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**Photoboy** · 11-05-2014, 05:02 PM

Freedom To Foil

As members of the International Kiteboarding Association met in Palma, Spain this week, one of the subjects d' jour is the advancement of the foil kite vs the bladder kites and an initiative by a Polish representative to abolish the foil kites from formula class competition.

Citing the unsafe nature as reason to not allow the foil due to its lack of positive flotation.

Robbie Dean, Technical Director of Hydro Foil Tour and executive Board Member with IKA doesn't completely agree with that assessment:

"Foil kites have been around for decades, it's just recently that the design has allowed riders to ride more effectively than the Leading Edge Inflatable variety. The riders who have been using the foil kites for some time have resolved most of the safety issues, it's a bit of a non starter."

"In fact if you look at the course racing scene in San Francisco , the sound of air pumps is becoming a thing of the past, many of the riders have embraced the foil kites and are sailing them comfortably. What you are seeing is just the natural evolution of the sport, and in 2 years, these may be obsolete as the next generation evolves, when even more advanced technology comes into play."

But what is a foil kite exactly?

The term foil is shorten version of parafoil, a technology which has been around for quite some time and was one of the earliest designs used in kite boarding. Also referred to as Ram Air or Ram as the wind is rammed into the chambers to "inflate" them and thus creating a wing.

The technology in kite sailing or kite boarding gave way to a bladder type of kite or Leading Edge Inflatable which have a hollow tube framing that is pumped full of air to give the kite its shape. Because these air tubes float so well, these kites are the most common for riding on water..

A full explanation of the difference in kites can be found at:
http://www.kiteboardingevolution.com...ding-kite.html

A nice explanation of the foil kite can be found :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foil_kite

The newer Ram or Foil kites, with their higher aspect ratio's allow the rider to point higher than their LEI counter parts and have increased power downwind:

Erika Heineken provides a bit of side by side comparison:

"Ram obviously exceed LEI in light wind, but in stronger & gustier wind it's different. For places like Crissy, I don't think riding small foil kites is a good idea. I don't believe the pros outweigh the cons in this situation. To point slightly higher upwind or lower downwind, but in gusty and shifty conditions that we generally see, I think the smaller LEI kites will outperform foils around the course. I'm talking about the 20+ kt range. But I don't know, if Ozone keeps making smaller foil kites I'll obviously love to figure this out for myself!"

"Legitimate LEI vs ram comparison testing in 20-30kts hasn't really been done."

Kiteboard Course Racing is still very much in it's infancy and newer designs and technologies emerge on a constant basis. Top riders have learned to utilize the newer foil kite designs to their advantage, the high profile designs allow the riders to point higher and power up more than the LEI kite in similar conditions. But there is a caveat, The kites don't float like their LEI counterparts and remain visible above the surface for long periods.

The chambers which hold air by the force of the wind through them will lose that pressure and become a big soggy pile of nylon and string in a short period of time.
Unlike their LEI counterpart, they can be relaunched inverted, but you have to be quick.

"You have about two minutes to get them relaunched" Adds Robbie" After that, the window of opportunity closes. The more advanced riders have learned how to deal with that."

The challenge of mastering the foil kite is attractive to many of the riders, and to others a bit too much. The use of foil kites in the formula kite division was one of the areas of highest contention at the IKA meeting just concluded. Outline in section 8:

8) Formula Kite Equipment – Class Rules. Safety assumptions. (PKA)

Proposal:

Add G.1.4.
After 1st of January 2015 any registered kite after falling into water shall ensure:
a. a safe buoyancy for a competitor. The volume of the inflatable tubes shall be not less than 50ltrs.
b. An improved detection. Not damaged main tube and minimum three struts shall clearly keep the trailing edge of a kite over the surface in the calm water and wind conditions.

Reason:
The ram air kites demolished the inflatable kites in a matter of performance within this season. However, there is a price for it that is safety. On many occasions the ram air kites couldn’t provide safety for competitors once they fell in the water. Couple of events proved ram air kites become a nightmare for many riders and rescue teams. Visual detection of ram air kites is restricted comparing to inflatable ones. During one event of the Polish Cup with light winds we had serious problems to locate the capsized competitors of ram air kites who were just less than a kilometer from the beach. At the same time inflatable kite competitors were easily visible from the double distance. Training on the ram air kites might be extreme, especially in light wind and strong currents areas. We consider them as unsafe for riding without an assistance.

