Power Kite Forum

Foils to tubes and back to foils...

Brent_P - 15-8-2012 at 12:14 PM

So in my short kiting career I have started on foils moved to tubes and am now looking at a hybrid quiver.

You're all gonna hate me but my 21m Purple Speed 3 DLX is enroute, ever since I saw that 12m Purple Deluxe for sale here this winter I have hardly slept LOL

I dont have any specific question, other than I am nervous about my new S3, not of the power but the learning curve and the thought of F@(&ing up such an expensive kite.

Any newbie pointers I should be aware of?

Brent_P - 15-8-2012 at 12:14 PM

I have already read the manual from the FS site, and I think I have it grasped but I dont want to end up a over confident tube flyer and get frustrated with my new kite!!!

joedy - 15-8-2012 at 12:29 PM

Biggest issue is to anticipate and take advantage of the apparent wind power on the Speed IIIs.

The apparent wind power is significant (and welcomed!)

-joedy

Flyfish - 15-8-2012 at 02:11 PM

Hey Brent,
I went from tubes to foils fairly recently. I have a set of Peter Lynn synergies and some flysurfer pulse 2's. I had some learning with launching both the PL's and flysurfer's, but I feel like I worked out a bunch of kinks. I usually dont get any bridal issues because I'm careful how I land them. It might not be for everyone, but I always back stall them down. it just takes full commitment. To help with that, I put on an ozone type landing strap on the bars.
Side note, always remember to zip closed the deflate! It just sits there if you don't.
Last week I was kite looping and slammed the kite down. It had all appearances that I blew every little piece of the kite apart. I pulled it to shore and I thought I tore the bridal to pieces. The next day, I started looking at it, and I saw that I busted 8-10 of the little connectors that connect the bridal to the kite. They are designed to tear before anything else. So I methodically used the other side of the kite as a reference, and put it back together. It still looked like I tore the mixer apart, but slowly putting it back together, I found that I really just broke the front lines right up next to the mixer.
The long story of it is.... I was like "man, those guys at flysurfer know what they're doing!"
I LOVE my foils. Pumping up kites is like smoking cigarets. You don't know how addicted you are until you quit!

Kamikuza - 15-8-2012 at 07:04 PM

Gentle sines to build power ie. long wavelength :) trying to whip it around like a tube will be counter-productive (I reckon you keep a smooth flow of air around the kite and it builds apparent wind much faster)
Loops to get it up to speed for starts in very light winds.
You got a lot of top-end (IMHO) so enjoy the massive hang-time!
She's a slow ol' girl; you'll need to anticipate your moves a little more and be prepared to wait a bit...

It's MHO that you should train up a monkey on your beach to land you properly too - saves wear and tear, especially when you're over-powered.

lives2fly - 16-8-2012 at 03:01 AM

Hmm thats quite a wing! I gotta get one of these at some point.

I went from Peter Lynns to SLEI's and would never go back to foils of any sort for kiteboarding in good winds.

I still love my old venom 13 for landboarding though.

I do want a light wind water kite though and I have never used a LEI that flies well in light wind. A big Flysurfer looks like the way to go.

PHREERIDER - 16-8-2012 at 09:02 PM

my 14m pulse 2 has replaced my 13m tube , i miss the snappy loop action but man the huge air /float IS crazy. tends to became a hand full at about 20 knts and much prefer my 9m tube . arcs, tubes, foils i go back and forth all the time . tubes are gonna fail earlier. love tube action for sure, old c /new hybrids i will always have some around ...but arcs/foils are ready. yes they do require additional knowledge/skill but equipment dependency is what the MARKET wants.

i like being a better pilot not just owning gear to ride ...that would make me just a rider.

Brent_P - 31-8-2012 at 10:39 AM

Hey guys,

I have had a few sessions on my new Speed 3 and I am impressed on its range and park and ride ability.

I had a major incident on Wednesday involving a bowtie and having to pull a 21m wet sleeping bag to shore which took nearly an hour against some over powering winds...

I am very happy with the kite with the exception of breaking it down and packing up... I find it very difficult to deflate using the small velcro dumps on the TE and keeping the kite down and bridal in order if there is any amount of wind at all when packing up. ANY TIPS?

PHREERIDER - 31-8-2012 at 07:22 PM

no center zip? tip to tip roll up would be impossible without center dump. no S3 experience.

