4m range

[dkazhdan]

HI all, I am thinking of buying a small kite for hydrofoilng, could definitely use some advice here.

Wondering what would be the wind range of a 4m kite?
Given I am 200# riding a 700sq.cm foil wing? Low intermediate level foiler.

Thanks and regards

[jumptheshark]

20 - 33.33333333 knots plus or minus.

[jumptheshark]

20 knots is some weird kinda magic number. Anyone can ride anything in 20. Little guys can hold down 12M edges boosting and gliding for small eons while big guys can foil around on 3m clouds and pretty much everything in between. You are 200lbs. Top end of at least 33 before it starts getting squirly

[OzBungy]

20 knots is a good start. If you bear off a little and maintain apparent wind then you can go lower. The limiting factor is that it can be quite hard to water start or body drag when underpowered. The high teens are doable.

As for top end, it can reach a stage where a little kite is bucking around like a mad dog on the end of a leash. It's easy enough to ride but a bit disconcerting having all this tugging on the lines.

On one occasion a weather station 4km away, and further out to sea, was reading 47 knots, so 40+ knots is a decent guide number to the upper end.

I would not launch in 40+ knots, but I would go out in the mid-30's with the expectation that the kite could handle any blasts that come through. I avoid going out when squalls are predicted and storm cells visible on the weather radar.

[plummet]

I agree with 20 to 33 with the possibility of holding to 40 +.
I have done all of the above.

The sweet zone for big waves is somewhere around 24-28 knots. Above that there's too much kite power if you want to riding big waves. TBut if you are simply fangin around you can hold to 40+.

[marekmk]

I can get riding on a big front wing in around 18 knots on the Uno, Ozone. Its my favourite kite to ride with