I want to get a bigger kite for winter thinking 14 to 16 m but also want to use in the summer. Am bamboozled by low medium and high aspect ratios.... whats the difference.
Everyone is going to tell you different things but there are a few characteristics which are determined by the aspect ratio. Basically aspect ratio depends on the width of the kite through the middle (the longer the centre strut, the lower aspect the kite, and vice versa). Low aspect kites are generally used by beginners to intermediates as they offer easy relaunchability compared to the higher aspect kites. They are generally more "grunty", get going in lighter winds quicker and dont take gusty conditions as well. They are also a preference of wakestyle riders. High aspect kites are generally used by intermediate to experienced kiters. They will give more "lift" in jumps and will handle gusty conditions a little better. They do generally have a larger wind range and they can be easily depowered. Their disadvantage is water relaunchability which can be a little bit of a mission if the bladder isnt pumped up hard. Nowdays more people are going towards the medium aspect kites which offer the best of both worlds. But it does depend on which aspect of kitesurfing you enjoy, which will determine the kite you prefer. As kiting is a mixture of sailboarding, wakeboarding, skateboardin, snowboardin, etc.
Generally, Jumps=high aspect Grunt=low aspect
Personally I enjoy a medium to high aspect kite such as a Naish V4, which will offer earlier planning in lighter winds.
Everyone has their own opinion so if you disagree with me i dont care, but post your opinion.
I think Adam pretty much nailed it, the only other thing I would have mentioned is that a higher aspect kite will generally turn slower than a low or medium aspect kite, this is pretty important too when determining which kite to buy.
I agree with the first and second poster except on the water relaunchability side.
I have a very high aspect kite and it water relaunches very well, best I have had actually. And i dont find bladder pressure to be a factor, in fact a lot of people say that i dont pump it up hard enough. Maybe that is why it relaunches so well?? I am puttign the kite down a lot at the moment as well as im trying new things, and it relaunches pretty much by itself.
I think water relaunchability may depend from kite to kite, but I definately find my high aspect kite to relaunch very well.
( ps - just come back from being out - its as choppy as farq on the ocean atm - try some flat water)
so if i get a 14 to 16 m medium aspect kite it will turn reasonablyt fast but not too fast and it will be ok in about 20 knots?? Thanks for the info mike
Be carefull , early model kites all generally turned slower . My thoughts on turning speed are that they all turn( like year models ) at the same rate , its just that because the higher aspect fly faster they will draw out a larger radius , the slower kite will turn more around its axis and not generate as much power . This is why it is easier I think to do kite loops with lower aspect as it doesn't hurt as much . The aspect of the kite is actually not as important as the depth of the foil as this determines the flying speed . ( just to confuse you again ) If you get a 16m North R1 it will turn so slow it is hard to down turn and get it round without hitting the water . If you get a 16m 04 Flow you can virtually just keep looping it and follow it down the line ( Kites I have ridden ) Best to try out the kite you want as they all fly well but differently . Safest thing to do is get a 03 or 04 kite as the handeling has improved a lot .
