Today the kitefoiler was put into the water for the first time. It floated well and we were able to get a sense for its handling while recording load and speed data. The boat got up onto its front foils at around 16 knots, which required approximately 150 kgf of tension on the line. As the boat came out of the water, the force required to pull it diminished. Once up on the foils there were a few problems, so each towing run ended quickly.

The boat’s weight, measured just before launch, was 355 lbs.

The first graph shows the line tension and boat speed vs. time. There are 8 distinct episodes in which the boat is towed, and as […more]