Tune your lines. Shouldn't be stalling when used in its correct wind range, and don't be afraid to use the trim strap to *gasp!* trim out back stall in light wind...
Must be nice to have clean winds, I couldn't live without the range and stability of the Triple Depower S3 and P4 where we are.
And like Uncle Plums said, give them their heads and let me by them run. Foils will make you a better kiter with LEI too IMO...
I have a couple of foils incl a S3 21, and was frustrated in the early days until I managed to get a hold of Ian Young for a few pointers. Half an hour on the beach and it was like I had a different kite. My version of his explanation is to think of the kite as a wing, needing airflow over the canopy to generate lift (power). This means you need to fly the kite through the window as fast as possible, which is why sheeting out and trimming out any back stall is vital to maximize power. My 21 flies much better with a little depower on, and ironically, the lighter it is the more depower I use to avoid stalling when turning the kite. Sheeting in basically brakes the wing, and slows/stall the kite. Ultimately if you pull the steering lines hard enough, you can land it backwards on the beach.
I agree with Kami - a couple of seasons of foils has totally improved my LEI flying too.
Yup... Interesting being back in NZ with NZ sized riders and despite being heavier than them, I'm either on the same sized kite... or smaller
If you're trimming a foil to take the power out, you need a smaller size! Plummet's Law of Sizes v1.2
To a point gorgo. Anything with a great deal of aspect likes speed in the wing and some of this is generated by allowing the kite to hunt the edge of the window, hence can be affected MORE by over sheeting. Is it a function of 'stalling' or the wing not liking the lack of forward speed due to over sheeting and needing speed?
But yes depends on the line setup, mixer setup and trim settings for sure.
I remember with line lengths set equal my FS pyscho was prone to 'stalling' if sheeted in too much.
But damn the boosts were high and long...wing tips used to do this crazy collapse thingy on the transitions though, drove me nuts!!
But I like foils, one day will get me one again for sure.
With all kites the usual cause of back stalling (excluding rider error) is line length. Trim the lines and the problem goes away.
Foils are much more susceptible to porosity. Air passes through the fabric and you get turbulent air flow over the surface. When the coatings wear out the kite is usually completely shagged. I think it's not so much that it is a ram air "foil" kite but that the canopy material is much lighter and the material gets bashed around on the sand (see the Chrono instructional video for examples). We tested a foil with just under 200 hours on it and it was reading 12 seconds on the leading edge (time taken to pass a measured amount of air through the fabric. A new canopy would read 400-500 seconds.
It's a device called a porosimeter. It's simply a cylinder with a known volume of air, a piston to push the air, a seal and clamp to hold the fabric like a diaphragm and a timer.
Set it up, turn it on, read the number at the end. Anything over a few hundred seconds is fine. Anything down in the tens is tissue paper.
It's described here. http://www.jdc.ch/en/scientific-line/porosimetre-mk1/
It's not really necessary for kites. You can usually tell because the fabric looks and feels like tissue paper. As a rough rule of thumb test you can moisten one side of the fabric, seal it against your mouth and blow. If you can easily blow droplets of moisture through the fabric then it's probably porous.
You can reseal porous fabric with Nikwax waterproofing spray but it adds weight and doesn't last very long.
There's new coating stuff out that renews, reseals, and cleans it all up... someone did it to and old kite and was thrilled at the result. I have a kite of Seal n Glide but may not ever get aeround to it :-D
I would be sceptical of that. It might make it look nice (like Armorall does) but it won't seal the fabric. The original coating is put on during the multiple steps in the weaving process with heat and high pressure. You really think you can spray on a coating that matches that?
Guys. I have to say this because I am so stoked to have finally seen a Chrono in action today. It was the black 12mt model, and wow man that thing has lift! It looked very slick almost like a thin UFO, and the power on 10knots was amazing. I won't say any more than that for now, but as soon as I get a chance to try it I'll write a proper review. Oh man... I am going to be dreaming about this tonight for sure!
Okay now you have my attention.....!!!!!!
In 11 knots apparently!....
kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2384063&start=20
I'm impressed!
Is this revolutionary type stuff or do all extreme aspect foils do this?
Looks like good fun for 11 knots
if it is true then it is pretty ground breaking. agree It looks 11-12 knots. I wonder if the trees downwind are creating an updraft?
Either way I'm definitely keen to fly one
all my kites are more surf orientated kites, but this would be a great kite to have for light wind jumping and speeding around. The price tag does suck though.....