Ozone chrono 9m wind range with foil board

[darippah]

Looking for the wind range of 9m Chrono with a high aspect foil wing, particularly the low end. Can anyone Report from experience?

Would also like to know the same for the 12m

[darippah]

I'll take a guess if thats all i can get

I am considering replacing my 9m edge

[davesails7]

I only have some second-hand info on the 12m, but since no one else has answered I figured I'd post:

At a recent race there was a guy with a 12m Chrono and MHL foil. Everyone else on hydrofoils was flying 12m and 13m LEI's. I was on a 19m Edge and formula raceboard. On the last day of races, the wind slowly died down to nothing so it was a good gauge of lightwind limit.

Second to last race right at the start, I'd guess 10 knots of wind still, the Chrono folded itself up after a failed tack while all the LEIs were still stable in the sky. Amazingly, it did pop back into shape after drifting pretty far into the window, but it seemed to me like something that shouldn't have happened at all. I had a similar experience another day with an 18m Chrono in about the same amount of wind.

The last race it was really light, <8 knots of wind. The beach was straight downwind of the start line, about half a mile. I made it back to the beach with my 19m Edge still in the sky (just barely), but the second I stepped off the board all the lines wend slack and it tumbled down. Many of the foil riders on 12-13m inflatables had their kites fall out of the sky on the way back in to the beach. The guy on the Chrono was the only one left out on the course trying to finish the last race as the wind continued to die. He never made it all the way around, but definitely kept the kite in the sky the longest. Luckily there was a boat to pick him up because a half mile swim with a wet chrono would probably not be fun

He said the 12m Chrono was his biggest kite. I asked if he would consider getting a 15m. He was undecided if it would increase his low end at all.

[Peter_Frank]

Looking for the wind range of 9m Chrono with a high aspect foil wing, particularly the low end. Can anyone Report from experience?

Would also like to know the same for the 12m

I have no hands on experience on the 9m2, just some experience from similar kites and same kite other sizes, and particular around the 12m2 Chrono/ELF kites (and got a 15m2 ELF myself).

I think the low end for the 9m2 is around 9 knots for an average weight (75-80kg).

For the 11.5m2 ELF (similar kite, just a bit more power than the Chrono maybe), it is not higher than 8 knots for an 85kg rider, quite impressive.
I know this for certain, as I was out at the same time and not even able to loop my 9m2 LEI around to get sufficient lift to pull me up on the board, nor get on a plane when up - and this is easy for me in 9-10knots

The upper (okay comfortable not max) end of the 12m2 is maybe 20 knots ?
They DO have better low end and high upper end and more range than LEI's because they sit further forward.

Dont know if you can use this for anything....

PF

[davesails7]

Whats your range on the 15m Elf Peter?

[Peter_Frank]

Whats your range on the 15m Elf Peter?

Must admit, I dont know....

And might never find out, as because I am not racing, I only use it for marginal conditions.

Meaning, as soon as the wind approaches 10 knots, I am out on a 9 or 10m2 LEI.

Havent had it for long, and only been out a couple of times, so no idea what "my" windrange is, sorry.

The low end is amazing, and compared to my 13m2 DYNO from 2011 (the powerful year), it is in another class, especially because you dont have to loop it to keep it flying (well, a lot later if the wind is dying)

I dont like giving wind speeds for light wind, as the last time I was out in the most marginal wind, I could only measure 4 max 5 knots (77kg).

BUT, I dont believe this myself for sure, as wind speeds can be soooo deceiving in light wind, because even small gradient differences will make most measurements obsolete.

My friend (a bit heavier but a really good low end board for getting on a plane) has ridden with the ELF 18m2, where the weather station at 8m height just next to, was showing 4 knots in average.

Again, it could just as well be something like 6 or maybe even 7 knots, because as said - low wind claims are often faulty and really difficult to compare IMO.

As said - the upper range I will most likely never know, only the racers will.

They ride with (okay, CHOOSE) the 15m2 (ELF or Chrono) in 12-13 knots too.

Necessary for max VMG up and downwind.

So sorry Dave, dont know the windrange yet, and as said - because I wont hardly use it in the upper end, I might not be able to tell you, as the low end is always some mumbo jumbo one can not really take for real, no matter how objective one is trying to be....

It might as well be 7 knots

PF

[davesails7]

Thanks for the info! Good points about the wind gradients and wind speeds. Back to back comparisons are the only way to go.

So do you think that the 15m Elf/Chrono is worth it or is 11.5/12m all you need? Or maybe 15m only if you're racing?

[Peter_Frank]

Thanks for the info! Good points about the wind gradients and wind speeds. Back to back comparisons are the only way to go.

So do you think that the 15m Elf/Chrono is worth it or is 11.5/12m all you need? Or maybe 15m only if you're racing?

I chose the 15 because with my weight it would give me the ultimate low end.
Bigger would hardly work well.....

And can use any other kite when windier, and they also turn better than foil kites, so preferred in anything but marginal conditions for me (while foil kites are preferred for racing also in more wind)

My friend had his first Chrono this summer, when we went to an island for 10 days with 75 other kiters and families.

We had the best summervacation ever, simply because of the 13m2 Dyno on long lines, and his 15m2 Chrono.
We could ride on HF every single day, while others on non HF's almost did not get on the water - and it was green warm water so an extra plus to be able to ride a lot

But it could ride in less than my Dyno, no doubt at all - thus I got an ELF 15m2 now.

My point is, that I would definitely go for the 15 if you are aiming for light wind - and the 12m2 if you want one kite to cover a lot and be faster.

PF

[darippah]

great info on this thread, thank you both for taking the time to respond.

I'm trying to determine the best kite that will work in 90% of the conditions we get here, which is 8 knots to mid 20's.

thinking something around a 9 or so with foil would work in light wind to mid teens , then I can just switch over to my twintip for a boosting session

based on my experience, I can go out in 2 kite sizes smaller than others with 40m lines while on a hydrofoil (comparing to other riders on the same hydrofoil)

Even in the lightest winds my 12m cloud with 40m lines has been overpowered with the hydrofoil

[Peter_Frank]

great info on this thread, thank you both for taking the time to respond.

I'm trying to determine the best kite that will work in 90% of the conditions we get here, which is 8 knots to mid 20's.

thinking something around a 9 or so with foil would work in light wind to mid teens , then I can just switch over to my twintip for a boosting session

based on my experience, I can go out in 2 kite sizes smaller than others with 40m lines while on a hydrofoil (comparing to other riders on the same hydrofoil)

Even in the lightest winds my 12m cloud with 40m lines has been overpowered with the hydrofoil

Agree, the 9m2 foil kite (or a 10m2 depower LEI kite) seems to be the best choice to go with a hydrofoil to cover most of your wind range, starting close to the low end, no doubt at all

PF