Lightwind Jumpin: How low can you go?

[fokiten]

On 2002-10-08 19:00, murdoc wrote:
it's one thing when you enjoy living at some windy place - but another to spit on those who don't.
i'm sure you know the feeling when you haven't been out on the water for about 20 days and all your friends are annoyed of your constant bad temper ...

if that's how it is, you'll grab your stuff even in the lightest breeze end try to have as much fun as possible.

yo murdoc,it was a joke, get over it, I have been working latley and missing some good wind, your light wind skills will serve you well when it picks up,you will be fine tuned, my site the winds are so steady people lean on thier lines and drink beer and bulshit, I am smart enough to know this has a down side,when i go somewhere with gusty winds I"m going to get my ass kicked because im spoiled, so look at the bright side if we ever meet at your spot you are almost garenteed to out kite me so enjoy your advantages and take comfort in the fact that there is no such thing as a bad day if you get to kite! Peace already

[Mr Jo Macdonald]

Hi Zoomie,
I agree that humidity will make a difference, I would say above 70% will slow anything moving through the air down.

On your other question, when I decided to get into lightwind I made that exact same decision, Mastair 12 or Warrior 16?
I ended up getting the Mastair which has the same low end range as the bigger kite but a higher top end. The kite is more technical to learn on if you've never flown a foil but worth it.
Apart from the smaller, high-AR foil having the same low end as the bigger easier one I thought OK so what am I gonna do if the wind picks up to 20 with a 16m foil in me hands, pray? Also I wanted to use long (40m) lines to get more window and low end and if a kite is sold with short lines that makes me think, why? Could be because it's slow, and maybe 40m lines would bugger its turning? Never flown a warrior so I don't know and many people love 'em, but the choice was also a new warrior or exhibition MA, no match.
Only prob is Flysurfer ain't making Mastairs anymore, they've gone psycho which should be great in more wind and like the warrior in light wind, so the mastair still rules there.
You'll probably find second hand MAs around when people can go psycho in a while.
Like Johnny sez you do need to work on the technique too, lightwind is all about apparent wind, it's really easy to heel the board too hard especially if you're used to kiting in stronger stuff, and you have to keep the speed up always, starting using the kite to lift you out of the water is good and dive the bugger right down through the centre of the power zone to get going, in the lulls point the board more downwind, also when the kite is going back up, go upwind on the down stroke or when locked in, you can lock these kites in pretty soon. I am just starting to get the hang of the MA, last evening was the first time I tried it on the longer lines and I was expecting slow turning and maybe other probs but it was sweet, seemed to fly even better, stable, fast turning as long as I kept it moving and sooo much power in that big window even in 7-9 knots, there were times I was even overpowered, blasting over the water, not a ripple in sight let alone a whitcap, makes ya lightheaded, try it and see.
I don't agree that lightwind kiting is boring, kitsurfing in 10-16 knots is a lot easier, in lightwind it's challenging and I love challenges.
You will be the fastest thing on the water without an engine.
Try it and see.
Jo

[Zoomie]

Thanks for your comments Jo.

It sounds like there are distinct advantages for the MA in light air. However, I weigh ~95kg or ~200lbs. I have a 198cm directional board that I have been learning on but intend to keep for light air. Is a 12M kite going to have enough 'horsepower' to haul my fat a$$ out of the water or is this the wrong way to think about sizing for this type of thing? As well, do you think that the posted low-end wind range for the Psycho is realistic at 6knts for the 15.5M or is that more of the 'hype' we have been hearing. The Psycho is one of my other choices, of course. Just have to convince the wife . . . it's not going to be cheap from what I gather.

I was flying a 14M (flat) LEI this year to learn, but have since decided to change over to a quiver of only two foils(I want to ride the snow as well). So I have a 9.3 Warrior on order for higher winds on the water and everyday use on land. Early next season I should have decided on a big kite for most of my water days in the summer. The way I see it, with a kite that starts getting good at 8-10kts, I will have added more days in the year than I can use. We seem to get a steady 6-12kts for most of the summer with the odd 15-25kt day(s) every other week or so. I am interested to see how low I can go with the 9.3 and my 198 directional - any idea?

