Launching Foil Kites from a Boat

[@TylerKaraszewski]

I've done this on Lake Garda, but with an entirely different approach. Instead of launching from the sailboat, launch from the dinghy, where there's no rigging to get tangled in. Hook up the kite to the rider, and jump off the dinghy. Swim upwind from the boat while unwinding your lines. A helper in the dingy holds the folded-up foil kite.When you've extended your lines to full length, you're now positioned upwind of the dinghy, and you have a helper hold your dry (and still folded) kite in the dinghy. Your helper then unfolds your kite and positions it leading edge up, where they can hold it there while it inflates (the wingtips may be in the water, but this is minor). You can now hot-launch the kite easily as if you were doing a water relaunch, except that you have a helper holding the leading edge of the kite out of the water for you. Once your kite is flying, your helper tosses your board in the water, and you body-drag downwind to the dinghy to get it. Seems easier than this process and doesn't risk tangling the kite in the rigging, nor require switching the kite between people while flying. You can also land the kite onto the dinghy and roll it up in the reverse process.

[@OurKiteLife]

Yeah we saw the option with dinghy, but to be honest it was so wavy at times that it was nearly impossible to stand on it without three points of contact, not to mention it kept hitting the catamaran back and forth. But for sure something to explore next time. Landing onto dinghy and rolling it up and reversing the process for a switch seems like a lot of work

[@claudiomarques2566]

sure this would be better ! that's what i would do, but i swim. lei would be much better !

[@CroLarus]

...We tried and didn't have success whole summer (we don't have a beach) with drift launch in 3-4 m/s wind with 12m2. Also in fastest way we could...-it woos too much water inside-and if we menage to lift it it behave with falling tendency because low wind and weight. I woos afraid to start it from boat until I didn't cover or take off every part on boat on which line or material can hack or rip. Now I'm able to do water-boat launch in 3m/s 6 Knots with 70 years old helper-I use swimming fins-flappers-pinna to swim start upwind-he hold Soul around middle air intake, first sitting and if wind came than hi stand up for few seconds ...wingtips go short in water and we start while i swim upwind for 10 sec. I found out Soul key point is to stay dry! Than life is nice! hahahaah I'm completely beginner (30 year's windsurfer) and I speak about 2-8 m/s conditions measured on boat. As we don't have beach-and we don't have stable wind- Water-boat launch and dry Soul were revolution for me because with flappers I did practice all basic stuff normally you do on ground. Also, in that way it is possible to take time and correct if anything wrong is with lines because kite is secure in non inflated condition in boat. All this is comment from novice-noob and only kitesurfer around! With Soul I'm interested only in low wind conditions for now, in storm I go windsurfing. I love and respect "Our Kite Life" and all videos but also appreciate a lot comment from @TylerKaraszewski ! Thanks to all!

[@scottkeegan1007]

I like the guy that was connected to the kite, Big smile, No sign of panic on his face, as the kit starts to kite loop. That's taking one for the team!! Bon voyage Yuri!!!

[@OurKiteLife]

Haha - it wasn't his first encounter with the boat mast

[@Popas1]

Thank you so much ! Here is a very good contribution to foil kite tutorials ! I've seen so much video that shows it without explaining it, and no-ones was talking about how to land it. Which is the hardest part while kiting from a boat with a foil kite. Everytime I've done it, I was trying sketchy landing on the dingy attached behing my boat. Fortunately it worked well for me, but it it is definitely not the safest option.

[@OurKiteLife]

No problem, hopefully it's useful! We agree - the landing was the trickiest part for us as well. Even after a week on the boat, we're still far from getting it right every time.

[@MarreLirre]

Canada looks really nice this time of the year!

[@OurKiteLife]

Unexpected warm spell ;)

[@johnravensbergen3324]

Really enjoyed this last video. I've never tried a foil kite, but did try an inflatable "dock" from sun deck (5'x 15') behind my sailboat on Lake Okanagan, BC. Did launch a 17 m kite, but the waves made it tougher than expected... Great topic! Look forward to your posts each week.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed! How is kiting on Lake Okanagan? I have family in Kelowna & Armstrong - always wonder if I should bring my kite gear when visiting :)

[@johnravensbergen3324]

@@OurKiteLife There is kiting out of Kelowna from Rotary Beach - but not great wind all that often. The southern end of the lake, Summerland/Penticton end of the lake is better for wind. Generally very few launch sites on the lake due to the trees. However I've launched out of the park just north of summerland yacht club. But warm sunny days and warm water in the summer, plus large rolling waves makes it amazing when it does blow.

