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Foilboarding Disaster

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njrider
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Foilboarding Disaster

Postby njrider » Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:34 am

Hi everyone. I had my kite lines get caught in my foilboard a few times - I think the word "scary" comes to mind. So, 2 things, what do you do when this happens. And what do you do to prevent it? Thanks

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Re: Foilboarding Disaster

Postby jatem » Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:39 am

Consciously keep your kite high in the sky when you crash, and put weight on your front foot to slow/lower the board in the water. If you have to relaunch your kite after crashing, that's high risk for board in the lines.

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Re: Foilboarding Disaster

Postby FLandOBX » Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:53 am

When you crash, first and foremost, get control of your board. Sit on your board or place your feet on the fuselage, but control your board as you work to relaunch your kite. When you and your kite are in the water after a crash, the only way your foilboard can catch your lines is if it gets away from you and heads downwind into your lines. I agree, NJRider, it gets worse quickly from there.

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Re: Foilboarding Disaster

Postby airsail » Sun Jun 16, 2019 8:39 am

Have a spare leash on your harness, first, leash your board, then worry about relaunch.
I use an old wrist leash with a hook at each end, just hooks to one side and goes around you back, you never notice it. You need a loop on your board, just hook on and forget it or sit on it, either way your board stays with you.

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Re: Foilboarding Disaster

Postby gmb13 » Sun Jun 16, 2019 3:54 pm

njrider wrote:
Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:34 am
Hi everyone. I had my kite lines get caught in my foilboard a few times - I think the word "scary" comes to mind. So, 2 things, what do you do when this happens. And what do you do to prevent it? Thanks
If you are in this situation it is important to stay calm. Usually releasing the kite onto the safety line will make things worst. If the kite looks like it will start looping, pull the opposite steering line to the direction of the loop. This should stall the kite backwards and put the kite in a more manageable position. If you are on a ram air kite, then pull both steering lines to keep the kite backstalled or collapsed on the water.

Now try and get the foil out of your lines, this can get super dangerous very fast, so always be ready to eject everything (take off the safety leash). If you are not careful you will also probably end up cutting yourself whilst handling the foil. Take you time and try to visualise how you will get the foil out of the lines. In light winds with a ram air kite you typically do not have to worry about the kite relaunching and powering up, but in normal winds this will always be a possibility.

--
Gunnar

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Re: Foilboarding Disaster

Postby Flyboy » Sun Jun 16, 2019 6:03 pm

FLandOBX wrote:
Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:53 am
When you crash, first and foremost, get control of your board.
I would say first & foremost, concentrate on flying the kite. If the kite is flying high then it is impossible for the lines to get wrapped around the board. However ... it happened to me a couple of weeks ago: it was quite unpleasant: the kite started looping & dragging me & the board downwind. Fortunately, as I was foiling, the wind was pretty light relative to the kite size & the kite ended up sitting on the water for long enough for me to untangle the lines.

BTW: I have been surprised to notice that my foil board never seems to end up that far upwind of me regardless of what happens - it seems to drift downwind faster than a TT or SB. This seems counter-intuitive.

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Re: Foilboarding Disaster

Postby lebast » Sun Jun 16, 2019 9:40 pm

what Gunnar and others above said plus if the kite already pulls strong or is going to create tension on the lines and there for you can't get the foil untangled from the tensioned lines try to reach above the tangled foil and pull one frontline in a meter or more til the kite lays with the frontube on the water and the canopy is pushed down (like it would parked on the ground). Now there should only be tension on one line (or even on none), less kite pull and the chance to get the foil untangled again are higher (most tube kites stay quite stable in this position).

Happens to all of us. Especially if you water your kite during an manouver but are still gliding on your foil headed towards the watered kite :D.

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Re: Foilboarding Disaster

Postby FLandOBX » Sun Jun 16, 2019 10:57 pm

Flyboy wrote:
Sun Jun 16, 2019 6:03 pm
FLandOBX wrote:
Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:53 am
When you crash, first and foremost, get control of your board.
I would say first & foremost, concentrate on flying the kite. If the kite is flying high then it is impossible for the lines to get wrapped around the board. However ... it happened to me a couple of weeks ago: it was quite unpleasant: the kite started looping & dragging me & the board downwind. Fortunately, as I was foiling, the wind was pretty light relative to the kite size & the kite ended up sitting on the water for long enough for me to untangle the lines.

BTW: I have been surprised to notice that my foil board never seems to end up that far upwind of me regardless of what happens - it seems to drift downwind faster than a TT or SB. This seems counter-intuitive.
Agreed, if your kite is in the air, keep it there. My assumption was that the kite had crashed into the water. In that case, as you've noted, the foilboard will gradually point downwind and then it will take off fast (the mast and wing keep the board pointed straight downwind, unlike a TT, which usually drifts sideways). If your kite is in the water, then make sure you grab your board before it takes off into your lines. If your kite is in the air, then, yes, make sure you keep it flying. :thumb:

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Re: Foilboarding Disaster

Postby Flyboy » Sun Jun 16, 2019 11:44 pm

FLandOBX wrote:
Sun Jun 16, 2019 10:57 pm
Agreed, if your kite is in the air, keep it there. My assumption was that the kite had crashed into the water. In that case, as you've noted, the foilboard will gradually point downwind and then it will take off fast (the mast and wing keep the board pointed straight downwind, unlike a TT, which usually drifts sideways). If your kite is in the water, then make sure you grab your board before it takes off into your lines. If your kite is in the air, then, yes, make sure you keep it flying. :thumb:
Yeah - well, my (limited) experience with foiling has been that I have always been able to pull away from the board & keep the kite flying when I fall. But shit happens, as we know. I think I screwed up a jibe & dropped the kite on the one occasion I got tangled. That's easier to do if you're riding in light wind, the one saving grace is it also makes the kite likely to be less powered. Having lines wrapped around a foil in strong winds could be a real kitemare. :o

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Re: Foilboarding Disaster

Postby FLandOBX » Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:32 am

Flyboy, the few times I've had the foil snag my lines are exactly like you've described. In very light wind, my kite lines lose tension during a poor jibe and the kite drops to the water. Like you've said, the kite isn't powered, but it's still difficult to get the lines off the foil. Luckily, I was close enough to shore that I just drifted to the shallows to sort things out. But it's definitely a mess when it happens.
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