Can you just cruise with an arc???

[maxgtfc]

Kev, I'm about to buy a people carrier for the kids and so I can bring all my kiting kit allong with me!! Although I suppose I could spend the money on more kites, whats on for sale at the moment..........................

[Crob203]

If your looking at arcs the low wind stuff is fairly accurate, most wont provide tractionable power below 10mph. If you want the biggest wind range covered on one kite go for the 13m, the bottom end on this size is not alot different to the 16m because it turns alot faster.

 

They do have amazing upwind ability all across the range. Depending on your weight and experience with the kite eventually you will be holding down the 13m in over 30mph and loving it. Sounds crazy with such a big kite, but im on the boat where im alot happier having a bigger kite and being well powered/overpowered than having a small twitchy kite.

 

Sticking to my guns on this one - my recommendation 13m VII/VI.

 

Chris

[RobA]

Maxgtfc,

Times have changed. When I was a kid my parents bought me a Scalextric set. It's very kind of you to buy your kids a people carrier. Will they be able to reach the pedals or are you promoting team working with one on stearing?

[KevinRoulson]

(mmm that was a nice chinese!!) Thanks for the info about the arc's, confirmed the little I knew about them and added a whole lot more.

Now to earn some brownie points with my better half and see what happens after our camping holiday. I suppose I could use the tent !?! Oww, let go of my ear!

 

cheers

 

Kev

[lemur1599968673]

Here on the Bay of Fundy, Atlantic Canada, all we get are gusty winds....Im 120lbs soaking wet and today I was out in 25-35 mph winds on my PL xr+ bug. Ive been flyin traction for 8 + yrs but only got bug late last summer.

 

I dont't bother lugging my 2, 3 and 5 m bridled open foils any more as my VI 10m is soooooo much more stable and predictable with our winds...did I mention the winds here are gusty?...Cruisin is a snap once you get the kite dialed in and, depending on your preferences, you can adust straps to get the sweet spot when bar is in, out or anywhere in between...

 

Inflating arc's is the key to launching but if there aint enough wind to inflate then IMhO it aint worth going out.

 

Im looking at either a 16m VII or scorp to complete my 2 kite Quiver...Im talking buggy, ski, snowboard and surfing quiver.

 

Rob

[blizzadrider]

I use the combo of a 13mtr scorpion and 17mtr vortex. I can get going whenever my mate's blade IV 6.5 gets off the ground.

 

Because arcs have such a big depower range it means they are very suitable for cruising. I have never felt overpowered no matter how gusty the winds are.

 

Wanna slow down? Just let the bar out and steer upwind a bit. Wanna go faster? Yank on the bar and power it up. Keep it low.

 

A lot of people have tried my buggy/arc setup. I can't find anyone that had bad things to say about it's cruising ability. In fact, it's usually pretty hard to get my buggy back!! They are extremely user-friendly kites.

 

If you like to cruise, then an arc will be very suitable.

 

Cheers, Will

[KevinRoulson]

many thanks for the replys, good to hear such enthusiasm for the arc's. I see that if there isn't enough wind, they won't inflate and launch, what are they like in strong or gusty wind to launch?

Guessing there's no inflation issues there! From what a see they aren't going to power up fully in 10 nanoseconds like blades will and have you wondering what part of your body is going to hurt after the experience! (still love the blades though)

 

cheers

Kev

[maxgtfc]

Maxgtfc,

Times have changed. When I was a kid my parents bought me a Scalextric set. It's very kind of you to buy your kids a people carrier. Will they be able to reach the pedals or are you promoting team working with one on stearing?

 

Too true, Rob, times have changed. I hope to teach my kids how to spell, something your parents clearly never managed, nevermind though, you can go and play with your scalextric.

 

Kev, arcs are easy to launch in strong gusty winds as long as don't launch straight into the power. There is a DVD supplied with newer kites that show how to launch techniques.

 

Max

[KevinRoulson]

so, they are very stable, forgiving, eat up gusts and travel upwind well and good to look at, well made (presumably), launch in light and strong winds, great depower range.

