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Foil Kite vs LEI kite for medium wind hydrofoil

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Robsw6
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Re: Foil Kite vs LEI kite for medium wind hydrofoil

Postby Robsw6 » Tue Sep 03, 2019 6:43 pm

For me, I hated bridles on foil kites. The whole thing about setting up was a complete nightmare and as mentioned, stony beaches and twigs were also problematic. I switched out my Chrono for a similar sized alpha and I’m far happier
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Re: Foil Kite vs LEI kite for medium wind hydrofoil

Postby jumptheshark » Tue Sep 03, 2019 8:20 pm

From what I can tell it has more to do with riding style than anything else. They both work really really really well for anything from 10 to 20 knots and beyond.

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Re: Foil Kite vs LEI kite for medium wind hydrofoil

Postby foilholio » Tue Sep 03, 2019 9:31 pm

TheRussian wrote:
Tue Sep 03, 2019 6:43 pm
For me, I hated bridles on foil kites. The whole thing about setting up was a complete nightmare and as mentioned, stony beaches and twigs were also problematic. I switched out my Chrono for a similar sized alpha and I’m far happier
Setup is one of the best things about a foil kite! Let me guess you disconnected the bar?

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Re: Foil Kite vs LEI kite for medium wind hydrofoil

Postby joriws » Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:50 pm

nothing2seehere wrote:
Tue Sep 03, 2019 1:44 pm
Anyone care to comment on stony beach launches with a foil kite? I can drift launch an LEI on a stony beach happily but you do occasionally have to reset when the lines get caught on something. Is a self launch on a foil something for only sand/grass launch points due to the extra bridle lines?
You don't need beach at all with good foil kites..


I've launched foil at Vargas GC with sharp edged lava stones. I felt sorry for the bridles but nothing broke.

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Re: Foil Kite vs LEI kite for medium wind hydrofoil

Postby nothing2seehere » Wed Sep 04, 2019 9:04 am

TheRussian wrote:
Tue Sep 03, 2019 6:43 pm
For me, I hated bridles on foil kites. The whole thing about setting up was a complete nightmare and as mentioned, stony beaches and twigs were also problematic. I switched out my Chrono for a similar sized alpha and I’m far happier
Thanks for the feedback. Based on the local beaches in your profile, you have similarly stony beaches (just a bit further down the coast).

Too much shore dump locally to want to try a drift launch (you need the kite's power to body drag past - its fun watching visiting kiters in boots trying to get out though when the tide is wrong)

Sounds like its a job for diligence and rigour when on stones. Out of interest - for those who don't detach - what tricks do you use to untwist your lines? We have to rig cross wind most of the time so I imagine I'd be spinning my bar back and forth trying to untwist the lines if I left the lines to my LEI attached.

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Re: Foil Kite vs LEI kite for medium wind hydrofoil

Postby nothing2seehere » Wed Sep 04, 2019 9:10 am

joriws wrote:
Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:50 pm
nothing2seehere wrote:
Tue Sep 03, 2019 1:44 pm
Anyone care to comment on stony beach launches with a foil kite? I can drift launch an LEI on a stony beach happily but you do occasionally have to reset when the lines get caught on something. Is a self launch on a foil something for only sand/grass launch points due to the extra bridle lines?
I've launched foil at Vargas GC with sharp edged lava stones. I felt sorry for the bridles but nothing broke.
Vargas does have the advantage of the carpets to rig up on though. I'd imagine that helps to avoid tangles in the bridle. I assume you had an assisted launch though still?

I did feel the fear during my first launch there about the prospect of a line getting stuck under one of those 'pebbles'. Totally alien conditions for me.

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Re: Foil Kite vs LEI kite for medium wind hydrofoil

Postby Carlos_C » Wed Sep 04, 2019 10:24 am

I had similar issues recently at Lac Serre Poncon in the alpes - Bridles and lines snagged a lot on the big stones.....but managed ok in the end

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Re: Foil Kite vs LEI kite for medium wind hydrofoil

Postby Matteo V » Wed Sep 04, 2019 5:10 pm

joriws wrote:
Mon Sep 02, 2019 6:18 am
dave1986 wrote:
Sun Sep 01, 2019 8:24 pm
The fast turning which you mention in that video at 1.10 isn't a "regular" turn, it's a stalled turn. So one side of the kite is stalled and flying backwards. This isn't the way the kite turns normally unless it's forced to do it... and I don't really see a benefit.
Sure foil kites can fly arc turn as you can see on that same video. Turn speed is not about stalled or non-stalled turn but how many rad/s or deg/s kite can turn. Hyperlink on video was over 720 deg/s (no freeze frame counting because not that much interested). Stalled turn is also low power turn on pull because kite is not screaming fast forward. You can also redirect kite quickly to new flight direction in powerzone depending what you need. To convert stalled to pivot or to arc just push bar forward. Foil kites can be flown like 4-line stunt kites without side slip due to control bar.
Very thurough post. To simplify - stalled (or partially stalled) kite turning allows the rider to turn the kite almost as fast as the rider can turn themselves.

A kiter with very quick reflexes can reduce the ammount of pre planning for turns to a point where decisions can be made on the spot by using stall. Without using stall and the faster turning that goes with it, the kiter is stuck pre planning turns, along with being locked into them once initiated.
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Re: Foil Kite vs LEI kite for medium wind hydrofoil

Postby joriws » Fri Sep 06, 2019 6:39 am

nothing2seehere wrote:
Wed Sep 04, 2019 9:10 am
joriws wrote:
Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:50 pm
nothing2seehere wrote:
Tue Sep 03, 2019 1:44 pm
Anyone care to comment on stony beach launches with a foil kite? I can drift launch an LEI on a stony beach happily but you do occasionally have to reset when the lines get caught on something. Is a self launch on a foil something for only sand/grass launch points due to the extra bridle lines?
I've launched foil at Vargas GC with sharp edged lava stones. I felt sorry for the bridles but nothing broke.
Vargas does have the advantage of the carpets to rig up on though. I'd imagine that helps to avoid tangles in the bridle. I assume you had an assisted launch though still?
If I'd have launched from carpet and assisted I would have not mentioned it because it would have been normal launch. I put kite on lava rocks and small rocks as upwind tip weight. And did launch as I always do on sand or grass or snow/ice.

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Re: Foil Kite vs LEI kite for medium wind hydrofoil

Postby Robsw6 » Fri Oct 18, 2019 5:57 pm

foilholio wrote:
Tue Sep 03, 2019 9:31 pm
TheRussian wrote:
Tue Sep 03, 2019 6:43 pm
For me, I hated bridles on foil kites. The whole thing about setting up was a complete nightmare and as mentioned, stony beaches and twigs were also problematic. I switched out my Chrono for a similar sized alpha and I’m far happier
Setup is one of the best things about a foil kite! Let me guess you disconnected the bar?
Never detached - & would not have dreamt of it, as it was nightmarish enough leaving the thing connected!


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