anyone experiment at all with longer than usual handles on quad line foils?
i'm thinking along the lines of potentially stunting foils in the 2-3m range, trying to keep it interesting while still getting in a good
pulled-around workout.
i made a 23" PVC set a couple of days ago while it was raining and i had nothing better to do, but haven't had a chance to try them yet.
if anyone has played with this before, is there a point of diminishing returns with the handle length?
the XL hq handles are 15", with a usable 13" because the lines are an inch from each end. my set has 1" at the bottom for the brake line connection
and 2 1/2" at the top so i can get 2 fingers over the lines if needed or more comfort in regards to having more even pressure on my hands.
my usable range is about 19". side by side with a pansh handle, the throw length at the bottom of the handle is, of course, considerably longer.
may be far more than necessary, but i won't know until i try.
i now have a skydog 2.8 on the way and i'm itching to get these handles on that, since it's already supposed to be highly maneueverable. (and
powerful)
any thoughts, oh wise ones?
tom skimtwashington - 17-10-2017 at 11:24 AM
23"...!
hmnnnn.....
There may indeed be a law of diminishing returns...
In one respect the longer handles create a greater distance between brake line and powerline to turn kite...
On the other hand...
Think of the distance between the power and brake lines. Now think of that distance as the length of a radius of a circle. You will likely be doing
handle rotations. Which is easier to rotate under the same force of the two lines... a long... or a shorter radius?
Think about it like a bike's chain going around different size cogs on a multi-geared bike. Is it the smaller cog or bigger cog on the back wheel
that's easier to pedal and turn the wheel.
Your hands when simply pulling handle forward and back from your body...not so much force difference there between long and shorter handles..
I don't know?
But 23" seems way too long for a power kite(short answer!)
Try 'em and let us know. riffclown - 17-10-2017 at 07:10 PM
If stunting a foil, longer handles don't necessarily do the trick. I've experimented with a lot of different handles and I do regularly stunt almost
most of my foil kites.. Longer handles create more travel for the same input but you sacrifice some fine control. The Handles I prefer for my
Symphony conversion are about 12" and the attachment points are like 10" apart.
Another aspect of stunting a foil is you have to keep in mind when you are in an inverted hover, you aren't flying a "foil."
When inverted and flying on the brake lines, your foil is deflated and acting as a single skin kite. Returning to forward movement first re-inflates
the kite and then can quickly generate power until you learn to sense that change in shape it undergoes. Many foils aren't designed to be stunted and
sometimes you may have to physically alter the rear bridles to get the results you are looking for. Unlike a Rev, Mojo or similar framed quad,
generally foils have a forward bias that "wants" to fly in a straight line and can be steered with two lines. That doesn't make the stunting harder
but DOES make you have to think about what has to be done to accomplish the same task.
The trick to stunting a foil is almost exclusively tuning and technique.. Tuned properly, you can dive stop a 8M Toxic or do propeller spins with your
Skydog SDT 2.8 It take a little practice and a little patience but it doesn't require longer handles. Keep in mind when you lengthen the handles you
are also changing the balance point of your grip AND the responsiveness of your sail.. Let me know when you get the Skydog and I'll share with you the
trick to the propeller spins. It's easier than you think.. ** It isn't all about the brakes..
Here's John Barresi flying one of my Symphony conversions side by side with a Rev B-series kite piloted by one of his fellow Team KiteLife members,
Scott Benz
Bottom line... If the foil is designed to generate power, that is what it will try to do by default. Tuning it to stunt means managing part of what
generates the power. Handle length is only one factor of many.
