Foiling with big kites

[ronnie]

Hi Randahl,

What is the weight of 14.5 C2?

17M C2?

Also what are your thoughts for 14.5 C2 vs 15M Lotus Speed 4?
Which one you think would allow for a lower end foiling?

Thank you!
-D.

I have the cloud 14.5 C2 and it's as big as you would need for foil boarding. You will be surprised at the apparent wind you are generating especially when you stop and realize how light the wind actually is. I have gotten stuck that way with a Switchblade. I got going and was very well powered until i stopped on the opposite side of the bay and the kite wouldn't stay in the air. (not in a wind shadow)

A small-light-maneuverable kite like your cloud is good. I also appreciate the drift and maneuvering qualities of the cloud when going "downwind" on the foil. Good for cruising.

They weighed the 17m C2 Cloud for the Average Joes test and it weighed 2.74 kg.

[Randahl]

I have never weighed mine. I can say it's light, obviously. It stays in the air when others could not. Though last weekend I had a tough time relaunching when it was fully wet and the wind wasn't very strong. (Not that I wouldn't possibly have the same difficulty with a soaking wet strutted kite)

You have to be extra careful on these kites to not get too much water between the canopy and the leading edge. I have found if you pull the kite toward you or in some other situations you can get a good amount of water in that pocket and you now have an anchor. The weight of the water will be too much for the kite to lift to either side and dump the water. The only thing I could do was swim to the kite and try to push all the water out from between the canopy and leading edge. I guess the way the canopy is connected to the LE fosters this on the cloud moreso than the strutted kites because it wasn't an issue with my other kites.

[Johhnn]

Have a look at this for kiting with large kites in very little wind. They say that sometimes the wind is so light, if they stop foiling or fall, the kite can't stay in the sky. I saw this first on the Foilzone forum under a heading 'Foilboard--totally into it'.

http://vimeo.com/65566681

[cglazier]

Nice video Johhnn. Anyone can tell from the water that the wind is very light.

I have been using my Edge 13m kite in relatively light wind and I find it provides plenty of power. The problem is that it wont stay in the air below perhaps 8 knots. I used to own a very big flysurfer kite and it stayed up in lighter wind but it delivered more power than I probably need on a foilboard. And it was slow to move around.

Because foilboards are so efficient moving through the water they need less pull (smaller kite). But the kite must be light enough to stay in the air. We shall see if a new generation of very light kites in moderate sizes (perhaps 12m) are the answer.

CG

[revhed]

Ultralight wind kiteboardhydrofoiling ideas.
Higher A R thin light weight foil kites on long thin lines. OZ Chronos , powerline all around 200lb, 50m?
Higher A R thin more surface area wings, front 750 cm2? A R 7,8 Profile 80% of naca?
Stab, rear wing 3mm thick
Strut 8mm X 10 cm blanca profile, made by trek carbon bikes or simlar needed, thin fuse
Buoyant, thicker? more hydrodynamic boards, also maybe more S A 55 X 160 X 6-8 cm?
Hydrophobic texture on all wetted surfaces, more studyed than just mat paint
Light skilled H20, air pilots.
REAL wind speed measurments at offical events, races like already in San Fran?
Just thinking, dreaming into reality except for lack of funds....
And they said you can`t fly a kite with no wind?
R H

[holden]

to get the most out of your lowend go for a high ar foilkite. which size will give you the best low end is not too easy to tell. for me, around 100kg wet, it is the chrono 18 for now. a friend of mine is quite a bit lighter and had a better low end with his elf 11.3 than me on a speed 3 21 on identical foilboards. he was able to generate just enough power with a kiteloop to get going and with the apperent wind kicking in he was up and away. the 21 was to slow to produce the powerpeak i would have needed to get going. in the meantime i also got a 11.3 elf and the lowend is crazy. way better than with the speed3 12 dlx i had before. for the ultimate lowwind fetish however i need a bigger kite to lift me up, this is why the chrono 18 works best for me in ultra low wind. plus the chrono stays in the air very well. the windrange is very limited on the 18 plus foilboard.

so, big kites with foilboard: yes, if you are heavy and want to get out in almost no wind at all.

h.

by the way, even in these conditions it is not mowing the lawn. you can go anywhere and fast.

[Arcsrule]

holden, i like the looks of that green kite! i was hopeing that i might be able to learn with my speed 3/21 and later consider another better suited kite. i have a 12 and 15 Pl Charger but neither have enough grunt to lift me in under 10mph i thinlk.

[holden]

@Arcsrule: don't worry about the kites! whatever you like on your twintip will be fine to learn with. i had so many awesome sessions with the s3 21 on the foilboard. like this one (me with the black pearl):
http://vimeo.com/71702100
i never tried a charger but i think they will also work well.

h.

[jaros]

Hallo Holden,
Which foils and boards are you using in this video?
And which spot isvthat?
You have same serius skills flying in such low winds!
Greetings,
Jaros

[holden]

hi jaros,

the foil is a prototype a friend of mine made. he made the first of these two years ago, way ahead of its time. my vmax is 47 km/h and the vmg is also great. i don't push the vmax any more because i had some bad crashes...

the deck is a custom wave board with inserts for the foil. also nice in the surf. but we don't get any surf here.

the spot is lake neusiedlersee, austria. the lake is huge but beach access is unfortunately very limited.

h.