Turning issues on Bow

[littlemisssammy]

Hi,

 

Strangely I wrote a big long post yesterday and it has dissapeared!

 

Basically the problem is I have just started out and bought a Ocean Rodeo One as I learnt on XBow... When we learnt to get up on the board we had to bring the kite to 11 o clock then dip it straight down into the power with leading edge facing the water, then back up to 12 to get up on the board (fairly light winds!) so I have been trying to fly the One... its OK doing small figs of 8, much better without the 3m extention lines so its just on 21m lines. As soon as I try to bring it down like the xbow it wont respond, flys to the other side right to the edge of the water and hovers... I pull it as much as I can to get it back over but generally it falls in the water.

 

I learnt on 9M and this is a 12M, I expected it to be slower but I cant see how Im ever going to get up on the board if I cant turn the 12M.

 

I have found its most responsive if I power it up in the turns and have med bar pressure when its flying straight.

 

Is there anything else I can try?

 

Thanks!

[Tweak]

How light a wind are you flying in?

[Westwood]

trying holding the bar in a bit more? so you can feel the power and grunt to get you going.

[bushflyer]

try keeping the speed up in the kite. its the most important thing when flying bows in light winds. sine the kite, and sheet out as you dive, then sheet in smoothly as you begin the turn upward. this will give you some grunt but you'll lose a little speed, so sheet out a bit again (smoothly) and bear off downwind a little. try to keep your boardspeed constant. as you swing the kite back down again you can let it drift back a little towards the powerzone so you get more power during the next sine. with practice you'll be able to park the kite after a bit and keep your boardspeed. keep at it, and remember to be smooth, and listen to what your kite is telling you through your fingertips.

[Pike]

what works for me:

 

dip kite from 11.30 straight down into power zone and pull in bar for power as it goes into zone. then, at point when you need to turn the kite back up SHEET OUT ie push bar out and turn kite - this keeps kite speed up and stops it stalling which is what it's doing to you. when kite has turned and headng back up the way sheet in again and you can keep sheeted in at the top turn which should keep you going.

This works for my cab 12m and waroo 16m.

[littlemisssammy]

We were out in about 10 knots at the lowest yesterday, average was about 12-13knots. There was enough grunt to pull us along, easily, just we couldnt get the kite turn in a small enough arc. You would have the kite at 12, do one swoop, as tight as you could to get you up, and the kite would fly almost to the edge of the window in one swoop! So the power from the swoop would pull you sideway rather than fwd.

 

And for all the trying we could never get it to fly with the leading edge facing the water, as to work the window.

[littlemisssammy]

what works for me:

 

dip kite from 11.30 straight down into power zone and pull in bar for power as it goes into zone. .

 

This is what I cant do I try and dip it down into power but it doest turn enough so just travels straight across window

[bushflyer]

try the above methods and start turning earlier. the kite will try to fly out of the window in light winds. anticipate what its going to do.

[Pike]

hmmm

perhaps dive from the zenith - ie will give you a more vertical dive - and be a bit more agressive with your pull on one side pulling the bar in a little more - can't really think of anything else:cool:

[dan]

I hav'nt flown these kites but it could be you are choking the kite by sheeting in too much, I fly Ions and you have to be aware of this or the kite will stall and start dropping backwards through the window. Its no problem and once you get used to your kite you'll just get a feel for it.

Try pulling a bit of depower and see what happens.

[Jack H]

just wondering, in light winds if the kite won't get you up by sineing can you loop the kite from the zenith through the power zone to get you going, might help in your case.

[mkratty]

i had a issue with the instinct doing simular the first time i flew one .the kite wouldnt upturn from the edge of the window .but it does sound like your flying the kite too far to the edge of the window in too light wind .

try to turn the kite earlier or just down loop to get you up and running .

[lester]

I have a 12m One, been using it since early spring. It's flatter than the xbow so in marginal winds that you describe if you pull the bar in you will kill the power, stall and fall out of sky.

 

It's one of the more technical bows to fly, when you turn it you have to sheet out, it sort of slides like a cross between a foil and a C-kite when it turns, dive it hard and bear off down wind to get your board speed up.

 

When you get it dialled it's a fantastic kite, I have tried a few others and it rocks and boosts huge. If you sheet in and turn it turns very slow and doesn't generate any power.

 

cheers

 

lester

[adamski]

What Lester said!

 

Sheet out to urn and it is no longer a problem.

[littlemisssammy]

Wow! Thanks so much for all the advice!!!! Really, its so appreciated, I love this forum!

 

I think the problem was trying to do everything at once, its only the 2nd time I had flown the kite and was just getting a bit excited.

 

I took stock and went out on Sunday, just on the beach, took the time to try and control the kite, doing small figures of 8, then trying to dive it at both sides of the window. Also practised holding the kite at one side still as I would have to when getting the board on.

 

I was really pleased as the kite was amazing, I could control it really well and played alot with the depower cleat to adjust the power.

 

The only thing I can think is that on Sunday it was windier and the wind was clean off the sea. On Saturday it was fairly light and the wind was coming down off a big hill, so could have been pretty churned up.

 

So Im really pleased now, and with all your advice, I think I can get to the next stage which is getting the board on and keeping constant power, this is something I couldnt really do on land but Im hoping will be easier on the water.

 

Thanks again!

 

Sam