INFO ON  KITES:

Are foils dead  December 2002?


What is a Foil Kite? 

Foils achieve their shape by the wind and thus have no rigid structure. These are the most aerodynamic kites and resemble a 'wing'. 

Advantages 
No pumping required, 'Generally', less expensive than an Inflatable, higher aspect ratio (less curve) allowing smaller lighter kites produce more power, light and compress into small packages-great for travelling. 

Foils can really perform in light winds especially, no doubt about that - and they are much more fun to fly. 

The last thing is the hang time. You don't get more power with a tube - here the foils excel - they can generate so much power when flown fast 

In the three-line mode, using a third “brake” line, this kite has all the reverse water start capabilities of the 4-line
handle kites without the tangles and complicated use of handles. The third line is also used as a “kill switch” on the
kite. If you ever need to de-power the kite instantly (impossible on inflatable wings), pull on the brake line and the kite
will simply fold and fall from the sky. 

Due to the light weight resulting from the design and the absence of bladder or strut, the wing can water start in just
a few knots. 


" No pump to carry around, no bladder to be patch, everything fits in a small backpack. 

if there is any tension on your brakes, the kite wont take off.

"If you don't have this third line I suggest you definitely install it on your kite, it doesn't affect its flying performances
and provide better water relaunchability.

LAUNCHING

Another key element to launch you kite is inflate it as much as you can before take off : 

 Beware launching your kite in the middle of the windowin strong winds under inflated. The kite can drag you on the beach, so be ready ! Try inflate the kite as much as possible and after launching , keep it at the edge of the window.

 

EASY LANDING
On the beach yesterday afternoon a really nice guy took a few minutes to show me a really good method of landing, so I thought
I'd share it with everyone. (this is in higher winds).

"Basically, instead of landing the kite to the side, where it flops in the wind, tends to get the lines twisted, and generally
makes life difficult, the trick is to land it dead down wind. Hold the bar with one hand, and gently stall the kite by pulling
on the third line with your other hand. The back of the kite will fold up, and you can steer it down onto it's trailing edge.
Once it's on the ground, as long as you keep moderate tension on the lines, it won't go anywhere. At this point, you can
wrap the third line around the handle a couple of times, and bury the bar in the sand. This will allow for a leisurely walk
up to the kite to wait down the trailing edge with sand. The only problem is that the kite tends to be tough to control as it
comes down, but with a bit of practice, I was able to land it."

In general, our experience indicates that ram air kites are much better performers in light air than the inflatables. If you have a large budget and can afford to purchase several different sizes of $1600 kites, you might be able to find one which would work. But often inflatables are very difficult, in not impossible, to water-relaunch in light conditions. Our personal preference is to use ram air kites in light air conditions and inflatables in winds greater than 20 knots.

A ram air kite can be launched from a boat, we often teach like that. The kite must be pre-inflated by flying the kite from its bridle to get air into the cells of the kite. Your helper just needs to make sure that he/she is free from all of the lines - normally not a big deal.

Regarding board size, we find that a 6'6" board works well for most people in most conditions, especially if you are looking at lighter air kiteboarding. A 6' board would also work although board size in kiteboarding is not nearly the factor that it is in windsurfing. There is enough power in a kite to lift a board out of the water on a jump, no matter what its size. Hope this helps. If you need more input, email us at kites@foxwatersports.com.

 

• KITE BOARDING FACT vs. FICTION :

 

Some common kitesurfing misconceptions.

MYTH #1: RAM AIR KITES DON'T RELAUNCH FROM THE WATER.

FACT: Most ram-air kites are easier to water-relaunch than inflatables. This is because you can fly them up backwards off the water from anywhere in the wind window. When you crash it into the water leading edge first, you can literally put it in reverse and turn it around. Inflatables are not hard to relaunch, but the procedure takes a few seconds longer as you wait for the kite to get to the edge of the wind window. Also, inflatables are harder to relaunch than foils when the wind is very light.

Foil surf kites have valves on the leading edge to keep air in and water out. These valves trap air inside the kite as it flies. A ram-air kite will look like a big air mattress after it has flown for a couple minutes. A ram-air kite actually contains much more air than an 'inflatable' and looks much more inflated than an inflatable. It will float on the surface and easily relaunch.

