abel wrote: ↑Fri Jul 28, 2017 10:01 am
Lets say that the lowest lull during the last 10 minutes was 4 knots for about one minute. Will the last generation foils kites stay in the air or fall?
If you're up and riding on your high end carbon fiber hydrofoil that's ultra efficient and you're on a point of sail that keeps the kite well powered, yes, 4 knots is doable.
If you're in the water 15m away from your board getting pulled with the current in the same direction as the wind while light onshore waves push you under the kite...you're dead meat.
For the best riders, the answer to this question has been "yes" since the original Chrono. The improvements since then have not really changed whether the kites work in light wind but have widened the margin of error during "momentary lapses of expertise."
I shared your fears before buying my first foil, my solution was to buy a $900 15m Elf Joker5 that had been thoroughly trashed. I tuned it up, replaced some bridle parts, and got a full year of use out of it where I was entirely unconcerned with whether it blew up or not. After getting the hang of things I started buying newer and better foils and never looked back.