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BIG LIGHT WIND KITE HELP

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Postby Guest » Sun Oct 06, 2002 2:17 pm

Hey,
I'm looking for help with choosing a LIGHT wind kite. From say 8-15 knots. I fly fuels and ARCs. I have an ARC 1120 and fuel 14m as my big kites and can get going (staying upwind) in 13-14knots minimum. I use a Jarvis and weigh 93 kilos or 200 lbs. Any advice would help. Do I also need a bigger board? Thanks.

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Postby Mr Jo Macdonald » Sun Oct 06, 2002 3:26 pm

Hi Anonymous,
On the Jarvis I reckon you can get going on a Fuel 16-18 or similar low end grunt LEI from about 11-12 knots. Most higher AR kites will start later and the really big LEIs are big, heavy and slow. If you want to go below 10 a Mastair or other big foil on 30/40m lines is your best bet imo.
The board also makes a big difference, with a TT like the slingshot LFT or a lightwave or similar you'll be able to get lower than you already are without changing kite because the boards are wider and start earlier, maybe 12 knots on the 14 fuel, don't know about the arc, personnaly I think you can't beat a bigger directional for light wind, anything around 50 cm wide and there are loads of old ones around.
My advice is first try a big foil and see how low you can get with the Jarvis on long lines. You may be surprised and be able to get it going in 9-10, jumping soon after. Use a bigger board if you really want to go lower and/or are underpowered.
Have fun.
Jo

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Postby Guest » Sun Oct 06, 2002 3:50 pm

Thanks Jo, Big Mastair first then maybe a big directional eh? Never ridden a directional though. Which is more substantial the kite or the board for light winds? I suppose I'll have to try both, but the money thing is an issue.

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Postby Mr Jo Macdonald » Sun Oct 06, 2002 4:06 pm

Ok, remember that with all the new gear comming out now, there are a lot of 2002 kites in pretty good nick around for about half price. New Mastairs are almost impossible to find because Flyurfer has gone psycho but there will soon be people changing to the new kite even if the MA is apparently still better for lightwind.
There was a 16m MA for sale on the forum about 2 weeks ago I think, search it out.
If you ain't got enough cash to get a bigger kite even shops are litteraly throwing perfectly good one year old directionals away, especially the longer ones.
The difference will be that with the bigger kite you'll be powered enough to use a smaller board so you can trick/jump earlier, on a bigger board you'll be underpowered cruising.
Best would be bigger kite and bigger board if you need it.
Cheapest way to get another 1-2 knots without changing any gear is just use slightly longer lines. I use 34 m lines on my Fuel 16 and it only turns slow under 10 knots. You could probably even get away with 40m on the 14m without slowing the kite too much if you're using it in 11-12 up. You could try this first.
Try a bigger window.
Jo

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Postby murdoc » Sun Oct 06, 2002 4:24 pm

in order to go upwind, your kite and your board must be at the same horizontal speed.
a big directional will be easier for the kite to pull.
a big kite pulls your board easier :wink:

you'll get a used one for about $150 if you look araound a bit.
but riding it is different than a twintip.

wether you'll like it or not is a matter of taste ...

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Postby Guest » Sun Oct 06, 2002 4:28 pm

Wow that's great advice thanks. I think I'll try long lines first. Cheap board second, and when the cash comes and used mastair shows I'll buy that. Thanks!!! problem solved.

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Postby marina » Sun Oct 06, 2002 4:54 pm

I have tested the new Gaastra GXR 16.5 and 19.5 as well as the Slingshot Fuel 17m. The new 2003 kites are no longer slow-- they turn like 12meters! The Gaastra is super high performance and boosts big but has normal depower. The Slingshot is a med high performance with better depower and lots of attachments points to tweak turning speed, get more wind athigher/lower end of wind window.

I expect the higher performance 2003 kites from other mfgs will be similar.... In 2002, I found the Mach1 15.1 and 18.1 to be the best big size kites if you are looking for used. By best I mean responsive, relaunchable, with excellent depower.

Before I get blasted, I have not tried EVERY kite out there but have tried my share of North, RRD, Takoon, Cabrinha, Naish, F.one, Gaastra, and just recently Slingshot......

RE: directionals, you are going to have to learn how to jybe which is no easy task for a nonwindsurfer. Or you are just going to have to ride toeside. I would just get a bigger twintip. There are plenty of "beginner" length boards on the market that you can get for pretty cheap as people outgrow them fast and want to move on to something smaller.

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Postby Guest » Wed Oct 23, 2002 11:36 am

My light wind setup is a 20m AERO and 6 ft directional.... but with an even bigger board and a big mastair or psycho or a 12.5m C Quad...... lightwind sessions galore....

BLOWN AWAY :smile:


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