Guys,
the advice in my last post about optimum wind for me (84kg, 11m kite) was upwards of 22knots and I thank everyone for their advice so far. (I've had lessons and I'm still trying to get on my board)

Last weekend at Safety Bay (on the pond) it was showing 27KPH on my wind compass app. Now I'm presuming that is Kilometres per hour which is only about 15 knots but I set up and almost immediately packed it all away again as it was just too strong. It was throwing me around and I never felt like I was in control. I had the bar as far away from me as I could and the trim lines were all the way in.

The previous weekend at the same spot it had been about 17KPH (wind compass app) which would be about 9 knots and I'd had a good session, familiarised myself with body drags etc after a long winter break and actually got on the board for a few metres.

So, whats happening? Do I need to be more aggresive with the kite? Getting a small kite is not an option at the moment.

Sounds like your app is telling fibs. My 11m gets me out from 15 to 24 knots. 18 knots I feel it the sweet spot (in flatwater).

Hi Stan,

it's unlikely you can have a good session in 9 knots with an 11m kite on a twin tip @ 84 kg. I'm the same weight and with lots of light wind experience I need at least 12 knots to start moving around in flat water on a twin tip with a 12m kite. It really only starts to be fun at around 15 knots. 18 knots and I start to be well powered, at 20 knots I usually pack down and pull out a smaller kite.

Remember that live wind readings are usually the average wind over a period of 15 minutes or more, and can be inaccurate for many different reasons.

You don't necessarily need a wind meter, I would recommend instead to familiarize yourself with observations around you (white caps and sand movement) and start to associate wind speeds with those observations. (ask experienced kiters and find out if the live wind readings in your area are accurate or not) After a few weeks you should be able to easily and fairly accurately estimate the wind speed in your area.

I'm sure this was covered in your lessons but in case it hasn't here is something that may help. This may not work for all areas but at least it's a good start.



Unless your app wind readings are much lower than the actual wind, I would say the problem is that your kite lines might be heavily out of tune, more specifically your front lines are longer than your back lines, probably by a good 20cm, perhaps more. This is causing your kite to be overpowered which impacts heavily your wind range. In high winds you loose the ability to depower your kite, hence the feeling of having a kite that is too big and hard to control. In lower winds your kite will backstall (choke) and fall forward in the wind window.

Here is a video to help you fix this problem:



Happy and safe kiting,

Christian

stan1169 said...
Guys,
the advice in my last post about optimum wind for me (84kg, 11m kite) was upwards of 22knots and I thank everyone for their advice so far. (I've had lessons and I'm still trying to get on my board)

Last weekend at Safety Bay (on the pond) it was showing 27KPH on my wind compass app. Now I'm presuming that is Kilometres per hour which is only about 15 knots but I set up and almost immediately packed it all away again as it was just too strong. It was throwing me around and I never felt like I was in control. I had the bar as far away from me as I could and the trim lines were all the way in.

The previous weekend at the same spot it had been about 17KPH (wind compass app) which would be about 9 knots and I'd had a good session, familiarised myself with body drags etc after a long winter break and actually got on the board for a few metres.

So, whats happening? Do I need to be more aggresive with the kite? Getting a small kite is not an option at the moment.

It's pretty simple. When it was lighter (ignoring the accuracy of an ap), you weren't overpowered. When it was strong, you were overpowered.

3 of the boys i kite with weigh 110-115kgs and all ride 11's in normal seabeeeze conditions (20-25ish knots)

If you cant afford to change to a smaller kite, just start smashing more beers, pies and KFC and soon enough the 11 will perfect

As you get better you will also be able to control the kite and your wind range will increase too.
For example I weigh ~70kg and ride a 12m in 20knots regularly, but can also ride a 9m in 15 knots.

RedclffRoss said..

Light winds are best for learning in.

Depends what you think "light" is -- 15 knots is a minimum to overcome beginner lack of finesse, but the best wind for learning in, is stable. Gusts are the problem...

