OK so you’ll have to be a fan of The Beat to understand the title but…..
There have been, to my recollection, three detailed and scientific attempts to look at kite spars and their performance; the original from David Lord, an updated version from Simo Salanne, the most recent from Shawn Tinkham. They all try to come up with numbers to reflect each spar’s relative performance and characteristics but how much does this really help us to define what our kite is ?
If you start off with a Standard kite, for a “normal” wind range, what different sparring changes it ?
Standard
This is the benchmark kite. This will have the usual build in terms of reinforcements and the weight of materials. Expect it to be framed in:-
SkyShark - 5PT, P200, Nitro
Avia - G-Force UL/SUL
Icone - White
Aerostuff - Gold
This kite will probably have the broadest wind range and will be used to compare how other versions fly in relation to it. So onto the variations….
SUL
This would be trying to be the minimum weight for a particular kite design. Whilst it may fly indoors, that isn’t really it’s purpose. It will probably have a reduced weight build with minimal reinforcements, lighter weight materials and maybe even a revised sail. Often these kites really only work in a limited sense of the word – they may fly in a suggestion of wind but rarely perform nearly as well as the Standard kite and can be frighteningly fragile. An SUL should really be able to take to the skies quite easily in about as much wind as most people can feel (2mph/3kmh) and will be taken down again in not much more than that too.
SkyShark - 2P, 2PT
Avia - Skinny
Icone - Yellow
UL
A lower weight from standard without going to the extremes of the SUL. Maybe same build, maybe some lightening (LE dacron, etc.). You’ll be hoping for at least similar performance to the Standard but with a lower minimum wind speed (and, as a payoff, lower maximum wind speed). Reduced mass can mean that tricks can be far more difficult (as many use momentum) but these can be the most satisfying kites in a range, with a more mellow and laid back flying style.
SkyShark - 3PT, P90, P100
Avia - Super Skinny
Icone - Red
Aerostuff - Blue, Silver
L
Same build as Standard but with a slightly reduced frame weight (ie; swapping out 5PT lower spreaders for 3PTs). No more than a tweak to most kites, maybe made for balance or preference as much as anything else.
Heavy
Same build as Standard but increased frame mass to work in higher winds, usually to the same state as a Vented kite. When your Standard is clearly under stress and tricks just get blown down before you complete them, a Heavy can be just the thing.
SkyShark - 7PT, 8P, P300, P400
Avia - G-Force STD
Aerostuff - Gold
Also note that “stuffing” a Standard kite’s frame (with 6mm pultrude inside P100~P400) has a similar effect.
Vented
Not only will the sail be modified with mesh panels to reduced pull/sail loading but also with around the beefiest framing available (see Heavy) although maybe also using more durable pultrude spars for LEs (flex more but bend further before breaking).
Indoor kites
A true indoor kite is a specific design, intended to float and glide, not just an SUL. It will have a reduced weight build although balance is more important that absolute minimum weight usually use lightest possible spars.
SkyShark - 2P, 2PT
Avia - Skinny
Icone - Yellow
So that’s a quick and dirty grouping of kites based on their framing. It’s not absolute (a Standard Fury packs a P400 frame fr’instance) and downsized kites can get away with lighter frames than expected but I think it’s a good general idea of things.
You shouldn’t expect that just cutting the mass of a kite with lower and lower weight spars will necessarily do that much for a kite’s minimum wind speed. It’s a game where you quickly run into limited returns and a little more experience with a kite (and generally) will probably have at least as much effect in that respect. At the other extreme, Heavy and Vented kites need enhanced durability as much as anything else so simply jamming in a reframe of 7PT might work right up until the point it breaks.
