Lightwind kite for heavy rider?

[dracop]

If he is 200 lbs or less on a 17m in 15 knot winds, yeah, he'll be overpowered during gusts if he is trimmed to max power, especially if he has a current going the other way. Big guy gear can really haul little guys in light winds.

[Krazedkiter]

Krazedkiter if you are extremely overpowered in 10-15 knots are you foilboarding or on drugs???

When did I say overpowered? Check your medicine cabinet George.

[Rainer Kauper]

Hi,

have you checked the QX-light 17,7m from Spleene or the X-19?





Ciao

Rainer Kauper
-------------------
www.spleene-kiteboarding.com

[Jttoader]

Hello Everyone,

This is my first time posting on a kite forum but I felt that my experiences with different kites and boards could help some of you that are searching for the best experience in this sport. I have been kiting since 2005 but didn't get serious until 2009. My passion is big air so I need lots of power to lift my 225 lbs high in the air. I have owned many different light wind kites so I felt that my comments would be appreciated by those that are thinking of spending $2,000 to enter the light wind kite arena. I have spent almost $10,000 pursing light wind and I have discovered some truths that are not clear on some of the many forums but take everything I say with a grain of salt cause this is my opinion and everyone's experience is different.

My 1st light wind kite was a 14M 2007 Cabrinha Contra - Pulled like a truck but slow with massive bar pressure.

2nd light wind kite was a 15M 2009 Best Waroo - Never liked this kite and sold within a month of buying

3rd light wind kite was a 13M 2010 RRD Obsession - Nice Kite with lots of power, turns fast, but a bit scary when wind picked up. This kite was just not that smooth especially in gusty conditions.

4th light wind kite was a 14M 2010 Slingshot RPM - Smooth Kite but sluggish and lacking in low end power.

5th light wind kite was a 19M 2011 Flysurfer - This kite has the most power of any kite I have ever flown period and foils outperform inflatables in the light stuff in my humble opinion. With that being said I didn't like this kite. It's expensive, the bridle lines would tangle occasionally (I know it's my fault), it's a pain to land cause very few people know how to assist you, the kite turns so SLOW that the power stroke needed to pull my heavy butt up on plane didn't generate enough torque to accomplish this and I'd sink back down.
Foils fly completely different than inflatables and I personally didn't like the differences. I did have some Killer Sessions on this kite though.

6th light wind kite was a 2011 15M Epic Infinity - I liked this kite at first but I had a hard time staying upwind on it. This kite has good power, turns fast, jumps good, but upwind is mediocre at best so on to the next try!

Man, by this time I am frustrated and BROKE!

7th light wind kite was a 14M 2012 Epic Screamer - Fast turning, loads of power, predictable, great low end, tons of pop, SUPERB upwind-ability, PERFECT! But the minimum wind needed with my Spleen Monster Door was 13 knots. Surely other kites must allow me to go lower and have more fun but I ignored the light wind chatter for a full 2 years.

8th light wind kite was a 17M 2013 Blade Fat Lady - Good Power but didn't compare to the Screamer 14M for upwind-ability and at 14 knots I was jumping 50% higher on my 14M vs the Fat Lady. I didn't like this kite at all.

9th and FINAL light wind kite I purchased was a 2014 Ocean Rodeo Flite 2 - Surely this kite that beat the new Cabrinha Contra, Slingshot Turbine, and Core 19M in comparison tests would save the day and establish the need for a big kite in my quiver. I called a buddy of mine to help me test this kite. Here are the facts regarding the test.

Where: Fresh Water - Lake Michigan
Wind: 13-16 knots
Waves: 1 foot or less

I weigh 225 lbs and my buddy weighs in at 160 lbs. Both of us are avid jumpers and love to go big. We were both excited by the hype surrounding the Flite but were also sensitive to spending the $2K to enter light wind kiting. We pumped up 3 kites for the test: my 14M Epic Screamer, his 12M Cabrinha Switchblade, and the 17M 2014 Flite 2. We each had 2 boards - a smaller board (137cm) & a Spleen Door.

We switched kites at least 6 times over a 3 hour period comparing them on the 2 most important elements to us: upwind-ability & BIG AIR!

The Flite: SMOOTH, POWERFUL, Magical Light Bar Pressure, Best Light Wind Kite I have ever flown, Sharp Looking!

BUT,,,,,,,

My buddy and I concluded that there was ONLY a 1-2 knot advantage over the 14M Screamer and the 12M Switchblade. We also concluded that the smaller kites are much more fun and jump much higher than the big boys in the SAME amount of wind with a big board.

The question became; am I willing to spend the money just to ride in 2 knots less wind when there is not enough power to jump. My buddy and I easily answered our own question with a big NO!

