slowboat wrote: ↑Fri Dec 08, 2017 8:47 pm
This is really helpful. Can you explain in more detail how the timing and technique is different: surface vs foil carve to toeside with downloop?
I can yes.
When you downloop riding on the surface, you go so slow and not much downwind, that you will follow the kite around just like on a surfboard.
Also, you can push the board to turn a bit with the edges and get the wrong feel that you can do this when going fast and foiling (and you can not).
When you are up foiling, you will accelerate like crazy when you downloop the kite, and your arc while doing this will not be a curve - so what happens is your kite turns towards the new direction, you continue downwind - and in a few seconds you will find yourself with slack lines, kite dropping in the water maybe out to the other side
Even if you manage to make a full carve foiling and get to the new tack, you will lose ALL pull and drop down, as the kite has searched to the new edge and you lose all power.
Above issues are almost not present when carving slow down on the surface - and lines are tight all the time ususally.
The other difference is the turning input - you have to yaw, ONLY, when foiling, to turn, and no pushing on the board nor edges.
Getting back to the kite downloop - when up foiling you have to either do a tight carve (very difficult in fact impossible when learning) and fly the kite around simultaneously in sync, and NOT follow the kite
If you downloop when going downwind or deep downwind or in lighter wind, you have to make the carve before you downloop the kite - this way you keep the lines tight and get a very fast and safe turn with no risk of slack lines nor looping the kite down in the water like you otherwise WILL do often.
Just the opposite technique as a "follow the kite" downloop like on other boards.
Dont know if this confuses you or not, but you asked about my opinion
Some prefer to downloop, others to turn it over regularly.
I like to downloop when going really deep downwind and carving back and fourth, and occasionally in marginal winds from upwind angles.
But otherwise I turn it over normally and by far prefer this for so many reasons.
Others can just look away now, as I have told it before, but the reason I fly "over" is:
You dont lose nearly as much "height" and can make a tighter turn, when you dont downloop.
If wind is low, you fly the kite lower and get a good full arc, if wind is high, you fly the kite higher and dont get pulled downwind in the turn, like a downloop would.
You can decide whether you want a lot of power for a long time during the carve, or only very little power and glide on the foil, with a downloop you are commited to a very limited (and high) power range.
You can decide anywhere during the turn, to turn the kite back and carve back instead, or you can turn fully and make a snappy cutback back again on a small wave, which you can not with a downloop.
If you mess up you timing and get slack lines, your kite will not fly down in the water like when making a downloop - you just lose power/speed but not the kite.
PF