kipstar Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 OK, so this last weekend I went windsurfing, and the guy who is a major player in windsurfing, and is telling me that the whole kiting industry is going to change to blade kites, with a lot less curve in them, and a lot more efficiency. As way of example, he said recently in Australia, they were doing a short course speed test 150m, and the top kiter and windsurfer were equal at 47 knots. The world record on water is windsurfer at about 49 knots. So... have you guys switched to blade kites yet, and are they much more efficient like this guy say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsider Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 It would seem that a flatter airfoil design would lend itself to greater efficiency. There is probably a reason for airplanes having flat wings as opposed to curved ones. A lot of the power from a kite comes from the lift that is generated by air moving at different speeds above and below the kite. In order to pull off a decent blade design, it would seem that a better strut design would be needed in place of the inflatable bladder system found on most kites. I could foresee one benefit of having a blade kite being greater ease of water re-launch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfinsmiley Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Hey there Kipstar, Thinking of turning to the darkside for a bit are ya? Kites are all good and I think would compliment windsurfing really well, esp considering where your living at the moment. Have a look at foilzone.com and kiteforum.com you`ll find endless discusions going on about the pros and cons of various designs. IMHO. The new flat style kites are fantastic for anyone just starting on the kites. I`ll get back to you tomorrow went I can chat longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willywhit Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 OK, so this last weekend I went windsurfing, and the guy who is a major player in windsurfing, and is telling me that the whole kiting industry is going to change to blade kites, with a lot less curve in them, and a lot more efficiency.As way of example, he said recently in Australia, they were doing a short course speed test 150m, and the top kiter and windsurfer were equal at 47 knots. The world record on water is windsurfer at about 49 knots. So... have you guys switched to blade kites yet, and are they much more efficient like this guy say? BOW kites is the industry term. GO WAROO !!!the kite of the future ! C kites are going to the next level too tho. check out the Yarga Pro...sick !http://www.bestkiteboarding.com/s.nl/it.I/id.16/.f?nav=Best%20Info/Snow%20KitingAll bows are not the same...the ones that are "closer" to c kites (Shockwave/Switchblade for example) behave more like c kites and accordingly have less depower and different ranges. Then there are the ones designed to be different than Bruno's patented Bow design so as to not pay Bruno royalties for his patent...might not have the best results so proceed with caution. I can ride my crossbow 12 with gusts into the 30's(read NW) but would be more comfortable on a 9 if the wind is a more steady SW 30. And as a given, the bigger you are the higher the range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willywhit Posted March 14, 2006 Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 http://www.flickr.com/photos/yb1/show/ cold water kiting on cape cod - february water is 42 degrees.L ook for the GK Sonic bow kite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfinsmiley Posted March 14, 2006 Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 OK. Here`s my take on the current Kite designs. I am still flying one foil and one C style kite I am yet to purchase a bow kite. (maybe this season, maybe wait for the next generation if my current inflatable holds together.) I think that something like the flysurfer speed is unbeatable in the light wind area. Not because it`s a foil but because it`s a really high aspect kite and that means it will fly faster on the apparent wind available to it. In the medium wind ranges,say 15-22knots, I think that a traditional C shaped inflatable is really all you need, they have fairly good wind ranges if your flying in winds that are not to gusty. The design has become pretty damm good across the board no matter which specific style or brand of kite you try. Bow kites, I have only flown the 9m crossbow once so my opion is mostly formed from here-say. I think that this type of kite will rule in the upper wind ranges and especially so if the conditions are gusty. From my one test fly I can say that the depower makes it awesome and much easier to deal with if you get into one of those wrong time wrong place situations. Also I`m sure with a bit of practise you could use a bow style as a wave riding machine even in the lightest of winds, simply because of the speed of the kite though the air and the ability to power/depower in an instant. Coming from windsurfing I`d say you`ll probably be having the most fun on a kite in the middle wind ranges and keep the windsurfer for the light and heavy wind days, at least until your addiction grows on you. Talk those local lads into a few test runs on their new products. Hey, you might be able to convince `em that your the perfect test pilot to see how the Halo goes in the hands of a beginner. PS. Re. efficiency- I purposely didn`t touch on that because it`s a can of worms. Efficiency means different things to different people in the world of kites ...... my idea is, don`t worry about what anyone says and just fly whatever you can get your hands on. Then you`ll quickly find what is the most efficient kite in your hands/conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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