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Some of the top kites for light wind are the Ozone Edge and North Dyno... just check the light wind racing results from Egypt. I expect others like from Naish may be very good but haven't been in serious competition yet. Kites like the Flysurfer Speed work but are slow to maneuver.

But many people don't understand that buying a big kite is wasting your money if you don't have a big board. Light wind boards are cheaper and give you more bang for your buck. Get a race board or a door type light wind board. Even a surf board is a bit better than a twin tip but not by much. And just a bigger regular twin tip is of little value (too much rocker).

A good light wind board will enhance your light wind capabilities tremendously. DON"T EVEN THINK ABOUT BUYING A BIG KITE UNTIL YOU HAVE A LIGHT WIND BOARD!

CG

Exactly - could not have said it better myself nor more precise Chris.

Agree 100%

- Peter

Spot on above, great advice.

Remember the power of the wind at 20 knots is 4 times less than at 10 knots although you have only double the wind speed. There is not much power going over even a large canopy.

Hence you need efficiency in the board to generate speed which provides speed in the kite above and beyond the speed of the wind, generating more power per say...mixing up terms but you know what I mean...

Light wind is subjective as light wind to me is anything below 15/16 knots. There is a 11-15 knot bracket I feel and then less than 11 knots..give or take given the type of wind, cold or hot.

Hence when you say light wind I think you need to talk in terms of those two brackets and ask yourself what I actually mean by light winds, what is your target.

Then the argument can become more focussed on kites and boards, given a riders weight and skill level in term of that definition.

Board selection is crucial as there can be a lot of money in a large canopy giving back a small return if you employ an ineeficient board.

Me I have messed around with so many 12's and 14's and even at 75kg, I'm done. it s a 17m for me, with a couple of TT's and a skim board. I want a lot of power even between 13 and 16...done with stuffing about milking the last drop out of smaller kites. That's me anyway.

Westozzy wrote:Spot on above, great advice.

Remember the power of the wind at 20 knots is 4 times less than at 10 knots although you have only double the wind speed.

...would probably avoid this guys advice!

I seem to remember this being hashed over in another thread - I think the epic infinity2 was able to get going in 4 knots.Maybe by now it might be lower though.Crowned best low-wind kite

pj sofine wrote:I seem to remember this being hashed over in another thread - I think the epic infinity2 was able to get going in 4 knots.Maybe by now it might be lower though.Crowned best low-wind kite

The accuracy of the claims surround the Epic brand are highly questionable in my opinion. If you really want to get out in light winds you should consider going down the route of getting a Sector (or similar directional board) with a large 16m+ high aspect kite (like a Dyno, crossbow).

Or have a look at the strutless kite thread. BRM Cloud 17m plus North Nugget goes very well for me (75kg) in already sub 10 knots .

UKSurf wrote:

pj sofine wrote:I seem to remember this being hashed over in another thread - I think the epic infinity2 was able to get going in 4 knots.Maybe by now it might be lower though.Crowned best low-wind kite

The accuracy of the claims surround the Epic brand are highly questionable in my opinion.

in regards to board size, you have to understand what a light wind board will get you. On a small board in light wind with a small kite you can not get up to planing speed, or even if you do get up, the moment you start to turn upwind, you fall back into the water.

What a light wind board allows you to do is get on a plane quicker, and then sustain a plane with less energy. So you get up in light wind, and after a while you start to generate a bit of apparent wind. With this apparent wind you can then point upwind.

Notice that all this takes time. You need time to get up on a plane, time to generate speed, then time to start back upwind.

If you are doing wave riding, cruising or a down winder, than all this is fine.

But if you are doing tricks and jumps on a light wind board, every time you boost or pop you eat up all that energy. Then you have to start from scratch.

You don't gain something from nothing here by going with a lightwind board. You gain the ability to ride, but it's a type of riding that depends on apparent wind and is not conducive to throwing tricks. You can get zooming on a race board in light wind. But every time you lose speed, perhaps in a transition you have to start all over again and build up speed.

Anyway, that's why I have mostly given up on light wind boards. I like to ride with as much square meters of kite as I can put in the sky on a light wind day. So what if it turns slow, you can have a kite that turns really fast but you on your light wind board still have to dink around waiting to build up apparent wind, while a large kite will actually let you transition quicker.

Anyway think about the type of riding you are doing and let it guide you in your kite and board choice. A large board is a good choice for many people, but not everyone.

[quote="UKSurf" "SupaEz"]The accuracy of the claims surround the Epic brand are highly questionable in my opinion. If you really want to get out in light winds you should consider getting a Sector directional board, with a large 16m+ high aspect kite (like a Dyno, Crossbow).[/quote]I beg to differ.
I am completely convinced, that the light wind claims of every single kiteboarding company, has always and forever been totally and perfectly accurate.
Every kiteboarding catalog, every ad, every website always provide completely believable information, never does the adspeak overstate anything.
I believe that Kelloggs Special K will make me super thin and healthy.
I believe the very fit and gorgeous people in the beer ads, guzzle gallons of Budweiser every weekend.
I believe the Jack Daniels and Smirnoff companies want me to drink responsibly.
I believe that the kites that UKSurf and SupaEZ fly are the best there is, and that everyone should believe that their choices are correct.. for everyone, ..without question.
I think that a large 16+ high aspect kite will relaunch just awesomely in 7 knots.
I think everyone will love the feel of a Sector, especially kiters that like to do unhooked tricks, or kiters that enjoy doing strapless surface passes.
I do not believe there are five different types of lightwind boards that each has it's own particular fun attributes.
I think there is no way that there could be several types of lightwind kites that each make a different type of kiter happy.
I have absolutely no ax to grind or agenda to attend to..and neither do UKSurf or SupaEZ.
I also have large shares in the Brooklyn Bridge on sale this week only!!!!!!
Please PM me if you would like to buy a share.
You two girls are hilarious ..get over it already.