Kayaks being towed by kites

Hi i tryed that last year with a small traction kite in a 16ft sea kayak . The kayak would almost come up on plane and the wind would die down and i would end up costing through the lines.Big mess of tangled lines. I'm sure it could be done, just don't try it alone.

How do you get the kite in the air in the first place or after dropping it in the water? Is there a trick to this?

Anyone know what a basic starter kite/chute may cost? ( I am guessing in the $500 to $1000 range)

Derek

Hi i tryed that last year with a small traction kite in a 16ft sea kayak . The kayak would almost come up on plane and the wind would die down and i would end up costing through the lines.Big mess of tangled lines. I'm sure it could be done, just don't try it alone.

Please keep us informed.

I started traction kite skiing this winter. It's a hoot, I was sorry to see the snow melt! I plan to try my kites with my kayak this summer but will wait for the water to be warmer before I give it a go.

If money is a problem try sewing a NASA wing. They're very cheap and pull like a locamotive. However they're not very water friendly. Just don't drop them into the water!!!

Matthew Bastian

it in the water? Is there a in the $500 to $1000 range)

I've seen, but not used, a specially constructed kite for use with a sea kayak. It was nothing like the power kites used for kite surfing (I've got one of those, I weigh 100kgs and it can lift me 5 metres in the air - not an appealing idea strapped into a sea kayak!!).

It was a rectangular kite about 1 metre by 1.5 metres, it had two small inflation tubes to help it keep its parafoil shape and to make it bouyant whilst launching. It was attached via a caribiner to the bow of the kayak, a line running back to the cockpit and a quick release jam cleat. Another line ran from the cockpit to the kite and was used to trim it and collapse it when needed, this also had a line to his wrist to ensure that he and kite and kayak could not part company too easily.

I spent some time talking with the guy who had the kite and he'd come from Sydney to Brisbane with the thing and was happy that he only had to paddle to get into shore or when the wind was not behind him. He was travelling some long distances each day, but complained that it was not relaxing having to be alert to wind gusts all the time.

It looked pretty racy to me, when he set the thing up he was out of sight within about 15 minutes.

I think he got the kite from a company that sells kites in Western Australia - cant help more than that I'm afraid.

Hope this helps.

I have a little one like this to experiment with for my canoe. Was about $50-60. Should be ewasy to get somewhere near wherever you live.

My concern about the harness would be the point of pull is now at the centre of the kayak and it will be easy to be rolled over by a gust of wind. The kite will keep on flying even if you are under water and attached to the harness, you have to 'crash' the things to stop them pulling, and even then they can often pick up and fly away. Most kites have a single safety line connected to one of the power lines to ensure that the kite will collapse but you have to be off the harness for that to happen.

Leeway drag would also be a problem IMHO. Maybe some SPONSONS (lol) from the sponson guy would help (god help me if I've woken him up again!!).

Cause its fer-sherr that no one else will !!!

Penny, how did the kite flying experiment go?

Can't say I've ever seen what you're describing but it reminds me of something I saw some 25 years ago when I was in Boy Scouts. We were on a canoe trip and were on the last day and nearing the end of the trip. The wind was blowing pretty hard that day but hadn't really been a problem until we were coming up on a bend with just about sheer cliffs on either side. The wind was really ripping through there at I'd say around 40 mph. My buddy and I were paddling for all we were worth and making little headway when around the bend came a canoe with a sail they had rigged using a tarp and two paddles. The guy in front was working the sail pretty well while the one in back simply sat there using another paddle for a rudder. We turned gren with envy at the ease with which they flew past us. I always thought that would be fun to try sometime.