Dont get hung up on numbers on apps or meters, unless you're going out alone. If you launch the kite and don't like the conditions, land it straight away and rig another or pack it in.

Then once you get better and go out more frequently you know what the wind will do based on the forces. For example, if it says on seabreeze it will be 20kn SE it will blow 15. If it says it will blow 15kn NE it will blow 25. That's the case at my place.

Thanks all for your advice & tips.

Lessons learnt from this thread and a perfect 20 knot day yesterday at safety bay,
the app is crap
the community on here and on the beach are really helpful (especially the guy who recovered my board when it had disappeared)
i need to learn more about depower,
you need wind to learn but too many noobs in one place isn't good
my lines are exactly the right length
more subtle movements to build power as described very eloquently in a reply above

stan1169 said..
Guys,
the advice in my last post about optimum wind for me (84kg, 11m kite) was upwards of 22knots and I thank everyone for their advice so far. (I've had lessons and I'm still trying to get on my board)

Last weekend at Safety Bay (on the pond) it was showing 27KPH on my wind compass app. Now I'm presuming that is Kilometres per hour which is only about 15 knots but I set up and almost immediately packed it all away again as it was just too strong. It was throwing me around and I never felt like I was in control. I had the bar as far away from me as I could and the trim lines were all the way in.

The previous weekend at the same spot it had been about 17KPH (wind compass app) which would be about 9 knots and I'd had a good session, familiarised myself with body drags etc after a long winter break and actually got on the board for a few metres.

So, whats happening? Do I need to be more aggresive with the kite? Getting a small kite is not an option at the moment.

Hey stan I think your best approach would be to observe and ask more experienced kiters at your local. If guys about your size are using using 9 or 10m kites then thats gonna be a good indicator what you should use. If most are using 12m or above then thats probably whats best. I say probably because there can often be quite a variation of sizes being used at any one location at any one time. Forget wind meters or apps... just keep asking others what they estimate the wind at to get some indications until you can make a good guess yourself. The chart that Christian put up is spot on and will serve you better than an app.

stan1169 said..
The kite is almost brand new Christian, is it possible for that to happen so soon? Next time I rig it up I wll definately check the lengths ... thanks.

I bought new Ozone lines - straight out of the pack there was close to 10 cm difference between the front and back lines ( don't remember now which ones were longer, I think the front ones were longer).

An 11m should make you feel overpowered at 22 knots with 8xkg. Especially if thats 22 knots average with gusts on top of that. 15 knots should feel nicely powered on most 11 meters and at the same time there should be pretty good depower if you push the bar away.

Saying that once you are above 10m the kites tend to not depower as well from my experience.

Look at seabreeze after the fact.

Find the highest peak for today in your State.

Lets say it was mostly 20-23kn where u kited, but somewhere had a 40kn peak.

You get on here and post about riding a 12m in 40kn and how good you are. Done.

But wait there's more, then you can talk about how a certain brand has a 20kn range and so much more depower, as there is massive differences. There really is a kite that is 4m bigger and handles 10 - 40kn with ease!! And then, you know a 2014 won't do it but a 2015 will. Imagine what the '16s are like.


Hope that helps.

There you go. Trim explained.

http://www.kiteboardingevolution.com/trimming-the-kite.html

Also, there is an optimal wind range for any kite and it is not as big as most people think. Sure, you might be able to park and ride at the upper limit of your kite but as soon as you start throwing it around you will be struggling to control the beast.

Bridge, At 69kg the 11 will get u going in and enjoying it at maybe 15knots and with a good edge you'll be fine at 20
Probably would recommend a 9 or 10 for Melbourne sea breezes for you though
Cheers

Bridge just stick to the lighter winds, and watch what others are setting up on the day and how big or small they are.
Ask others before you set up and get help when launching both someone to hold kite and someone to hang onto you till you know you are comfortable with the conditions.
if you come down to Sandy Point look us up.
www.facebook.com/3Inlets-Windsports-1407344329565514/