One strut kite: low end vs size

[vitaum]

for a 70kg rider (beginner/intermediate) with a moses w590, what is the sweet spot size for low end with an one strut kite?
I have a contra 9m one strut and been thinking about getting a 11m to ride in lower winds, do you guys think that I will benefit with this increase in size? Or the low end gain will be marginal?
Sorry for asking this here, I am trying to get a demo but it is really rare to have one here in Brazil near my place
Thanks!

[lightwind]

How low you go with your 9 right now? How low you want to be able to go? If you want to ride in the sub 9 knots winds I think you should skip LEI kites.

[cglazier]

Your W590 wing is only 650 sq cm. You will get significantly better light wind capability with a front wing over 1000 sq cm.
CG

[Jyoder]

Yes, get an 11m. Modern light weight one struts are easy to keep in the air with an occasional loop in a lull to ride in 8-9 knots with an 11m and small foil. A few friends have tried to make 9m their biggest kite and many days it’s not quite enough.

I often choose my 11m Boxer over my big foilkites now as it’s simple and stress-free. Big front wing helps a ton too, as has been said. I can ride 11m Boxer with w633 as low as I can ride my 500cm2 foil with 18m Foilkite, 6-8 knots.

[Windigo1]

I am 80kg and I can tell you I gain about 2 knots in low end between a 12m single strut and a 9m. That's with larger wings in the 950 to 1250 range. I'm not sure what that translate to with a smaller wing like yours.

[Nak]

I don't think you can just generalize one strut kites. I've flown one in a 12m size that was a pretty poor light wind kite. OTH, I've flown the Boxer 12 and the Ghost 12--Just one short session with the Ghost--and both are excellent light wind kites. (Sub 10 knots.) My favorite light wind foiling kite is currently the 11m UFO. The biggest issue, IMHO, with most 9s is that they just don't fly well below 9 knots. I personally have not flown a 9m kite that can fly well enough in sub 9 knots.

LOL, As far as LEIs not being good below 9 knots: BTW, I'm sure the wind was better 10m up than it was on the beach. Still, it's pretty obvious that this was pretty marginal wind. The very shallow sand bars near the beach combined with the break necessitated the unique departure procedure.

84 kg. 1529 cm2 Wing. 24L board.

[DanielorDani]

This topic interest me also, because I started to foil and I bought a 9m UFO thinking that I could go pretty low, and finally isn't so much like this. But in my spot there is a 12m Reach, which can go with 7 knots more or less, when I am completely on the limit...

How affects also the volume of the board to do the water start? "How many knots can I win" or better to say, how many I need more when I have a no volume board? I have a pocket board and I haven't yet enought technik. Despite of this I even would like a 90cm to feel even more the freedom. My foil is a hi rise of Cabrinha, I think has about 980.

Btw, an important thing about the wind is the density, how much change 10 knots in the south or north from Europe!

[Peter_Frank]

@70 kg the ability for the kite to hang, is very important.
It is mostly the overall weight of the LEI that matters, not how many struts or not.

Being 78 kg I can kitefoil with a 12 m2 LEI and 30 meter lines from 7 knots, below I can keep it flying, but not get on foil.

Board size matters a lot IMO, but some disagree...
You need 1-2 knots more wind to start on a pocket board, than on a medium sized board.
The bigger the board, the earlier you can get up on foil, period.

It is not so easy though, as if TOO low wind, you might not be able to waterstart on a really big board anyways, not sufficient power to haul your ass out of the water.
Once up on the big board, you can get foiling in crazy low winds, so being able to stand on a big board in lulls, is a session saver often.
Where you with a pocketboard can get up standing on the board "sinkerstart", board fully submerged waistdeep, thats the advantage.
But from here, you need even more wind to get the board up to the surface, and free so you are foiling.

With a 9 m2 I could ride in 8½-9 knots (on 30 meter lines)

So yes you will gain with an 11 m2 being 70 kg, but not much I would say, still noticeable thats for sure.

Having a bigger board (you dont write what you have now) will help a lot more, as you have a really small foilwing.
And if you have an okay big board, a bigger foilwing will help a lot.



To the other question, yes a lot of difference in wind power because of density differences in relation to height over sea (pressure) and air temperature.

As said before, dry or moist air not really any difference, the only one is the moist air is lighter than dry air, so has less power, opposite to what many believe

An old chart I made:



Peter

[bkkite]

not sure if my situation will be relevant, but im 97kg and i have a 9m three strut Core Nexus 2, and I bought a 12m Core Xlite single strut. I'm riding an Apollo 60 wing from slingshot (1120cm2). I can ride the 9m down to 16mph-17mph an hour, but its work. I can ride the 12m down to 9-10mph but its work and I have to pay attention. I've thought about moving to a 10m single strut, but I'm nervous about giving up the low end, since its a real session saver in the summer when its pretty light wind for me.

[Cab Driver]

for a 70kg rider (beginner/intermediate) with a moses w590, what is the sweet spot size for low end with an one strut kite?
I have a contra 9m one strut and been thinking about getting a 11m to ride in lower winds, do you guys think that I will benefit with this increase in size? Or the low end gain will be marginal?
Sorry for asking this here, I am trying to get a demo but it is really rare to have one here in Brazil near my place
Thanks!

Yes - Getting the Contra 1S 11m will make a difference. You can't go wrong with the Contra 1S. It's a great kite. Having a slightly larger front foil wing will also help your performance in even less wind. PM me if you need a contact in Brazil. Cabrinha have a large presence there. Take care and rip it up!