Tuesday NW

[Roxstock]

If I wasn’t home from work sick then I would have enjoyed 1:30 TOW at Spanish banks, well powered on my 9m before the wind started dying off. Oh well, there’s always next time . Looking forward to see what tomorrow brings.

[Zooter]

Good first session for me at the rock. Went to West Beach because of the tide. Got beaten up by the big surf and lack of my forearm strength but ready to have at her again tomorrow.

[C36]

Lumpy. It really didn't look that windy when I arrived and I was surprised to find Tsawwassen in his van, but decided to rig for the freshening wind. Took out 4.5/92 and was glad I did. Wind shifted SW (onshore) to W (sideon) and rain turned to sun just as I took to the water. A few jumps and a few rag doll launches in the gusts. Water was really confused and lumpy at first and then cleaned up just in time for the wind to tank. Surprised you could wrap frontside on the waist-high beach break - a few for more than one hit. Fun, even if a bit unruly.

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[bandito]

On the water from 10:30-12:30 on 6.5m + SB. Beautiful sunny day. Fully powered until 11:35 and then underpowered after.

Some nice waves up at Acadia, good wind/wave angle for port tack airs.

I was alone up at Acadia for ages, not even any poleboarders out for most of the good section.

Fun while it lasted.

good for you!

[Michael]

Was at Centennial early rigged and ready but the wind switched so went over to White Rock to meet Dave. Waited until the wind started to switch and luckily it picked up. Lumpy is a good description Dave, I was surprised how disorganized it was with the west wind. Got catapulted so bad that I snapped my harness line clean off the boom at both ends, actually wasn't sure if I had snapped my boom at first. Came in after that and when I got to the beach the wind started to tank. Replaced the harness line and tried again with my big board but it was done. Good warm up for the rest of the week, glad fall is here.

[adam2]

On the water from 10:30-12:30 on 6.5m + SB. Beautiful sunny day. Fully powered until 11:35 and then underpowered after.

Some nice waves up at Acadia, good wind/wave angle for port tack airs.

I was alone up at Acadia for ages, not even any poleboarders out for most of the good section.

Fun while it lasted.

good for you!

Hey Slappy, I tried to join you up there, but was fighting the tide coming from SB, not to mention the urge to boost, then the wind dropped. I saw you coming back in and someone told me you were on your 6.5m. What are your thoughts on that kite?

[Slappy]

someone told me you were on your 6.5m. What are your thoughts on that kite?

That was my first time on my 6.5m, I just finished switching my quiver over from Blade Triggers to LF Solo 2's. I've been riding solo 1 & 2 for a while now and I'm a big fan. The 6.5m behaves much like my 12m and 9m but way quicker in the sky (a bit too quick at times). I don't like heavy bar pressure otherwise I would adjust the steering line attach point to slow the kite down a bit. Getting a 44 cm bar would be another option. My 7m Trigger was too quick for me too so it's more just a fact of small kites.

The Solo is a kite that does everything very well and nothing perfect.

It's best attributes are drift, staying in the air through lulls, how it flies oversheeted and LW relaunch.

It's worst attributes are powered looping and the bar pressure is a bit higher than I'd like, especially when on my foilboard.

If money weren't an issue I'd be inclined to test out Airush Ultras, but LF Solo's can be had for half the price.

EDIT: I also weigh about 165 lbs plus wear a lot of rubber on top of that (I like to be warm) and prioritize my riding towards wave surfing and strapless freestyle. The surfboard I was on yesterday is my Wave Bandit Performer 4'10" which while small is very high volume for a kite surfboard.

[adam2]

That sounds good, thanks for the info. How was the canopy flutter, I know my 12 gets it at the top end. I doubt you were anywhere near that kite's top end, but was it fairly quiet in the air?

[Slappy]

I was running about half depower when it was blowing around 30, there is always going to be canopy flutter in a 1 or 0 strut kite. It's a trade off, personally I barely notice the flutter anymore. I mean I notice it, but it just feels natural.

The flutter is largely responsible for what makes 1 and 0 strut kites so great. Once they flutter starts it creates a huge amount of drag and forces the kite to catch the wind and drift back down in to the window where a rigid kite would catch it's nose and hindenburg.

I ride my 12m up to 25 knots and I will say that because of the larger kite size I think you feel that flutter more.

One aspect of the flutter on Solo's I don't like is that the outside tip will always flutter during loops regardless of your rear line tension. On my BRM C2 if you have correct rear line tension through the loop there is no flutter.