[@magnusscholer-eriksen2626]

amazing tutorial now i just need a boat :D

[@OurKiteLife]

haha, thanks!

[@kite666G]

I didn't see this video coming this time around the year… was expecting a bit more cold and snow...enjoy your holiday!!!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! We're home now, so you can expect regular cold water kiting videos to resume soon ;)

[@surfn-]

You guys have such as awesome crew - always travelling together and enjoying kiting as much and often as you can. Definitely missing that tight, community 'feel' in SW Ontario. Definitely have "kite" friends, but I would never be able to organize a trip like this.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! We consider ourselves lucky to be a part of a great kite community. It really drives our love for the sport and this channel! If you're ever visiting Toronto come kite with us :)

[@KL-ju2co]

Def bringing my stoke for boat launches haha. Great explanation, will def save hours of trial and error to launch these

[@OurKiteLife]

Haha good idea! The Stoke would be great for a kite cruise 👍

[@dushinator13]

Love your videos! I live up in Barrie. We just did a trip to the BVIs with family and I had the same boat (moorings 4500). It was great. I brought my kiting gear but no one else on the boat had any experience. I had no issues, and found that the safest way to launch was to run the lines down one hull across the front of the boat and back down the other hull of the cat. I then fed the kite into the water holding onto the center lines as someone followed with the bar, ensuring the lines stayed clean. No foil kites for me! Hope to run into you guys sometime, we also travel to Hatteras every year. I’m looking into Cuba as well👍

[@OurKiteLife]

That's awesome! The BVIs by catamaran is a great trip :) Glad to hear you had no issues kiting from the boat! Hopefully we'll see you on the water in Hatteras, or around Ontario. We kite on Lake Simcoe from time to time too :)

[@dushinator13]

Our Kite Life Definitely! In Ontario I mostly kite lagoon city, Minet’s Point in the spring and wasaga in the fall👍

[@SimonGreenway]

Awesome. You keep getting me looking at foil kites even though I don't need one. Or at least I don't until I've completed my DIY foil board (will cost about £100/$140USD/$170CAD all in!)

[@OurKiteLife]

Let us know how your DIY foil board goes, and do try a foil kite :)

[@siddallj]

Launching a foil kite from a boat, what could possibly go wrong hehe. My Duotone Spirit GT foil just arrived. Can't wait to get a session on it, Looks awesome :)

[@OurKiteLife]

I think we found out ;) Nice - enjoy the new foil!!

[@martinottosson6583]

Old topic, but someone might read... The best is to use a plastic bucket for the lines. Wind them up on the bucket and then it will just release line as a fishing reel on drift launches. If you let too much line out before you drift, there´s always the risk of tangles that gets tightened to a spiderweb when the kite starts to pull. Have the bucket secured with a carabiner and a line to the boat, so you just let it go when you are ready to launch.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks for the tip!

[@ramonanelson6254]

Hit and and miss but seems very difficult. What if a kite manufacturer can make a floatation bag to where the kite is place in and as you unwind the lines it drifts out. As you pull on one side of your lines the kite can come out slowly and start to fill hoping the bridles don't tangle. Anyways just a suggestion as the kite engineers can come up with a cool launch device.

[@ABESuperKiteDay]

It's super easy with a LEI. Just do a deep water pack down on the beach and keep the struts inflated but not the leading edge. Then on the water jump in with the bar and unwind the lines, get the assistant to inflate the kite then throw it into the water once the rider is ready. Or if lines are not connected, get one person to hold the kite upside down from the back of the boat. Then the rider takes the bar into the water and swim the lines upwind to be connected. Much safer than tethering to a boat. To launch a Foil kite from a boat or jet ski I first get the kite ready on land by laying it out lines connected, then pack up but pull the break lines and wrap up about 2m of lines then wrap all lines up and roll the kite up but keep the center of the kite inflated, this helps to launch it in water. Then jump into the water and swim cross wind with the assistant holding the kite, then give the signal and let go, just do a simple relaunch when the kite drifts down wind by pulling the center line. You will get dragged down wind a bit but having the board on your feet will help stop this.

