So who has actually kited with one in light wind?

Recently moved from Broome to Nhulunbuy and whilst my 17m Zephyr was a great option for most of the time in Broome, I'm now in really light wind world and I'm looking at options. I'm 78kg and ride a Shinn Monk. Keeping in mind the majority of wind up here is light AND hot, so pretty gutless. I know a light wind board would assist but not that much I'm sure.

So...
Is a big, say 18m Chrono really as good as they say?
Are there other options?

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JohnyMc said..
So who has actually kited with one in light wind?

Recently moved from Broome to Nhulunbuy and whilst my 17m Zephyr was a great option for most of the time in Broome, I'm now in really light wind world and I'm looking at options. I'm 78kg and ride a Shinn Monk. Keeping in mind the majority of wind up here is light AND hot, so pretty gutless. I know a light wind board would assist but not that much I'm sure.

So...
Is a big, say 18m Chrono really as good as they say?
Are there other options?

after the wind dropped this arvo the only guy left out there was on a foil board
that's what I'd be looking at if I were you

Foil kites are easier to keep up in really light winds, especially sub 10 knots because they weigh a lot less than LEIs

They also generate more apparent wind, as they don't have a leading edge to interrupt airflow

they can be difficult to relaunch if they get water in the cells but that said I used to have problems relaunching a 17m Edge when it was really light.

i find that during botched transitions in light winds (on a foilboard) is when the advantage of a foil kite really stands out, as they seem to be easier to keep up in the air

there are other foils out there that are similar to the Chrono, have a look for Elf kites, their Joker 5 is being used by quite a few of the Euro racers

Chronos are closed cell foil kites, which means perfectly safe on water and their cells don't get water in them. A kite worth over $2500 should definetely keep you stoked, not soaked!

18 chrono def better than my 19 edge in light wind
I have put it in the water about 5 times, so far on all occasion I have re launched it, but if on the 19 I reckon I would have been packing up on the water at least three of those times.
in around 7 knots it is easier to get planing with the chrono.you do need a nice big area to launch and land and if lots of sticks and things it can be a potential problem with them getting caught in the thin bridles, so if you are one of those guys that goes off his nuts yelling and blaming equipment for everything that goes wrong then dont buy a chrono, you will cause embarrassment to you and your family will want to hide under a rock

Launch with kite down wind in light wind is easy

bringing the kite down low to water in very light breeze can be a problem as the wing tips can fold back on the kite, but this is only while sitting on beach or changing direction and only going slow while diving kite to get power.

All in all once you get to know your equipment, what you can and cant do you will enjoy the gear.

All my experience is on a race board for racing, this makes the downsides of a foil worth it as there are more upsides, if however I wasnt racing I would only suggest a foil if there was no other option for a LEI to have fun on the water.A foil board should also be a great option, you can cover an amazing amount of ground, you have some great places to explore up there and you wont need a permit unlike if you drive a car
There are some vids of guys doing a few jumps and things on them, but it might be best to learn in some other water as while learning to ride one there are many thing to be worried about beneath the surface up there. A foil board would also only be for high tide as you need about 1.2m water to get going in especially when learning.

The Chrono was primarily designed as a light wind racing kite, this means it's best used with a directional board that has a little drag as possible, i.e. raceboard, hydrofoil. If you find a large LEI kite to be slow turning, then a large foil kite will be twice as slow, which will make water starts and transitions difficult on a twin tip in very low winds. Basically high aspect ratio foil kites are not designed to be moved much, which makes them less enjoyable on a twin tip.

Foil kites are very technical and no way near as user friendly as LEI kites. You also have a very limited wind range, so say you have a 18m Chrono with 75 kg on a normal size twin tip, you may get up and going in 7-8 knots (when you may need 10 knots on the Zephyr) but you'll start to be overpowered before you reach 15 knots (when you could keep going comfortably on the Zephyr). Foil kites are also more fragile with thin canopy and thin bridles as well so they demand great care.

The logical thing to do first is to start riding directional light wind boards on your zephyr. A larger ''door type'' twin tip board would also help but you'd be able to get out in much lighter winds with a raceboard or Airush Sector, and even lower winds on a hydrofoil. These days you can get second hand raceboards for very cheap at a fraction of the cost of a Chrono 18m...

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cbulota said..
The Chrono was primarily designed as a light wind racing kite, this means it's best used with a directional board that has a little drag as possible, i.e. raceboard, hydrofoil. If you find a large LEI kite to be slow turning, then a large foil kite will be twice as slow, which will make water starts and transitions difficult on a twin tip in very low winds. Basically high aspect ratio foil kites are not designed to be moved much, which makes them less enjoyable on a twin tip.

Foil kites are very technical and no way near as user friendly as LEI kites. You also have a very limited wind range, so say you have a 18m Chrono with 75 kg on a normal size twin tip, you may get up and going in 7-8 knots (when you may need 10 knots on the Zephyr) but you'll start to be overpowered before you reach 15 knots (when you could keep going comfortably on the Zephyr). Foil kites are also more fragile with thin canopy and thin bridles as well so they demand great care.

