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setting up foil kite in the water

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fun2kite
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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby fun2kite » Sat Apr 06, 2019 3:39 am

Agree with some of what you said, but... This is kite forum. Most people who come here instead of Facebook are people who been kiting for 10 years+.
this site is THE ONLY place for real kitesurfing discussions and experience sharing . Videos like this are PRICELESS!

Really amazing what one can learn from a video like this and how many hours of frustration it could save. Beginners do not fly foil kites.. NO would they ever consider doing something like this.

Super good video and THANK YOU for sharing Kite Junkie!


jumptheshark wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2019 12:47 pm
I get that its possible. I generally don't think it's something I would ever want to do, and without any sort of warning or context I think its a little bit irresponsible to just put out there. Would rather do the work to find an appropriate launch, or at worst drift launch an LEI. I've done that many times. It's taught me to be very cautious about what I show as example to the less experienced, often less competent and potentially over stoked novice kiters out there.

There is this phase where people have the very basics figured and their imagination just goes wild. They daydream about kiting and where they could do it. Every cottage, or open bit of water looks like a spot to ride. It's often pretty unrealistic. For the capital K keen seeing video of people making things look easy: launching kites in tight treed in or rocky or crowded or offshore, or like this from deep water drifting with deflated foil kites on the water, is simply a bad example. We have enough trouble keeping wide open launch spots safe let alone encouraging people to swim out, by themselves in back waters without the experience to pull it off.

Again, I have drift launched dozens of times, have launched from many "non traditional" launches, but didn't start any of that madness until I had over a decade of kiting experience. I tend to want to keep these activities on the down low. Certainly don't film em and post em up.

Kitting is a fantastic sport, but like many other sports the dark arts should generally be kept that way. It's not like I'm angry about this video or anything quite so dramatic, its just that without any kind of warning or context, I think its bad leadership to simply put it out there as example to the impressionably underqualified.

fun2kite
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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby fun2kite » Sat Apr 06, 2019 3:41 am

Please DO!
We need more videos on handing of foil kites in the water. Smart ways to pack up , un-pack, water relaunch , self land/ launch etc..
There is a lot of info on inflatables, but its hard to find good expert level material for foil kites.

Thank you in advance, Please record and post more videos of this kind. We need it :-)
irwe wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2019 1:40 pm
Glenn L at our local lake is the water Foil kite launch Master. He has been using Foil kites for the past 20 years. We have terrible launch areas at most of our kite spots. Glenn safely water launches and lands in 6 - 30 kt's. He rides mostly Foilboards and surfboards. I will try and film him in the up coming seasons He has great strategies for pre and post pack down of the kite and lines :D

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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby Tomlutz » Sat Apr 06, 2019 6:43 am

Kitemanmuc wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2019 5:10 pm
Only pain is landing and having wet kite.
Very right. I hate that too. What about not drying the kite between 2 sessions, maybe max. 2 / 3 weeks. Would this harm the foil?

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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby tomtom » Sat Apr 06, 2019 9:27 am

I can smell it here...

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jakemoore
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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby jakemoore » Sat Apr 06, 2019 2:11 pm

tomtom wrote:
Sat Apr 06, 2019 9:27 am
I can smell it here...
:rollgrin:

Drift launching foil kites made my first sessions possible at my local, a tree lined lake with light and gusty winds. Once bow kites showed up I was no longer alone.

It was such a pain. I had many swims, tangles and walks. Im lucky to have a new town with better wind and launches.

There is nothing wrong with sharing this video.

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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby foilholio » Sat Apr 06, 2019 2:29 pm

How in the hell can someone get upset over posting this video??

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Carlos_C
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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby Carlos_C » Sat Apr 06, 2019 4:30 pm

Foil kites are for beginners...I only bought my first inflatable after 10 years on foils

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jumptheshark
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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby jumptheshark » Sat Apr 06, 2019 4:50 pm

Easy there ladies, There is nothing wrong with the video. We are a community for sharing information. Not all of it is simple stuff or applicable to everyone. I simply felt advanced techniques require a warning.... This is kiteboarding after all. As I said, look at the front page. There is a thread about a fatality, one about making launching safer, and one about using single skin foils not designed for water use on hydrofoils. It's not heresy to point out that what you see in the video is not really appropriate for everyone. Especially when there is nothing to stop the under experienced from trying it. Many of you will watch a video like that and drink in each of the tiny details about how exactly it is done. Others just see the general process without much appreciation for how the devil is very much in the details when it comes to drift launching a foil. The thread has plenty of warning now. No one should be upset by that.

