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Kite size

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Hawaiis
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Re: Kite size

Postby Hawaiis » Mon Jul 07, 2014 7:47 pm

Low wind limit
Kite size/ knots
19 5
17 6
14 7
11 8
8 9

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Re: Kite size

Postby Johhnn » Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:09 am

You are pretty light, though, right Hawaii's? I'm 80 kg.

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Re: Kite size

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:39 am

Johhnn wrote:You are pretty light, though, right Hawaii's? I'm 80 kg.
Then it could be Johhnn, compared, scaled up by the weight difference 80/65 = 1.23 :

Kite size/ knots
Not possible ? 5
Not possible ? 6
17m2 7knots
13.5m2 8knots
12m2 9knots

Which is around what my low end limits with these sizes are too (except for not having a 17m2), at almost the same weight 77kg.

8) PF

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Re: Kite size

Postby Johhnn » Tue Jul 08, 2014 12:56 pm

I wasn't being skeptical. I seem to remember somewhere Hawaii's posting his weight and it being a lot less than mine. I don't like to get into discussions of wind speed versus kite too much. There's just too much variation. You know it well: The wind meter is on someone's house a little way from the beach, the wind gradient means more wind at the kite or meter, etc.

I was at a beach once with a big, steep dune right next to the water's edge. Just enough room to launch a kite. Another kiter was reading 2-3 knots on his hand held meter, but I could tell from the whitecaps that it was much more than that. I launched my 19 m (Flysurfer Speed 3 dlx) with great difficulty, but as soon as it got higher than the height of the dune, Wham!, I get super power. The actual wind speed, by my rough estimate, was probably 15 or so. But it was almost directly on shore and there was a dead zone in front of the dune. My buddy launched his inflato after me and it got blown back on top of the dune and popped on the beach roses. :angryfire:

Thanks for the info.

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Re: Kite size

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Jul 08, 2014 1:52 pm

Agree, light wind readings are generally not very useful as such....

Only the standard about 10m height can sometimes in normal wind conditions, and no obstackles on the shore, be quite okay :thumb:

I know you were not doubting Johhnn, would just translate the values into 80kg, also to see if it matched my own experiences - and it did, so I think Hawaiis has called the limits quite well :D

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Re: Kite size

Postby Hawaiis » Tue Jul 08, 2014 6:59 pm

Johhnn wrote:You are pretty light, though, right Hawaii's? I'm 80 kg.
65kg

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Re: Kite size

Postby antonell0 » Wed Jul 09, 2014 7:35 am

What I learned in my experience is that:
1) When you learn at the very beginning, you would like to use the same kite size you would use on a surfboard.
2) when you progress, you definitively want to go down 20-30%. Great free riding in apparent wind.
3) when you are able to push your speed upwind & downwind then you can go up again with kite size, but preferably not strapless.

So it really depend on your weight, riding style and ability.

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Re: Kite size

Postby Peter_Frank » Wed Jul 09, 2014 6:40 pm

antonell0 wrote:What I learned in my experience is that:
1) When you learn at the very beginning, you would like to use the same kite size you would use on a surfboard.
2) when you progress, you definitively want to go down 20-30%. Great free riding in apparent wind.
3) when you are able to push your speed upwind & downwind then you can go up again with kite size, but preferably not strapless.

So it really depend on your weight, riding style and ability.
Yup, agree.

For the very first "try outs" using a normal kitesize is okay, but it only lasts till you are up and riding a bit more steadily, then it becomes useless with the same size as on a surfboard IMO.

And progressing, you go down in size, but mostly when the wind is just above the marginal region - then you go down A LOT in size.
But in marginal winds and in higher winds, the difference is not as extreme.

For speed and upwind/downwind, bigger kites are better indeed, BUT, if you want to excel and master the adventure of turning tight, ride waves, and 360's and everything - you most likely WONT go up in kite size IMO.

Two very different goals - speed OR agility/low end :naughty:

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