[Mr Jo Macdonald]

Hi Zoomie,

Big kite, big board and weight will all make a difference on how low you can go.
Flysurfer are usually pretty honest about their wind ranges and base them on a 75 kg rider on an average size bidi so with your 20 ks more you should be able to get about the same from any kite with your 198cm directional, although it's width that counts more than anything. I think you could have a ton of fun on the big psycho in 8-12kts, try adding another 10m to the lines if it's a bit underpowered in the 8-10 range and above 10 you could try a smaller board too, around 40 cm wide.
Personally I don't really go for the idea that any company with a rep, Flysurfer, North, Naish, Slingshot or whatever, will really overhype a kite, if they say it's brilliant it wil be at least great because if they say its wunderbra and it's actually shite, no one will buy their kites anymore.
There are a few reviews of the psycho around and more will be comming soon, wait + see is always a good policy, unless you need your fix now of course.
Re: I am interested to see how low I can go with the 9.3 and my 198 directional
Like I said depends on the width of the board but probably 10-12.
Big psycho and smaller warrior sounds like a good combo, the smaller kite will be good for stronger winds as you build up confidence with that psychotic reaction.
Have fun and buy the wife a nice presie before riuning her financially.
Jo

Ps. just got some good info from Flysurfer on lightwind jumpin and different line length
"(In light winds)
30m lines give you better jumping height but smaller hang-time
40m lines give you a lower jump but relatively good hang-time"


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Mr Jo Macdonald on 2002-10-09 11:04 ]</font>

[Zoomie]

Have fun and buy the wife a nice presie before ruining her financially.

Good idea, but I think the worst of it will be over soon when I have at least one kite to play with. She has had to listen to me mutter about all this stuff - non stop - for almost two weeks! Nothing worse than a dry docked kiter.

I think you are right about Flysurfer. They seem like a good group of people that are interested in accurate data reporting as much as kite sales. I have had my emails answered almost instantly each time I have tried.

I think I will play with my 9.3 for the rest of the winter (on snow too) and wait for the wave of information that is likely to surface about the Psycho over the next few months. The WAC system for the Warrior looks like an interesting item to throw in the mix as well. From what I understand, it will be available soon too.

[BLOWN AWAY]

On 2002-10-08 18:55, Zoomie wrote:
I have a question for all you light wind specialists. While I realize that it will not affect the Florida kiters very much, does anyone notice a difference in performance when the air is cold/dry and thick i.e. humidity less than 30% and temp around 15C?

Yeah it definately does have an effect... Air temp and humidity affect air density which is as important a factor as kite size..... wind speed is most important.

In a cold clear day in Auckland with the Air temp at 10 C and about 30 - 40 % humidity with a 15 knot southerly blowing.... my X2 feels pretty powered.....

However in mid summer with unsettled conditions, high humidity etc from the north a 20 knots wind is pretty manageable on my 11.5 ARX and I'm allways underpowered in summer despite a good breeze.....

BLOWN AWAY

[BLOWN AWAY]

Hey guys lightwind kitesurfing is a special feeling.....

My favourite times are in a constant 8 - 9 knots with my big red 20m AERO knowing full well that I can throw my fat clumsy ass all over the place and not get spanked by my kite....

I wouldn't do the same in 20 knots with my 12m X2....

BLOWN AWAY

[chicagokitesurfer]

Took out a 14m ARC yesterday in winds 3-22mph. The winds were shifting 90 degrees, total, in direction, too.

Put it up with 70m lines. The kite looked like a 3m trainer up there. Huge powerstrokes from the smoother air up there. Awesome power could be generated, but the kite refused to climb quickly due to the extra line weight and jumping was unfortunately not an option at all...

Slow responsiveness and poor climbing speed combined to take the "wind" outta my sails...40m lines are the longest I'll try and jump from now on. Anything longer isn't worth it..

V
http://www.chicagokitesurfing.com

[Marley]

only been on 20 30 and 60 m lines thanks for the trial and error and passing of your info. you put it in perspective in the way of drag going too far. Thanx again

[BLOWN AWAY]

Went out in 3 knots using my 2.6m C Quad and a 400cm board but the wind then died completely and the board became a kayak....

BLOWN AWAY