 

anything I've forgotten ??

 

cheers

[ShadyNinja]

Hi have a PL Bomba 13 which i used for the buggy, a little slow turning but hey its a low AR. NOTE:

The baddest experience i had was when all the lines got caught around my front wheel. The 1st 2nd and 3rd safety systems were inoperative, as the lines were jammed. If the kite were to power up at this point i would have been in trouble. It's this experience which has kept me on handles.

But what a way to cruise.

Safe2FlySafer

[KevinRoulson]

Hi, I presume that s handles with your fixed bridle ?

 

My latest bad one was flying my 2m blade (on handles) when I was lifted like a leaf out of the bug, put back down, pulled over and dragged, though managed to get to the quick release (the superb whichard) and recover. Complete loss of style!

 

Thats why an arc is so appealing, as gusts + blades = just about anything!

 

cheers

[Neil aka KC]

How do you manage the lift on some of these arcs as I understand they are quite lifty?

 

Totaly depower the kite, and keep it out to the window, you will just get stable pull. You can then mess around by pulling the bar in, to increase the pull, bit like excelleration on car.

 

when i am tacking upwind i often kill all the power in the kite and then massarge the bar, by this i mean pull it right in to collect some power then let the bar back out, and repeat. Works well.

[Crob203]

You can fly arcs on handles. dont know why you would though!

[ShadyNinja]

Sorry for the intrusion. Unable to fly arcs on handles, should have said back to the traction kites on handles. Suppose though if the lines on the traction were to get caught round the front wheel, the safety will be inoperable also. What to do if it happens? Try to hold down the kite.

[Crob203]

Basically dont get it caught, shouldnt happen aslong as you keep tension in the lines!

[KevinRoulson]

I suppose that if they kite luffs in a gust, then lines go slack etc.

 

Thats why arcs are appealing to me!

 

cheers

[1973]

I buggy with a 15m guerilla and although it lifts me out every now and then so long as I am careful in the turns it is such a great toy ! Guerillas are pretty cheap now as well

[KevinRoulson]

just like my blades then, but i guess it puts you down more gently!

 

cheers

 

Kev

[DaveN]

Posting at 2 in the afternoon Kev, don't you have any work to do?

 

Happy birthday by the way - you need 3 more posts now so your post count matches your age!

[KevinRoulson]

many thanks Dave, I don't think of myself as 38, but my body shouts it at me sometimes!

 

see you saturday (?) for some extreme trundling???

 

cheers

 

Kev

 

p.s. no, not much work to do at all!

[impmad]

I buggy with both 13m and 16m V2's. Great kites for cruising, just set it in the right spot and balance out the gusts with the bar. I tend to fly one size smaller if buggting rather than boarding. And I'd echo what is said about the low wind end, but I keep a C-Quad for those days

(And 38 isn't old anyway )

Tim

[kite crazy]

have to agree with impmad here, one of the best cruising sessions ive ever had in a buggy was with a 16m v2 in around 13mph (if that) down the airfield...

 

..you had to work it really hard and it was only just staying in the air but i loved it

[Pablo]

I find the S16 a wicked cruising kite, huge range of depower with the new VPS system. Last time out in a nasty gusty 20+mph wind day, I took a 1/2 hr lunch break, flipped over the buggy and used it to anchor the kite, almost no pull with the kite sheeted out.

 

I usually fly hard and fast, more into race kites, But I had to give the S16 a go in the buggy. Smooth power on acceleration, huge power when looping the kite. Favorite move is to loop the kite while changing directions, massive power slides. Same kite in the same 20mph winds, no problem slowing it down, put one of the kiddlets on the buggy with me and giving them a nice slow cruise around the park.

 

To get the lift out of it, simply get up to speed, bar out, send it high with min power, cut upwind and pull in the bar, let out for hangtime/float, then bar in and redirect for landings. Take off is "Abrupt", landings soft and floaty.

 

The bad:

 

Even the S16 has a hard time staying in the air and pulling in 10mph, 8mph and it's falling out of the sky. No way it'll keep up with a race kite for raw power and speed.