[@OurKiteLife]

sounds doable, with regard to LEI there are so many options. With regard to foil kite...? Have you ever done it? Any critiques on how we did it?

[@ABESuperKiteDay]

@@OurKiteLife 2:46 dont do this because you cant unravel lines faster than the wind can can pull the kite.😬So at this stage just get that dude on the boat to hold the kite then the rider jump into the water and undo the lines at his own pace. 😎 The assistant must hold onto the kite until the rider is ready. This is if the lines are ready to fly. Its safer to flag out the LEI kite and then do this but there is a chance you can tangle up just before launching then you have to reset everything. Lukas from flysurfer has a video. I have some clips in some of mine but not a dedicated tutorial. It's all hands on deck when doing this haha.

[@martinottosson6583]

@@ABESuperKiteDay I prepare the kite on land, then use a plastic bucket to wrap the lines around. Put the kite in the water and let it pull the lines of the bucket. It works like a fishing reel and totally eliminates the scary part of having to unwrap the lines fast from the bar.

[@tub-tube7686]

2:50 ... why not unwrap the lines *before* letting the kite drift away...would be a normal drift lauch?

[@OurKiteLife]

Yes, that would've been the way to go. It was just an honest mistake - one bad launch after hundreds of successful ones that we just happened to get on video

[@jeffholt5783]

@@OurKiteLife Thanks OKL. Where have I heard that before? ;-) I’ve launched LEIs from the stern of catamarans and monohulls using both methods, unwrapping lines first or as the kite drifts away. Both are more prone to tangles than a traditional beach launch. But if you can avoid the tangles, it’s a thrill launching from a boat! And you don’t your gear all sandy!

[@panagiotislibe8536]

you are awesome guys!

[@ignaciosernacampillo9527]

Really cool , never tried foil although probably will b very soon , but for the boat...way to much hustle ;)

[@OurKiteLife]

Haha yeah - if you’re used to LEIs then that’s the way to go on a boat :)

[@LotetaCartel]

Richard missed a session with the best crew from Canada 🤷🏽‍♂️😁 . Great vid

[@OurKiteLife]

haha, thanks!

[@davidgundrum6839]

Boats and LEIs float in harmony - foils do not. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's probably a duck. Next catamaran trip, I'm sticking to inflatables!

[@jeffholt5783]

Fair enough. Personally, I admire OKL's innovative and adventuresome spirit. And their forthright approach and willingness to show that things don't always work out is refreshing.

[@jenetdam]

Hello, I live near Montreal, and good spots are becoming difficult to access for an LEI, waterstart and inflation in the water. could you make 1 video on the subject, and also 1 waterstart with 1 soul from the water? concerning soul, coming from LEI is it solid, or fragile? Thank you

[@OurKiteLife]

Besides our recent catamaran trip, we don't usually do water starts with the Soul (or any LEI kite for that matter). With regard to the Soul - it's pretty solid. We've crashed it, wrapped it around a boat mast and put it in a tree, and it's held up quite well :) lol

[@KitesurfingAcademy]

ThaaaAAAaaank YOUOOO-HOOO-HOOO for this vid, you guys! I think you got the 5 steps wrong though... Here is the bullet-proof safest, PRO verified sequence: 1. Get a crew of likeminded fanatics of kitesurfing together (you got this one right!) 2. Get a keg of your favorite 3. Login to KZbin and subscribe to "Our Kite Life" 4. Wait for the notification --> press PLAY 5. Repeat!!! We tested this sequence and it never fails! And it's safe too! ;)

[@OurKiteLife]

😂😂😂

[@Reviewoutlaw]

Great Video i like how you show the Failures as well this way everyone can learn from them, I was hoping to Visit BVI and rent a Catamaran Which company did you use and how much did it cost?

