Peter_Frank wrote: ↑Sun Apr 07, 2019 5:26 pm
windmaker wrote: ↑Sun Apr 07, 2019 3:10 pm
tomtom wrote: ↑Sun Apr 07, 2019 2:24 pm
I do not agree that downloop is most efficient - there is too much kite changing direction thus slowing down - most smooth path is sine path. But line lenght had very much to with this.
Im talking about 25m+bridles so long.
My gibes in marginal - get max speed before turn - carve hard upwind to maximize line tension - while this put kite down almost on water - send kite hard up and back toward zenith - resist the pull and let yourself be pulled to turn. Turn hard and point upwind as soon as possible - you will end in new direction with kite up and just send it down in front of you - with gravity helping you in worst moment - least tension in lines and loosing speed.
Used this technique for years (kitefoiling since 2005) it s much easier than the traditional foot swap /down loop method used by racers. Can only be done on a very close reach which often implies a change of direction before each turn and looks a bit clunky or not as fluid. Completely useless on a downwinder as you end up sailing away from your original direction on every turn which is very ... inefficient.
Second this, longer lines, keep lines tensioned before the turn, and kite quite low (not so low that you lose speed though), and turn it up and around while you carve, carve tight, and use the downward path to get kite speed so you keep foiling.
If you use shorter lines, you will probably end up with the kite too low at the end of the carve, thus stop foiling, and you will also lose the good power sweep.
This is the very reason I use 30 m lines on all kites above 10 m2, as this works splendid for me from 8 knots and down.
Sometimes I do a "race jibe" meaning kite up high, carve around and let the kite follow after.
Problem is, if I carve too late, the kite can not downloop and might end up in the water, because of slack lines, and a swim ashore is the result in this wind.
If I carve too early, I might end up not foiling during the carve, as the kite havent picked up power yet when it hasnt picked up speed in the downloop yet.
So for me this is a difficult move actually, and more risky too.
But I can see, when perfected and you keep a lot of speed, it might be the best way to get as low as possible yes - I just havent found the holy grail here yet, OR, my bigger wings are too slow
Windmaker, you are one of the very early pioneers then?
Since 2005
It seems the first experiments was around 2001.
But I first saw a more public video of kitefoils in 2007, where the Mango Carafino board came, awesome and started it all slowly back then, eventhough it was the French who made kitefoils so fast that raceboards died and got extinct in one single year, so now the whole world started foiling and believing in it
PF