What will kiteboarding be like in 5 years?

[PrayFaWind27]

any theory?

[ricki]

Originally Posted by PrayFaWind27

any theory?

Looking to the past for some ideas, five years ago (2001) gear was about to take off with kites delivering improved power and efficiency. However substantial improvement in safety and to some degree boards was off by a couple more years. The need hadn't quite become apparent yet to the industry. Quite a few more severe injuries were needed before folks would start to look out for themselves more effectively. Many people still hooked in and had yet to start using early QR that might never open in an emergency. Early times. Numbers of kiteboarders were increasing but not dramatically so quite yet. Our understanding of how to try to avoid get hurt was only starting to develop.

So, what about 5 years from now, say 2011?

Well, gear may well be much more efficient. Say through variable shape/faring controls, adjustable line length on the fly may have finally come into its own. Kites flown on fewer lines may be working well. Safety/automatic depowering may have finally been sorted out with an acceptable degree of reliability. The current critical need for substantial rider knowledge and avoidance techniques on environmental hazards may have been diminished through technological developments. Threats to access may have been reduced in some venues through organization while still growing in lessor populated areas. Jump height and durations may achieve magnitudes that make todays whoppers look tame by comparison. Variable shape boards and those that can be disassembled for flying may have been developed. And ... other ideas?

I think you nailed alot of it Rick.

The easily disassembled board for ease of travel. Great idea, is anyone attempting this?

I use to freak about bans and so forth. I am less weary now :P

[C. Moore]

This was always dicussed in the surfing community with a board that could be dismanteled. There are some prototypes but nothing ever surfaced.

http://www.bisect.com/index.php

I guess kiteboards aren't so big, huh?
Maybe I should have thought about that more. :?
Well, still would be cool, but would probably weaken the board too much to make it worthwhile (permantly dismantled )

[PrayFaWind27]

Ricks theories I also agree with and also I think the
bladder is going to go in the ways of the “ Remember
back in the day “ conversation . Best kite boarding would kill the competition
if they mastered the bladderless carbon fiber kite. Less and smaller
traveling bags with more travelable gear is going to come to pass especially
if they could make a board that can be broken down into pieces, just imagine,
one board(complete), 2 kites(complete) as a carry on, how sweet would that be;-)
. gone will be the days of the 6 + ft cloth coffin
taking up all the space at the airport and having you to dig into your pockets for an
extra few hundred bucks to move it. The wind surfing speed record will be blown away.
I also predict they’re going to find away to make the kite self inflate
(Less time rigging, more time riding)
But whatever innovations that’s coming I’m sure it’s only going to
make this need, this must ride addiction even stronger.

[ricki]

I think with the airlines trying to recoop high expenses through weight/size restrictions and special baggage charges will continue to dog kiteboarders. The new flat kites are coming closer to the one kite quiver concept and they may even pack up a bit smaller than some C kites. So, that part is moving in a good direction. Something I have used for a couple of years to fly three kites with a reduced volume are vacuum bags. Some guys in Sweden or some other Nordic country first mentioned using this.


More at: http://kitesurfari.stores.yahoo.net/kitevacuumbags.html

I did find this technique could cause bladder rotation that you would want to correct before inflation ideally.

Six years ago faced with flying large directionals (a 7.5 ft. and 6 ft.) down to an interisland windsurfing race (for me kitesurfing) in the BVI and in subsequent trips, I started to wonder about more portable boards. Something in the way of a twin tip that could be broken into two pieces with minimal rocker. It might have a transverse tongue and groove setup with longitudinal keyway strips that could be inserted for stiffening and integration purposes. There are a lot of different ways the problem could be approached. I think it is doable though.

I saw a different approach at Surf Expo last year:



Inflatable boards! Not much of an edge to be sure, you would have to try to make it up with fins. I spoke to the manufacturers about making something for kiting but they had their hands full just dealing with surfboards at the time. http://www.uliboards.com/

I agree about the speed record too PFW. The physics of the thing support kitesurfing, eventually, winning out. Some day ...

Other ideas?

[ricki]

Look what just showed up. It looks real interesting ...

from: http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2328824

Originally Posted by RickI

Thanks for posting this. We were just talking about this on the FKA site. I wasn't aware that something like this existed yet.



From: http://www.baliwind.co.il/links3g.html

Do you know how much it sells for and do you have an email for the business? Sorry for these obvious questions but my hebrew is non-existant and the search engine that I could find doesn't autotranslate websites.

Thanks!

A poor internet translation of the text:

Glider decomposes
:Proportions
Length : 125 cm
Width : 38 cm
Weight : 2.400 gross kilograms Aibzor
Carbone 100 %
(Herex ) pvc the heart of foam

Fine glider in particular 12 mm in center
Take 8 mm by the edges
Quality enabling maximum jab
.And fast overflow but in command full
.The beam of Krbon lengthwise the glider

Fast glider in particular the compatible
. To range wide of winds
Given to order in the design according to choice
. By means of artist

Glider to cheat : Progressive, Mktsoanim
Given to order in all proportion *