Synopsis: If you want to kite in light wind and jump don't bother buying a kite larger than a 14M. Get a big board - this will make a much larger difference than the kite. The other lesson is that kites fly differently depending on the style and size - for example neither my buddy or myself like the 14M Switchblade cause it's SLOW but the 12M Rocks. I would fly the 12M, 13M, or 14M of a few different manufactures and pick a light wind kite in these sizes UNLESS you enjoy mowing the lawn, don't care about big air, and have money to burn for a 17M.

My favorite kite of ALL TIME is the 14M Epic Screamer and if you think I'm plugging Epic remember that I SOLD the INFINITY because it is very difficult to stay upwind.

Happy Kiting and I hope my opinions shared help some of you navigate the light wind world!

[Petey]

Like a couple of people have said here already, one size/shape/model of kite may not work for everyone. If you can, always try ad get a demo and see for yourself.

That said, I've had some amazing sessions now on the 18m Airush Vantage. Best lightwind inflatable I've flown so far in 15 years of kiting. Here's the review I posted on another thread:

I've managed three sessions on the 18m Vantage now and I'm very impressed. Most recent of those being last night on this year's Slayer 58.

Great fun, everyone else had come in with 12-15m kites and I was the only one out enjoying 7-10 knots with gusts of 12. Water was like silk with shin to knee high rollers, like rippled glass.. beautiful!

First thing you notice is the weight, or lack of it. Take it out of the bag you have to check you've got the right kite as it weighs about the same as a 10m Lithium. Three skinny struts, no one-pump, this is old skool simplicity at its best (and I hate one-pump anyway) so there's really not much to go wrong here. The bridles are long but very minimalist and low drag.

Starting with the trim strap all the way in I figured I'd see how it went. One dive and I was going and it really does climb back up like it's being towed. As the breeze started to die I fed more power on and was cranking upwind. The turning is bloody fast for an 18m - way faster than I'd have thought possible. I reckon you could loop this thing! And it drifts too! Picking a line a couple of times the kite stayed with me and then tracked when and where I needed it to. It's so responsive too: haul that bar in and it'll sit deep and tow you; let it breathe and it'll come forward and get you where you need to be.

It's far more manageable than you'd think too; a lot of big kites can be a handful to slow down once you're moving but this one dumps power when you want without any drama. Don't get me wrong, it is a big kite and takes longer to slow down than a 12m, but, you don't get that sense of being tied to the back of a train and 'just hoping it all works out for the best'. Like Mike says, if you wan't raw 'grunt' and need to get out in the bare minimum then go for a Zero. If you want something that goes almost as early as a Zero but offers way more versatility and good upwind performance, I honestly think you'll struggle to beat the 18m Vantage.

I've been a fan of big kites for years, and this is the best I've flown yet.

[14ToeSide]

I'm 240 Pies and 13-15 MPH is NOT light wind.

14

[SupaEZ]

Where: Fresh Water - Lake Michigan
Wind: 13-16 knots
Waves: 1 foot or less

I weigh 225 lbs and my buddy weighs in at 160 lbs.

Synopsis: If you want to kite in light wind and jump don't bother buying a kite larger than a 14M

I agree with 14Toe (a XXL guy very experienced who kills it in sub10kn....i kid you not )
He has owned more LW kites than any of us
He rides all year long in Florida where LW conditions exists during more than half the year

13 knots is 14.9 mph.......to 16 knots is 18.41 mph
Calling that LW is a joke

At 225 lbs there are kites out there that get you jumping with the correct board in 10 kn...11.5 mph

14m2 kite is also a joke to call that a LW kite if you are 225 lbs

I am 165 and your friend is 160
I invite your friend to come to my beach with his 14m2 LW kite and just sit on sand and take notes..
...while i am slicing up the waves, jumping and doing kitelooping tricks in 8-9kn

Your lightweight friend could do the same as me if he had a Nugget 2013 and a Core Riot XR3 19

Original poster made in clear that he was 250 and looking to kite in "10" to 15kn

[Jttoader]

Update;

I finally found a lightwind kite that is worth the cost. The 2014 ozone zephyr!

OMG I tried this kite in 11 knots and was boosting and staying upwind. A friend was also kiting with a 2013 slingshot turbine and we swapped a few times to compare.

If your read my previous post you will find that I didn't like almost every lightwind kite I have flown other than the 19m speed 3 DLX and I've flown many.

The turbine has as much power as the flysurfer and more than the Zephyr however it turns slower and doesn't keep you upwind as well as the zephyr.

In my opinion this kite is the best but DONT get a used one cause they are inferior at least until next year:)

2014 ozone zephyr