has anyone ever had any luck removing struts. I have a slingshot rev that I was thinking of changing it from 5 to 3 strut. I kind of feel the little end strut wouldn't do too much to it.

I just want want to make the kite lighter for foiling. But I'm still thinking I would like to use it as a high wind boosting kite.
do you think I would loose too much stability in removing the end struts in high winds for boosting?

Done a few, best hp's to single struts, switch element to no strut. All work well for foiling, but no good for top end, only bottom end.
Slingshot use what they call split struts so may be harder to remove.

Dont recon it would hurt to much for foiling. Those outer struts wouldnt carry alot if wieght or drag though so the overall benefit may be very slight. Jm.thinking the outer struts are not Split strut tech but even if they are, removing the bottom section of the strut can be done without hurtingthe canopy.

for foiling I would think would power the kite up low end, but the symmetry of the kite would change (like removing a battern from a sail)
I would expect as the wind picked up it will be less areo dynamic or a f'n bag just pulling you down wind so most likely no longer any good for boosting, trucking power for down winders unstopable

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kemp90 said..
has anyone ever had any luck removing struts. I have a slingshot rev that I was thinking of changing it from 5 to 3 strut. I kind of feel the little end strut wouldn't do too much to it.

I just want want to make the kite lighter for foiling. But I'm still thinking I would like to use it as a high wind boosting kite.
do you think I would loose too much stability in removing the end struts in high winds for boosting?

Yeah mate. I've had somewhat success with an old Slingshot Link... took out the 9 struts (!!) it had down to 7, then I had to redo the bridles. Worked, sold it, and bastards up here used my experimental kite to name & shame me all over the country. Yet I still get their clients coming back to me. Go figure. Anyway I bought another old beast, did the same thing and had no problems with it at all (kites love me). I then took out more struts down to 3 struts and flew really well - until I crashed it. Now it's just a bag.
But why bother?
Buy an old C kite, cut out the entire canopy, struts the lot out of the kite and leave only the leading edge. Then sew in a tarp from bunnings (PM for details), and you have a Cloud kite! It's been done before. Not me, but that's my next project.

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NorthernKitesAUS said..

kemp90 said..
has anyone ever had any luck removing struts. I have a slingshot rev that I was thinking of changing it from 5 to 3 strut. I kind of feel the little end strut wouldn't do too much to it.

I just want want to make the kite lighter for foiling. But I'm still thinking I would like to use it as a high wind boosting kite.
do you think I would loose too much stability in removing the end struts in high winds for boosting?

Yeah mate. I've had somewhat success with an old Slingshot Link... took out the 9 struts (!!) it had down to 7, then I had to redo the bridles. Worked, sold it, and bastards up here used my experimental kite to name & shame me all over the country. Yet I still get their clients coming back to me. Go figure. Anyway I bought another old beast, did the same thing and had no problems with it at all (kites love me). I then took out more struts down to 3 struts and flew really well - until I crashed it. Now it's just a bag.
But why bother?
Buy an old C kite, cut out the entire canopy, struts the lot out of the kite and leave only the leading edge. Then sew in a tarp from bunnings (PM for details), and you have a Cloud kite! It's been done before. Not me, but that's my next project.

You forget your meds again lofty?

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mowingthelawn said..

You forget your meds again lofty?

Damn! You're right. I new I forgot my shag-pills this morning.

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NorthernKitesAUS said..

mowingthelawn said..

You forget your meds again lofty?

Damn! You're right. I new I forgot my shag-pills this morning.

while you were removing your strut?

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kemp90 said..
has anyone ever had any luck removing struts. I have a slingshot rev that I was thinking of changing it from 5 to 3 strut. I kind of feel the little end strut wouldn't do too much to it.

I just want want to make the kite lighter for foiling. But I'm still thinking I would like to use it as a high wind boosting kite.
do you think I would loose too much stability in removing the end struts in high winds for boosting?

