I kite on a small inland lake with very gusty winds and am having trouble working out how to jibe my new Airush Sector 60. I have experience on a Wainman 6' 5" which I have figured out how to make carving jibes on but the Sector will not carve like the Wainman. If I force it around with the kite then the kite ends up too far forward in the window and the board stalls out before I can change my foot stance. If I try to bring both feet forward so that I can pull the old foot back then there is too much weight forward on the board and the nose sinks. On the Wainman I could ride all day with both feet forward in preparation to change feet. I would like to hear from others who own the
Sector boards.

Larry

Hmmm. I always thought that Sector 60 was extremely easy to jibe. I only started to ride directionals last spring and kite only little over a year and do not consider myself a skilled rider yet. However a friend recently borrowed my board and seemed to have a same problem although he often rides surfboard. I am using technique I've learned windsurfing.
This is my way of jibing:
As I approach the jibe I move my rear foot out of the foot strap and place it approx. on the center-line of the board about midway between front/back straps. Depending on the wind I adjusts this placement slightly - less wind = more centered and more forward, more wind = toes further to the outside rail (rail on the side of the center of the turn) and more back. I turn the kite slower, more deliberately than with a smaller surfboard, while putting pressure on the rear foot. Depending how much power in the kite I feel during the sweep I vary the pressure on the rear foot and the radius of the turn - less power = press more and turn tighter - more power = less pressure and more drawn-out jibe. In gusty conditions it is a good habit to time the jibe with a gust, since you are turning down wind which will de-power the kite.
A situation as you describe happens to me when I do not put enough pressure on the outside rail and resultant radius is too large and I turn the kite too aggressively.
When timed correctly, Sector carves beautiful large carves with full exit speed, sensation very close to a good windsurfing power jibe.

Forgot to mention: I switch my feet after completion of the turn during the upstroke. If my back foot is close enough to the front strap, I just move my old front foot to the back, move them both into straps, new front first. If standing too far back, I will move old back foot closer to the front strap or even into it first (while still in the opposite front strap).
It may not be pretty but it works for me.

The Sector can carve like a surfboard, but since the fins are so much more grippy, you need to start with a slower speed first, so that the board pivots more than carves when it changes direction.

If your kite is stalling on the turn, try sheeting it in to keep it in the window, or steering it closer to the zenith.

Or try switching to toeside first and riding for a while before jibing, and wait for smooth wind to time it.

I went out today and tried some of the techniques talked about here. It seems you really have to
bust a gut to get this board to turn and it loses speed very quickly compared to my Wainman 6' 5" in the turn. I started to have some success . I was using a Wainman kite set on fast speed and I think in the gusty wind I was flying too fast for me in downwind part of the jibe. I flew a slow 16m Bularoo today and I think that helped somewhat. I still don't see how you get this thing to turn sharply enough so it doesn't have a prolonged downwind leg. If you put your foot back to get leverage into the turn it just stalls the board. I was having some success with downlooping the kite and really busting a gut to lean over against the force to make it turn. Definitely not easy yet but improving.


Thanks for the advice.

Larry

I'd say you should use the kite to turn you and the board around in the jibe. If you send the kite across the window while slowing down for the turn, getting your back foot out, and setting up your body position, you should be able to have the kite pull you in the opposite direction, instead of you having to do the work.