Aluula? New Revolutionary Material from Ocean Rodeo

[tegirinenashi]

I launched somebody on Aluula Roam 10 m the other day. The leading edge was perhaps 30% smaller diameter than my lowly 10m kite. Which makes the claim of high end believable.

This fact also explains the reduced weight, as bladder takes at least half of the weight and you have less of it. Oh, yes, less Aluula (Dacron, whatever) too.

What I don't quite get how did they managed to get the reduced diameter LE being as stiff as the normal one without requiring higher recommended pressure? (I assume pressure and LE diameter would be much more important for stiffness than the material properties).

[iriejohn]

I launched somebody on Aluula Roam 10 m the other day. The leading edge was perhaps 30% smaller diameter than my lowly 10m kite. Which makes the claim of high end believable.

This fact also explains the reduced weight, as bladder takes at least half of the weight and you have less of it. Oh, yes, less Aluula (Dacron, whatever) too.

What I don't quite get how did they managed to get the reduced diameter LE being as stiff as the normal one without requiring higher recommended pressure? (I assume pressure and LE diameter would be much more important for stiffness than the material properties).

I understand that Aluula fabric is intrinsically far stiffer than Dacron. Therefore for a given diameter a LE made with Aluula is far stiffer than a LE made with Dacron. Thus an Aluula LE diameter can be substantially reduced while maintaining required stiffness.

[Pierrot]

What I don't quite get how did they managed to get the reduced diameter LE being as stiff as the normal one without requiring higher recommended pressure? (I assume pressure and LE diameter would be much more important for stiffness than the material properties).

That is actually a very good question... and I have « conflicting » experiences with my Roam 10...
1- no doubt it is extremely stable and the frame is really rigid in the sky, when jumping , turning etc... even with high load on the lines.
But...
2- I also experience the kite looking quite « soft » - like if it was under inflated (don’t know how to best describe) . This happened when doing reverse launch. Or even yesterday, i did a self launch and quite a bit of water went on the canopy, the kite was behaving likes under inflated ie. not keeping it shape, until it got reed of the water. So this seems to indicate that there is also some flex built into the frame... or it is a factor of the thin LE and struts diameter...

Kind of conflicting behaviors... bur maybe it is also under inflated! Recommended pressure is 9psi and not sure I pump it that hard...

[tegirinenashi]

I understand that Aluula fabric is intrinsically far stiffer than Dacron. Therefore for a given diameter a LE made with Aluula is far stiffer than a LE made with Dacron. Thus an Aluula LE diameter can be substantially reduced while maintaining required stiffness.

I believe, Aluula kite still can be folded into the bag. Therefore, the material bending and twisting resistance is zero. Which means that all the stiffness comes from the inflated tube buckle resistance. In other words, the only way to leverage greater tensile strength of Aluula is by reducing LE diameter, while increasing the recommended pressure. Again, 8 psi recommended pressure from OR website is similar to dacron kites. (It might well be an honest mistake of OR stuff being lost in the Aluula hype, and the 8 psi is simply the number carried over from their old marketing brochure).

[GregK]

tegirinenashi - have you felt an Aluula kite pumped up, to say 8 psi ? Get a friend to constrain one wingtip while you bend the opposite wingtip.

I expect you are in for surprise.

[iriejohn]

tegirinenashi - have you felt an Aluula kite pumped up, to say 8 psi ? Get a friend to constrain one wingtip while you bend the opposite wingtip.

I expect you are in for surprise.

When I first pumped my Flite 14.5m Aluula to 8-9psi (the same as my Enduros) I could not believe how difficult it was to buckle the very skinny LE.

[Pana]

What I don't quite get how did they managed to get the reduced diameter LE being as stiff as the normal one without requiring higher recommended pressure? (I assume pressure and LE diameter would be much more important for stiffness than the material properties).

2- I also experience the kite looking quite « soft » - like if it was under inflated (don’t know how to best describe) . This happened when doing reverse launch. Or even yesterday, i did a self launch and quite a bit of water went on the canopy, the kite was behaving likes under inflated ie. not keeping it shape, until it got reed of the water. So this seems to indicate that there is also some flex built into the frame... or it is a factor of the thin LE and struts diameter...

The main strut is quite rigid and so are the small struts but there is a flex zone built in the design between the small struts and main.

Could not add video, but you can see the black flex point on picture

[Pana]

All of the customers that have bought Aluulas from us so far have said positive things about it. One guy bought an 8m, said it lived up to the hype and bough a 10m a few days later.

Probably more exact to say that all the costumers that have RECIEVED so far have said positive things.... still waiting on a 12 Roam bought (reserved) at the end of feb. Have posted positive things on the flite 14.

[droffats]

All of the customers that have bought Aluulas from us so far have said positive things about it. One guy bought an 8m, said it lived up to the hype and bough a 10m a few days later.

Probably more exact to say that all the costumers that have RECIEVED so far have said positive things.... still waiting on a 12 Roam bought (reserved) at the end of feb. Have posted positive things on the flite 14.

You are right!

[alkiter]

What I don't quite get how did they managed to get the reduced diameter LE being as stiff as the normal one without requiring higher recommended pressure? (I assume pressure and LE diameter would be much more important for stiffness than the material properties).

That is actually a very good question... and I have « conflicting » experiences with my Roam 10...
1- no doubt it is extremely stable and the frame is really rigid in the sky, when jumping , turning etc... even with high load on the lines.
But...
2- I also experience the kite looking quite « soft » - like if it was under inflated (don’t know how to best describe) . This happened when doing reverse launch. Or even yesterday, i did a self launch and quite a bit of water went on the canopy, the kite was behaving likes under inflated ie. not keeping it shape, until it got reed of the water. So this seems to indicate that there is also some flex built into the frame... or it is a factor of the thin LE and struts diameter...

Kind of conflicting behaviors... bur maybe it is also under inflated! Recommended pressure is 9psi and not sure I pump it that hard...

You must have underinflated it. I have no such problem with mine. It's best kite I have ever ridden. Can't ever go back to regular kites.