 

FACT: 100% unsinkable does not mean 100% relaunchable.

There is some tricky advertising language that touts some kites as 100% unsinkable. Great--it won't sink. But that doesn't mean it will relaunch. A sheet of plywood won't sink, but it's not going to get up and fly either. Manufacturers adding air bladders, pieces of foam, etc. to their kites may make them 100% unsinkable without helping their ability to relaunch. Windtools puts inflatable air bladders in their foil kite to acheive this unsinkability but the best thing to do is to take those out and never use them. They add weight, detract from performance, and don't help relaunch very much.

This unsinkable thing is not a big deal. All real surf kites are easy to water relaunch. The only time you will have trouble with a foil taking on too much water to relaunch is if it is getting munched in breaking surf or if it is in the water too long. And by too long I mean MUCH longer than it takes to relaunch. If you do crash a kite in the breaking surf, your chances of relaunch are probably better with a foil because you can relaunch it quickly. An inflatable needs to move to its position on the edge of the window before it relaunches. In breaking surf, it may never be able to reach this position.

I point this out just so you have the complete information, but it all boils down to this: After you learn to ride, you will rarely crash your kite. And then, when you do, you will quickly relaunch it. If you can't relaunch within a minute or two, it's because of bigger problems with your gear that aren't going to let you relaunch at all. So you really don't need a kite that will float for all eternity, no matter what the ads imply. Nothing wrong with inflatables, just there are other options. Our experience has led us to teach on Concept Air New Wave foils because they relaunch more quickly than inflatables. When you are learning, you get more riding time if you can quickly relaunch after a crash. This helps you stay upwind too, because you are drifting downwind while you are trying to relaunch. The faster you can relaunch the less ground you lose.

 

MYTH #2 "If you are learning, use a directional board. It's easier."

That is a quote from an early instructional video. We have disagreed with it for a long time. It was once true, but not any more. It was true when there were no wakeboards made specifically for kitesurfing. Back when your choices were a 7 foot directional with some volume to it OR a 4 foot behind-the-boat wakeboard, they were absolutely right. The directional was easier. But now that there are 6 foot long bi-directional, wakeboard style kiteboards, they are easy to learn on. And because you can ride it either direction without switching your feet, you maximize your riding time and minimize your frustration on a bi-directional board. Therefore, our board of choice for teaching is a 185cm Litewave Designs.

It also used to be said that directionals go upwind better. Not anymore. Regular behind-the-boat wakeboards don't go upwind very well. But kite-wakeboards go upwind VERY well.

Even earlier instructional videos said you need the flotation of a directional for safety so you can paddle in an emergency. Well, the safest thing to do is wear the flotation on your body. Wear a life jacket. But even the smallest wakeboard gives you some help, kind of like a kickboard used in swim lessons.

Another bizarre notion is that you need the flotation of an inflatable kite for safety. If you are relying on the flotation of your kite for your safety, you are really crazy. Again, wear a floatation vest. It makes getting your board on easier, and protects you from impacts with the water, board, beach, boats, rocks, docks, swimmers, etc.

DIRECTIONAL BOARDS

If you have an old surf board laying around which is somewhere between 6ft to 8ft, it can be adapted for kite surfing for a beginner. The size of the board directly relates to your body weight, if it suits you for surfing it’s okay for kite surfing. The back foot strap should be on top of or just in front of the thruster fins. If it’s a single fin imagine where the thruster fins would be to find the right spot. The two front foot straps should be 500 to 550mm further forward. These boards are good to learn on, the bigger the better. A purpose built kite board will give you much better up wind performance and are stronger for jumping. 

WAKE BOARDS

These are much better for tricks and you don’t have to switch feet but they are harder to go up wind, which means more walking. You will also need a bigger kite because you have less planing surface than a directional board.

Having said this our sport is in its infancy so grab whatever piece of water equipment you have and give it a go. Above all have fun!

 

1.Kite piloting
To be a good kiteboarder, you've got to be a good kite pilot. To start with, practice with a dual or four line kite in light winds. Chose a kite size that's comparable to your weight and the strength of wind, so that you're not over powered. Kite piloting includes; assisted launches, self-launches, neutral zones, side-off zones, power zones, flying techniques, and landing techniques. First off, have a friend/teacher explain and demonstrate these techniques, and then when you're comfortable try them yourself. With the kite off to the side of the wind window, or at a 45-70 degree angle, launch the kite and slowly bring it to the top or overhead neutral position.

