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What your most used kite size for foiling?

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mar menor
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Re: What your most used kite size for foiling?

Postby mar menor » Sun Apr 26, 2020 11:47 pm

super low end

Eduardo
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Re: What your most used kite size for foiling?

Postby Eduardo » Mon Apr 27, 2020 1:40 am

TomW wrote:
Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:25 pm
Everyone says this : " I want to only foil in light wind, and otherwise use my TT".
It rarely works out this way. Either the prospective wannabe foiler only tries to go out in light winds and gets frustrated due to the difficulty in those conditions and the inability to acquire the muscle memory, and gives up. Or they learn, sell the Tt and Surfboards and ends up foiling 100%.
There may be exceptions, but over time every one in my area has followed this path. I think 95% have given up all other forms of kiting, the other 5% give up.
I said that about windsurfing in 2003: I'll only kitesurf when the wind is light. I haven't windsurfed since ...

But at risk of contradicting my own history, I think it depends on your local conditions and what you think is fun. If your local spot typically blows 15, then you will quickly become a full time foiler. way more fun and possibilities. If your spot has higher winds and waves, then some will mix and some will go all in foiling. I personally mix maybe 50/50 and definitely progressed slower than others who went 100%, but the hours/skills still accumulate and most importantly, I'm having fun.

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Re: What your most used kite size for foiling?

Postby OzBungy » Mon Apr 27, 2020 7:45 am

My most used kite is a 7m 3 strut surf kite.

My most used kite in very light winds is a 12m lightweight 3 strut surf kite. I had a 15.5m but it was too slow. I use 27m lines with a bar with 45cm of trimmer and 45cm of depower throw. That lets me rig the kite so I can oversheet if I want then depower almost infinitely. The total wind range is extraordinary.

I have often been the only craft out on the water. I have never ever seen another foiler out when I can't go. That may change. The new crop of foilers coming through are showing some pretty solid skills.

A larger board and a mid/large surf foil make a lot more difference in riding in light winds. The board lets you water start and flog along and get up onto the foil. You can do that on a smaller board but a bigger board is extremely forgiving.

You may be able to get out in lighter winds with a super lightweight kite or a foil kite, but I think you're spending a huge amount of money and effort to chase 1 knot of difference.

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Re: What your most used kite size for foiling?

Postby Sfollis » Mon Apr 27, 2020 6:02 pm

I weigh 68kg and use 633 or 720 wings

In the NW of UK and NW of France I use the following (all V3 Chronos) 15m 35% of the time, 11m 35% of the time, 20% of the time and my 5m Hyperlink 10% of the time. Whereas, some trips to Fuerteventura have been, 15m 25%, 11m 10%, 7m 20% and 5m 50% of the time. During a 10 day trip to Adelaide earlier this year I used the 15m 25%, 11m 40%, 7m 30% and 5m 5%.

As you can see there is no magic kite size. What I can say with my range of kites is that I will be on the water if it’s blowing 6knots up to 30knots and even with only 7knots of wind I can still move >23knots/hr (fastest was 31.5 on my 11m). There aren't many days when I can’t get out, unless it’s off shore wind with no rescue or lock down 😆.

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Re: What your most used kite size for foiling?

Postby Sfollis » Mon Apr 27, 2020 6:06 pm

Crissssssss wrote:
Sat Apr 25, 2020 2:26 am
I’m not planning to foil full time, I just want to do some exploring around the bay and ride in less wind when I can’t use the tt
I’m sure once you get the foiling bug you will ditch the TT 😊

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Re: What your most used kite size for foiling?

Postby plummet » Mon Apr 27, 2020 7:11 pm

Peter_Frank wrote:
Sun Apr 26, 2020 7:28 am
TomW wrote:
Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:25 pm
Everyone says this : " I want to only foil in light wind, and otherwise use my TT".
It rarely works out this way. Either the prospective wannabe foiler only tries to go out in light winds and gets frustrated due to the difficulty in those conditions and the inability to acquire the muscle memory, and gives up. Or they learn, sell the Tt and Surfboards and ends up foiling 100%.
There may be exceptions, but over time every one in my area has followed this path. I think 95% have given up all other forms of kiting, the other 5% give up.

Agree fully with the first statement here, it rarely works out this way.

Almost like those windsurfing slalom/waves only, saying "I want to kite, only in light wind when not sufficient to windsurf".
How many of these are still windsurfing now? :rollgrin:

But we dont see anyone giving up on their other types of kitesurfing (except kitefoil racers, they almost always do, but not taken into account as a very different discipline).

Difference when learned to kitefoil is, the TT riders choose their TT when its good for this, say nuking winds and other TT riders out to play with.
Waveriders the same, they choose their surfboard when its good conditions, sideshore and good waves.

So when you learn to kitefoil, you remove all the "lousy" sessions from your kitedays, meaning sloppy waves onshore winds, or TT days hardly being able go hold ground.

Its a win win :naughty:

Might be location specific, but around here in the central Denmark (and around Copenhagen too), kitefoiling does not remove your other boards, it simply increases the quality of the days on these :thumb:

Except for racers, who give up surfboards...