Surely it's a lot simpler and cost-effective just have a garage sale, stop buying coffees each day, sell an old kite for whatever you can get for it, and just save enough to take the edge off the cost of whatever the hip-pocket damage may be for a new single-strut . I have a single-strut Naish Boxer 10m and between 10-14kts it flies great for foiling. The only issue is in Perth at 14kts it's usually heading towards a proper 18kt-plus seabreeze in less than 10 mins, which makes a single strut top out radically, and our 10kt winds are very flukey. At my weight of 90kg I would have been better off with an 8m that would have still flown and been enough at 10kts but had a little more top end to maybe 16-18kts, But the 10m was a useful tool that allowed me to learn my foil turns.

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alverstone said..

kemp90 said..
has anyone ever had any luck removing struts. I have a slingshot rev that I was thinking of changing it from 5 to 3 strut. I kind of feel the little end strut wouldn't do too much to it.

I just want want to make the kite lighter for foiling. But I'm still thinking I would like to use it as a high wind boosting kite.
do you think I would loose too much stability in removing the end struts in high winds for boosting?

Surely it's a lot simpler and cost-effective just have a garage sale, stop buying coffees each day, sell an old kite for whatever you can get for it, and just save enough to take the edge off the cost of whatever the hip-pocket damage may be for a new single-strut . I have a single-strut Naish Boxer 10m and between 10-14kts it flies great for foiling. The only issue is in Perth at 14kts it's usually heading towards a proper 18kt-plus seabreeze in less than 10 mins, which makes a single strut top out radically, and our 10kt winds are very flukey. At my weight of 90kg I would have been better off with an 8m that would have still flown and been enough at 10kts but had a little more top end to maybe 16-18kts, But the 10m was a useful tool that allowed me to learn my foil turns.

But where is the fun in that.

i like to give things a go!

I heard that selling your old C kite (that turns like an 11, has the top end of an 11, but the add says it is a 13...) to someone who wants to cut it up and sew in a tarp, then buy a modern light wind kite, then not use it (because you are fat and you wife doesn't let you) was a bit hipster.

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kemp90 said..

alverstone said..

kemp90 said..
has anyone ever had any luck removing struts. I have a slingshot rev that I was thinking of changing it from 5 to 3 strut. I kind of feel the little end strut wouldn't do too much to it.

I just want want to make the kite lighter for foiling. But I'm still thinking I would like to use it as a high wind boosting kite.
do you think I would loose too much stability in removing the end struts in high winds for boosting?

Surely it's a lot simpler and cost-effective just have a garage sale, stop buying coffees each day, sell an old kite for whatever you can get for it, and just save enough to take the edge off the cost of whatever the hip-pocket damage may be for a new single-strut . I have a single-strut Naish Boxer 10m and between 10-14kts it flies great for foiling. The only issue is in Perth at 14kts it's usually heading towards a proper 18kt-plus seabreeze in less than 10 mins, which makes a single strut top out radically, and our 10kt winds are very flukey. At my weight of 90kg I would have been better off with an 8m that would have still flown and been enough at 10kts but had a little more top end to maybe 16-18kts, But the 10m was a useful tool that allowed me to learn my foil turns.

But where is the fun in that.

i like to give things a go!

No harm in playing around, I've thought of Flexi battens that most brands use today on trailing edges ,running it as a strut replacement would on flappy 3 strut kites, minimal weight addition and added stability,

done this on couple of Bandits,cant say it helped.
Did notice canopy flutter more.

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SibboV1 said..
I heard that selling your old C kite (that turns like an 11, has the top end of an 11, but the add says it is a 13...) to someone who wants to cut it up and sew in a tarp, then buy a modern light wind kite, then not use it (because you are fat and you wife doesn't let you) was a bit hipster.

Fat!? You calling me fat?

SEE YOU AT THE BEACH PUNK

No champ, calling Underoath fat (his own admission in his self help thread). I'm saying you are the guy that bought his 13m Fuel, when it was actually an 11m Fuel, so you will have excess bunnings tarp, after your FNQ strutless kite conversion.

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SibboV1 said..
No champ, calling Underoath fat (his own admission in his self help thread). I'm saying you are the guy that bought his 13m Fuel, wheun it was actually an 11m Fuel, so you will have excess bunnings tarp, after your FNQ strutless kite conversion.

I love the kite actually. Spins on a dime, and easiest relaunch of all my kites. I am sure it says 13 on the side.