Pulsion 18m
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 2:34 pm
I have finally tested my new Pulsion 18m this week-end. Ultralight cloth sytex 27gr ; my weight : 61 kg ; large light wind hydrofoil.
Overall :
- I can foil earlier than 12m but about the same as 15m ; however a heavier rider could gain low end vs 15m
- enormous power in about 6-7 knots ; I finally liked that during 1.5 hour ride
- less agile than 12m or 15m, but lulls does not exist anymore when riding !
- good legs training !
Details for curious people:
Day 1 in marginal wind (personal anemometer was between 0 and 3 knot on the ground ; do not trust figures but just to fix ideas):
- not really reasonnable to test with such poor wind but I had not riden for months ...
- inflation is longer than P12 and P15
- stays easy in the air, no need to work the kite; you can let the bar off during many seconds (similar to 12 and 15)
- good drift if you pull the front lines
- I have not been able to foil-up; it was very close once or twice (hence 20 minute tests) but I failed
- I went back to shore without putting the kite in water
I think that I am a bit too light for the water start : ignitiating the first part of the loop was requiring more pull on the bar than a smaller kite, and this led to be draged downwind a bit; I was then loosing part of the wind window for the loop due to my relative negative speed that made only 2 knot available for the kite
Day 2 in high end: personnal anemometer (another old model) showed 14 knots but it was rather 7-11 knots
- not a day for a 18m with 30 m lines, but I wanted to get an idea of the high end and usable wind range
- a bit affraid , but I raised the kite , in the middle of the wind window, without pre-inflation ( I am too impatient)
- inflation still longer than 12m and 15m, but very safe
- almost autozenith when you let the bar go
- waterstart was amazing : I started foiling-up before having finished to raise up on the board !
- enourmous power; a bit scary ; but after 30 minutes I loved that and did not want to swap with 12m
- in 10+ knots, 90 degree direction was too physic and too fast for my level, so I mostly did hard up-wind or downwind angles like on race
- toe side was viril but still doable in 12 knots, kite high
- I lost one strap and finished strapless : no worry despite my poor strapless level
- turning is wide, slow and powerful, but I forced myself to try a downloop during a air jibe : i went very welle and did it for every jibes ; when you are surprised and pulled downwind more than expected, kite stops and pause in the sky, waiting for your end of turn to re-tension the line and finish smootly the loop (you have to be careful here to avoid dropping in the water)
Need to persever on the ultimate low end and find a way to counter-balance the drag downwind (start like a superman trick? ) ;
=> I think it is the ultimate light wind weapon for rider above 75 kg since it has tons of power and fly in unbelievable light wind; for riders like me 15m seems the optimum for now. The 12m is the funnier I feel, but you loose a bit of low end.
Overall :
- I can foil earlier than 12m but about the same as 15m ; however a heavier rider could gain low end vs 15m
- enormous power in about 6-7 knots ; I finally liked that during 1.5 hour ride
- less agile than 12m or 15m, but lulls does not exist anymore when riding !
- good legs training !
Details for curious people:
Day 1 in marginal wind (personal anemometer was between 0 and 3 knot on the ground ; do not trust figures but just to fix ideas):
- not really reasonnable to test with such poor wind but I had not riden for months ...
- inflation is longer than P12 and P15
- stays easy in the air, no need to work the kite; you can let the bar off during many seconds (similar to 12 and 15)
- good drift if you pull the front lines
- I have not been able to foil-up; it was very close once or twice (hence 20 minute tests) but I failed
- I went back to shore without putting the kite in water
I think that I am a bit too light for the water start : ignitiating the first part of the loop was requiring more pull on the bar than a smaller kite, and this led to be draged downwind a bit; I was then loosing part of the wind window for the loop due to my relative negative speed that made only 2 knot available for the kite
Day 2 in high end: personnal anemometer (another old model) showed 14 knots but it was rather 7-11 knots
- not a day for a 18m with 30 m lines, but I wanted to get an idea of the high end and usable wind range
- a bit affraid , but I raised the kite , in the middle of the wind window, without pre-inflation ( I am too impatient)
- inflation still longer than 12m and 15m, but very safe
- almost autozenith when you let the bar go
- waterstart was amazing : I started foiling-up before having finished to raise up on the board !
- enourmous power; a bit scary ; but after 30 minutes I loved that and did not want to swap with 12m
- in 10+ knots, 90 degree direction was too physic and too fast for my level, so I mostly did hard up-wind or downwind angles like on race
- toe side was viril but still doable in 12 knots, kite high
- I lost one strap and finished strapless : no worry despite my poor strapless level
- turning is wide, slow and powerful, but I forced myself to try a downloop during a air jibe : i went very welle and did it for every jibes ; when you are surprised and pulled downwind more than expected, kite stops and pause in the sky, waiting for your end of turn to re-tension the line and finish smootly the loop (you have to be careful here to avoid dropping in the water)
Need to persever on the ultimate low end and find a way to counter-balance the drag downwind (start like a superman trick? ) ;
=> I think it is the ultimate light wind weapon for rider above 75 kg since it has tons of power and fly in unbelievable light wind; for riders like me 15m seems the optimum for now. The 12m is the funnier I feel, but you loose a bit of low end.
