Water ballast jacket for overpowered conditions and jumping

[chemosavi]

Idea for a lightweight nylon weight ballast jacket that that fills with water and has giant pockets on all sides with velcro openings with flaps on the bottom of each pocket for immediate release of water or to prevent water from filling if none is wanted. The pockets could be filled before land launching of kite to add to the safety of a launch. They could be filled in the water simply by pushing the flaps into the pocket and closing the velcro and then dipping below the waters surface. This added weight @ 8lbs/gallon would conceivably allow a kiter to ride in more overpowered conditions similar to sailboats that use water as ballast. It would allow a kiter to use a larger kite than normal and dump the water when about to jump giving higher and longer jumps. It would in no way unintentionally fill with water when none was wanted!

[theflyingtinman]

Idea for a lightweight nylon weight ballast jacket that that fills with water and has giant pockets on all sides with velcro openings with flaps on the bottom of each pocket for immediate release of water or to prevent water from filling if none is wanted. The pockets could be filled before land launching of kite to add to the safety of a launch. They could be filled in the water simply by pushing the flaps into the pocket and closing the velcro and then dipping below the waters surface. This added weight @ 8lbs/gallon would conceivably allow a kiter to ride in more overpowered conditions similar to sailboats that use water as ballast. It would allow a kiter to use a larger kite than normal and dump the water when about to jump giving higher and longer jumps. It would in no way unintentionally fill with water when none was wanted!

Similar idea occurred to me a couple of years ago. I ride with a full wet suit and before I though of binding the leg cuffs with velcro they got blasted by the wake as I rode and folded inward making a kind of one-way valve. By the time I'd been riding for five or ten minutes I had about 10 kg of water in each leg and I realized I could probably handle a few more knots with the extra weight

Water is quite bulky for ballast but the nice thing about it is once you are in the water it is neutral buoyancy and doesn't tend to sink you.

Thinking back to my wettie-leg ballast thing my new low center of gravity made me really stable - leg ballast bags may be a better way to to go than ballast jacket.

Steve T.

[chemosavi]

Brilliant suggestion! Pants and jacket!

[ROLAVI]

Just use a dakine impact vest. Once it gets wet you'll have plenty of extra weight.

[gaffer]

just think of the extra height you could get, a jacket with 20kg of water in its pockets, you boost, do a dead man and suddenly you're 20kg lighter and away you go

[uwe]

Hmmm there must be a reason why water filled weight jackets have been banned in competitive sailing.

I myself was wearing them, but firstly they change significantly your balance point. A small wave easily bring you out-of-balance.

And lots of people damaged their backs wearing them and they were only 12 KG.