Take care as the kite will experience gusts and lulls, and you may have to make adjustments by either running backwards in the lulls or moving forward with the gusts. Once you have a feel for the wind and power of the kite in the neutral position, you can start to adjust for the gusts and lulls by moving the kite from zenith to the side position. Carefully pull the bar to the left or right and give the kite a moment to react (note that different kite sizes have different reaction times - big kites have slower reaction times, and smaller kites have faster reaction times).

Once the kite responds to a command you will notice a pull of power and then as the kite approaches the side-off position, you will notice a lack of power. Now you have to think ahead of the kite and give it a command by pulling in the opposite direction with the bar, once again allowing for the proper delay in reaction time of the kite - be careful not to over-correct it by easing the kite back to the overhead or neutral position. With the kite back in the nuetral position, carefully repeat the previous steps and try the other side of the wind window for a full comprehension of the entire wind window systems. Once you have become familiar with the flight pattern of neutral to side-off on both sides, you can start to perform the figure eight pattern and sine wave pattern, always returning to the neutral position as square one.

While utilizing the figure eight pattern become familiar with the power zone, which will be between the 45 degree angles of the side-off position. Adjust your weight to the pull of the kite, and retain your centre of gravity with the lack of pull (note that it's good to use your butt in the strong gusts so as not to get pulled off your feet). Learn how to hover the kite at the 45-70 degree angle, keeping it low to the water/ground without crashing, which is good practise for later use as a technique in body dragging. Practice hovering the kite at the 45-70 degree angle, bringing it to neutral, and then the figure eight and sine wave patterns, until you become competent with flying the kite without crashing.

Next, attempt full window sweeps by hovering the kite low off to the side and giving the bar a strong tug, turning the kite 180 degrees for a projected flight path straight through the maximum power zone - compensating by straightening out the bar in the maximium power zone so that you don't over steer the kite. Repeat this technique once at the opposite side-off position (note that by doing this you will experience considerable pull until the kite reaches the side-off position, lean back, and drag on your heels - or butt if needed!).

As you practice and master these flying techniques, also utilize the safety release system so that you are confident with how it works.

 

2. Kite power controlling
Before attempting to kitesurf in the water you should understand some of the fundamental techniques about controlling the power of the kite. Lift is proportional to the projected sail/kite surface area, and squared by apparent wind speed. Put simply, power is produced by the projected kite area and how fast the kite flies through the air, creating apparent wind plus the actual wind speed, and how hard you pull against the kite and maintain this tension during the "tremendous force" reaction.

i. projected surface controlling is the method used mostly in traditional sailing, including windsurfing, to reduce the power of the sail by reefing, sheeting out, or by tilting the sail to windward. Likewise, this can be achieved with a four line kite, but does not have the same range with the two line due to its fixed bridle (note that with a fixed bridle you can adjust the bridle to be "restrictive" or "liberal". Restrictive produces more power, and less give, while liberal produces less power, more lift, and easier give, but can allow the kite to get into a "negative" attack angle, and therefore stall and fall. Also note that "liberal" can cause the kite to fly through the air faster, and hence produce more lift and/or fly overhead into a negative attack angle).

ii. speed controlling is the method to increase or decrease the power of the kite by controlling it's flying speed. To decrease the flying speed you simply put up at anytime to the neutral position or to the side-off angle, and keep it there. To increase flying speed you fly the kite from side to side, or up and down pulling on the kite through the power zone and maintaining tension as it increases it's "tremendous force" through the air.

