Foil - wave riding

[airsurfer]

all traction kites need some line tension to fly I think it's inherent in the definition of a kite otherwise it would be a glider. The ability of a kite to recover and how it handles slack lines and apparent wind shift is another story.

The new Cloud Ds are the best at this right now IMO. It's not just that they weigh a lot less than the others It's their efficiency and slack line behavior in their ability fly well anywhere in the wind window without losing steering ability to pivot and drift due to bridle canopy shaping that allow them to recover even in extreme situations.

I have had Reos since V1 still have some V3 and V4s and 2 Hyperlink UL HL are great kites especially for boosting but HL even in the Ul version is limited by their shear canopy length and lack of canopy structure limits the slack line capability not to mention what happens if they fall in the surf. I'd still ride my inverted cloud over my Hyperlink flying normal any day in the surf. (BTW clouds fly fine inverted although an extremely rare situation to make happen. you have to try hard or be in unusually extreme shifty winds and still pretty easy to recover)

Agree all current designs have room to improve. Have high hopes for Ozone Alpha it seems a good attempt in the right direction have been asking Ozone for a kite like this for a few years and now 2 on order but at least from the initial images and data it still seems a couple gens behind the cloud D. We will see soon.

[stevez]

The idea is that the kite is the tow-in

I personally don't mind what it's called, or even what it is. As long as it's wind powered and not attached to the board.

For now I'm in agreement that the cloud d's are the best option. Based on my own experience, and that I'm yet to see, in person or video, anyone flying in a way that would suggest otherwise.

[ShaveTheWhales]

Did I just see a lip smack - that ain't wave riding, it's called " Swell " riding.

[Buzzy]

Hi guys..about that topic

we did some work on that Topic with gleiten.tv

http://gleiten.tv/index.php/video/actio ... /page/436/
http://gleiten.tv/index.php/video/actio ... /page/436/
http://gleiten.tv/index.php/video/actio ... /page/436/
http://gleiten.tv/index.php/video/actio ... /page/436/
http://gleiten.tv/index.php/video/actio ... /page/436/

long german interview with pictures of manawa
http://gleiten.tv/index.php/video/actio ... /page/299/

[ShaveTheWhales]

Well there's was one lip smack in those vids lol - I take my opinion back

I think a great movie title would be " I married an axe murderer "

[plummet]

Interesting all this talk about wanting no kite input while your wave foiling. Go sup foiling or surf foiling if that's what you want!

Embrace wave kite foiling as it is. Foiling with a kite on waves!.....

I go the other way and embrace the kite in the waves, i loop it and wang it around. Sure its fun to potter around on small piddler waves at slow speed. But for me the real wave fun starts on a big head high plus fast wave/swell. You can rip at pace doing high speed carves on and off the wave face. Use the kite to power you into on and away from the wave. Loop it like mad. Do some Drexler style kite aerobatics while on a fast wave face/swell involves next level concentration and fun!

I have ridden this wave on the foil, it was about the same size and wind speed as this photo. Man its super insanely fast and intense on a foil. I needed a faster foil, way more skill than i had back then and a longer mast. The multiple high speed smack downs venting the stab gave me a bit of whiplash..... It was scary as shit but sensational!

[Buzzy]

this wave looks perfect to foil, where is it?

[Mossy 757]

this wave looks perfect to foil, where is it?

Right next to the South Pole,

[stevez]

I have ridden this wave on the foil...

Pics or it didn't happen

You keep posting this pic of a guy with a black kite riding this slab, but what's really called for is one with you charging it on a foil

Any form of photo or video evidence, pov or otherwise would be acceptable.

[Peter_Frank]

This topic is quite interesting - as it is posted in the "kitesurfing" forum.

Most not foiling, have no idea about what its like to blast around and feel the waves on a hydrofoil

Meaning, they only base it on "looks" and comparing to a wave/surfboard, which does not make any sense at all...

Unfortunately, no matter what we "foil waveriders" say, it will never stay any different

Riding waves on a hydrofoil is SO much more than on a waveboard, and different too - can and should never be compared - both have their place and amazing feel, but apart from the smooth bottom turn feel and love for the feel of waves, nothing in common

So dont compare - get your own experience doing both instead, please.

I also, wrongly, tried to copy waveboard riding at first - meaning seeking fully sideshore conditions and copying something that doesnt make much sense in the same way...

We can ride with quite onshore winds, actually being better than sideshore, and chop is no problem, so I dont understand you Peert, as the very reason (also) hydrofoiling is so great, is because huge chop can be the most amazing conditions to ride, where ONLY a hydrofoil excels and feels sweet!
We got the same conditions here in Denmark as you got Peert, and hydrofoiling has changed everything around as suddenly bad or useless conditions are good.

Nope, it doesnt look cool as no spray, agree - and this also means something, no doubt.

But apart from that, the "Zen feel" you get is impossible to match, so you gotta feel it yourself, no doubt

Whether you want to ride waves hydrofoiling powered, or just using the wave with small or drifting kites, is simply personal and both got their place but extremely individual.

stevez, agree that pictures or even better video, is the only way to share how you ride waves - words or pictures of others are useless here
But as said, only makes sense for hydrofoilers, as non-foilers got no clue how it feels, but IMO wrongly compares to surfboards

Peter