staying upwind

In lightervwinds I use an old dinosaur 15m.
And I can't understand why it struggles to go upwind.

I have the same kite in 11m & 7m and its fantastic. The 11m is the nicest kite and its always simple to stay upwind even when underpowered.
I used my 11m last week when others were riding 17m (my big dinosaur was being repaired).... And although I wasn't going as fast or have as much power as the boys on the 17m, I was still able to stay upwind and comfortably load & pop.

The next week, my 15m dinosaur is back in action but its just impossible to get upwind....... It seems sorta strange to me...... I had plenty of power, and even when I edge much harder than normal this kite just hates going upwind.

Admittedly they are older kites (circa 09)....
I'm wondering if over the years the change shape from stretch and how much of this could affect my upwind ability.

So what can actually cause a kite to hate going upwind?

Is it normal to have different sizes of the same kite that behave so differently?

My dinosaur has a few repairs, could this be affecting its upwind ability?
Is there anything I can do to fix it?

Has anybody else had acquiver of the same kite and found one of the sizes is poop to fly?

What's your thoughts??

Too open a face to the wind can do it also
Longer power lines ,
If you've sufficient wind trim it back a bit

Bigger kites have far thicker leading edges and more material. This equates to far more drag which increases exponentially as you increase velocity somewhat negating the benefit of the huge benefit of apparent wind in lighter conditions. In gusts they also will pull you down wind quickly.

Try keeping the kite really high in the window to minimise this extra drag and provide you with extra lift so you can go slower. This was the only thing which worked for me on my old 17m dinosaur until I sold it and gave up on big kites..

I've got a similar issue I've got a 12m SB and stay upwind great with that from 18knots, (range up to 30knots) but when I use my 17m Core Lw even when I feel powered up I struggle to make gains up wind and got to really focus to hold ground.

I don't use the 17m Core LW, very often and find it does take a lot more finesse to find the sweet spot. I used it yesterday at Brighton Le sands (botany bay NSW) started in 16-19knots and felt right at the upper limit in the gusts and was smoking upwind and wishing for more trim to de-power. As soon as the wind dropped to 14-16knots I was lucky to hold ground. Still happy with the session as a lot of other kiters at that point stayed on the beach but it was a constant battle to stay upwind even though I felt like I had plenty of power and was edging hard.

I think I'll use longer lines next time, for bigger power strokes and probably just more practice! (But interested what people suggest)

(All the chop from the bloody jet ski's doesn't help either!)

I've got a 140*43 board and I'm 110kgs

Tav,

I find with light wind kiting in the conditions you summarize yesterday that in the lulls you really need to change your riding technique. Get the kite high in the window and really push your hips forward to take as much weight off your feet and the edge of the board. As the gusts come through you need to then resume your usual stance and edge harder. I have two LW kites a 19m Core XR3 and a Zephyr....(Interesting story how I ended up with two very different LW kites)

Compared to the Zephyr the Core is a beast (its heavy and slow to turn and the leading edge is really thick) and has such a small wind range. The Core does not sit well at the front of the window so it gets overpowered really easily if its gusty and takes a lot of strength to hold it in a safe position in the gusts. If you have a Core LW IMO you need minimum 27m lines in order for it to behave well in light conditions. In saying all this I do find the Core is optimal in 9 - 14 knots and is a lot of fun on a LW board. You can actually jump quite high in about 12 knots and it provides nice lofty jumps where most other LW kites are just mowing the grass at that wind range with a 110kg rider.

My advice: for your weight invest in a light wind board. I highly recommend the King Gee 150x55 LW board. It performs really well is light and adds easily another 3knots range on the low end. It will get you upwind much more easily and allow you to perfect your light wind riding technique.

If you want a light wind kite that handles gusty conditions really well then you might want to consider dumping the Core and looking at a Zephyr. IMO the best LW kite I have ever ridden.

Dont kite in light winds.

check the line lengths. If the back lines are too short then it might be stalling the kite

The only problem you have with a keel on your board is that you are limited to mowing the lawn. I think good technique is much better to getting up wind than things like keels.