Jake said it himself, swims tangles and walks. Drift launching takes meticulous prep and planning. It can and does go wrong for advanced kiters even when they do everything right. No one is going to get into drift launching foils with 100% success rate. You need to know there are plenty of times when a twig floating in the water can mean your not going kiteboarding. It isn't as easy as a standard launch and we spend plenty of time debating those. Im not discouraging the sharing of information. Im sharing just a little more to balance an idealized representation from a highly skilled foiler.

It's great that we have people willing to explain and flesh out the details for advanced procedures for other advanced riders. A bit of context is simply more of that. It's not americanism, it's the cautionary voice of experience so maybe dial back the indignation!

Riding a mono foil.... not really for the masses, Riding an open cell kite on the water.... not really for the masses....... drift launching.... same... and lets be clear... You get good enough at doing all of these things as your day to day and maybe you lose a little perspective on who exactly are the readers here.

Were at the stage of promoting single skin foils not designed for water use as the new great hydrofoiling option. We have multiple people on here who have literally extolled relaunch as just fine complete with video. I see very skilled kiters than can relaunch really really well. I would bet more than 50% of readers here lack the skill and experience to reliably relaunch a peak 4 in deep water. Hype will have at least a few of them buy one and learn that the hard way. I'm keen to try one myself, but Im under no allusions. It's exciting to break ground, but it's important to share information responsibly.

At no point did I say no one should drift launch foils. In my opinion drift launching is not really appropriate for a large chunk of kiters. I've written about it in detail on this very forum. I've explaining exactly, step by step how to do it, and have been clear about how many ways it can go wrong. I no longer share information like that, because it's no longer only competent enthusiast on here. More than half the kiters out there have never tuned their bar.

It is spring in the northern hemisphere.... home to the majority of readers here. Many are waiting with anticipation for the ice to clear so they can don 5 and 6mm of rubber to jump in the water. If there were ever a season for a word of caution, this is it.

Kitemanmuc
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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby Kitemanmuc » Sat Apr 06, 2019 8:37 pm

Tomlutz wrote:
Sat Apr 06, 2019 6:43 am
Kitemanmuc wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2019 5:10 pm
Only pain is landing and having wet kite.
Very right. I hate that too. What about not drying the kite between 2 sessions, maybe max. 2 / 3 weeks. Would this harm the foil?
Won’t harm it but it won’t be nice for the optics. Probably will develop mold.

I always dry mine unless it’s 24 hours or less

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Horst Sergio
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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby Horst Sergio » Sat Apr 06, 2019 10:22 pm

@jumptheshark
I respect your intention to prevent accidents which may cause prohibitions for spots, as this is also mine if I can prevent something.

But I just don't think further warning stickers, signs, subtext will reach guys who enjoy to learn things the hard way and already passed several red lights till the further warnings, which they will ignore the same way, just two examples:

(Warning, this injury may look ugly to some)


I just don't think an extra sticker additionally to the normal one which already says "kite(foiling) is dangerous and can kill you..." as for example: "don't go into a foil jibe if you are out of control..." or in the other case "don't use boots as alternative for board leash if you are beginner..."

Don't think that would help.
And additionally I really don't think a peak4 relaunches worse for most in around 8 knts than most tubes do, so I don't think you wanted to say, that we have to put this sticker on all tubes: "Warning, does not relaunch in < 8 knts ..."


Back to topic:

Wet kite is wet kite, but if you have still those 8 knts after winding up till the mixer and before folding it together, you may grab the central A lines same as when prefilling while building up to release most of the water before rolling it together and so you get at least very low water inside the role, but it will be wet anyway for sure. I dry it after a few days if I am not sure when to use it again, it it is hot stored better after a day. Always half folded with some sort of ventilator in front of a vent.


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