Kiteboat Project

We had another great K2 test today with the 40 sqm v10 kite. Today was the first day we used the new fishing pole mast, one idea for simplifying the kite launch and reducing drag while sailing. This mast consists of just one long carbon pole instead of two, and can be disassembled after launch very quickly. We successfully launched the kite after only two tries using this mast and were able to break it down in less than a minute. Although it worked well on the second try, there was a lot of flex, which contributed to launching difficulties on the first try, and which probably means that any long-term version of this mast would need to be made stiffer. After the kite was up, we sailed back and forth in front of Alameda and successfully foiled through the sea wall gap for the first time and then repeated that feat twice. We also successfully maneuvered around an unusual number of obstacles at the dock when launching and retrieving the boat. Ben Turner accompanied us on this test.

Return to News

---

More: Kiteboat Tests