News

Kitefoiler evening test – April 4

4/4/11

Don and Joe put a 4 hp motor on the Kitefoiler this evening in order to test without towing the boat to and from the dock. Dudu followed on the Protector. Despite the late hour, the wind was good, and they were very pleased with the boat’s performance.

See video clip for fast foiling in the dark!

Kai View Data:
20110404-kf-25mHA2.kai.bz2

Rokkaku & Android camera setup test – Mar 31

3/31/11

We took the “good” kite from the last two rokkaku tests out to the parking lot to compare its performance to that of the original carbon spar kite in very low wind.

Additionally, Jamie debuted his Android phone camera system by attaching one phone, in a padded cardboard box, to the kite line of the carbon-sparred kite and letting it out about 75m. In his hand he held another Android phone, which displayed the image taken by the lofted camera.

Meanwhile, Don and Dudu discussed weight differences in the two kites and experimented with bridle positions on the inflatable one. We also briefly attached a GoPro to the line of the inflatable kite to get an aerial view of the […more]

Kitefoiler Tow Test – Mar 30

3/30/11

We tried the side T-foils on the Kitefoiler for the first time today. They performed very well in the glassy conditions, demonstrating much more lift than the J-foils, and foiling stably with little spray on the crew. The boat also had no trouble foiling with five people on deck. Don’s parents, Sharon and Roland, and Erika came out to help round out the crew.

Kitefoiler tow test – Mar 29

3/29/11

We went out for a brief tow test today to check adjustments to side foils and to compare performance of original T-foil rudder to newly fabricated larger T-foil rudder.

The attached plot compares the speeds and loads with each rudder T-foil. The speeds are not identical in each case, and other factors such as the tow angle and acceleration may have varied between runs. However, there is some indication that the “new” foil requires a larger towing force at 20-21 knots.

Kitefoiler kite test – Mar 28

3/28/11

We tested the Kitefoiler today with the new rudder. Using the kite-launching mast, Don, Joe, and Richard successfully launched and transitioned to sailing for the first time and on the first try!
Thereafter, they sailed the boat to test the foils. Both Joe and Richard sailed with Don, but the wind was such that foiling was only possible with two crew members at a time. The foils worked but adjusted unevenly, causing the boat to jump a bit as it sailed. The foils tested were one original J-foil (starboard), and one new, modified from old quadfoiler, more steeply angled J-foil (port). We will test again shortly after further foil adjustment.

Rokkaku kite test – Mar 28

3/28/11

Dudu, Jamie and Renata tested two Rokkaku kites today, both with inflatable cuben fiber struts. Kite A was the best one from Friday (#4), which had 50% of the original curvature, 90% of the original diameter, and long battens. Kite B was a new one with the same tube diameter, 75% of the original curvature, and short battens.

From Dudu:
Both kites flew well with the same stability and held all gusts with no issue. The 50% kite still had better flying angle.
This test proved we can have smaller battens at strut tube tips and still spread the loads. This can save weight and storage.