Foil kite handling in high wind

[Peter_Frank]

At the end is all about practice.... But I not see any reason to Hot launch (except very light wind)

I mainly launch sideway (edge of the window) and its faster, I only put my helmet on the upwind tip (maybe a Stone inside if is windy)... Much faster than putting weight all the trailing edge.

Lines allways 45degree upwind, and slowly walking backwards... Is very fast and simple.

Hope it helps

I always hot launch when hydrofoiling, also with my 3 m2 Peak which is not light wind.

If using a linecam, it is much safer this way (for the cam)

And IF light wind, meaning marginal wind or just light, I also hot launch dualskin kites.

So the only reason I occasionally sidelaunch is if the spot dictates, no space downwind.

Or if on the upper end of the smallest kite?
Actually no, as I would not go out then, but take a LEI and go surf waves instead.

But to the OP, you are right, dont hotlaunch a dualskin foil kite unless it is really low wind.

Packing down when windy - kite put perpendicular to the wind, sand or board or something on the tip, wind lines up and put bar on ground just in front of the LE, and now roll the windward side of the kite downwind slowly, while pressing air out, and stop at the centre.
Put something relatively heavy on the rolled part now, and roll from the downwind end to the centre now.

Of course, if you can fold the kite over tip to tip and roll downwind starting from the tips, it is even better - but personal whether you want to roll like that, or one side and then the other.



Peter

[Breze]

This prevends flapping

[Herman]

For the OP. Arguably hot launching is a launch with the kite dead down wind and laid out across the wind. With some closed cell kites you are almost obliged to send the kite up towards Z to get the kite to inflate. However, with open cell kites it is better to inflate them on the deck with line tension holding them down with rear line tension and release one side faster than the other so that they fly to the side of the window rather than up. At least that is imho, but if you like scudding maybe go for Z……….

Are single skin flyers going for side of window or Z in high wind hot launching??

PS If your foil kite has a light bridle I find it worth sanding the bridle from around 18-20knts to stop it being blown around as you lay out the lines or walk back to the bar. ( over the pigtails not the pulleys. )

[edt]

I'm a LEI veteran getting to know his first foil kite...

I've seen videos of two main launch techniques: hot launch (which I've had more success with) after weighing the trailing edge down with snow, OR folding a tip, weighing it down while the rest of the kite trails downwind. With the second method, I've found that if the wind moves around a bit, it can flip/twist the kite. But, it seems safer than hot launching if the wind is strong. Thoughts?

And--How in hell do you wrap up the kite when the wind is howling, to prevent tangles? All the vids I've found are filmed in zero wind. I've had some success, but I'm beginning to think those times were just luck... other times it's like a pile of coat hangers throwing a tangle party as soon as I close the bag! I've started making sure to wrap the mixers onto the bar... helped some, but would appreciate your tips.

1) in high winds the kite doesn't have any power at least until it fills up. so it doesn't matter how you launch. All that matters is where you are right when the kite starts to fill with air. Check your surroundings and make sure you have room downwind right when it puffs up. Hot launching is pretty safe as there's no power in the kite right when it launches. After it fills with air that's when you have to watch it. There are others on the forum that have more experience than me with foils and I think their suggestions are different than mine, so maybe take their advice. I just think that there's a huge difference hot launching a tube kite and a foil kite, especially right when it lifts off the ground.

2) you got the right method. Wrap the lines around the bar all the way up the mixer.

I love foil kites both on the snow and on the water, the amount of float is better than any tube kite.

[JakeFarley]

The only issue I have with launching on the side of the window by weighting down the wing tip with sand is that when the downwind wing tip comes up the kite drags the weighted wing tip along the beach a bit. I'm concerned about wear on the wing tip.

Could I be launching too far upwind??? or sheeting in too much during the launch??? Any thoughts on this?

[Breze]

too much sand

[kitexpert]

If wind is really high it is better to take a LEI kite and use a helper in both launching and taking kite down. Small used LEI kites are cheap and often very little used and they behave better in bad conditions.

Almost ail foil kites can collapse and drift in the middle of the power zone. Then some bad things can happen if it relaunches there. Best is to use QR and not to wait and see what happens. In high winds foil kite benefits don't exist any more.

Smallest single skin kites may be a very good choice if it is over 40kn

[Ice101]

Having the kite almost straight down wind is the only way if you ask me if the kite is empty and not ore inflated. They are so light if you take it from the side of the window it just lifts and swings straight to the centre of the window any way. I have a cheap £30 cordless leaf blower and pre inflate sometimes. That allows side launches more safely and safer in general. But if not then more of a down wind angle is better.

For folding up. Fold the bar and pop it over the back of the kite. Undo the drain vents Take the furthest unsupported end and fold it to the supported nearest one so the centre of the kite flows down wind and roll the two ends together to the middle so all the air is squeezed to the vents. Roll it tightly as you go. Tuck any remaining lines in. If the bar was wrapped well with the yellow lines wrapped a couple times around the bar there shouldn’t be much left out. When fully rolled to the centre fold in three small and pop back in the bag. Wrap the bar around the folded kite to take any remaining slack out the lines. Place in the bag with the bar in the pocket. Job done.
No issues.

[Herman]

Not really given the sliding aspect much thought before, and I doubt that it can be entirely eliminated. Having said that I think trying to achieve a well balanced launch will naturally minimise the dragging. Presumably the least drag will be when the top half of the kite is perfectly balanced at the edge of its window. However for inflation and reduced overflying risk we over sheet; this makes the kite want to drag back into the window. I think for least dragging you need to balance the benefits of over sheeting and the risk of letting the kite to fly forward too soon. Naturally if you are standing too far upwind the forces on the canopy will be greater than if you are at the edge of the window trying to tease it into life.

These are just initial thoughts and so could be total BS and I tend to mostly fly open cell foils which no doubt has some influence on my technique. The edge of the window will be easier to feel with open cell kites; more patience is required with closed cell kites imho.

[bitxopalo]

The only issue I have with launching on the side of the window by weighting down the wing tip with sand is that when the downwind wing tip comes up the kite drags the weighted wing tip along the beach....

As the kite rise, you must walk backwards... is like taking off a sticker.

As the kite rise the bridles want to get tension, if you do not walk the kite has to slide to progresively put tension on all bridles.