Once again KNOTS INTO MPH. 5.0=5.7mph 5.5=6.3mph 6.0=6.9mph 6.5=7.5mph..7.0=8.0mph 7.5=8.6mph 8.0=9.2mph 8.5=9.2mph. We have 2 WINNERS for "parked" low wind title. FOIL: Flysurfer speed3 21m at 6knots & TUBE: North Dyno 18 at 7 knots. I have flown both extensively during this hot summer. Sorry but no any other tube kite yet can beat them. Even the Epic Inf."secret size" needed 8 knots at our beach. Like Jack Nicholson said "in a few good men": the truth!!.....you can't handle the truth!

I can fly my 17 meter Slingshot Turbine in 2 to 5 knots on a race board and with 34 meter lightweight lines. The real assets to light wind riding are skill level, a big floaty race board with big fins and a longer line set. (and a 16 meter or larger kite.

I usually (dominican -straight down wind launch) hot launch the kite, and only pull on the center lines and have to run back ward for 3 meter or so to pump the kite in the air. (I am usually riding alone in this wind strength and just focusing on testing the latest Slingshot Turbine designs Tony sends me.

My current race board is a Mike's Lab 70 cm wide weapon and I ride Rista fins; 41cm in the front and 36cm in the back. When I am riding it is almost glassy surface texture to the water. You have to see it to believe it. If the kite goes down there is no possibility of water relaunching. With the longer line set, if there is a lull to zero you can down loop the kite 1 or 2 times and usually make it through a almost a no wind lull. If you make a small mistake in steering the kite drop s out of the sky.

The trick is to down kiteloop the kite in the direction of the next line of wind. You get a few seconds to look around when the wind lulls out and decide which side of the window has more wind.....and if you dive the kite a few seconds late, or to the side of the window where the lull is to zero, you will drop the kite and be swimming.

My latest race board is big enough to stand on and it floats me no worries. It is 70cm wide and 3.5 inches thick. Volume is important.

Technique needed is high level but attaniable by any rider but you dive the kite and have to get the board loaded on the fins ( tri fin set up) working on getting the back foot to drive off of the back fin to get the board up and planing. if you do not load the board right in the down stroke yo do not get up and planing. Once up and planing I have to depower the kite asap, as i use a custom 3 to 1 race bar I built. Adjusting the power of the kite is critical as well for max performance, even in light wind.

The real trick here is the power the larger free ride race boards-Read flat rocker lines....something like a Slinshot 2012 Knee swacker or Dialer free ride boards, or better yet the amazing power of a state of the art full on race board. These boards generate so much lift that you are not required to load the kite up much to get moving, and once planing your kite is only sheeted in 20% of your body weight compared to trying to ride a large twin tip with little real volume.

I can ride a Slingshot Glide 149cm x 45.5cm in this wind but I pretty much can stall (oversheet the kite) when I start to take off. So you have to be super easy on bar pressure, if a lull hits your going to probably drop the kite if you over sheet it too much. As you have no volume in a twin tip to balance on to make it through the lulls. If your board is sinking your going to be loading the kite bar up to keep you out of the water and you better have longer lines if its a lull to 2 knots, so you can keep down looping the kite.

Right now Tony Logosz, Slingshot owner and designer is riding a 80cm wide race board with smaller fins, and with a board like this you can get a big boy riding in the same wind as my skinny ass. (I weigh 65 kilos) It is a refined skill set but super light wind riding is now possible. If you use longer line sets up to 45 meters is max length possible for racing, racing in 5 knots, (if it does not have more than a 10 second lull to zero knots) is possible.

If i ride a free ride race board 55cm wide with surf size fins (4.5" to 5.5") I can ride in the same wind but not go upwind as well. And it is easier to drop the kite.

the newer bigger and more powerful boards are massively improving light air riding,

hop this perspective helps, enjoy...Gebi

Nice, I love it! I fly my Big Dynos on the 32m 5 line set, what lines are you using that are ultra light weight? I was flying on the 31m 4 line set but enjoy having the five line to aid in relaunch on lighter days. I think they make more drag and may be hindering some proformance, Do you have a opinion on this?

I think as a Snowkiter I have a ton of experence looping the kite in super low wind days climbing hills, I think these years of low wind riding have for sure helped honed my light wind water skills. If I can Hot launch the kite, (just like we do on snow in light wind) then I can almost always kite.

I enjoy light wind riding and ride on days that relaunch is impossible regulerly I have never pulled out the wind meter and think I will from now on.

looks like a lot of fun

I have to say. Before I tried the Epic light wind kite, the Infinity, I didn't believe in big kites and the claims companies make. However, after having some unbelievable sessions in the 8-14mph range with some of these light wind kites I became a believer. At the lower levels that companies claim for these light wind kites, EVERYTHING has to line up. Current, waves, board, rider skill, and consistent wind. AND at those lower levels the riding is very technical and you might not be able to jump or catch a wave any time you want. Lots of timing and finesse. But the challenge is half the fun and the reward is great.
With that said I have actually had many frustrating light wind sessions because of a strong current or inconsistent wind. Sometimes the wind might even be in the teens and I still can't ride. BUT riding when no one else can, in butter with no/little white caps, is rare and totally worth the failed sessions.

Hello Gebi. I recognize and agree that you are an exceptional expert. I can just imagine with your talent and raceboards at your disposal the power you could get out of a Speed3 21M and a Dyno 18 with extended lines!! As far as your claim of 2 to 5 knots riding this simply mean that the average wind was 3.5 knots!! In miles per hour this means 2.3 to 5.7 with average of 4.0mph!! WOW!

I react to that claim too. Avg. 4 mph is very light.

I am happy to say that Slingshot on their website claims the truth about low wind claim for their Turbine 17M .The diagram shows 7.5 knots (8.6mph) as the starting point using 27m lines. ZERO BS

In 1999 we were able to ride in steady 8-10knots with a Naish Skypirate 7'6" and 15.5 AR5. Was it fun? well it was new and exciting and we had not much to compare it to so yeah A lot has changed since then but one thing is for sure there are a lot of great choices and developments and lot board and kite combos in the past 3 years can work from steady 8 knots with good rider skills and conditions. So why limit yourself both LEIs and foils work, surfboards TTs wakeskates skims foil boards inflatable couches whatever floats you. So choose what you like and go ride and stop whining about marketing hype because it isn't going away and you just encourage the bastards.

In 8-12 mph I can ride with a Ozone Edge RX 11m and a Door 59 with just 2 fins in flat water (fast board + fast kite = apparent wind) I can also have fun with a strapless fish and RRD Obsession 12, but more often then not I choose the Flysurfer Speed 3 21 and UG FLX 135 because I like the constant power and being able to jump early on a normal size TT it's like a cable park. Big kite means less effort jumps sooner and ride a normal size TT sooner. The 21 also gives me the HP to punch through shorebreak. With Speed 3 21 5-6 knots and big door is possible on flat water but not much fun IMO maybe I should try a landboard. I've heard kitesailing is possible in 5-7mph with a raceboard but I haven't seen it done in person around here even with all the "pros"

...yes sure you could go in light wind before, BUT the raceboard makes those days fun. You'll go way way faster than the wind is blowing, and with lots of power. At 10 mph I am lit up. Once you get speed going, you can go through lulls..the point is to not stall the kite. I certainly don't think I can go through lulls of 0 wind for 10 seconds, but can definitely take on pretty severe lulls...on a TT you do not have that option.

The raceboard fins also drive the apparent wind very well. It is definitely a new era of lightwind kiting. Still don't know about the avg 4 mph.