Rider: 78 kg,Level (beginner)
Style: Freeriding
Weather: 10-15 knots
Build Quality: 10/10
Satisfaction: 10/10
My Comments:

After my 10 Meters Rally got trashed because of that "special" person, I had the privilege to try the 12 meters Rally while my 10 is being repaired.

It happened yesterday at Umena Beach. Wind between 10-15 knots S-E. I have to say I am very disappointed because I was expecting to be super fast and ride the hell out of it, but unfortunately I end barely moving down wind due to a sluggish, heavy kite. Whereas with my 10 I would crank it up and down really fast and end up with heaps more drag in the same wind.

That was also confirmed by another kiter yesterday kicking my ass with his Griffin 10 meters.

Would you agree that a 10 meters is always better than a 14?

I am really curious as to what an experimented kiter would say.

Cheers,
Mike

Hey, I had nothing to do with the above comment, its not a set up!

But, Smaller kites = less drag = turn faster = more power/speed = ONLY if you know what your doing you can get away with a smaller kite.

It comes down to the kite design, some 8m brands are as powerful as other 10m's and turn slower. Some 10m are more powerful than other 12m kites. Some brands have a narrow wind range, others a much larger wind range. It all depends on the brand and if you know what to do to get the most out of your kite. Also line lengths make a big difference

re: "Would you agree that a 10 meters is always better than a 14? "
in 20 knots hell yes, in 13 knots hell no...

Depends on weight, line lengths, board size, skill level and if you have boardies over your wet suit or not. A 10m with 5m longer lines and a larger board may go better than a 14m with short lines and small board. But this depends a lot on the kite design....

I haven't tried a rally so cant comment, but the above may help....

Sorry, the last question should have been "A 10 is better than a 12".

But yeah....I definitely get what you are saying.

Cheers,
Mike

There's a difference between "getting you going" and being able to pull against the kite to pop for tricks. Yes a smaller kite can sometimes get you going nearly as early, but when you come to load up, it won't give you the solid resistance that a big kite will.

As ever though, the biggest factor in determining a kite's wind range is rider skill.

Select to expand quote

djdojo said...

As ever though, the biggest factor in determining a kite's wind range is rider skill.

the biggest factor in determining a kite's wind range is kite design, remember the old C kites back in 2000, didn't matter your skill,the wind range was still very limited...

^^^ Sure, but who rides kites that old. Of modern kites I'm sure that a pro can get more range out of a full on C than a beginner can get from a high depower SLE.

By working my 9 (C) I can get going earlier than many folk on larger bows, but is it possible to do much other than mow the lawn - no.

Larger kites have their place, as does the ability to milk bottom end from little kites when the wind drops.

I don't think the question here is how many flippy spins you can do on you kite, it is about the speed and power of a kite. I have a 10m rally and a 14m rally and i can get out in any wind that a 12m can on my 10m ( unless you are 30kg on a light wind board) because you can work the kite through the window allot faster to build up the apparent wind. No you wont boost or be able to load up as much as a bigger kite in lighter wind but you can ride. My 14m in say 10 knots is good to just cruse but it wont turn as fast and is harder to get moving, but give it another 5 knots and it turns as fast as a 12m rally which i had last season. The 10m is fast and rideable in 15 knots but you don't get the same power as the 14. I am 76kg by the way to put weight to wind in perspective.