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is high wind winging any good?!

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Re: is high wind winging any good?!

Postby Dontsink » Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:29 am

juandesooka wrote:
Wed Dec 01, 2021 12:50 am

Something fun I noticed in high winds, 40+, is how your body becomes part of the sail. The wind on your back is enough to push you downwind, even without swells.
Yes, i think the average human body frontal area is about 0.6m2 standing up, at higher wind speeds it is a significant surface.
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Re: is high wind winging any good?!

Postby macca » Sun Dec 05, 2021 10:25 pm

I have a 5.2/3.5 combo.
As soon as I can I get the 3.5 out(15+) as it just feels nicer. So I would think of it not just as a high wind kite but a medium wind kite as well.
I’ve been out on a few 30knt days and it can get a bit wild, personally I give it a miss unless sea state Is friendly.

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Re: is high wind winging any good?!

Postby bragnouff » Tue Mar 08, 2022 11:12 pm

I've been out in very strong winds last weekend, 25kts-40kts, on a 3m. And I found anything 30kts was pretty uncomfortable. Manageable, sure, but plenty of shaking and flapping, that makes it very un-relaxing. Kind of worse when riding toeside, as it's not as stable position to handle the shaking, and the precise pitch control required to deal with lake swell. Overall riding pretty slow, conservatively... A bit of a battle, but once going downwind, everything stops, silence sets in, and the significant extra push from the wind made it super easy to link lake swell... That's what made it worth the battle.
Board went flying after a wipeout and got a wee scar in the wing... That's a risk in high wind that the board can easily flip over. A bigger tear, or a bladder sting would have turned that into a mission.
Ended up riding my 5m kite/strapless surfboard for a bit afterwards, and even if it was all mach 3 riding, that was a more familiar feeling, and I could relax more and enjoy!

I guess it's a matter of practice, but I'm not convinced yet that it's a high wind sport. Or I need something much smaller than 3m, despite being 95kgs
ColeridgeWing3.jpg
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Re: is high wind winging any good?!

Postby airsail » Wed Mar 09, 2022 11:43 pm

Had the board and foil flip into the wing when out in high wind, that was on my previous board, a Naish Hover 95 ltr, 27” wide. I now ride a 78 ltr, 22” wide board and have never had it flip. There just isn’t enough area on the board for the wind to catch and flip it.

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Re: is high wind winging any good?!

Postby Dontsink » Thu Mar 10, 2022 12:19 am

airsail wrote:
Wed Mar 09, 2022 11:43 pm
Had the board and foil flip into the wing when out in high wind, that was on my previous board, a Naish Hover 95 ltr, 27” wide. I now ride a 78 ltr, 22” wide board and have never had it flip. There just isn’t enough area on the board for the wind to catch and flip it.
Mmm...i almost got the foil wingtip fly hard into my face on a 30kt day, winging a 40l prone board.
Depending on how you fall, a +20kt wind can flip any size board in a dangerous way IMHO.
There are more accidents than we think, people generally do not post them.

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Re: is high wind winging any good?!

Postby Agnar Jensen » Wed Jan 04, 2023 12:39 pm

Thanx for the interesting reflections.

I totally agree that high wind is the preferable wind for winging. I have a lot of hours on kitefoil, so many that I started to get bored last year. Then I started winging. Now I can't wait for winds from 25 knots and upwards. We're lucky to have crosswind entry and a small harbor breaking the swell at our spot.

I ride a Naish Le Hover 70l and Slingshot PTM 926 (but also have a PTM730 that I have read could work for winging, but haven't tried yet). I use my 102 mast since I don't see the point in a shorter one. It gives me more leverage in waves.

But - to my question. My smallest wing is a Slingwing 3,5 (which I by the way destroyed the first time I used it since the foil rolled over in a massive wave and hit it - so yes I definitely approve of using a helmet). It's stiff and I have used it in winds with gusts up to 45 knots, but that's quite a heavy load on my arms. So I wonder if I should get a smaller one. I have got an offer for a Freewing Air v2 2m for av very good price. But I can't figure out if it's really usable.

Anyone here with experiences with such small wings? My thinking is that it should be possible to use from 27-28 knots and upwards - if not it will never be used at all. I should mention that I weigh 72 kg.

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Re: is high wind winging any good?!

Postby PullStrings » Wed Jan 04, 2023 2:21 pm

In high winds 30 knots plus with 5m wing
Forget the foil
Go strapped surfboard
I'm surprised not many people do it

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Re: is high wind winging any good?!

Postby Peter_Frank » Wed Jan 04, 2023 10:48 pm

Yes

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Re: is high wind winging any good?!

Postby airsail » Thu Jan 05, 2023 8:37 pm

Agnar Jensen wrote:
Wed Jan 04, 2023 12:39 pm
Thanx for the interesting reflections.

I totally agree that high wind is the preferable wind for winging. I have a lot of hours on kitefoil, so many that I started to get bored last year. Then I started winging. Now I can't wait for winds from 25 knots and upwards. We're lucky to have crosswind entry and a small harbor breaking the swell at our spot.

I ride a Naish Le Hover 70l and Slingshot PTM 926 (but also have a PTM730 that I have read could work for winging, but haven't tried yet). I use my 102 mast since I don't see the point in a shorter one. It gives me more leverage in waves.

But - to my question. My smallest wing is a Slingwing 3,5 (which I by the way destroyed the first time I used it since the foil rolled over in a massive wave and hit it - so yes I definitely approve of using a helmet). It's stiff and I have used it in winds with gusts up to 45 knots, but that's quite a heavy load on my arms. So I wonder if I should get a smaller one. I have got an offer for a Freewing Air v2 2m for av very good price. But I can't figure out if it's really usable.

Anyone here with experiences with such small wings? My thinking is that it should be possible to use from 27-28 knots and upwards - if not it will never be used at all. I should mention that I weigh 72 kg.
I have a 2.5 Slick, love it. I’m 80 kgs on a 74ltr board mainly on a 900sqcm wing. Anything over 20knots I’m on the 2.5, only for swell riding. At our local we crank hard upwind to pick up a swell, then flag the wing for the ride back downwind. You can be very powered close hauling upwind even on a tiny wing but on the swell they virtually disappear and are very easy to manage.
They don’t pump, well you don’t get much effect from pumping so you need a gust if it is at all marginal. They are a bit twitchy, too much back hand pressure and you will stall them, same as a tiny kite.

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Re: is high wind winging any good?!

Postby ronnie » Fri Jan 06, 2023 3:15 pm

PullStrings wrote:
Wed Jan 04, 2023 2:21 pm
In high winds 30 knots plus with 5m wing
Forget the foil
Go strapped surfboard
I'm surprised not many people do it

2.8m wing


4m wing.


Wingsurfing a foil board.

or a surfboard.


Twintip. It would be interesting to see a deep water waterstart on one.
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