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks, and yes we debated on showing failures as it doesn't necessarily make us look good but that's real life and stuff goes wrong from time to time, so we decided to include them. We were with Moorings at BVI, full guide will be available tomorrow morning

[@jeffholt5783]

Hey, that looks familiar! ;-) So much fun!

[@OurKiteLife]

It was awesome! :D

[@10schimmelg]

Could you do a video on severe weather? What to do when caught in a thunderstorm?

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks for the suggestion, we'll look into it :)

[@Backmobe]

Under severe weather you will probably be using an ILE anyways

[@pixeldrew]

Mistake was letting the lines out after you let go of the kite. You should start unwinding the lines before letting go of the kite, let the lines drag down wind under the kite. Also don't do this on a small boat with no rescue dinghy, or make sure you can get off anchor quickly to retrieve the kite if anything goes wrong.

[@mathsauvageau]

Agreed. With my kite i usually unwind the lines making a U shape in the water. Then I let go the kite. The chickenloop is anchored to the boat at this stage. I even launch the kite while anchored to the boat and do a quick 12 o’clock change.

[@s2oooo]

Absolutely awesome. 1:54 thank me later such a poser 🤣🤣🤣. When the kite wrapped around the mast. I have found this happens when I jump down from a fixed position to. You have to run back to catch it 🙈🙈🙈💦

[@OurKiteLife]

Hehe, ya - it was good lesson on our first day of kiting from the boat!

[@s2oooo]

@@OurKiteLife kite loop start next time 🙈🙈🙈🤣

[@pauener2455]

The Dude with Rally! What the hell was he expecting?! Just hold the safety- and one steering line and you should be fine.

[@jeffholt5783]

I'm the Dude with the Rally. I wasn't expecting OKL to film my mishap. ;-) Thanks for the pointers.

[@s2oooo]

I wonder if you could have used inflatable dinghy foot pump plus kite pumps to help inflate 😊

[@OurKiteLife]

Probably! We should've just packed our cordless leaf blowers with us :D

[@bernardkriel1]

you almost lost quagmire in the begining clip !

[@collider4378]

lol - I just went through this in the Keys on a houseboat! I went into it with the exact same attitude... how hard could it be??? After some messing about with the bridles snagging everything, I got lucky the first try, but just as the kite was lifting off the water, a squall appeared. Got everything back in just in time. Tried again after it passed, but kite was so wet I couldn't get it to fill enough, and getting that sea anchor back in made a rats nest that I had to take to a beach to unravel. Next time was with the 18m. I found excellent instructions here: kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=932444#p932444 Unrolling half way and filling off the side of the boat clamshell style helped a HUGE amount - makes it much more manageable than opening all the way like you guys did (and I did the day before). But I made the mistake of jumping off the boat and letting the lines out without my board and had to release as I got dragged toward the mangroves. Got everything back in, got the kite out again and this time I was super smart and sat off the back of the kayak tethered to the boat. Which worked great right up until the plastic cleat broke and I went shooting toward the mangroves again. Had just enough time to mostly dry it on the roof of the boat and run to the airport. Another rats nest to unravel when I got home. So never got to actually ride, but was a great learning experience. I feel like I've worked out the bugs and would have no problem next time. Glad you all didn't kill your kites, and great to see you actually worked it out.

[@OurKiteLife]

The struggle is real, lol! That's too bad that you didn't get out for a session on this trip, but sounds like you're ready for the next one. Thanks for sharing the link to the instructions - those are great!

[@collider4378]

@@OurKiteLife I was happy to just play around a little bit, it wasn't technically a kite trip so I took what I could get. Wind was good every day, and plenty of spots there that would have been much easier to launch at, so I do hope to get back there soon. Were you allowed to sail the cat around, or was it moored in the bay as an awesome floating airbnb (like the houseboat we rented)?

[@OurKiteLife]

@@collider4378 nice! We had an experienced skipper on board who knows the BVIs very well, so we did get to sail and explore different spots. It was a great trip - one we hope to repeat in the future :)

[@loicmancienne5634]

Would u guys ever come to Seychelles for a nice holiday it's very beautiful

[@OurKiteLife]

Definitely, looks beautiful!