The proposal attracted immediate negative attention from across the board on kite forums and social media:

"So stupid! safety? give me a freaking break ! we ride around with deadly daggers on our boards! Racing kites is dangerous that's why it's fun! How about a ban on fins while we are at it. One design tminus9 skimboard racing got my vote oh wait ISAF makes the rules and drives up the costs!"

"Keep the Foil kites. IMHO is seems like the Poland Race was not properly run without enough support boats and running it in adverse weather. PFD's and Signal devices could help. Is there pressure from bigger kite companies who have missed the boat on kite development?"

"In order to diminish the obvious, unavoidable disparity between foil/LEI results in kite regattas, let's have LEI-only events and foil kite-only events if that makes people happy. But the sake of logical thinking let's not stop the development of a new sport. Again, foil kites are GOOD. They may seem "ahead of our time," but that's because so few people have access to them. How can you expect people to learn how to fly a foil kite without instruction?"

"Maybe a better option in the foil debate is having a limit on "minimum" size, then it has to be an inflatable. In a year or so there might be a mix of inflatable and foil in a kite design... then we get the best of both worlds..."

"No, don't ban foils. They work great. But they also do currently have some significant downsides as compared to inflatable's. So if you want a direction to head with development then try to solve those problems/needs while retaining/improving on the performance and we'll all be stoked. "

"make them faster.
Solve the launch-space issue.
Solve the swim-with-a-tangled-sleeping bag issue.
aim for lower cost. Aim for increased durability. aim for better stability.
make them faster still. "

"Most of the comments against foils, while valid concerns, imply that the problems are inherent with foils and cannot be solved. I would like to assume that this is incorrect. They are just hurdles for designers to overcome.
Guys, remember that this is the first shot at using these things for widespread racing on water. They have some obvious good points, and there is lots of time to sort out the downsides in future evolutions. Could you imagine if we were all racing around on Wipika 2-liners? Let guys like Ozone run with it and enjoy the improved performance along the way."

At the IKA Annual meeting, held Tuesday the participants voted down the banishment of the foil kites from the formula class and will have BOTH foil and tube divisions in IKA competitions beginning in 2015.

The International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) decided on Tuesday (Nov 4) that Formula will have both foil and tube kite division from January, to the relief of racers who switched to the new generation of kites that left Leading Edge Inflatables (LEI) off the pace.

Details have yet to be worked out on how organizers will cope with two separate podiums and the split of the prize money. But the IKA’s annual general meeting envisaged that the tube kite class would be more relevant to “bronze” fleet and entry-level riders, encouraging new entrants to racing.

Some delegates at the in Palma de Mallorca conclave argued the foil kite revolution was a key reason for the steep decline in entries to world and continental championships. Riders wrong-footed by the innovation either chose not to join events flying uncompetitive tube kites, or had difficulty obtaining new generation foil kite quivers as just two manufacturers – Ozone and Elf – had put resources into their development.

Markus Schwendtner, IKA CEO, foresees that the Formula kite dual class is a stop-gap measure ahead of a fresh product cycle in September 2015, though it could become long term. With the move the IKA now hopes other manufacturers will join the foil-kite fray.

Already three kite makers, including Flysurfer and StarKites, have requested specifications for foil kites from the IKA for the up-coming product cycle. St Petersburg-based Elf kites has also said North Kiteboarding (NKB) may make a version of its highly-successful Joker 5 foil under license for the new registration window after it helped NKB team riders Steph Bridge and Maxim Nocher clinch the men’s and women’s 2014 world course board titles.

Ozone Kites, whose Chrono foil so took the race scene by storm this season, is already working on refinements for its next iteration and will likely see the IKA decision as a big endorsement of its ground-breaking strategy.

“This decision was a clear message that we want to keep foil kites,” said Schwendtner. “There is simply no way to go back with the performance that foil kites afford, especially in light winds.”

In another effort to ensure the progress of Formula kite – especially among local fleets seen as a feeder pathway – the IKA established a working group on a “one-design” White Board Concept that would see riders competing on identical equipment.

The measure, aimed primarily at club level racing by keeping entry costs down, won quite a lot of support from delegates.IKA officials will meet industry representatives in February to gauge the level of interest for the plan whereby manufacturers would produce a single design of course board, kite, and fin set – each of which could be given the maker’s own branding – under license. A meeting of the IKA working party is set for 1 April.

In another effort to keep down escalating costs and avoid an “arm’s race” it was also decided that Formula kite fins should be made only of glass / epoxy (G10 / G11 or a generic material) as molded carbon fiber fins can become prohibitively expensive.

