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Clouds are fragile

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bigtone667
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Re: Clouds are fragile

Postby bigtone667 » Thu Dec 12, 2019 8:27 pm

kitexpert wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 12:01 pm
patrelsa wrote:
Mon Dec 09, 2019 3:20 pm
Ive owned clouds and always self landed and launched and beat them up in the waves and they lasted a long time,they are great quality kites,just a little expensive :)
Expensive, really? Sounds like a very good product: uses less material, structure, details and labor and still sells for a good price. Even bar and safety systems are simple, essentially a plain stick with some knots in lines and few plastic balls. I'm quite sure small Clouds are the most profitable products in the industry.
Excellent discounts if you buy a two or more.

Huib
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Re: Clouds are fragile

Postby Huib » Fri Dec 13, 2019 1:48 pm

I am in love with my Clouds D2E. But I have one big problem with them. This summer it happens 3 or 4 times.
The canopy of the Cloud gets to easy inside out. You can't do anything anymore.
Only with calm water you can sometimes get the kite in the air so that you can still come bodydragged to the side

BWD
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Re: Clouds are fragile

Postby BWD » Fri Dec 13, 2019 2:29 pm

Huib wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 1:48 pm
I am in love with my Clouds D2E. But I have one big problem with them. This summer it happens 3 or 4 times.
The canopy of the Cloud gets to easy inside out. You can't do anything anymore.
Only with calm water you can sometimes get the kite in the air so that you can still come bodydragged to the side
I have had this happen, sort of, with the D. My issue is it seems to want to lie in a circle on the water and not spin around to relaunch if it gets down in parked position. Have inverted it on the water a couple of times trying to spin/flip it around.
I think it is because of the combo of rounded wingtips and bridle that pulls from far forward/center.
Has only happened to me at very bottom of wind range, maybe 6-8 knots.

Huib
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Re: Clouds are fragile

Postby Huib » Fri Dec 13, 2019 2:54 pm

BWD wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 2:29 pm
Huib wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 1:48 pm
I am in love with my Clouds D2E. But I have one big problem with them. This summer it happens 3 or 4 times.
The canopy of the Cloud gets to easy inside out. You can't do anything anymore.
Only with calm water you can sometimes get the kite in the air so that you can still come bodydragged to the side
I have had this happen, sort of, with the D. My issue is it seems to want to lie in a circle on the water and not spin around to relaunch if it gets down in parked position. Have inverted it on the water a couple of times trying to spin/flip it around.
I think it is because of the combo of rounded wingtips and bridle that pulls from far forward/center.
Has only happened to me at very bottom of wind range, maybe 6-8 knots.
It always happens in a fraction of a second. Just a whole lot of power on your attracted bar. If your kite is pumped up hard it will never be possible to get the kite back in its original form on the water.
Yesterday it happens me with the D2E 3.7. I almost get lost on sea with 5 degrees Celcius air temperature. After 1,5 hour an other kiter helped getting back to the beach. I was very lucky.

PD Gorby 67
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Re: Clouds are fragile

Postby PD Gorby 67 » Fri Dec 13, 2019 3:22 pm

Huib wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 1:48 pm
I am in love with my Clouds D2E. But I have one big problem with them. This summer it happens 3 or 4 times.
The canopy of the Cloud gets to easy inside out. You can't do anything anymore.
Only with calm water you can sometimes get the kite in the air so that you can still come bodydragged to the side
I find that the best way to prevent your cloud kite from getting messed up in waves, is to flag it out right away.
I have a DIY Cloud bar so I just pull a few feet of flagging line, especially if it is a small kite, and that allows the water pressure to just wash over the kite.
Once you get the kite into calmer water, out of the impact zone and into some wind, then you can let the flagging line back out and relaunch your kite.
This problem will probably be common with all strutless kites when they are sitting in the washing machine of rough water.
Hope this helps.

PurdyKiter
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Re: Clouds are fragile

Postby PurdyKiter » Fri Dec 13, 2019 3:53 pm

Huib wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 2:54 pm

It always happens in a fraction of a second. Just a whole lot of power on your attracted bar. If your kite is pumped up hard it will never be possible to get the kite back in its original form on the water.
Yesterday it happens me with the D2E 3.7. I almost get lost on sea with 5 degrees Celcius air temperature. After 1,5 hour an other kiter helped getting back to the beach. I was very lucky.
This is the dreaded "Inverted Omega" issue that can happen on Clouds. I have never in many times ever been able to fix it merely by fagging out, pulling and variety of lines. Once you get to the kite you see that it takes a ton of muscling to pull the canopy back to proper. Requires a trip to shore. The Omega will fly... but only enough to lift it off the water and use for body-dragging (downwind). I pump my Clouds to 12psi hard and this maybe minimizes the events but I still get the 1-2 times a season. Never sheet-out and tomahawk at the same time. Less an issue with D & E versions... maybe.

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jumptheshark
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Re: Clouds are fragile

Postby jumptheshark » Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:52 pm

Have only had it when pumping up and not paying attention. Have usually let some air out just to get it back to normal. That would most def suck~

Wazza Foil
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Re: Clouds are fragile

Postby Wazza Foil » Mon Dec 16, 2019 8:36 pm

20191217_063403.jpg
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Wazza Foil
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Re: Clouds are fragile

Postby Wazza Foil » Mon Dec 16, 2019 8:38 pm

The above was copied from a FB post.

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tautologies
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Re: Clouds are fragile

Postby tautologies » Wed Dec 18, 2019 8:29 pm

Peter_Frank wrote:
Mon Dec 09, 2019 7:28 am
Of course they are more fragile, as maybe 40 % lighter than most other "light" LEI kites.

But as with all other things, if you are not harsh on them in daily use (crashing hard, dragging on things on land or in the sand etc) there are no problems I would say, and they are so much better when that light :thumb:

Not a typical beginner kite anyways (a bit too foil specific for that), so should not be an issue IMO.

8) Peter
That is not why they are lighter. They are lighter because they do not have multiple struts and bladders. The construction is fine and they are using the same exact materials that other kites have.
I think beginners would be fine on them as well. No magic needed. They are different for sure.


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