[@loicmancienne5634]

Alright if u ever come contact me and I can get u a place My mum owns lovely apartments and a big villa I can get u a spot

[@dannyisrael]

do you guys have any used 12m souls for sale?

[@OurKiteLife]

not currently

[@jeffholt5783]

I have a used 12M LEI for sale...and I'll give you the bar for free...LOL!

[@normsbigwindow9379]

On this occasion risk-reward stacks in favour of LEI. Still an interesting vlog none the less.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! Yes, LEIs are much easier to set-up, launch, switch and land from the boat :)

[@indysingh]

"You may be thinking it's just way too much hassle to bring a foil kite on a catamaran..." So you can read minds AND fly kites :). Seriously though, good job. P.S. Don't fly kites directly overhead in gusty conditions- keep it slightly to the side.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks Indy :)

[@mysticpointwatersports204]

This is a great video but does not make up for the fact that you missed posting one last week ;) cant wait to see more footage from the trip "if" you decide to post a video next week.

[@OurKiteLife]

Hey, we posted this one on a Tuesday, instead of making you wait til Friday ;) doesn't that count for something?

[@mysticpointwatersports204]

@@OurKiteLife haha oh yeah ... i guess its been a looong week getting ready for the boat show ... hope you guys make it down. btw some interesting things on this video ... Anna was doing alot of the filming and Yuri was in front of the camera ... hmmmm, actually the cutest part was when he said to pull safety and how he was looking out for you ... awwww. (Meanwhile he completely ignored Fahad who was still hooked in lol)

[@mysticpointwatersports204]

ps... the best way (for an LEI - not sure of a foil) is if that guy tied off or even held onto the kite and stripped the lines completely before letting go of the kite ... otherwise there's no way he could strip the lines fast enough before the kite powers up ... also he could have dunked the kite a under water to get water on the canopy and slow it down from catching the wind ... for some of your viewers that aren't familiar with boat and drift launching techniques. OK 2 more days till the next episode :)

[@loicmancienne5634]

Hi guys huge fan I've been watching from the start love ur guys vids

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks so much, we appreciate the support! :)

[@markusbroyles1884]

Sooooooo.... basically find a nice sandbar ... Island, lagoon maybe. 😆😂🤣

[@OurKiteLife]

Haha, yeah - not a bad idea! It's doable from the boat, but preferable from the beach :)

[@nicolasboudet9302]

Wouldn’t it be a safer option to wrap your bar on the beach with the safety line fully pulled out and rolled upper the other lines On the boat you will start to connect your leach, unwrap the safety line part first, then the bar, up to let pull the safety line So the unwrapping will be made with great difference between lines, avoiding any significant pull before being completed🧐 Am I right?😎 In addition I will not let go the kite before full unwrap of the bar as it could be very dangerous🥶 If I may, I would be interested to see if you have any technique to relaunch your soul from the water when wrapped as a butterfly as it was after one of your first fail🤓

[@barryfunk3368]

Use those kites to propel your boat

[@NeilMarcellini]

Step 1: go to a damn beach!

[@plosleif]

Sorry, but this does not really make sense. Why drift launch a foilkite when you have a dinghy to lauch the kite from? We drop the kiter in the water, having the kite itself on board our dinghy, letting the dinghy drift down wind while the kiter unwraps the lines from the bar. Then, when the lines are taught, we launch the kite from the dinghy. Almost fail proof, no risk of entanglement in rigging, the kite being a mess or full of water etc. If not wanting to lay in the water while unwrapping the lines, one would sit at the stern of an anchored boat. The rest of the procedure would be the same. This also frees you up from even needing a beach at all.

[@Lukaos23]

Isnt it the spot where Obama went kiting?

[@OurKiteLife]

indeed! We were on the lookout for him but didn't see him unfortunately :(

[@DariusTrap]

resumo, gente rica fazendo merda com equipamento, e eu um pobre fodido tratando meu equipamento velho com maior carinho do mundo.

[@hugo.wigglesworth]

Why would bother

[@OurKiteLife]

Why wouldn't you? Couldn't imagine visiting the BVIs and not kiting!

[@DC-ns6vo]

Laurie is the hottest girl ever.....