Big kites in 2003

[Dwight]

Kiteboarding magazine (US) shows what's new for 2003 and there appears to be a lack of big kite sizes. Did anybody else notice this? Many companies don't even make a 20m. With big kites performing better every year, I expected 20m kites that perform better than 15m kites did just 2 years ago. I also expected 24m kites that are half way fun.

My memory is poor, but I recall Airush and F-One not having big kites, and some others I can't recall.

[Mr Jo Macdonald]

Maybe they hear the Psycho was out

[JMF]

lol yeah true that Sicko as I like to call it is going to own 3 kites sizes in one.... what a pleasure

[Toby]

I think the companies are not going over 20 sqm.
But the most go up to 20 (North, Naish, Gaastra, ....)

[Guest]

Above 20 meters a kite become to slow. A 18 meter kite is faster than a 22 so will generate the same or more power than the bigger kite.

[Mr Jo Macdonald]

Slingshot went 1m bigger with biggest Fuel this year.
Jo

[Guest]

Is there a market? Lot's of guys have had less than awesome experiences with huge ass kites and now do other things when it's blowing less than 10. There just might not be that much demand for them. There are always some that have to have the biggest available, but even in the small population of kiteboarders that's a minority. Might not be worth the cost of developing, distributing and stocking the giants. I've wrestled a couple of these monsters on the lawn and I just don't care to spend my money on them. 18 is about as big as I'd want to go, used to be 16.
R!

[Dwight]

On 2002-09-17 21:05, Anonymous wrote:
18 is about as big as I'd want to go, used to be 16.
R!

Exactly my point each year that magic size we all won't go bigger than, gets bigger. With the new racy x2, I expected that magic number to get bigger. I'm shocked everybody doesn't make a 20m.

[chirojoseph]

This is how the sport is evolving and I think its beautiful. Inflo riders slam foils and foil riders hate bladders and Arc lovers think everyone else is nuts. I own one of each and im so glad that i do.

When my buddies are pumping their brains out to fill their 18 mt kites i open the "butthole" of my mastair and stick a flip flop in to hold it open and sort my lines. When they are yelling to help from those onshore to grab those inflo monsters before they pop on the shore rocks after a hindenburg im cruising powered up on the foil.

when the wind is sweet from 14 knots and up I am in ecstasy on my takoon. I suggest all my students to have a 12 or 15 inflo for the good wind days and a 12 to 16 foil for the lite wind days (here in Cancun thats alot of days)

Once you have that much material up in the air (big inflos) and are trying to keep bladders THAT huge from developing holes it just isnt fun...try a big flysurfer or boom or even an old concept air new wave in lite winds. All kites are great toys, and each has its nitch. Id never buy an inflo bigger than 15 mts. Even if someone else was always there to pump it up and relaunch it when it fell, the foils are just better suited to lite winds.

[Guest]

Exactly my point each year that magic size we all won't go bigger than, gets bigger...

Actually....used to be 16 because the big ones sucked. Now the big ones work and I would consider dealing with an 18. The performance reasons to stay away from 20+ kites have disappeared. The useability issues (handling on shore, relaunch in <10, pumping...) are still there.

R!