saying.
The Op was not very happy with the flight of his low-wind foil kites. If you want ease of use and a fun factor you're only going to get that with 8-9 knots of stable wind you can do 360s, and all sorts of tacks. And with a light 11-12 LEI you can easily make that, and even with a 9m depending on the weight of the rider and wing. With 5 knots measured at 3m I doubt that any LEI or foilkite will relaunch because on the sea surface there is even less wind. Personally it is not something that worries me because I rarely crash my kite but the huge advantage of LEI's is self rescue and being able to carry a board without volume (more fun). Below 8 knots, 6,7 lulls of 5...you can try to ride with a 12 but it is not as easy or comfortable as with a 14m or 17m...in my case I have managed to go with less wind with a 14m+30m+1550 front wing than with a 17m+24m+1200 front wing. Compared with the same model and same conditions similar weight riders.
With 14m it is still possible to do all kinds of tricks.
This is just my experience which can differ depending on many factors.

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Re: Ultimate lightwind kite for foiling? UFO or Single Skin

Postby rnelias » Fri May 13, 2022 11:27 pm

flaps1111 wrote:
Thu May 12, 2022 7:43 am
At 87 kg I use a 14 mts LEI where my 12 is light years away from giving me the thrust I need, I tested and owned everything race kites, Pulsion 15mts, BRMs. I have ridden LEIs with 18 and 21m race kites at the same time.... Sometimes I get the impression that people either don't really ride in 5-6-7 knots or they have never measured the wind in their life and claim to sail in 3-4 knots which is totally impossible.
The weapon to succeed in minimal wind and have fun without swimming with an 18m anchor is a combination of the right kite, lines, hydro and technique.
If the wind picks up and you kite is too big it's no longer lightwind.
My "eyemeter" tells me that, when we barely have white cats forming on water, it's about ~9k (temperature here varies from 15C/winter to 40C/summer)

It's enough to try foiling on my 9m Boxer and my larger wing (IC6 850cm^2) but I'm 72kg. If the wind is blowing constantly, it's not a hard task.

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Re: Ultimate lightwind kite for foiling? UFO or Single Skin

Postby rnelias » Fri May 13, 2022 11:43 pm

regarding LEI's vs RAM kites for very light winds...

my personal feeling. First or all, I don't consider myself an experienced foiler. I must have about 18 months foiling and can ride both stances, do footswaps and gybes but never tried tacks neither 360's. I own a considerable range of kites and already tried some here on my local spot, where wind range from 8k to 12k and rarely reach 14-16k. It's an urban bay and wind drops all of a sudden when it looses the alignment with the bay entrance. I have two Souls 8 and 12m besides some 3-structs (SST 6m, T5 7.5m, RS 9m, Rebel 6m, RS 12m) and two 1-struct (Boxer 9m and Alpha 14m). Most of the times I'm riding the Boxer 9m. It's by far the kite that gives more confidence to ride without worrying about coming back swiming. I've already used the Souls but the on/off aspect of the wind I have here do not give me confidence to use a foil kite and, to be honest, the self rescue is not what scares me. In fact, I think it's easy to self rescue with a foil kite. The problem is the hassle to rinse and dry the foil kite later on :(

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Re: Ultimate lightwind kite for foiling? UFO or Single Skin

Postby alekbelia » Sat May 14, 2022 10:05 am

UFO is not comparable in light winds with good single skin. In my spot when I'm on 4m singleskin (6-7 m/s wind), UFO's are 7 or 9m. I'm 100 kg, 115 cm strapless board and 860 cm foil.

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Re: Ultimate lightwind kite for foiling? UFO or Single Skin

Postby NNOwind » Sun May 15, 2022 1:04 pm

can this be true?
the big kite goes later?
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