The logical thing to do first is to start riding directional light wind boards on your zephyr. A larger ''door type'' twin tip board would also help but you'd be able to get out in much lighter winds with a raceboard or Airush Sector, and even lower winds on a hydrofoil. These days you can get second hand raceboards for very cheap at a fraction of the cost of a Chrono 18m...

Pretty much agree with everything Christian says above except for the comment that a large foil is twice as slow as a large LEI, simply just not true in the case of the Chrono and Jokers. The kites are exceptionally nimble for their size. One of the keys to their performance is forward flight speed (and why they take some getting used to!), but that speed also makes them faster handling than comparable sized LEI kites.

They work well on large TT's like the 1.65x50 Cab Stylus, until recently I owned a 15M Chrono and also still own that size stylus and an Airush sector 66 one design and a Cab Alias, the lager directional definitely have a few knots better bottom end than the TT, but all 3 boards worked well with the 15 Chrono, the directionals Airush about 7-8 knots, the Cab Alias 8-10 knots and the TT about 9-11 knots, planing easily at speed and able to go upwind.

There is no problem to ride a TT, but as Christian says, it makes a lot more sense to get a large TT or large directional, before jumping in the foil kite very deep end! The Zephyr and the sector will get you to 9-10 knots, and the large TT 12/13 knots.

Wind range on the Chronos and Jokers is quite good, I think the Chrono has a better top end range than the Elf Joker and the Joker has slightly better bottom end range

I'm happy to suggest a flysurfer as an alternative to chrono. The Speed 21's are more more free ride oriented than the Chronos. I have the Speed 3 21 and ride it strapless on my surfboard at my local beach break. Pretty sure they didn't design it for that but it works great. Ten knots and head high surf - who would have thought.

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jamesperth said..
I'm happy to suggest a flysurfer as an alternative to chrono. The Speed 21's are more more free ride oriented than the Chronos. I have the Speed 3 21 and ride it strapless on my surfboard at my local beach break. Pretty sure they didn't design it for that but it works great. Ten knots and head high surf - who would have thought.

Compared to a Chrono, I feel Flysurfer Speeds or even Pyschos are better all round kites for freestyle and boost jumps. Chrono is "ok' I think but until I try one, I am not expecting to jump as high as my Canrinha Switchblade. However, with the right wind, speed and aggression you can get pretty high on a Chrono, but I think you'd have to be almost overpowered. Is that right Marvin?

I'm not a professional by any means but I think the Chrono is a pretty good wing for busting out some fun jumps. I really like the kite.

Consensus is that the Chrono is a light wind and boosting beast but needs steady wind and experience with foils.

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Loftywinds said..

jamesperth said..
I'm happy to suggest a flysurfer as an alternative to chrono. The Speed 21's are more more free ride oriented than the Chronos. I have the Speed 3 21 and ride it strapless on my surfboard at my local beach break. Pretty sure they didn't design it for that but it works great. Ten knots and head high surf - who would have thought.

Compared to a Chrono, I feel Flysurfer Speeds or even Pyschos are better all round kites for freestyle and boost jumps. Chrono is "ok' I think but until I try one, I am not expecting to jump as high as my Canrinha Switchblade. However, with the right wind, speed and aggression you can get pretty high on a Chrono, but I think you'd have to be almost overpowered. Is that right Marvin?

so you have never ridden one but think it can not jump as high as switchblade , then state with the right conditions you can get pretty high on a chrono ?

Thx to all that have replied. Great info. One last question tho.

Is it possible to get a kite to demo?
Would b looking at least an18m plus, as mentioned previously winds in Nhulunbuy are light and hot atm.

Cheers.

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JohnyMc said..
Thx to all that have replied. Great info. One last question tho.

Is it possible to get a kite to demo?
Would b looking at least an18m plus, as mentioned previously winds in Nhulunbuy are light and hot atm.

Cheers.

I doubt any shop would have this as a demo unfortunately, just too much of a niche market for kites like this. Your best bet is to try to find someone in Perth you could let you borrow it on a light day...

I know where there's one for demo... Okinawa.

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Loftywinds said...

jamesperth said..
I'm happy to suggest a flysurfer as an alternative to chrono. The Speed 21's are more more free ride oriented than the Chronos. I have the Speed 3 21 and ride it strapless on my surfboard at my local beach break. Pretty sure they didn't design it for that but it works great. Ten knots and head high surf - who would have thought.

Compared to a Chrono, I feel Flysurfer Speeds or even Pyschos are better all round kites for freestyle and boost jumps. Chrono is "ok' I think but until I try one, I am not expecting to jump as high as my Canrinha Switchblade. However, with the right wind, speed and aggression you can get pretty high on a Chrono, but I think you'd have to be almost overpowered. Is that right Marvin?

The chrono has been having some wear issues at the bridles when riding powered or under load for periods, I got this from an email from ozone, so might be worth checking if your in that category