mede wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 8:19 am
fernmanus wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 5:45 am
Both kites have a comfortable top end for me around 20 knots. I weigh 190 LBS and I have been flying foil kites for many years.
Are you sure you didn't mean 20 MpH?
When it's blowing consistent 20 knts, I'm boosting my 12m2 Blade trigger up to 10m or more....
Here you're talking 80% more surface in a kite with higher aspect ratio.
I think he is right.
The higher the AR, and the more racey a foil kite is, the less drag, and the more forward it can fly.
What every kite or foilracer seeks.
This also means you got a LOT higher windrange with these kites, no comparison to balloons (LEIs) whatsoever.
As an example, if I am out foiling with a 5 m2 Peak4 kite (a low AR wavekite), my friends are sometimes riding racefoils next to me with 20 or 21 m2 kites, and we all feel its "fine"
Quite amazing.
So it makes perfect sense with this extreme windrange, as the high AR foilkites has loads of powerspike compared to everything else, so low end quite good, and amazing if on a hydrofoil,
Peter