kitefoiler

Kitefoiler Test – Jun 21

6/21/11

We took the Kitefoiler out again with the original J-foils, as they’ve proved the most reliable in allowing us to sail upwind. We took out an old kite from 2003 that has a high aspect ratio and a very simple bridle, in order to compare its performance to our newer kites. The wind proved light, so we did not sail quickly enough to get the boat on the foils. We did, however, verify that the simple bridle on the kite was much easier to handle on the launching mast than the more complicated ones. Also, we realized that the launching mast needs to be expandable, in order to be made taller for larger or higher-aspect-ratio kites.
Additionally, Don and […more]

Kitefoiler Test with J-foils – Jun 15

6/15/11

We tested the Kitefoiler using the original Trifoiler J-foils with the Kitefoiler extensions. We used the Tom Speer-designed T-foil rudder.

The wind was light. We used the electric winch handle to successfully winch the kite back to the boat.

Dual bar setup. Launch bar and flying bar.

Don tried out our new Zeal goggles that were equipped with GPS (https://www.zealoptics.com/transcend/). He and Jamie purchased the goggles to play with the sensor inside and to see if they could modify the display. The goggles are designed to display speed information inside the eye view space. Don found that the display was not in quite the right place. Modification will begin when Jamie is back from vacation.

Kai View […more]

Kitefoiler kite test – Apr 14

4/14/11

We tested the Kitefoiler today with the side T-foils and 25 sqm kite. Don, Richard, and Erika crewed while Joe is hurt. They also used the compressed air tank for the first time to inflate the kite, which worked very speedily. Damon made a special compartment on the starboard hull for the tank. The boat foiled very stably while towing, but had trouble remaining on foils with the kite up, due to unsteady wind and a combined 3-crew weight of 490 lbs.

Kai View Data:
20110414-kf-25m-TFoils.kai.bz2

Kitefoiler test with J-foils – April 12

4/12/11

We tested the new J-foils on the Kitefoiler for the first time today. While towing the boat out, the Protector needed to be going about 20 knots in order for the Kitefoiler to start foiling, which is a much higher number than either the old J-foils (15-16 knots), or the T-foils (12-13 knots). While sailing with the kite up, it was hard to keep the boat on the foils. This poor performance was partly due to very choppy conditions and a lot of swells knocking the boat off course. We used the new 25 sqm kite with the Dacron trailing edge.

Kai View Data:
20110412-kf-towAnd25m.kai.bz2

Kitefoiler in Border Run race – Apr 9

4/9/11

Photos show Don and Joe preparing Friday and Saturday for the race in Newport Beach on Saturday. The wind was so low that they needed to be towed out to the start and couldn’t keep the kite in the air for long. (See Jamie’s post for windspeed data). They were able to test out the Kitefoiler’s trailering capacities (very good), however, and to improve boat setup and takedown procedures. Thanks to Erika for taking photos!

Kai View Data:
20110409-kf-borderRun.kai.bz2

Kitefoiler kite & radio test – Apr 5

4/6/11

Yesterday we took the Kitefoiler out to test it with a kite and three T-foils again. Additionally, we tested the newest hands-free radio prototype from Paul Larkin, who visited from InduComm to show us the system. The system fits inside one ear of a crew member and picks up voice through his or her jawbone, a setup which is meant to reduce wind noise. We taped the radios themselves to the outside of each person’s drysuit. There are one captain’s headset and several crew headsets. The radio has both push-to-talk and open-mic options. For our test, Paul wore the captain’s headset on the Protector, and Don, Joe, and Richard wore the crew headsets on the Kitefoiler. Paul attached a directional […more]