quote:
Originally posted by DaveSpruce
Faster water relaunch? Not true, if you know how to water relaunch properly, you will relaunch ANY kite, C, bow or hybrid equally as easy.. Not sure about all the bows these days but seen some bows invert and **** in their earlier days and that stinks...
I think you defeated your own argument by saying if you know how to water re-launch properly. Actually why don’t you give us a run down how to water re-launch properly just so we know we are on the same wave length. Because how to water re-launch a c kite properly is diff than how a bow kite re-launches (i am talking about bow kite behavour) so
if you were placing the two designs in the same basket that is unwise.
From were I am sitting I think I do know how to water re-launch my hybrid and how I water re-launched my bow properly and can still say it’s easier as well as faster to re-launch a bow kite. I never had to swim in with the bow kite and yet to swim in with the hybrid due to not being able to re-launch or secondary problems like 5th line bow ties and inversions. Now I could go on about the local boys that fly c kites down my way and how almost 80 percent of the time they do a swim in and how I shout at them to swim to the side of the wind window .. but I wont.. oh hang on I just did.. but i wont leave out the fact one learner on a bow shredded his kite in the waves ...so knowing how to relaunch is important but thats learning not 12 months and more of kiting.
Design is what effects kite behavior, re-launching style is the secondary factor to how the kite wants to fly and behave within its wind window. Bring that wing tip up on a bow and it simply wants to take off. As with c kites placement is imperative for it to launch off water, too far foreward and it just wants to fall on its face too far back and it wants to fall on its back. Sometimes you have to swim to the side of the wind window with c kites due to outside influences such as waves, swell and crap winds. You stated yourself that early model bows had cause to invert (never happened to me but I have seen a 06 sonic do it once by a learner) and that is again design, doesn’t happen so much now because the recent designs have been tweaked to reduce instances of this happening. As I have already said, it’s the design that predetermines kite behavior.
Here is why I think bows re-launch due to design faster and easier…..
Bows having the concave means the wind can grab the bows wingtips easier than c or hybrids that don’t have the concave - can speculate that this why the concave was added in the patent of the bow design - flatter the kite design the more essential is the concave. the swept back wingtips also helps because the kite simply wants to fly to the edge of the wind window and the wingtips gives little water drag unlike c kites which need to flick itself kind of action when on its back to get into the side position.. the combination of the concave and swept back wingtip means the kite can grab the wind in its canopy more effectively and efficiently - So this equates on comparison to a c kite with less swimming to side of window, not having to tip the kite on its back and all the other processes of proper water re-launch of c kites. In most instances I have always found the bow actually came off the water well before moving to the far side of the wind window – I am talking like almost in the middle of the wind window – you can do this with a c kite for sure once its on its back and in right conditions but bows are easier and quicker by far.
If you disagree that’s kewl. But remember kite design is the biggest influence to its behavior than a singularity kite re-launch process, Pull the steering line side that is closest to the edge of the wind window and up she goes.
All kites hereditary want to fly to the edge of the wind window. The kite design that does that the fastest is the easiest and quickest to re-launch.
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