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Foil Quiver advice?

Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2021 8:42 pm
by tulley
New foil rider looking for light wind quiver advice...

150#
Slingshot alien air (high volume)
Spaceskate (H4?) wing. Standard (heavy aluminium mast fuselage, etc)
I have 10-15 hours riding heel side and transitioning to toe side and vice versa with out falling (much)
Like freeride but would be content mowing the grass in light wind.
Mostly kite folsom, sherman, and baja (LB).
Current Quiver: Happy with 7M/9M drifter (and find 5M line extensions help) but hoping to kite in ~10knots which i read is more than possible.

1. Should i postpone these aspirations until i'm much better? If so, what is a metric that i'm "ready"
2. Do i need to have lighter set-up before a larger kite will make the needed difference for light wind?
3. If no to above, what is a recommended kite and size? I've scoured the internet but either info is out of date or these cats are out swapping advice among the elite because the recommendations seem overly ambitious (6-8 knots etc). I'm considering A) LEI mono strut (Mono, boxer, ultra, etc) bonus points for being able to use cabrinha bar or B) also reading very positive sentiments on the closed cell foil kites (hyperlink, etc). Not condering open cell foil kites

I live 1 mile from folsom lake so would love to get a light wind set-up dialed as we have delta breeze frequently in the summer and I could likely quadruple the Kite days i could score...

All advice appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Re: Foil Quiver advice?

Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2021 2:44 pm
by shred_da_gorge
I'm a total newb to foiling and have been learning in light wind in South Padre Island, TX. After trying a few of the larger 1- and 3-strut kites I've decided on the Ozone Alpha. I don't think I'm ready yet for a no-strut setup like a cloud or UFO, but I do think a lightweight kite with a steady low-end response will be a big part of your equation - probably more important than an uber-light foil setup (but again, I'm just a newb).

Should add, my setup is a Slingshot Converter (5'4") with Cabrinha Varial Medium wing. I'm 6'4" and 185# so the 12m is perfect for SPI's light southerlies (usually ~12-15 MPH). That's a size I anticipate outgrowing (too big) as I progress with foiling, but would still be my light wind surfboarding kite. (My foiling friends think that's funny because they say I'll only ever want to foil... ironically the small windsurf sails I kept while thinking that kiting wouldn't take over are now coming in handy for wind-foiling!).