 

3. Body dragging
Before attempting this you should understand all the safety guidelines, self-rescue, water launching, and kite piloting techniques, as well as power/depower and nuetral zones, safety release operations, and how to self land your kite. i. plan your launching, water entry, projected flight path, and friendly beach destination. ii. launch your kite keeping to the side-off or neutral position, walk to the water and manoeuvre the kite to maintain proper kite angle (note that in the water you cannot run backwards and may experience an increase in "negative" kite angle). Do a number of sine wave patterns in your desired direction and perform figure eight patterns with the kite, keeping your feet behind you and your head aft. Above water, experiment with power and nuetral positions, then perform sine wave patterns to return to your expected beach destination. Land the kite or walk-up on shore with the kite in neutral. Repeat iii. Perfom a number of water launches by deliberately landing the kite in the water and re-launching, until you are comfortable with it. (Note that to properly relaunch, position yourself at a 45 degree angle to the kite by swimming there, and work the bar back and forth until the kite is lying on it's side. The back of the body of the kite should be resting on the water, while still maintaining tension, with the tip of the kite closest to the water closest to you, and then lift the kite into the air by gently pulling on the opposite side of the bar - the tip of the kite which is in the air - and lift the kite out of the water (note not to over pull the kite out of the water, causing a back draft effect and catching the tail of the kite on the water and recrashing).

 

4. Getting into the water with the board
Now you are ready to learn how to kitesurf. The best wind to learn in is 8-18 knots using a kite size appropriate for your wieght. When the kite is in the neutral or zenith position, you should feel a slight lifting sensation (note that you should not be spontaneously launching off the ground, or struggling for power. If this is the case, you need a different kite size). The foot straps should be about shoulder length apart and not too far back or too far forward, and always check beforehand to see that the foot straps are a snug fit - if it is too loose it will cause you to feel insecure. This is a common mistake most people make. Position the board at the waters edge with the leash free of tangles and ready to be attached. Launch the kite keeping it in the side-off or neutral position and walk to the board. Swiftly attach the leash to the foot opposite to the hand with the quick release leash, and with the board facing up grab the footstrap and proceed to the water. Then bodydrag to an area with clean wind and free of people or obstacles, and get ready to attempt a water start.

 

5. Getting ready to water start
Now you are in the water with the board attached to your ankle, look around for potential hazards - such as, other people who may be coming into your projected flying zone, windsurfers, swimmers etc. At this point, it is good to almost be lying in the water on your back with your feet in front of you - the kite will keep you afloat. With the kite in zenith, reach behind you/to your side to pull on the leash or grab the board, and place the board enough in front of you - about a leg's length away - to compensate for your slight speed through the water. Be careful not to allow the kite to fly out of the neutral position, causing you to pick up water speed.

 

6. Water starting
Once the board is in front of you and the kite is still in neutral, place your backfoot into its strap, simultaneously placing your front foot onto the board to counteract the nose coming too close to you - you have to do this fairly quickly. To compensate for your slight speed through the water (teachers please note that this is one of the biggest hurdles for beginners, and will take several attempts).

Don't worry if at first you have difficulty keeping the kite at zenith while reaching backwards for the board, everybody does. It may help to keep looking at the kite while you blind-reach for the leash, and make certain to maintain the kite in a stable neutral position. If you're not able to do this in the water, then you may need more practice maintaining neutral position. Try practice reaching and board placing on dry land until you're confident with this difficult manoeuvre. Remember to bend your knees and keep a low centre of gravity. It's better to fall back than to lurch forward - from the fall back position you can continue to practice water launch until you succeed, but if you lurch forward you have to start the blind reach process all over.

It's all a combination of having the kite pull you up onto the board and standing on it. Once you stand-up, point the kite to the side-off position, or for lighter winds perform the sine wave manoeuvre, and at this point the board will simply go.

You will notice a decrease in power as the kite reaches the side-off position, which is when you must steer the kite back up to the zenith while mainataining your speed and balance. With the next pull of power it is like riding a bicycle, and it is easier to balance if you have a little speed rather than at a stand still. The hard part now is to continue to steer the kite and retain some consistency of power, as well as continue to balance yourself upon the board. It will help if you don't allow the kite to venture too far off the side of the window, and instead try to keep it flying in the sine wave pattern.

 

7. Getting going, and staying on the board
By this time you have probably stood-up on the board, and gone for a considerable distance. Now you just can't seem to keep going, sometimes you run out of power, and other times you get too much speed or simply lose your ballance. Sound familiar? There may be several reasons you're having trouble at this point. Perhaps you are trying too hard to go up-wind and not lose any ground, and therefore pointing your board windward too much and loosing speed. Otherwise you might not be steering the kite enough or you're keeping it in the top half of the wind window instead of the middle, where it can produce more power. Alternatively, the kite might keep going too far off to the side of the window, or you over steer your kite and get yanked too much to stay on the board.

