Foil kites on wet beaches

[airsail]

Same with me, I have a 12 Soul and a 12 single strut for possible rain. Wet foil kites are the worst unless you have a big area to dry them.

[dave1986]

Same with me, I have a 12 Soul and a 12 single strut for possible rain. Wet foil kites are the worst unless you have a big area to dry them.

I do have a large shed which it big enough to dry my foil kite, but I'd still rather not have the hassle if I can help it.

If its wet and above 8mph then I'll use my single strut kite any day.

[Adventure Logs]

Only time I care about wet beaches is if I’m traveling. That extra weight from the sand/water can be a problem for airline fees. Other than that, it’s absolutely no problem.

[TomW]

Only time I care about wet beaches is if I’m traveling. That extra weight from the sand/water can be a problem for airline fees. Other than that, it’s absolutely no problem.

I agree. There's not any significant disadvantage with foil kited in wet conditions. Both lei and foil need to be dried.
I'm talking about Ozone Hyperlink VS multiple lei had for 17 years before going to foils.

[knotwindy]

Some things work better when wet, some don’t

[Pump me up]

Ram airs are INFERIOR in wet conditions.

Ram riders describe flying wet ram air kites like flying a wet sleeping bag in the air.

Other ram lovers say they have similar problems in heavy rain and in surf with spray.

Ram airs become wet, heavy, difficult to steer, and just downright dangerous when launched from wet beaches or flown in rain, spray, and excessively wet conditions.

Ignore the lies. Ignore the ram propaganda. Ram airs are aerodynamically inferior to inflatables and are pathetic/dangerous when wet.

[kiteykitekite]

You are mostly right Pump Me Up, except on the dangerous bit and maybe some other things. It is well established that foil kites are the safest kites. As well there is little reason for a foil kite to be wet for long, they dry out quick enough and with some newer coatings they can't become wet at all. Most models will handle becoming wet ok, but generally need a bit more wind to be ok. I have never really seen surf spray being a problem for kites, but I don't kite Peahi regularly. Kiting huge waves is a bit gay. Maybe you can enlighten us on that?

[OzBungy]

Just reading an article about paraglider cloth.

It says the coatings provide dimensional stability, resistance to porosity, strength, and UV resistance.

Physical wear and tear can damage the coatings, which in turn reduces the performance of the fabric. They warn about abrasion from sand and salt crystals.

Moisture and heat cause hydrolysis which breaks down the coatings.

The advice is to keep your wing clean and dry.

In my experience foil kites would start showing signs of age at 100 hours. LEI kites are still going strong at over 200 hours.

I have a rack hanging in my garage made from a length of 50mm pipe with 4 right angle joints. It's a rectangle about .5m wide by 2m long. It hangs from some rope attached to a couple of eye bolts in the ceiling.

It is easy to s-fold a kite over it to dry. Foil kite will dry inside and out overnight. My record is a 28m paraglider. Just s-fold the wing then fold the tips back to the middle.

[edt]

rain or shine fly the kite. You can always dry it at home.

[Carlos_C]

In my experience foil kites would start showing signs of age at 100 hours. LEI kites are still going strong at over 200 hours.

Funny I have Psycho 3's from 2006 - going strong - the odd replaced bridle - but not much else - my 2009 Fuel with much less hours on it is held together with spinnaker tape