What's the smallest kite anyone has used on the water?

[TeabagVic]

I flew a trainer kite on land quite often in the past, I can even do kiteloop on this kite and I feel safe.

Used to own a psycho 8m, but didnt like the amount of gustyness in that wind range to make a session fun.

After selling it, my smallest kite became the Speed4 10m. Unfortunately before I used such a small kite the wind need to be above 30 knots, and here above 30 kts its getting quite gusty. Hot launching a foil in 30+ knots on a very small patch of gravel/logs is kind of risky (always hot launch these flysurfer, never learn how to launch them properly).

I bought an inflatable 9m that I still never used yet, hopefully there will be some 32-40 kts wind soon, unfortunately once the wind get that high it become too gusty for a 9m (gust to 45-55 kts gust sometimes, I pushing my 11m Ozone Edge in 44kts gust and I really didnt feel safe or enjoyed that 30 minute short session is what made me decide to buy a 9m for the rare occasion that I feel brave).

Dont feel like going smaller than 11m-10m. Reason I buy the 9m is in case I would travel somewhere one day to a place with steady 35-43 kts (but I am pretty sure that is impossible). And / Or try high wind here and feel safer than I felt on the 11m....

Small kites fall like a rock for someone that weight 200 lbs or more, or someone that cant do kiteloop. On top of that they are dangerous, feel a lot safer getting my line stuck in the bar making the kite loop constantly (dead spiral) on an overpower 15m than I would feel on a mid power 10m.
Yes 15m will bring more pull every loop, but it will give you lot more time to untangle yourself or to cut the lines or to think about what to do etc...

I raise my hat to people riding small kites, you guys have either:

1- Lots of skills!!!
2- Balls of Steele!!!
3- Suicidal tendency!!!

[DionisKiter]

Smallest i have is 6m. I have used 6m Switchblade in 50G60 mph on 140x 42 twin tip... @180 lbs. I had a great sesh ... I am thinking to add 4m to my quiver. We do get a lot of those 50kts+ days in Alaska during the summer.

[saildawg]

Yesterday my landlord here on Holbox, Franco, was lying on his back on a float board doing a down winder with a single line approximately 1/2 meter kite. Looked like he was asleep but he traveled over a kilometer!

[longwhitecloud]

there is another option - and that is short lines with small kites - i have had 5m kite on 10m lines - it will not easily deathloop at all - will just plough into water. - to even get going you whip kite back and fourth across wind window.- keeps u fit too - no auto pilot with this setup..

[Tone]

I flew a trainer kite on land quite often in the past, I can even do kiteloop on this kite and I feel safe.

Used to own a psycho 8m, but didnt like the amount of gustyness in that wind range to make a session fun.

After selling it, my smallest kite became the Speed4 10m. Unfortunately before I used such a small kite the wind need to be above 30 knots, and here above 30 kts its getting quite gusty. Hot launching a foil in 30+ knots on a very small patch of gravel/logs is kind of risky (always hot launch these flysurfer, never learn how to launch them properly).

I bought an inflatable 9m that I still never used yet, hopefully there will be some 32-40 kts wind soon, unfortunately once the wind get that high it become too gusty for a 9m (gust to 45-55 kts gust sometimes, I pushing my 11m Ozone Edge in 44kts gust and I really didnt feel safe or enjoyed that 30 minute short session is what made me decide to buy a 9m for the rare occasion that I feel brave).

Dont feel like going smaller than 11m-10m. Reason I buy the 9m is in case I would travel somewhere one day to a place with steady 35-43 kts (but I am pretty sure that is impossible). And / Or try high wind here and feel safer than I felt on the 11m....

Small kites fall like a rock for someone that weight 200 lbs or more, or someone that cant do kiteloop. On top of that they are dangerous, feel a lot safer getting my line stuck in the bar making the kite loop constantly (dead spiral) on an overpower 15m than I would feel on a mid power 10m.
Yes 15m will bring more pull every loop, but it will give you lot more time to untangle yourself or to cut the lines or to think about what to do etc...

I raise my hat to people riding small kites, you guys have either:

1- Lots of skills!!!
2- Balls of Steele!!!
3- Suicidal tendency!!!

hey bud, why are you flying your kites in so much wind?!

I am 240lbs and wouldn't think of launching a 9 in winds approaching 40 knots (unless I am on my speed kit), for sure I could hold it down if it was a high depower kite but the margin for error is tiny. Unless you are going for the speed record, you shouldn't be on the 9 in that much wind. The 9m should work from 20-25 mph. Get yourself a 7!

I got myself a 7m C4 this year, I have never owned anything smaller than a 9 up to that point and in 35 knots that 9m (Fuel) was getting hairy! The 7 is SO much fun. You can jump to the moon when you're properly powered on it and kiteloops are a hell of a lot of fun! Ignore what Toby says

I also come from a flysurfer background and didn't like launching the Psycho 3 kites when it was windy due to the tip tuck but hot launching them is suicide! Please learn to launch them at the edge of the window, much safer.

Tony

[mogthedog]

5M

[elliott george]

Smallest I have used on the water is 3,5... was a scary thing looping it in a full storm in offshore conditions alone on the bach :S

That got me thinking, if the wind was strong enough, surely a 4m or smaller kite would be an awesome kite for megalooping. As it would be so fast you could probaly get 4 parallel kiteloops in a single jump.

Never megalooped a kite, but has anyone done it on something less than a 5m?

[BIP]

5m in 35-45kts a few years back at waddell. If anyone wants a brand new 2013 Blade Trigger message me-$500US

[TeabagVic]

Tony I feel way safer hot launching them vs trying to side launch them...
(unless launching when I need to use the depower strap more than half way, then I would like to learn the side launch, but there are so little space on most spots here for that). You are fine hot launching if they are not inflated much.

Had the Ozone Edge 11m in reading from the weather station: 34kts g 42, 33kts g 40, 31kts g 44... I wont do it again but I feel that if I had a 9m it would have been less sketchy, and the 9m would have been perfect for me for the 30-35kts range, with gust not exceeding 42-43). The depower strap was 90% depowered and was holding for my life. On a 9m, I think that the depower would have been at 60% and holding for my life, or 80% and just fine.

I dont feel like going on smaller kites, I dont like falling like a rock from a jump. Or doing a mistake and bang, in half a second your kite has done 3 kiteloops.... (4m-5m-6m-7m-8m) are way too fast for my skill / taste. (even the 9m)

Like I said, you guys have lot's of skill and huge balls, I don't so ill stick to regular well power jumps.

[memay]

I did use an EPIC trainer 2.5M with my regular Cabrinha bar in Canada, with a 141cm board, and around ~80-90km of wind. I'm a 106 pounds lady and it feels very safe even in the gusty wind. I was able to go upwind without any problem. I did the following video: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V4KdAHe-UNA