Forum for kitesurfers
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ronnie
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Postby ronnie » Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:38 am
More kiting further offshore, so more directional boards.
More generic parts, with bars being kept and only kites being bought.
Kiters will look after their gear better and durability and self-repairs will be a big factor.
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davesails7
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Postby davesails7 » Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:38 am
Maybe the shops will have giant 3d printers to print kites. They will be able to print you out the newest design in the exact size you need! I really need a 14.125 m to fit between my 17.304m and 11.671m.
Kites keep getting released earlier and earlier. 2014 kites are coming out now. The 2023 kites will probably be out by February 2019.
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SupaEZ
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Postby SupaEZ » Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:10 am
Don't know...but we will feel the same way we feel about 2003 gear ....now that we are in 2013
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flybykite
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Postby flybykite » Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:18 am
Fabric technology will create a kite specific fabric that is light and strong. We will no longer need to replace kites after 300 sessions perhaps double or triple life expectancy. Perhaps kite companies and local repair shops will offer full canopy replacements.
Knowing that it costs around $200 to produce a kite currently, I imagine we will see more companies cutting the middle man and an average price for a new kite will much lower than the rediculous $1500 mark currently pushed. Say $300-500 range.
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kjorn
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Postby kjorn » Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:38 am
Fabric will have changed -- a lot. Much stronger and lighter - carbon nano tubes are almost indestructable. Graphene can also be woven like thread, yet it conducts electricity - so giant kite sized displays (think LED but better) would be possible. Or you could make them so thin they'd be almost invisible. Like cellophane.
Currently fabric is produced in sheets, then cut into 2D panels and sewn into a 3D shape. I expect 3D shapes will be manufactured - maybe even whole kites just from a single sheet. The bladders laminated onto it somehow. Then you could buy a 3D fabric loom, download a kite 3D model and hit 'print' and out it'd pop.
If you ever watch a sea gull in high winds, it folds and tucks its wings in. The wing hinges at the elbow and wrist, the feathers slide over each other. Kites don't do this, but I think with a bit of engineering they could. So as you sheet out, the kite folds into a low aspect wing. Then as you sheet in it unfolds into a high aspect wing. Feathered kites - they'd be hard to rip. (Foils almost do this at the moment - they bend and warp with the bridle)
If you could make the LE tube ridged and light, then you could evacuate all the gas from it. The vacuum inside would be lighter than air and would float. Not sure how you could make the LE go from [floppy and easy to fit into a bag] to hard - but it can't be impossible. If it were made from some sort of artificial muscle that a small jolt of electricity would make it spring into shape... pump the gas out... kite floats up into the air.
I expect the software that kite designers use will get better at full simulation of a kite. Currently there seems to be a lot of trial and error designing a new kite.
Also, sensors everywhere. All over your body, in the kite and bar and lines. See how the GoPro is getting cheaper and 'smart phones' are getting tougher and will soon be water proof. Those Google Glasses will show all sorts of interesting overlays as you kite around. Hight of jumps, squall warnings, wind speed from other kiters around you (as all kites will be networked together - sharing info)
Kites powering ships? Self launching kites - computers flying them and never crashing the kite?
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Pump me up
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Postby Pump me up » Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:42 am
Ultra light weight but rigid kites with no inflatable components. ie Sort of like a hang glider: Amazing windward ability, speed, turning, jumping, freestyle, unhooked, and racing performance. They'll be much more expensive than equivalent inflatables and setup/pack down will be a hassle. Whatever you do, don't drop them in the water. A lot of crew will be happy to put up with the hassle and expense because of the performance. And there will be no other choice for competitions and racing.
Pumpy .....................
PS: NO RAM AIRS. NO, NOT ONE
Last edited by
Pump me up on Thu Feb 14, 2013 2:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
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C Johnson
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Postby C Johnson » Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:49 am
fewer local shops, fewer brands, more regulations, increased material costs, increased import/export costs, increased inflation.
Enjoy it while were still on the tail end of the boom.
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edt
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Postby edt » Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:52 am
there will be a "kite lane" in the highway where you can go to work pulled by your kite
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knotwindy
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Postby knotwindy » Thu Feb 14, 2013 2:00 am
most of us will be injured
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edt
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Postby edt » Thu Feb 14, 2013 2:21 am
acl repair will be an outpatient surgery done by the guy at the beach who also rents umbrellas, with a laser robot and nanoparticles. Recovery time will be minutes so you can get back and finish your sesh before your beer has time to get warm.
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