TKR - Tow Kite Race
There's only 1 size available in Australia at the moment that's the TKR80 that James Casey has done a few Instagram posts about lately. The first shipment is already 75% sold. There's also a NL100 coming out & a few more things in the works!
check out these links:
www.instagram.com/tv/CM9XH7tnlE9/?igshid=12tvre2dhphbj
www.instagram.com/p/CMvTZaVnSGR/?igshid=1fcui57ygh1pe
info will be up on the GF AUS website soon.
The application for these wings will be interesting to hear about. (Whoops Just read the name TKR-80 = "Tow Kite Race")
I have been foiling the NL190 and NL130 all winter. I weigh 185 or 84 kilos. I started the moniker #TooBigToFoil when Chris Bertish suggested that anything over 8 feet was #TooBigToFoil. 8 feet is an average day here in the winter. Just getting started.
NL190: From 4 - 12 foot faces I will ride the NL190. Using a BIGGER board if it is guaranteed to be 7 to 12 feet.
NL130: From 9 to 15++ foot faces I ride the NL130. Only on a 7' 4" long SUP.
When I am on the NL130 there is NEVER anyone foiling. I am usually out at Mavericks somewhere between 100 yards and 200 yards from the bowl proper takeoff. No one is even on a SUP. The only people out with me will be on 10' and 10' 6" Mavericks Guns trying to catch 10 to 20 foot waves. In other words I am a small, small target audience. I can't even convince any of the other big wave guys to come out with me who know how to foil. They consider it uncivilized.
Bigger waves are faster. The secret sauce to our "Kai" Surf foil was flying slow. . . . The NL130 will handle the waves in the video above. The key is to use a bigger board with a long nose for stability. Or coordinate with a friend, watch the swell, get lucky with timing of tide and sunshine and then add a $10,000 jet ski and you're good to fly :)
PS: Steamroller flying on the NL160 is probably like me flying the NL130. I am not sure how he flies so well but he is ONE of a KIND. Much to live up to.
Select to expand quotejondrums said..
one of these days we need someone to completely cut the tips off an NL and tell us if it still works fine. I'm threatening to do it if I blow one up again, I'm 3 repairs in on my 220.
I rode with only one for a month, 10 sessions or so, and didn't notice any difference. But sadly I am a permanent "advanced intermediate", so the subtleties are hard to pin down. I am going with Alex A knowing better than me -- I don't think he would waste his time and energy putting these on if they didn't help in some way. Now that I know how to rebuild them it's a relatively minor inconvenience.
