G'Day everyone.
Just got out on the water for the first couple of times. Was very light conditions and only got a couple of down wind runs and the kite was flying very forward in the window and I couldnt seem to maintain the sweet spot.
I think that I may have also been trying to edge upwind a bit to hard.
My problem is that I dotn know whether its my piloting or set up that is causing it.
Anyone knows what I might be doing or how to fix it. Or is this simply a a result if tryignt to kite in conditions that are too light?
Cheers
The dos is a very fast kite and if you ride underpowered will sit on the edge of the window like all kites but when you hit the sweet spot it just wants accelerate. in lighter conditions pull on a couple of inches of depower fly the kite aggresivly down and sheet out a bit when going up billd your speed and bring on a progressive edge but stay light on your board using your legs to distribute the power more evenly. If this doesnt work for you just go and get some line extensions they increase the power generated by flying your kite up and down you may find you just need a gentle up and down motion. if this doesnt work get a surf or skimboard and have some fun riding strappless you only need half the power. have fun
I had the same thing when i was learning. The gentle up and down at the edge of the window helps maintain the power in light conditions. Just up and down about 6-7m. If you can handle that, it can also help to sheet-in (only a little) on the down stroke and sheet-out on the up stroke, but all kites fly differently in that respect.
agree with waxman, depower a bit and get a skim or surf board .
light wind can be fun if you have the right board .if you dont it can be very frustrating .
getting a skim board will enhance your riding too. plus who likes sitting on the beach waiting?
cheers have a great xmas hope santa brings you a skimboard
[ha ha}
Thanks guys.
The skimboard sound like a great idea, have been thinking of expanding the quiver.
I am able to the kite up and down in the window and will work on the sheeting in and out.
I have been tuning my kite for more power in light conditions, but from what you have all said I should be doing the exact opposite and detuning in lighter conditions. Why is this? It seems logical to me that in lighter conditions you would need more power from the wind that is there and hence tune for more power... Tuning is probably my biggest knowledge gap at the moment.
Thanks again.
Yeah, I've been testing these kites out all season so far for my personal kite in our school. The 12 sits back more than the smaller sizes, giving less upwind ability. A little de-power helps her fly much better. I have never had a 12m kite that could turn so fast. On down-loop jumps it actually holds you up rather than dropping you. Try a 10m and work her harder. It's really close to the power of a 12 if you trim her right. Light wind flying is all about edge control and keeping the board flatter on the water. Some people find they can't jump high with them too, but it's a matter of coming off your edge more and screaming out against the kite as you place it at 12- 12:30 and then sheeting in. Down-looping takes on new heights with these babies.
I use a 10m dos and CB tempo 135.
To put into perspective how bad the conditions were, my mate couldnt even get up on his 15m Waroo. 
. But the Dos was getting me going 
just not for long
. I felt that there as enough wing there but could get the kite to stay in the power zone, no matter how hard i worked it, it kept creeping forward and out of the power.
I think my problem is a poor understanding of setup and adjustments. I know a lot of this will come with trial and error as i gain experience. Has anyone already gone through this already and figured out what works with the Dos in different conditions.
Will really help me get down the basics so I can focus of progressinf this season.
more power in light conditions causes over sheeting you will notice this mainly when you go to steer the kite up to understand this better next time you go out in light conditions try making the bottom turn powered up notice how the kite stalls it at stages can fly backwards in severe oversheeting, then ease out the bar you will notice the kite will fly forward aggresivly generating power. when you find where your kite has its power you can depower to suit it will depend on board size and riding style when you have the kite tuned corectly it will turn better smoother and not feel so on/off allowing you to fly it without having to constantly sheet in and out. on the other side when you feel more confident in light conditions you can have it more powerd because when you get it going and can gain speed you can sheet in kite more which will generate more pop for tricks-tricks in light conditions dont land with much power so you may have to put in a loop to keep it smooth.
The nobile skimboard is a great light wind toy that will easily plane easy to ride and easy to start on as it will sit on its side against your feet, they edge hard and will definatly help you increase your skill level, but remember there not just for ligh wind as most people think i still take mine out in 25kts for something different if its not to choppy you will start to wonder why you have straps on your TT. good luck with the light winds
I'm trying to come to terms with the feel of the dos, especially riding straight down wind on a wave
I found edging hard forces the kite forward, which helps shed a bit of power if your overcooked, so its a matter of balancing the edge and power. this is similar to most kites
Thanks waxman. I guess the big thing for me will be time on water. Next week is looking good!
thanks for you help everyone.
