.. but secretly wish they could.. 
I am running out of tube kites. In fact I only have two left. Most of my kites are now foils, and I love em. Soooo much more powerful in light winds (any winds) and easier to carry, launch, pack, fix, god... I can go on and on.
But really crap when you drift down the line on a wave or drop them in the surf. And pretty crap in wind that varies a lot between 5 and 10 knots and you keep losing line tension.
Select to expand quotebigtone667 said..
But really crap when you drift down the line on a wave or drop them in the surf. And pretty crap in wind that varies a lot between 5 and 10 knots and you keep losing line tension.
He's in nth qld - no waves and steady winds
Select to expand quoteCJ2478 said..bigtone667 said..
But really crap when you drift down the line on a wave or drop them in the surf. And pretty crap in wind that varies a lot between 5 and 10 knots and you keep losing line tension.
He's in nth qld - no waves and steady winds
Winter in FNQ is a beautiful thing.
Horses for courses.... I have 1 foil and 4 lei's. That suits my style and my local conditions.
I'm using my LEIs less now I'm riding hydrofoil most sessions..... I've sold all my BWS but still have a Boost 13m.
But I've also just bought the new 3.5 and 5.5 Clouds because I reckon Gregs onto something with his designs. Can't wait to try them but now our seasonhs ended it may not be for a while. They should arrive mid May.
Last time I bought a foil it cost $20, and it wasn't a kite.
Might be a kiwi thing
Select to expand quoteChris_M said...
Last time I bought a foil it cost $20, and it wasn't a kite.
Might be a kiwi thing
High az bro
Select to expand quotebigtone667 said..
But really crap when you drift down the line on a wave or drop them in the surf. And pretty crap in wind that varies a lot between 5 and 10 knots and you keep losing line tension.
You are displaying your ignorance and prejudice. The whole of a foil kite is full of air. When the white water hits it the kite rides up and over the wave. It would take a direct hit of a pitching wave to flatten a foil.
The canopy of an inflatable kite can be either flattened by a wave, or catch the white water, and amplify the force.
In gusty conditions the float of a foil makes it more likely to recover from a hindenberg situation.
What is crap about foils is that you have to grovel around in the sand to set them up and pack them up. Nothing is worse than packing a wet sandy foil. It's much easier to carry an inflatable kite to the grass to pack up. I used to ground handle my foils by the bridles to the grass. It was doable but it's more of a trick than a sensible way of managing a kite. You can carry a semi-deflated kite in a bunch but then you have to deal with bridles hanging loose and getting the kite wet from contact with your wettie.
Foil kites tend to go porous after about 150-180 hours of use. They look like they fly fine, but they tend to stall and do unpleasant stuff at inconvenient times.
Any canopy tear on any kind of kite is easy to repair. It can be very difficult to sew around the leading edge of a foil (it can be impossible to repair a damaged leading edge on an inflatable). It might be easier with the new foils with the whipper snipper wire in the leading edge.
I have never had a puncture on my inflatable kites and I am only now doing my first repairs after over 200 hours on each kite. I used to repair my foils all the time.
Select to expand quoteGorgo said..
You are displaying your ignorance and prejudice. The whole of a foil kite is full of air. When the white water hits it the kite rides up and over the wave. It would take a direct hit of a pitching wave to flatten a foil.
The canopy of an inflatable kite can be either flattened by a wave, or catch the white water, and amplify the force.
In gusty conditions the float of a foil makes it more likely to recover from a hindenberg situation.
What is crap about foils is that you have to grovel around in the sand to set them up and pack them up. Nothing is worse than packing a wet sandy foil. It's much easier to carry an inflatable kite to the grass to pack up. I used to ground handle my foils by the bridles to the grass. It was doable but it's more of a trick than a sensible way of managing a kite. You can carry a semi-deflated kite in a bunch but then you have to deal with bridles hanging loose and getting the kite wet from contact with your wettie.
Foil kites tend to go porous after about 150-180 hours of use. They look like they fly fine, but they tend to stall and do unpleasant stuff at inconvenient times.
Any canopy tear on any kind of kite is easy to repair. It can be very difficult to sew around the leading edge of a foil (it can be impossible to repair a damaged leading edge on an inflatable). It might be easier with the new foils with the whipper snipper wire in the leading edge.
I have never had a puncture on my inflatable kites and I am only now doing my first repairs after over 200 hours on each kite. I used to repair my foils all the time.
That's a bit harsh 
they do ok with a surfboard in some conditions but not others.
Depends on the gusty conditions...it can get brutal at times, so I tend to avoid using them in winter here.
Youre doing it wrong I gotta kneel down to roll up my tubes too, but otherwise kick a bit of sand on the tip and you're good to go. Small price to pay for not having to pump it up.
Yeah porosity sucks. Bridle shrinkage sucks ass too. Higher maintainance but higher performance...whee!
Had a few leaks in my tubes too, probably still a couple with slow leaks; can't be bothered fixing them. Blown cells and ribs in the foils...murder! But see above.
Horses for courses. If you're prepared to put up with the quirks, they are rewarding...if you're not, that's fine too
Select to expand quoteGorgo said...bigtone667 said..
But really crap when you drift down the line on a wave or drop them in the surf. And pretty crap in wind that varies a lot between 5 and 10 knots and you keep losing line tension.
You are displaying your ignorance and prejudice. The whole of a foil kite is full of air. When the white water hits it the kite rides up and over the wave. It would take a direct hit of a pitching wave to flatten a foil.
The canopy of an inflatable kite can be either flattened by a wave, or catch the white water, and amplify the force.
In gusty conditions the float of a foil makes it more likely to recover from a hindenberg situation.
Definitely not suffering from ignorance, and have no prejudice. I have 4 chrono's and a bunch of LEI's. But I have suffered from experience.
You have to have some really spot on conditions to ride a foil in waves.
Have I dropped a foil kite in a wave: yes... Did it float: sure...was it tangled floating mess: yes. Did I have fun, unsure.
Its good to hear unbiased experiences giving pros and cons of foil kites. Sroka is close to releasing a 12m single strut LEI foil specific/LW kite which according to him has sub 8 knt bottom end when used with a foil. Maybe maybe not but I'll be probably giving one a crack when they're available.
