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Kite "Jellyfishing"

Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2004 8:21 pm
by OliverG
I've got some 2002 Wipika Airblasts (12,14,16 flat) and the 12 and 16 fly rock solid, but the 14 tends to "jellyfish". I know it's inherent with that particular year and size kite, but what's the deal? Anyone have any insight on why some kites do this and what you can do to help correct it?

Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2004 9:37 pm
by Greg
The easyest way to stop jellyfishing is to buy a Naish!
L.M.G.

Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2004 10:50 pm
by OliverG
C'mon, but really now....haha. Got any useful information? It's just the 10.0 (14flat), the others are fine.

Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2004 7:42 am
by charlie
ollie
my older b t do that
i found adding a little back line tention helped
also look at the tips when flying see how it flares in or out
that might give you a clue as too what might help
i read something about line setup
remember last mouth i told you iadded more tention on the back line and got mine to not jellyfish soooo much
charlie

Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2004 12:58 pm
by tim_fred
Jellyfishing is caused by aerodynamic instability in the tips of the kite coupled with not enough rigidity in the LE tube.

Newer (2003+) kites are more likely to do it because kite designers are pushing the boundaries of the designs. Sometimes too far. Smaller tubes mean more efficient airfoil (better upwind pointing) but less rigidity. More unstable tips mean faster turning with less bar pressure.

Like Charlie said, adding back line tension will increase stability in the tips, as will moving the front attach points back - both at the expense of depower and upwind-ability. Pumping the kite up really hard can add stiffness. If you have a pump with a gauge try 6.5-8 psi.

-Tim

Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2004 8:15 pm
by f
tim_fred wrote:If you have a pump with a gauge try 6.5-8
... and if you don't own such a pump: There was a thread on a different forum that describes how you can do it yourself. Looks pretty straight forward to me. Lots of text.... just go to the pics:
http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/xy752001

This is the thread:
http://www.kiteforum.com/index.php?page ... tton=forum