Can it be done on water????

[bryanleighty]

http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2345612

check the video in the 2nd or 3rd post..

at the 2:50 mark the guy on kitebuggy sends the kite completely around him.. a full 360 round-a-bout of the kite..

looks like he uses the intial whip to send him far downwind of the kite but is somehow able to fly the kite AROUND the wind window and back thru to the other side.

of course I'd be more impressed if he'd thrown in a backroll or two.. but thats just me.

[Tom Stock]

It's really just a double down loop... you down loop, shoot straight down wind (under the kite) and keep pulling... the kite loops again but by now you are in front of it... a buggy makes it look a little different but I bet you could do it no problem.

You could throw a trick (and s-bend would look good) on the first loop but not the second.

[Danimal8199]

I don't know if this can be done on water. Do they have the technology to make those buggies float??

[Tom Stock]

lol dang it was a trick question. I fell for it. Like how much dirt is in a hole 10' x 10'.

[kite-4-life]

Thats an easy one Tom, but you didnt say how deep....
(Just kidding)
:confused:

[Tom Stock]

lol. Talked to Scott about this trick and it may be more than I originally anticipated. I meant to try it today but forgot. Dang.

Would have been embarrassing anyway I bet.

[Skyway Scott]

Yeah. Good luck. :oops: I don't think that is going to happen on water for several reasons, mainly drag. I think I know what is going here.
Look at it at 1:56 to 2:00 and picture clearly in your mind where the wind is coming from, where the kite goes, and where and what the buggy does.
I think the reason a buggy can do it is that the rider is using a razor sharp LE foil kite, the ultimate apparent wind machine with very little drag. Because he is on wheels, he can go pretty darn fast in only 10 knots (I'd be surprised if it were blowing more, probably less) and build speed and momentum.
He initiates a down loop to get a huge power stroke (more speed) and to throw the kite behind him and ultimately 360 around him. He bares the buggy off wind, with still enough speed to outrun the wind speed, keeping tension in the kite lines, and forces the kite to fly into the wind "beyond reason". It then makes it around to the other side of the window, just as he stalls out.
I wouldn't be surprised if the beach (or where ever) has a bit of a slope and he uses it to his advantage as well. He definitely wouldn't want to go even slightly uphill, he'd stall out for sure.

I don't think a kiter on water can ever do this because we simply can't build enough forward speed in 10 knots. Even if we did, we couldn't maintain it for but 10 feet when bearing off wind. The buggy easily maintains his speed for a distance downwind (and I bet he is going downhill 1 degree or so, too).
I bet a guy on snow going downhill in light wind will pull this off soon after seeing the video. :)

[CrazyJay]

I tried and tried and tried today to do the kite 360. Actually got to 320 degrees (kite past upwind by 10-20 degrees) but still no luck. Actually wiped out and ended up seeing stars on one attempt.
Not gonna say it CAN'T be done on water but I was slingshoting at over 45 knots and still no luck.
Anyone else try yet?

[Tom Stock]

I'll give it a try this weekend... thinking a hard down loop straight under the kite and another loop trying to get the kite behind me when it does the loop....

Should be fun.

I am betting though that if you couldn't do it I can't either for obvious reasons.

[CrazyJay]

I was on a port tack then downlooped hard thru and accross the window while at the same time trying to "crack the whip". I almost got it a couple times but it stalled upwind of me. I was able to get it past dead upwind which was promising.
One thing I learned is that the lines must be tight the whole way or it falls every time.
good luck, let me know if you find another technique that works.

[Tom Stock]

It sounds like you were pretty close. I'm going to give it a shot.

[CrazyJay]

looks like we'll have plenty of chances Fri and Saturday

[amber]

i'll bring the camera so we can document it for your life insurance policies. J/K! You guys are hysterical. have fun and call me if you need a ride to the hospital...