Kiteboating

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An early (1984) experimental kite rig being used to pull a boat. 1984. Premier test d'un C-kite par les freres Legaignoux sur une annexe de voilier.jpg
An early (1984) experimental kite rig being used to pull a boat.

Kiteboating or kite boating is the act of using a kite rig as a power source to propel a boat. Kiteboating is a type of surface water sport, but it also has transportation uses [1]

Contents

Equipment

Kiteboating uses different types of gear from kitesurfing. Kites attached to boats can be larger than kites attached to a surfer. For long voyages, the kite rig must be more autonomously controlled. Due to the lifting power of kites, they are often used with hydrofoils. [2]

Points of sail (with a kite buggy) Buggy Winds.jpg
Points of sail (with a kite buggy)

Current kite rigs can be sailed within 50 degrees of the wind. [1] Placing turbines in the boat's hull can let the kite power generate electricity on board. [3]

History

Going back to 1800s, George Pocock used the kites in order to increase the size of propel carts that are found in land and boats.[ citation needed ] Sébastien Cattelan is the French kitesurfer was the first sailor who was able to break 50 knots, achieving 50.26 knots on 3 October 2008 at the Lüderitz Speed Challenge in Namibia. [4] Next, on 14 November 2009, Alex Caizergues achieved a speed of 50.98 knots in Namibia.

Patents

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sailing</span> Propulsion of a vehicle by wind power

Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the water, on ice (iceboat) or on land over a chosen course, which is often part of a larger plan of navigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiteboarding</span> Extreme sport

Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines the aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wakeboarding. Kiteboarding is among the less expensive and more convenient sailing sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power kite</span> Large kite designed to provide significant pull to the user

A power kite or traction kite is a large kite designed to provide significant pull to the user.

Kite types, kite mooring, and kite applications result in a wide variety of kite control systems. Contemporary manufacturers, kite athletes, kite pilots, scientists, and engineers are expanding the possibilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cutter (boat)</span> Type of boat

A cutter is a type of watercraft. The term has several meanings. It can apply to the rig of a sailing vessel, to a governmental enforcement agency vessel, to a type of ship's boat which can be used under sail or oars, or, historically, to a type of fast-sailing vessel introduced in the 18th century, some of which were used as small warships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proa</span> Type of multihull sailboat

Proas are various types of multi-hull outrigger sailboats of the Austronesian peoples. The terms were used for native Austronesian ships in European records during the Colonial era indiscriminately, and thus can confusingly refer to the double-ended single-outrigger boats of Oceania, the double-outrigger boats of Island Southeast Asia, and sometimes ships with no outriggers or sails at all.

Speed sailing is the art of sailing a craft as fast as possible over a predetermined route, and having its overall or peak speed recorded and accredited by a regulatory body. The term usually refers to sailing on water, even though sailing on land and ice is progressively faster because of the lower friction involved. The World Sailing Speed Record Council is the body authorized by the World Sailing to confirm speed records of sailing craft on water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotor ship</span> Ship with Flettner rotors as sails

A rotor ship is a type of ship designed to use the Magnus effect for propulsion. The ship is propelled, at least in part, by large powered vertical rotors, sometimes known as rotor sails. German engineer Anton Flettner was the first to build a ship that attempted to tap this force for propulsion, and ships using his type of rotor are sometimes known as Flettner ships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kite landboarding</span>

Kite landboarding, also known as land kiteboarding or flyboarding, is based on the sport of kitesurfing, where a rider on a surf-style board is pulled over water by a kite. Kite landboarding involves the use of a mountain board or landboard, which is essentially an oversized skateboard with large pneumatic wheels and foot-straps. Kite landboarding is a growing sport, and there are several competitions. Kite landboarding is attracting growing publicity although it is not yet as popular or as well known as kitesurfing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sailing hydrofoil</span> Sailboat with wing-like foils mounted under the hull

A sailing hydrofoil, hydrofoil sailboat, or hydrosail is a sailboat with wing-like foils mounted under the hull. As the craft increases its speed the hydrofoils lift the hull up and out of the water, greatly reducing wetted area, resulting in decreased drag and increased speed. A sailing hydrofoil can achieve speeds exceeding double and in some cases triple the wind speed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Man-lifting kite</span> Kite designed to lift a person from the ground

A man-lifting kite is a kite designed to lift a person from the ground. Historically, man-lifting kites have been used chiefly for reconnaissance. Interest in their development declined with the advent of powered flight at the beginning of the 20th century. Recreational man-lifting kites gradually gained popularity through the latter half of the 20th century, branching into multiple sports. In the 21st century man-lifting kites are often used in kitesurfing, where brief launches can be followed by safe water landings and parasailing, where kites are towed behind a vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trailer sailer</span> Type of sailboat

A trailer sailer is a type of sailboat that has been designed to be easily transported using a boat trailer towed by an automobile. They are generally larger than a sailing dinghy. Trailer sailers include day sailers and small cabin cruisers, suitable for living on.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SkySails</span> Wind energy manufacturer

SkySails Group GmbH is a Hamburg-based company that sells kite rigs to propel cargo ships, large yachts and fishing vessels by wind energy as well as airborne wind energy systems for electricity production from high-altitude winds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind-powered vehicle</span> Vehicle propelled by wind

Wind-powered vehicles derive their power from sails, kites or rotors and ride on wheels—which may be linked to a wind-powered rotor—or runners. Whether powered by sail, kite or rotor, these vehicles share a common trait: As the vehicle increases in speed, the advancing airfoil encounters an increasing apparent wind at an angle of attack that is increasingly smaller. At the same time, such vehicles are subject to relatively low forward resistance, compared with traditional sailing craft. As a result, such vehicles are often capable of speeds exceeding that of the wind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Kiteboarding Association</span>


The International Kiteboarding Association (IKA), is the only kiteboarding class inside the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). The IKA class rules fall in the category of a development class.

Robert "Rob" Douglas is an American professional sailor known for using a kiteboard in speed sailing records attempts. In 2008 Douglas broke the world speed sailing record on a kiteboard, hitting a top speed of 49.84 knots. Douglas again became the holder of the speed record in October 2010 when he was clocked at 55.65 knots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sail</span> Fabric or other surface supported by a mast to allow wind propulsion

A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may be made from a combination of woven materials—including canvas or polyester cloth, laminated membranes or bonded filaments—usually in a three- or four-sided shape.

Kite rigs are wind-assisted propulsion systems for propelling a vehicle. They differ from conventional sails in that they are flown from kite control lines, not supported by masts.

<i>Black Pearl</i> (yacht) Sailing yacht launched in 2016

Black Pearl is a sailing yacht launched in 2016, which is 106.7 meters (350.1 ft) in length. It has three DynaRig masts supporting a sail area of 2,900 square meters (31,215 sq ft). The yacht was known during its build process originally as Oceanco Y712 and thereafter as "Project Solar". The hull is steel, the superstructure aluminum, and the masts carbon fiber. The yacht is owned by the family of Russian billionaire Oleg Burlakov, who died in 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 Skysails, Captain John Konrad, Mariners Weather Log, April 2009, Volume 53, No. 1, National Weather Service
  2. The Kiteboat Project, interview of Don Montague by Paul Lang, The Kiteboarder, December 14, 2012.
  3. "Home". energykitesystems.net.
  4. "New World Speed Record 50.26 knots". sail-world.com. 4 October 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2017.