Naish Draft LWR Light Wind Relaunch System - Test & How to

[Macisback]

Hi guys,

I fly the Drafts in 12/14/17 with a Naish Bar (Below the Bar Depower) and LWR Light Wind Relaunch System attached.

I plan on using it with the 2012 North Bar and Microloop/hook soon (and of course a LWR System from Naish attached)

If you have a Kite from Naish that supports LWR, has the LWR attachement attached and you ordered a LWR System (Basically a yellow line with a few loops woven in and a 4m extension (so you can use it with 20 and 24m line setup), a plastic pipe/ring of 1 cm length that goes into the end of the floater inside (to avoid the floaters getting ripped apart when you pull the yellow line) you can use the LWR with any 20 or 24 m bar (and if you use longer lines you lust need a longer own extension line)

I only have experience on snow yet, as I havent tested the Drafts in Water yet.


That the Draft is a great great Airstyle kite seems to be well known by now. He won the several tests for jumping height and hangtime, where he was about 20% better than the rest of the market (you can find the test in German kiteboarding magazin)

Some people however had issues with relaunching it (due to ib being a race/boosting kite and its long and thin shape) as easy as other kites in lower winds.

I had the same issues (but on snow most tube kites are a bit hard to relaunch by yourself), it kept staying on the snow, couldnt get it to relaunch in 6-10 knots, I had to be exactly 90 degrees to wind, let the kite roll on its back first, place it upwards in starting position by pulling a steering line, sometimes have it blown away thtrough its own lines when doing that)

UNTIL I attached the LWR system.

The LWR System is basically as stated above a second (yellow) "steering" (it doesnt steer the kite, ust is attached on the side of the bar too) line on the left side of the bar/kite, attached together with the blue steering line on the bar, it has a few little loops every 2-3m, so the blue steering line can be pulled through them, making the two lines apear as one and staying parallel. On the bottom you run the blue and yellow line through a 1cm plastic pipe/ring which is placed inside the floaters end, to avoid the line cutting through the foam of the floater (it happened to me as I first thought that ring is moving freely on the first 50cm of the lines).

The only difference to the blue steering line is, it is about 2-3 m longer and on top of the blue steering line it separates after the last woven in loop (about 1-2m before kite) and goes through a little round plastic ring on the wing tip which is attached to a 80 cm long rubber line, which is placed parallell to the wingtip (= LWR attachement) This is to always keep the yellow line under tension through the elastic rubber line so it is parallel to the blue line)

From that plastic ring it goes directly to the tip of the first strut on the left.

NOW HOW DOES IT WORK?

You just grab the yellow line and pull it - immediatly this will cause the yelow line to be pulled through the LWR atatchement ring and pull the kite/2nd strut together, changing its form in a way that it has much more wind exposure and power in the kite (back edge/strutend is pulled in, tip comes closer to the center, making the kite smaller and easier to turn)

The kite now immediatly rotates around its center and starts up directly (if you dont let the yellow line go quickly enough, directly into the power zone (which is up to 12-20 knots no big deal usually, even with the 17m)

It doesnt really matter if you stand in a wrong position, it will work in wind direction and 90 degree to it or anything in between.

Even a beginner can start the kite really easy this way. I could solo relaunch the kite in 6-8 knots on snow no problem and effortlesss, where I needed 10-12 knots and lots of effort before.

I always wondered why the lightwind kites in the naish videos had this yelow line attached and now I only wonder why Naish doesnt massivly advertise this brilliant thing? Made my life in low wind much easier, especially in snow I safe at least 30-60 min a day when I usually had to do all kind of things to get it to relaunch...

Now I can also use it for my sister when she starts kiting, as the draft is not difficult to fly, only difficult to relaunch

I could not experince any different in kite handling, steering, weight etc. I always leave the LWR attached on the bar.

I plan on putting the system on all my three bars - as between 6 and 20 knots it makes your life so much easier and above 20 knots you just dont use it if not needed (and dont feel it).

5 hints for the perfect Naish LWR experience:

1. Check if your Naish Kite supports LWR (Drafts, Parks and some more)
2. Check with the dealer if the LWR attachement with ring is attached already or in the neopren pocket on left tip (Parks etc. have it in a pocket, the draft comes with it attached already), otherwise get him to order one for free (had to do that with 2 out of the 3 Drafts - obviously because its a new kite - it was only attached to my 12, the 14 and 17 they had forgotten to attach it)
3. Order the LWR (about 100 Euro incl. shipping) directly at your Naish Dealer, tell them exactly the year/kite/line length
4. The little pipe/ring (that goes into the floater on top to avoid lines cutting through the foam of the floater - IMPORTANT!) has sometimes a bit sharp edges inside, just sand them down a little so the lines dont get worn out
5. Every Kite size is a bit different from line ratio/lengthes - you always need to adjust the LWR Line - do that on the bar/inside floater - hide the left over line length in the floater ( I pulled it through the floater and let a small 5-10 cm loop stand out at the end next to the bar of the floater, in case the yellow line ever gets to long and starts hanging too much I can easily readjust it (you can as well just cut it to the right length, knot/tie it next to where you attached the blue line on the bar extension lines and hide it in the floater too - ( the rubber line on top should be a few cm under tension (not too much - that will cause the kite to always steer to the left!!, reason is that depending on pressure in the kite the yellow line sometimes is shorter/longer and therefore not always parallel to the blue one - the elastic rubber solves that problem perfectly.