These are all common mistakes that are difficult to see when you're trying so hard, but like a lot of things, it just takes patience and practice. The solution probably lies in going back to the basics. Practice on the beach how to manoeuvre the kite in a figure eight motion while maintaining consistent power, and slide on your feet for a continuous run. Once you can slide for a long distance without stopping, then try to do a straight down wind run, carving the board in a S-turn as you do the figure eights.

 

8. Steering the board
Now you've succeeded in standing on the board and going for some distance in both directions, it's time to try and steer the board. To become more familiar with steering, just imagine you're skiing behind a boat going straight downwind, except your boat is the kite and in the air. Manoeuvre the kite in a figure eight pattern, or just from side to side - but not so high in the window that you don't get enough power - and proportion the majority of your weight to the back of the board, which will allow you not to pick up too much speed. Follow the kite as it goes from left to right, pivoting from your front foot to your rear, and from toe edge to heel as the kite makes its prospective turns.

This part is just like skiing as you go in an S-pattern pretty much straight down wind. As you get better at manoeuvring the kite and board in unison, and make slight transitions from heel to toe to heel, you will greatly improve your skill. Each time you do it, you'll notice the difference. Keep practicing until you can successfully complete a downwind run making successive S- turns without falling too much. Unfortunately, this does mean you'll reach your projected down-wind destination fairly fast, and will have to land and re-launch your kite more often than you'd probably like. But it's worth it to improve your overall technique.

 

9. Jibbing
Since you've now mastered the S-turns and power continuity, jibbing is the next step. Your improved technique for staying on the board probably shows, and now you should re-try to breach up-wind on your heel edge. Place the kite in the zenith position and perform an exaggerated S-turn. Now point the kite in the opposite direction. You probably came to a stop, right? So now get a little speed and try to switch your feet, pull your front foot out of the strap slightly, but not all the way, and pull your back foot completely out of the strap and place it just behind your front foot. Swiftly, before you lose your balance, pull your front foot out of the strap and step back. Maintain balance, then secure your front foot in the strap, and then your back foot. Repeat. (Note that most people favour one side, so it may be easier to switch first then turn, or turn first, get some speed up, then switch It's personal preferrence. The key is to practice until you get it right. Don't get discouraged, the more you try the easier it gets.)

 

10. Going up-wind
This is the holy grail for beginners, and once you can do it, this sport gets a lot more fun!!! You've conquered continuity of power with the kite, and are doing much better at your jibes, so going upwind is only a step away. One of the secrets lies in not losing too much ground on your jibes, or if you still do, then it's in making it up on your breaches. A key point is to maintain enough speed with the board, but not too much, and retain power in the kite, but continuously keep it shooting for the side of the window (except in light winds). At the same time, you have to know how to edge on your heel side rail, coming in and going out, and that means you almost have to be just as good on either tack.

By this time you should have learned to shift your centre of effort more forward than you did before, and in this way you're not riding on the tail so much that it is slowing you down (note that the stonger the wind the more you can ride the tail, and go up-wind). Using your rail line helps to go up-wind tremendously, and that means knowing how to shift your center of effort properly to the front foot. It's a delicate balance between shifting your centre of effort (back foot to your front foot, front to back), and adjusting as needed. Proper kite positioning is essential and going upwind comes down to proper technique, consistency, balance, and body position, as well as centre of effort and speed.

 

11. Kiteboarding in overpowered situations
Thanks to the new  kites, being overpowered is now a lot less of an issue than it used to be. We can now control the angle of attack just like a windsurfing sail, but nonetheless it is a good idea to know how to control an overpowering situation - no matter which kite you might be flying. When you have too much power in the kite and you start to go faster, it has the effect of putting the kite in the power zone, making it very difficult to brake. Restrict your speed by edging even harder up-wind, which sometimes is easier said than done - with a two line kite you can find yourself on the losing end of a tug of war. As soon as you realise the kite is winning, jump off the board and bring yourself to a rapid halt, but watch out that your board isn't slowing and aiming for the back of your head - hey we never said it wasn't an extreme sport! Another option to bring down your speed is to S-turn straight down wind, either putting the kite to the opposite side-off position at about a 45degree angle, or straight above you in the zenith position. Stop, and re-start your up-wind again.

