Hey guys, wanted to get some advice on tuning kites for low wind, ie when you are at the very bottom end of your kites wind range. My lightwind kite is pretty crap (14m 08 naish alliance) but I was out on the wkend in about 14 kts which meant it took about 4 tacks to get upwind enough to do a decent air then start over again. Failing buying a better kite/light wind board I wanted to get a better understanding of how to trim for these conditions.
I have generally been working under the rule of if its too windy pull the depower in, if its less windy let it all the way out, but I remember reading something once about still having it trimmed in for light wind? (yes I called trim depower). I know this will vary from kite to kite but any general advice on this would be great.

Trimming is more art than a science. Go out and play around with different line settings. Also, board skill plays a major part in light wind performance.

Consider how you build apparent wind to maintain planing.

You can't park and ride in sub optimal conditions. You need to dive the kite repeatedly to keep speed up and on the plane. Edging too hard will kill speed and you'll fall off the plane. You may need to fly the kite a bit higher than usual to be light on the board and keep it relatively flat on the water.

A few tips here
http://www.kitesurfingschool.org/lightair.htm

If readings not your thing try this one

Can't give much info on light wind riding but when I do get desperate and get my 2012 14m Vegas out I find having a tiny bit of depower/trim/whatever you want to call it, helps out a fair bit so you aren't over sheeting and choking the kite. like I said I don't do much light wind stuff as we don't get much light wind but that's what I found for my kite.

Some good tips above already.

In my experience half of what makes you perform well in light wind comes from:

-Kite choice
-Line length
-Board choice
-Body weight (the lighter you are the better)

and the other half is just skills (flying skills mainly, but also board skills).

Assuming your kite and lines are well tuned (not oversheeting) then you shouldn't really worry about trimming it when you're underpowered. Just use the default settings. I go out in sub 12 knots regularly (hydrofoil) and never bother trimming the kite unless I'm overpowered of course.

Personally, being on the heavier side (85kg), I find sub 15 knots on a twin tip hard to enjoy unless the water is flat (no current, no chop) regardless of gear selection. Open ocean in sub 15 knots on a twin tip is hard work and just not that fun anyhow, especially if you're heavy.

The top 2 flying mistakes in low winds are to pull the bar too far in and not sheeting out during the upstroke or when you get plenty of apparent wind (speed and power). Not sheeting out enough during the upstroke or when you have plenty of apparent wind chokes your kite (slows it down) and prevents your kite from moving forward in the window, which will most likely slow you down too much on the board and you will loose upwind performance.

There is a very fine line in low winds between too much and too little bar pull and that constantly changes depending on Wind speed/gusts and the fact that you are stroking the kite or keep it stable.

Better equipment will most likely help in your case, but building expert light wind flying skills can take many years of practice.

Persistence in low wind pay offs over time, you become much more efficient and end up using much smaller kites than your peers in any conditions. Smaller kites are much more fun

If you get a chance try to borrow / demo a recent model light wind specific kite and compare it with yours.

Christian

In light wind I don't change my kite.
I just down loop most of my turns.

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The top 2 flying mistakes in low winds are to pull the bar too far in and not sheeting out during the upstroke or when you get plenty of apparent wind (speed and power). Not sheeting out enough during the upstroke or when you have plenty of apparent wind chokes your kite (slows it down) and prevents your kite from moving forward in the window, which will most likely slow you down too much on the board and you will loose upwind performance.

i 100% agree with CBulota, and definitely trim (depower) my kite to avoid oversheeting the kite - this is especially easy to do in light wind. if you consider the rear lines act like brakes to turn the kite, you want to brake the kite as little as possible in light wind.

Opening your kite to the wind can eek a bit more range from your low wind sessions, this can be done by shortening your back lines either by shortening on pigtails at wingtip or shortening at the bar( under floats) on 5 line kites adding a longer pigtail on loaded lines helps, doing this in very limited winds makes the kite backstall, but in winds a couple of knots under ideal can be a session saver, or longer lines or bigger boards, when adjusting lines or adding custom pig tails or knots just use small incraments

thanks guys will have a play around.

Try that downloop turn like Psychojoe said.

I was on my 9m yesterday in 14-16 knots on my coffin lid riding feet out of the straps. I feel that helps to trim board nicely. But when turning I did a down-loop and that helps to keep the speed up and the kite moving. Eventually I did a gybe with a down-loop on my finless coffin lid just for the heck of it. In the end it was the only thing I did to turn around. Quite a cool manoeuvre in my opinion.

Best option is a specific light wind board or something like a nugget that is super efficient in those conditions.

Flying wise, I think about having the harness well up (hips forward) and hanging from the kite to keep as much weight off the board as possible. And got to keep the kite moving.

Best thing to trim for light wind is your weight.

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jamesperth said...

The top 2 flying mistakes in low winds are to pull the bar too far in and not sheeting out during the upstroke or when you get plenty of apparent wind (speed and power). Not sheeting out enough during the upstroke or when you have plenty of apparent wind chokes your kite (slows it down) and prevents your kite from moving forward in the window, which will most likely slow you down too much on the board and you will loose upwind performance.

i 100% agree with CBulota, and definitely trim (depower) my kite to avoid oversheeting the kite - this is especially easy to do in light wind. if you consider the rear lines act like brakes to turn the kite, you want to brake the kite as little as possible in light wind.

WTF, cbolota didn't say he trimmed his kite in light wind.
I do the opposite & shorten the back lines, it's all about sheeting....out on the upstroke & in on the downstroke.
Also transfer most of your weight to the board on the upstroke - you can edge a little on the ds, if you feel a gust.
By letting the bar out, I mean all the way out in really light wind.