Have fun with the LWR - I think it is brilliant and just love it

[Macisback]

I attached a few pics I found at Naishs homepage, just for some visual support for what I explained with words on top

[lander]

In the beginning I also had trouble waterstartinh yhe draft, but after going back to the old fashion way (roling the kite on its back) I find it ok

[Truc]

For info: this system has been created for light wind relaunch for hydrofoils on Zeeko Kites (french brand). We use our kites in very lights winds with hydrofoils... This system has been developped after we discussed that problem with Zeeko manager in his truck in 2009... Called ERA.

Happy to see you like it and it spreads among other brands.

[Macisback]

Hey Truc!

Yeah I have read somewhere that 2-3 other Kite brands have been experimenting earlier with this.

I think as shapes (low drag wings, smaller kites etc.) changed in the last years, for most kites a LWR was not needed that much (even though I think on snow every kite should have it )

But for the Draft it is just perfect! I think also for other race/boosting kites it coulb be great.

I wonder if it could work similarly on a foil kite (The new Ozone Chrono or the Flysurfer Speeds), because on snow and land foils are easy, but on water sometimes still a pain in the a..

I am planing to get myself a moses hydrofoil soon (at the moment I ride 128 cm boards in the water... (at 90kg), but definitly a flydoor and a hydrofoil will be fun in low wind.

@ lander: For the sake of a 100 Euro I would definitly get myself a LWR - you will not regeret it - its a bit like pimping your car with comfort/luxury gadgets

[Truc]

here its freezing cold in winter and the system is great to restart very fast... so you don't get cold fighting with the relaunch

I' like to see a close-up of the plastic tubes on the Naish system. Anybody has this pic on a file and could show us. The french system is not using tubes and if the line is too twisted, I sometimes find it a bit hard to pull, especially when freezing cold

[Lars Madsen]

I get so much more aut of my 17m draft after i put the lwr system on.
Before I didnt want to lose my kite in the Water becouse I was afried that I could not get et op Again. I needed almost 7/8ms (14/16 knots) to turn it. now I can turn it from 5ms(10knots)
so much more fredom.
But i dont realy think that you need to buy the lwr from naish, just buy a chip line and put that on, there is no realy pull in that line other then the pull you need to turn it, after that no pull.
There was no yellow line attach on my 17m only on my 12m.
but I love to fly and jump the draft.

[Macisback]

Hi Lars,

I had the feeling that on snow it could be relaunched from about 8 knots with the LWR. (On a day with 6-13 knots I didnt have any issues)
With the oldfashioned way of rolling it on its back I dont think you could do it any sooner than that (maybe you 1-2 knots, not sure).

I am not absolutly sure about a do it yourself solution. Yes, it is absolutly possible (given the fact that the LWR attachement rubber and ring (LWR attachement) are already on the kite). But from 10-12 knots the line would be no longer parallel to the blue steering line due to the missing woven in loops. The line, the extension and the pipe you could absolutly do by yourself. maybe you could use ultrasmall metal/plastic rings (inner diameter 2-3mm) that you use instead of the loops, by just knoting those to the LWR line, so you can run the blue one through those loops. For somebody who is quite ok with crafting it should be not a big deal.

I personally prefer the real deal and dont mind spending the 100 Euros for that system.

@ Truc: The tube pipe is nothing special it is just a black plastic pipe with the inner diameter of 6mm and outer diameter of 8mm. It is 1cm long. If you buy a durable plastic pipe in a builders market, cut 1cm off and round the edges on the cut, you have exactly the same thing.


All the black pipe/ring does is taking off the pressure from the floaters end so the lines dont cut through the foam.

I was thinking of putting a second little ring about 50-100 cm away fron the bar, so that I take pressure off the woven in loops (but as you pull into the same direction of the blue line, taht doesnt seem to be necessary)

[Macisback]

I made a few pics, where the detailled points of attachement of the LWR system are shown.
I also took a pic of the elastic, unmounted LWR attachement.

I uploaded a short youtube video of a LWR relaunch:



Wind was 10-12 knots. No re-launch possible without LWR as you can see in its first attempt, except you position yourself 90 degree to the wind, roll the kite on its back and very gently with a lot of fine tuning bring it into the right position .

Second attempt with the LWR you can start it in any position with simply pulling the yellow line. I used the 24m bar of my 17m2 Draft in this video, so the yellow line was not as tight fitted as it usually is (the 17m Draft has more span - so the yellow lines distance from wingtip (LWR attachement ring) to strut (attachement) is longer with the 17. In general: The LWR made my life with kiting so much easier.

Take care to release the yellow line the same moment the kite is airborne and you are depowered - you recognise the pull it has with only 10-12 knots in the video, because it launches through the power zone. I chose to let the yellow line go through the floater and around the bar end, so if needed I can adjust it. You could also just hide it after fixing it ito the blue line inside the floater.

You will recognise that black plastic pipe/ring that is about 50cm away from the floater.

I initally thought it is to protect the first loops where the blue line goes through from getting to much pressure when pulling the yellow line, but now after having made a cut of 5cm into the floater on top I figured out you should use that ring inside the end of the floater (and maybe a second plastic ring 50cm from the floater where the knot in the blue line is (but obviously there is not so much power on that first loop as the line is pulled to the same direction, parallel to the blue line.)

Anyhow, I just put the LWR on all bars now, great little invention.
Might pimp it with a velcro strap (to fix the yellow line at the bottom when adjusting it) and add a second little ring/pipe).

Hm, that floater is gone cause I recognised that ring/pipe function too late, thought I need a new one, not the end of the world, but I just taped it with marine grip tape. Worst case, two floaters are about 20 bucks.

[lander]

Ok you got me. Looks really good