Just had a really fun experience:
Bought a large 30-square-foot parafoil kite with strong kiteline.
Paddled into strong wind for a fairly long distance.
Threw the big parafoil into the air.
Wind caught parafoil kite.
Kayak moved very fast.
Much fun!

Did keep sheers on hand in case line tangled or got dangerous.

Plan to try this more in the future.

I trust you have the ability to "dump" air out of the kite in case the kite
dumps you.

Brian B

Bought a large 30-square-foot parafoil kite with strong kiteline. Paddled
into strong wind for a fairly long distance.
Threw the big parafoil into the air.
Wind caught parafoil kite.
Kayak moved very fast.

You probably want to attach yourself with a lifeline to your kayak.
Otherwise you may find yourself swimming and you kayak is gone with the
wind.
A few years back seakayaker magazine described a fatal case resulting
out of such a setting, so this is a real danger.
But I agree, it sounds like a lot of fun

UH

kayak doc john wrote:

Just had a really fun experience:
Bought a large 30-square-foot parafoil kite with strong kiteline.
Paddled into strong wind for a fairly long distance.
Threw the big parafoil into the air.
Wind caught parafoil kite.
Kayak moved very fast.
Much fun!

Did keep sheers on hand in case line tangled or got dangerous.

Plan to try this more in the future.

Parafoil kite doesn't offer the same safe guards as kitesurfing kites .
I would go with kitesurfing equipment for easy out of a dangerous
situation over parafoil . You also get the benefit of launch the kite if
it goes into the water.

This was done in the Carquinez Straits, where the Sacrament River meets the
San Francisco Bay, several years ago using 3 stackable parafoil kites up to
15 feet across, and a 12 foot aluminum skiff. He had to have crank handles
mounted on the sides of his boat to control the guide lines which were 250
lb. test, but was clocked at 48 mph, on the water. Imagine that rush!!!


"kayak doc john" wrote in message
om...
Just had a really fun experience:
Bought a large 30-square-foot parafoil kite with strong kiteline.
Paddled into strong wind for a fairly long distance.
Threw the big parafoil into the air.
Wind caught parafoil kite.
Kayak moved very fast.
Much fun!

Did keep sheers on hand in case line tangled or got dangerous.

Plan to try this more in the future.

Greg Dunlap wrote:

This was done in the Carquinez Straits, where the Sacrament River meets the
San Francisco Bay, several years ago using 3 stackable parafoil kites up to
15 feet across, and a 12 foot aluminum skiff. He had to have crank handles
mounted on the sides of his boat to control the guide lines which were 250
lb. test, but was clocked at 48 mph, on the water. Imagine that rush!!!

Don't think I want to try that with my kayak. The Carquinez Strait was
where I first tried out my beach umbrella for downwind 'sailing' - not as
much power as a parafoil but easier to deploy and control.
http://206.40.48.186/uploads/UMBRELLA2.JPG

"kayak doc john" wrote in message
om...

Just had a really fun experience:
Bought a large 30-square-foot parafoil kite with strong kiteline.
Paddled into strong wind for a fairly long distance.
Threw the big parafoil into the air.
Wind caught parafoil kite.
Kayak moved very fast.
Much fun!

Did keep sheers on hand in case line tangled or got dangerous.

"Peter" wrote in message
news:qNRwb.230269$9E1.1254532@attbi_s52...
Greg Dunlap wrote:

This was done in the Carquinez Straits, where the Sacrament River meets
the
San Francisco Bay, several years ago using 3 stackable parafoil kites up
to
15 feet across, and a 12 foot aluminum skiff. He had to have crank
handles
mounted on the sides of his boat to control the guide lines which were
250
lb. test, but was clocked at 48 mph, on the water. Imagine that rush!!!

Don't think I want to try that with my kayak. The Carquinez Strait was
where I first tried out my beach umbrella for downwind 'sailing' - not as
much power as a parafoil but easier to deploy and control.
http://206.40.48.186/uploads/UMBRELLA2.JPG

"kayak doc john" wrote in message
om...

Just had a really fun experience:
Bought a large 30-square-foot parafoil kite with strong kiteline.
Paddled into strong wind for a fairly long distance.
Threw the big parafoil into the air.
Wind caught parafoil kite.
Kayak moved very fast.
Much fun!

Did keep sheers on hand in case line tangled or got dangerous.
Cool but can you see where you are going ?
John

Actually, one has a lot more control that you can imagine. First of all,
the kites are 150 feet away from you and thus about 60 + feet up in the air
above the water. If you keep the handles level, the kites will pull
straight forward. If you pull left they turn left and so on. The distance
you pull determines the amount of variance from center that they will head
for. One actually has about 65 degrees from center to play in or an arch of
approximately 130 degrees to play with. Of course the more you cause the
kites to travel away from center, the less pull is generated because they
are spilling the wind force to maintain that heading.

So if you have a large body of water such as a lake, and the wind is blowing
straight across it, you could have a lot of fun. I don't recommend using 3
stacked kites unless you work up to this level but if you start with one
parafoil of say 6 to 8 feet and go from there. Consider the looks you would
get when you pass the power boats.


Don't think I want to try that with my kayak. The Carquinez Strait was
where I first tried out my beach umbrella for downwind 'sailing' - not
as
much power as a parafoil but easier to deploy and control.
http://206.40.48.186/uploads/UMBRELLA2.JPG

Greg Dunlap wrote:

Actually, one has a lot more control that you can imagine. First of all,
the kites are 150 feet away from you and thus about 60 + feet up in the air
above the water. If you keep the handles level, the kites will pull
straight forward. If you pull left they turn left and so on. The distance
you pull determines the amount of variance from center that they will head
for. One actually has about 65 degrees from center to play in or an arch of
approximately 130 degrees to play with. Of course the more you cause the
kites to travel away from center, the less pull is generated because they
are spilling the wind force to maintain that heading.

Yes, I've tried it with a single kite but had some problems when the wind
changed frequently. Carquinez Strait often has a pretty steady west wind,
but in other places the wind would die down and I found myself catching up
to the kite as it then fell into the water.
Don't think I want to try that with my kayak. The Carquinez Strait was
where I first tried out my beach umbrella for downwind 'sailing' - not

as

much power as a parafoil but easier to deploy and control.
http://206.40.48.186/uploads/UMBRELLA2.JPG