 

12. Kiteboarding in an underpowered situations
There will inevitably come a time when the wind drops or lulls and you don't have enough power for the kite you've chosen. Don't panic, there's things you can do: fly your kite in an exaggerated sine wave pattern for extra power keep planeing up-wind bear off-wind slightly Sometimes you can retain an edge on your rail and create enough apparent wind with the exaggerated sine wave pattern, to still go upwind. If it is a severe lull then you may either stop and lay back into the water, or keep the kite flying and wait for the lull to pass. Should the wind drop completely and you need to get back to shore, make an exaggerated sine wave pattern, bend your knees and position your body weight directly over the centre of the board. If this still isn't enough, then you need to start making big figure eights to get back to shore. As a last dich effort, make huge loops with the kite - I usually make two loops one way and two loops the other, and position my body weight directly over the board. If you're fighting a losing battle however, and the wind completely shuts-off, simply roll-up the lines, deflate the kite and and roll it up into a small package so it doesn't create drag, and paddle.

 

13. Beach starting
Beach starting is an advanced manoeuvre in kiteboarding and should only be performed by a skilled rider in consistent winds With the kite in the air, making sure you're harnessed in, and your board usually held by the front strap, walk to the waters edge. In about ankle-deep water place the board in front of you (note that if this isn't done in consistent winds you will be lifted and yanked all over the place), then place either your front foot on the board or the back, whichever is most comfortable, and push slightly against the board for friction. Dive the kite for a burst of power and push-off, putting the back foot on the board - or in the opposite case, push-off and place the front foot anywhere on the body of the board, get on a plane and insert your foot.

 

14. Jumping
Jumping is the easy part, landing your jumps is the more difficult. With good power, and not going too fast, bring the kite low and start to edge. Turn the kite fast to the zenith and as it is climbing, edge harder on your rail. You can even point slightly up-wind at about a 60-70 degree angle from the water, and push hard from a crunch position straightening your knees and body. You will feel a release of the board from the water, but be careful not to over fly the kite off to the side and try to keep it in the zenith for a more soft landing. It can be helpful to point the board downwind, so that when you land you don't catch a rail. Try to land tail to nose so you don't land so flat or pearl.

 

15. Tacking
This is not one of the easiest of things to do. It takes good technique and considerable practice. Attain a slight amount of speed, enough to keep you going while you put the kite to zenith, and from your heel edge release pressure - transition to your the toes will help to turn the board in a down-wind position (note that if you move the kite too fast you'll become airborne, so go easy and have a consistent pull). Loosen your front foot from its strap without taking it out, and bring the back foot out of its strap and place it behind your front foot at a comfortable position. Quickly take the front foot out of the strap and place it to the back of the board to retain your balance, and continue your turn. Fix your now front foot into the strap and secure the back foot ( note that most people favour one stance so that they can switch their feet before turning. If it's your good side, the trick to switching your feet is to do it fast before losing your balance, or a gust does it for you).

 

16. Looping
Looping is another advanced maneuver that should only be attempted if you're a competent kite surfer. Some say a back flip is easiest, and some say a front flip is easiest, but go with whichever one you think will be easier for you (note that a wave or small chop can help you in this endeavor). Attain a slight amount of speed and bring the kite from low to high. Just before you feel the lift, turn your head and shoulders in the direction you want to flip, and continue that rotation in the air. Once you do this you're committed to follow it through, so give it a good twist and follow through until you complete the rotation - don't go halfway and then decide to bail out, which will leave you flying through the air backwards and out of control. It is better to complete the rotation once you commit to it, so you land facing forward.

For a front flip, again achieve slight speed and hit a small wave or chop to initiate your rotation. It's better to make sure you have enough snap for a faster rotation, than a big slow rotation, and once again follow through until you complete the move. For a back flip you can also get slight speed and hit a small wave or chop as if you're going to snap the lip with the tail of your board. Hit the chop with the tail and focus it through the wave, turn your head and shoulders in a back twist direction and follow through. Momentum will do the rest, but make sure to keep the kite straight above you and don't over steer with the bar.