Writer: Ian MacKinnon

http://internationalkiteboarding.org...eting-outcomes

The PKA has tabled far-reaching proposals to introduce what it dubs a “White Board Concept” – strictly boards, fins and kites – that would see all Formula kite competitors racing on identical kit by the 2016 season’s start.

A submission arguing for “one design” is before the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) and will be debated at the annual general meeting (Tuesday, Nov 4) in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, if it gets a proposer and seconder.

The idea of a course board racing “one design”– similar to other Olympic sailing classes – was mooted four years ago when the prospect of a future games’ slot looked possible. But the IKA ultimately chose a “box rule”, restricting board dimensions, in conjunction with rules for kites.

However, the Polish association is convinced the prevailing class rules are discouraging racers from joining competitions and that a “one design” would make participation cheaper, encouraging local fleet racing that would act as a pathway to top level course board racing.

To bolster its case it highlights how numbers at recent Formula kite world championships fell precipitously, down from 195 in Italy in 2012 and 128 in China in 2013, to just 80 last August in Turkey.

“Formula kite can be saved only with radical moves,” says the PKA proposal. “With the present ‘box rule’ we may disappear from the sailing world soon.”

The plan envisages the IKA would choose one board design from those available, a kite design and three fin designs. They would each be made under IKA licence by manufacturers who would be free to badge them with their own brand. Riders would be obliged to register a board, three or four kites and one set of fins for competition for the whole season.

Costs would be kept down as new “one-design” specifications would be chosen once in each four-year Olympic cycle enabling riders to avoid the expense of renewing equipment annually. The fate of windsurfing’s derided and static Olympic RS:X class – slow and irrelevant to the modern sport – would be avoided by cherry-picking the best developments from kitefoil, which remains an “open” class.

Marek Rowinski, the PKA president who tabled the measure, believes he has enough support to ensure it is considered, though acknowledges securing the two-thirds majority needed to alter class rules is a big ask.

Markus Schwendtner, IKA CEO, believes it important for Formula kite’s future that the scheme is examined. But he believes it has little chance of success as it is flawed and incomplete.

“I think should be discussed,” he said. “But it’s not going to be accepted, in my opinion. I don’t see it happening for at least two or three years. It needs a lot of preparation.”

Course boards are now so similar in performance that a “one-design” concept might not be too difficult, says Schwendtner. But kites would be “trickier”. Tube kites have also achieved near-parity, but foil kites that revolutionized Formula kite this season currently have only two competitive manufacturers.

Few agree with PKA president Rowinski’s characterisation that Formula kite is in “crisis”. While conceding numbers have fallen they disagree over the reasons, shifting the ground on which the argument is based, and thus the search for possible solutions.

The dramatic appearance of foil kites wrong-footed some competitors. They found themselves uncompetitive racing on tube kites yet unable – because of expense or lack of availability – to switch, forcing some to sit out the season. The success of kite hydrofoils also diluted numbers, while high regatta entry fees are blamed as a factor in the equation.

Undoubtedly the Olympics’ decision in 2012, when Formula kite was included for the Rio games and then ejected in the space of year, served as a spur temporarily for many to join kite racing.

“It is obvious that kite racing went through the roof in 2012 because kite racing was declared ‘Olympic’. Then we all know what happened. And guess what? The numbers declined. Surprise!” says Elf kites’ Roman Liubimtsev, who believes the ‘one-design’ concept move is a “malicious” attempt to undermine small manufacturers and push kite racing back to the “Stone Age”.

Jimmy Mazzanti, of board-maker TemaVento Race Engineering, is more sanguine about a “one-design” concept. He would definitely prefer to stick with the “box rule”. But he could live with a high-performance “one-design” concept, though is under no illusions it would fix what ails Formula kite.

“Absolutely not,” says Mazzanti. “This ‘one-design’ concept will not address the problem. I travel to a lot of events. I know a lot of young riders. This won’t bring them back.”

Writer: Ian MacKinnon

http://internationalkiteboarding.org...e-formula-kite

The results of the Palma meeting can be viewed HERE

With the drama now behind, local riders can take a breath of relief and focus on training for 2015 with the freedom of choosing the kite of their desire/capability limits. Word on the street is San Francisco is on the list for the Kite Foiling World Tour for 2015 and a very strong possibility of The Kitefoiling Worlds on SF Bay to boot! Stay Tuned!

Additional reading via Ozone Kites:

http://www.flyozone.com/kitesurf/en/...s/chrono/info/

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IKA 2014 AGM Meeting Results

IKA 2014 AGM Meeting Results

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