There is no way around this....and it will cost you. Two boards will work in ultralight wind. Raceboards and foil boards..both of which will take a little time to get used to, and must be learned in a little more wind. I think a real raceboard is best for the lightest stuff. It has more fin to drive off.
If you like freestyle I think the fly is a great companion kite and can even be ridden with race and foil boards....
If you primarily want to do freestyle, but are okay with the foil or raceboard for light winds..then the fly will be ideal.
...but getting gear that is decent in light wind will cost you no matter how you plot it.
The best investment that you could make; get yourself a used sector v1 60 ; you can get some for +- 450$. The last 2 that I've seen have been sold for : 400$ and the other one 450$.
A v2 60 will cost you in good shape +- 700$.
You could also get yourself a big Cabrinha raceboard; they were giving them away last season; 550$ for a brand new 2011 raceboard.
Try it with your actual kite and you might find that even if you cant kite in 8 knots you will still be amazed at what you can achieve.
I tried everything that allowed me to kite in light weather. One of the best combination that I've used was a Lithium 13m LW and a sector 60. I was able to kite in sub 10 knots weather; actually It must have been really close to 8 knots.
I dont ride it anymore as we are having less rain in the summer and the temperature are always warmer every year so the water level has been so low for the last 2 years I couldn't use it anymore.
My light wind kit is a Big Speed 3 Flysurfer Foil + a King George, but that will be too much for a student.
Anyway; try the sector option, you might actually discover something new and the best part is that even if the wind picks up you will still be having fun with that board. In 15 knots you won't believe how fast you can go. It will also give you some new skills on directional.
Spend so much time with the wife and kids that they get so sick of you being around that when it does get windy they will push you out the door to go kiting for as long as you want .A buddy of mine has that Epic infinity that he swears his life on haven't tried it, somehow, the thought of cutting that liquid grass doesnt get the ole heart pumping
FICO90 wrote:Hey,
I've a bit of a problem. I've been looking out my window for the last two weeks at nothing over 8kts. I am going completely crazy. I am new enough to the game but already it has become like a drug and I need my fix.
Does anybody know of a kite that will even just get me up and free riding around the place? I am a student (about 75kgs) so my budget is fairly limited but I am not super tight either. Also it's Christmas so I might be able to convince the family to go all in on quadruple Christmas present.
Please help,
Depressed kitesurfer
Kiting as a beginner in the wind you are talking about is just simply not fun.
Achill can help that fix man. It does be blowing 20+ knots 6 days a week up there and its super safe for beginners.
Look at this weekend for example 25+ knots on the Saturday and 7meter swells Stick to the lake obviously
My answer to light wind is landboarding. If you have hard bits on your beach you can find a cheap mountain board on ebay for $200 and use you current kites.Youl be able to get traction on a 10m from 6 knots. Landboarding on smooth sand is like slicing butter flat water. plus you get the added bonus of far better scenery on the beach and an excuse to zip back and forth back and forth in the same spot!
But if you want lots of fun you will have to invest in a big kite. some of my most fun sessions of all time have been 12-15 knots on the landboard on the 15m foil. epic glides. lazy freestyle sessions, jumping boulders on the beach. Soooooo much fun in conditions that would otherwise be average on the water.
Now that I've had my 15m shipped to me, it's time to let the cat out of the bag, and see if others are willing to give it a shot.
I haven't had a chance to fly it yet, so I can't comment on it's performance. I'm not expecting a whole lot, but if it does half as well as a Flysurfer, the value will still be double what I paid for it (on sale).
Ladies and gentlemen of Kiteforum, I give you the poor man's Flysurfer:
After its summer release, the early orders were plagued with bridling problems. Testers made changes and sent them back to Pansh; apparently the problems have now been addressed--which is what made me pull the trigger before the sale ended. You still need to bring your own bar (a 5th line system works best) and apparently some brake bias (longer front/centre lines or shorter rears) is needed to prevent it overflying and luffing.
Here's a video of the 8m from some Russian dude a couple of weeks ago:
And another of necro from Pansh Fans static flying the 15m about a month ago:
I'm well aware of Pansh's reputation in the buggy/race kite community. I'm far past caring if I get anything like the performance in those videos. Pansh seems to take what I'll graciously call a 'release early and often' approach to their product cycles (aside from the bridle issues, there were no velcro blow-outs on the first Auroras). So, a bit of caution is warranted when ordering from them. That said, my experience with their customer service has been exemplary, and it appears as though they genuinely listen to their user community and incorporate their suggestions as quickly as they can, wherever possible.
Caveat emptor and all that. I'm curious to know what you guys think of my harebrained scheme.
Well you get what you pay for. So I suggest the pansh will be no where near as good as the flysurfer. I wouldn't touch with a 50 ft barge pole having flown fixed briddle panshes there were THE worst kites i have ever flown. However that was a few years back. Perhaps they have got better?
Anyway. try it out and report back. It may give you an insight into whether you should get a good foil or not.
Hi FIC090,
A couple of points re your predicament:
I kite in Dublin and use a door (Litewave wing) and a 17m Zephyr pretty much all the time. That said, I weigh 18 stone (114kg) so I need all the horsepower I can get unless it goes over 22 knots.
Would love to get a sector like some have recommended but most of the kite spots in Dublin are shallow/tidal and I dont think the fins would last too long. Would still like to go that route though for when in deeper water.
I suggest you get a door style that will also suit the windier days with chop etc. Your timing is perfect to manouvre the relatives into clubbing together for a super Santa pressie. Even a voucher for puremagic where the guys down there will give you good advice and you can try boards out before you buy.