For some reason I have never seen a TT rider around here, who has gone kiterace style???
But many TT riders are now freeride/freestyle kitefoiling also :D


If you want to go riding in light wind as you say, you need a lighter kite.

You could take your normal 10 m2 on long lines also (@95 kg), as this size is perfect for learning in a lot of wind, and CAN be used in 10-11 knots, when you are skilled.

We just know, that you will love it so much, you will get a lighter kite quite soon, maybe bigger too - but no need to get one now when learning, use what you got.

PS: You have written in the kitesurfing forum, thus not many answers.
There is a specific, very active, hydrofoil forum here

I guess Toby will move this thread sooner or later.

8) Peter

I've gone full circle. Mutant tt, learned to foil, Foiled almost exclusively for a while, Now I'm back to primarily Mutant boost and wave ride. The foil is reserved for crud days.
The foil will never scratch that itch for aggressive mutant riding that I so enjoy. On the mutant I can kite with reckless abandon. On the foil the needs to be a defined controlled approach. That said there I really enjoy adventure riding and exploring the coast line. Crazy speed and upwind angles of the foil provide that. Wave riding on the foil is challenging, interesting, and satisfying when you pull it off. But I still prefer a balls-out high-speed mutant smash fest in the waves.

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Re: What your most used kite size for foiling?

Postby Onda » Tue Apr 28, 2020 8:55 pm

So many true things have been said here already!

Foil is good for me in the wind range from 10 to 15 kts with 10/8 m² single strut kites.
Beyond 15 kts I much more enjoy straples wave fun, with wave kites.
Below 10 kts foil riding is more an art than anything else and this will take you years of training and experience. Your kite control has to be superior really (maybe unless you use a moderrn foil kite, which I dont have).
Low wind + foil + inflatable kite means: This kite must be light weight / maximum 1-strut. Whatever 3-strut kite won´t do the job. And it should have loads of depower - which rules out no-strut kites.

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Re: What your most used kite size for foiling?

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Apr 28, 2020 9:23 pm

Remember, the question in this thread is simply:

What is your most used kitesize in 9 to 11 knots if you are 95 kg?

I would say an 11 m2 LEI , as I use a 9 or 10 m2 in this, but @77 kg.

But to you, the OP, you can not ride in this wind, till you have learned and quite skilled, you need more wind now.

8) Peter

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Re: What your most used kite size for foiling?

Postby cglazier » Wed Apr 29, 2020 1:42 am

Crissssssss wrote:
Fri Apr 24, 2020 8:11 pm
..was wondering what’s your most used kite size for 9-11 knots... in Miami Florida and weight 210 lb
At my local spot we also usually have 9 to 14 knot wind and my most used kite is my 12m Soul (foil kite) and my friends usually use light 12m inflatables. Most of us weigh less than you so I would recommend a 12m kite minimum and perhaps something larger. Be sure to get a light kite like a foil or a one strut or even a modern 3 strut. Many older kites are just too heavy.

When you get skilled there is a style of riding using smaller more nimble kites that some kiters enjoy. On windier days I have been out on my 12m while my buddy is using a 5m. His kite is quick and responsive. But he cannot jump, cannot go really fast, cannot tack and when the wind drops he cannot stay upwind. He has fun and has just has a different style of kiting. Personally I prefer to be powered and when you are learning it is much easier with power. Most people who say their biggest kite is a 9m or less are blessed with windier spots than you and I have. Or they simply don't go out in lighter wind.

And don't think that a 9m with long lines is as good as a 12m. It is not! Long lines allow you to temporarily generate power with long kite swoops but you go downwind with every swoop. And a 9m will not relaunch in light wind as well as a bigger kite. I have had many very nice kiting days when only 12m kites or bigger were on the water. (I have also sat on the beach when only the racers with their 18m kites were out.) There is no substitute for kite size.

So for you at your weight and in Florida, I'd recommend a 12m kite minimum or perhaps a 15m.

:wink: CG

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Re: What your most used kite size for foiling?

Postby OzBungy » Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:18 am

plummet wrote:
Mon Apr 27, 2020 7:11 pm
....
The foil will never scratch that itch for aggressive mutant riding that I so enjoy. On the mutant I can kite with reckless abandon. On the foil the needs to be a defined controlled approach. ...

You need to foil more. You haven't really mastered foiling if you can't blast around with reckless abandon. True there is a bit less spray and splashage on the foil, but the feeling of absurd power is addictive.

The other sign of truncated development in foiling is the fear of being overpowered. A foil gives you almost all the range of a surfboard or TT plus the additional bottom end range of a foil.

That's not to say you shouldn't ride with a tiny kite if you want. That's huge fun too. It's just that you can choose any riding profile you want on any given day.

Also, I'm not claiming that it's a matter of skill. It's more about learning the muscle memory for automatic control adjustments. You might not be able to do twirly tacks. You can blast around in total comfort in a vast range of conditions and hit stuff aggressively.
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