Hi Guys,
I know this topic has been flogged before, but what about modern Peter Lynn twinskins versus modern SLE's (water use only)....
Like most kite advertising these kites are advertised as the best at everything which doesn't really make sense (if it did they wouldn't have competitors would they). So the question what are the down sides of these kites & in what areas are these kites worse than LEIs & by how much?
I'm no pro so don't need super duper performance, so for a normal kiter can the twin skins do the job?
How are are they really to re-launch in the water?
Does anyone in Perth offer demos?
Thanks,
CJ
CJ I don't think the arguement has changed over the years, but with the newer bows I think the differences are less. The new bows have the big & smooth depower & are really well balanced. Both water relaunch well, bows better though. The venoms are a nice simple durable cruisier kite but they take more finesse in lighter wind. For me though the real difference is, as a foil, they need apparent wind, let them stop moving & they're just empty, like the wind has stopped.
cheers Col
The main advantage from my perspective is the stability. I really like the waves, and you can just leave a twin skin (to a certain degree) and it will just float back while you're riding the wave. I used to have a 19m venom with a 7'3" minimal, and it was awesome to just let the kite go slack and ride the wave with the board. An inflatable is not as good as this, especially in light winds in my opinion.
Cheers
James
not sure about the aparrent wind thing, I had my 11m Guerilla flying in light but gusty winds recently when my mates 13m inflatable just dropped out of the sky.
In comparison to my vapor the kite felty kinda "spongy" but super stable and really nice steady pull, I haven't had a good session on it yet but it feels like a great park and ride cruiserwith good wave riding traits.
It's a bit like the VHS vs. Betamax / IBM vs. Apple thing, it's not always the best technology that wins out with the critical mass, it's as much about marketing hype and availability that makes things popular
I learnt on Twin skins - and because of the stability , found it a good path. When you wipe out - just letting go the bar, puts the kite up above you, it flies to the zenith when you dont hold the bar. The only way it crashes in the water is if you fly it there. Normally it will relaunch immediately - depending on how it lands.
Relaunch is not such a big issue - because you are really put in the position of having to relaunch.
A normal LEI will fly into the water if its not controlled at the bar.... and so it hits the water more often - mostly when learning..
Twinskins are really easy to self land - because they can just be flagged out to one line.
You self launch the kite, which is handly - but I flew these kites for 6 months and always hated launching - because you always get dragged a bit.... when you have small launch spots =- this is a pain.
Twinskins are less likely to get damaged - and you dont have to worry about punctures....
Twinskins are great kites - and I can see the appeal of them.
But they are slower - and have a lot less low end.
You cant go wrong with them really.
But I do prefer LEI's
The PL's have both good and not so good points.
On the good side the set up time is quick and they launch easily, I can set up and go before LEIs are pumped up. The days of heal draggs are over but I do miss them.
On the bad side if you do stuff the launch then you have to set up again, so take your time and check the lines twice.
They can be tricky if you are learning and overfly your jumps as the kite lines will go slack and they will drift down wind. if you dont catch them promptly they can invert or cause issues. This is probably the same with all kites.
In light winds as long as they stay int he air they go fine. I have had mine on double length lines to give heaps of power stroke, but its boaring anyway in light winds. You do need to keep the board speed up.
In the sutf the actually float above the waves and dont get pushed under the white water, if you happen to down the kite inside the breakers you can usually launch them with a swift pull of the centre lines. and they dont break.
Landing, although you can go to leash, its best to have someone catch them as then the lines do not get tangled and you dont need to setup again. Just a point of interest.
THe apparant wind thing is correnct, you need to keep your board speed up on light days to make them go, bigger boards or longer lines, hence the double length lines. The faster you go the faster the kites want to go.
If you get into any sort of trouble out in the water you can park the kite in the sky and sort your self out.
If you get into troubel and cant fly the kity back then your in for a long swim as you cant sit on the kite like and LEI, the self rescue is in my opinion one of the bigger failings of the kite, especially if your an adventourous learner. After the fourth swim in I decided to practice my tricks closer to shore.
They look great in the air.
They fly well, absorb gusts really well, float well inthe surf, self land, self lauch, no pumps, and you can repair them yourself if your keen, and if your keen to tinker there are always mods that you can do.
They are very durable and last for ever. Most LEI guys are complaining about their kites being clapped out after a season or two, my PL venom has done 2 season and just as good as new, and you can repair them yourself.
Finally you stand out from the crowd, so that in itself is something.
Give one a go if you get a chance,