21 is alot to manage, unruly deflate makes it worse. best i have noticed ....the just don't empty that quick. kind of a pain but its what you want! if it pissed out quick recovery would be unlikely.

the solo landings in 15 + have been challenging, can be quite the mess

trying to get this P4 from DOM if he would stay tuned in.

stetson05 - 31-8-2012 at 09:44 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Brent_P
Hey guys,

I have had a few sessions on my new Speed 3 and I am impressed on its range and park and ride ability.

I had a major incident on Wednesday involving a bowtie and having to pull a 21m wet sleeping bag to shore which took nearly an hour against some over powering winds...

I am very happy with the kite with the exception of breaking it down and packing up... I find it very difficult to deflate using the small velcro dumps on the TE and keeping the kite down and bridal in order if there is any amount of wind at all when packing up. ANY TIPS?


I try to keep a strap on my harness to help when I have to roll up the kite on the water. What I have done is wrap up the bar to bring me closer to the kite. Then I swim to the kite and unzip the zipper. I swim around the backside to avoid the bridle lines. I roll from the tips to the center. Then I use the piece of webbing with plastic buckles (packing strap from my Neos) to wrap around the kite to keep it manageable. Then I gather all the lines and the bar and swim in. Usually this is because the wind has dropped.

I have tried to swim in without doing this and regretted it. It took me about 45 minutes to swim in. The kite filled with water and it too a friend and I about 45 minutes to get enough water drained out to be able to lift it.

In high winds I might try grabbing a wingtip and side stroke or backstroking in without deflating it. The winds might be enough to keep the water forced out of the kite. I have once fixed a bowtie and gotten back out all by swimming around. All this swimming is one reason I wear a PFD when I kiteboard.

Kamikuza - 1-9-2012 at 04:27 AM

Bowties are recoverable - I've relaunched from every one I've had... which is like 6 :lol: if there's enough wind and you have enough space downwind, you can work the lines to sort it out... helps if you've had some practice on land with fixed bridles ;)
In desperation you can pull the safety, let the kite flag out (on the water even) and then reset - that's worked the sole time I've tried it :D

Swimming in sucks when you can't use a wingtip-to-wingtip sail to get back in... :(

Deflating - just like inflating, don't work too hard :singing: Here's a video by Gunnar... note the sand on a folded-over wingtip, to let the kite lie straight downwind... tuck the bridles in as you roll it up. After throwing the bar over to the LE, tidy the bridles up in the center of the kite as much as you can... but don't get hung up on it.





What I do differently is...

I don't wrap the bar up in the wingtips, I leave it near the center, cos I want to wash it and it's always wet anyway :D To that end, I loop and knot the lines around the bar, just short of the bridles... the bungies tend to jump off.

If I have the time, I dump more sand (or a sand bag) on both the tips and then wander off and do... something :lol: letting the wind and air pressure deflate it as much as possible before rolling up.

joedy - 1-9-2012 at 05:52 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kamikuza...
In desperation you can pull the safety, let the kite flag out (on the water even) and then reset - that's worked the sole time I've tried it :D


This works with the FLS on my Speed III 19m. I overflew the kite and it bowtied in the luft, landed on the water and appeared to be an impossible twist of ripstop and lines.

Activated the FLS, let the wind push it downwind a little bit and then reset the kite. When the wind finally caught a surface, the kite just unwrapped itself and I did a reverse launch and got it back up and going.

No matter how many times I've done it, packing up a Speed III never seems to lose that feeling of initial dauntlessness and insurmountability. But packing the kite up just a matter of persistence; take your time, let the wind help you. Every wintip roll is one step closer to getting the kite packed up. It seems impossible in windy conditions, but just keep plugging away (and cursing under your breath) and you'll be done soon enough.

Like Kami, I don't wrap my bar in the kite. I like being able to leave it out to dry off and get off as much sand as I can. Ted Baustisa and Gunnar both recommend to wrap the bar, but aside from a minor bar twist or two and a little easier packing into the bag, I still fail to see the benefit of it.

Most importantly, I pack my kites twice. Once at the beach to go home and again at home when I unpack the kite, clean it off and get out all of the sand. The second pack down is much easier because I have time and space to allow the kite the deflate.

I also have no shame in admitting that I use an electric leaf blower to inflate my foils. I find that this is especially helpful when there is dampness inside of the cells. If you have a nice long, hot driveway in the summer, the kite will dry quickly after "pumping" it full of air with a leaf blower.

-joedy