New Kite Materials - cuts weight in half

Last post
1
webguy
Randy's picture
Randy
Offline
Joined: 05/05/2002 - 10:38
Posts: 4656
New Kite Materials - cuts weight in half

Found this on one of the boards I follow. Ocean Rodeo has been working on a new set of much lighter frame and bladder materials. Also 10x stronger. This could be quite useful in a places with erratic, light winds. They say it is much stiffer so fewer struts are needed and higher pressures can be used. On the market in 2020. BTW - this could also make inflatable sails much more effective as lack of stiffness is the limiting factor with them.

Just a wild guess - won't be cheaper.

What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.

1 Like
webguy's picture
webguy
Offline
Joined: 12/31/2000 - 22:01
Posts: 13785
Re: New Kite Materials - cuts weight in half

Sounds like an Alula kite and foil will save someone almost two kite sizes. It'll also be interesting to see this in luff materials of windsurfing sails.

Please don't tell Rogier about this... he already foils in nothing. Biggrin

0 Like
Randy's picture
Randy
Offline
Joined: 05/05/2002 - 10:38
Posts: 4656
Re: New Kite Materials - cuts weight in half

I was thinking no reason if couldn't be used in WS sail as well. It is much lighter than the monofilm or x-ply stuff in use now. So the whole sail (except for window) could be made using this.

I found 4 mil x-ply 4.2 oz per "sailmakers yard" (27" x 54") or about 120 gms/sqm. The ulula is 70 - so you could probably make a sail at about half the weight of a conventional sail. Of course, sails already cost a lot now.......Maybe a Superfreak type sail made with ulula and rip stop.

What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.

1 Like
webguy
toolman3336
Offline
Joined: 07/20/2018 - 19:40
Posts: 85
ulula

Perhaps if ulula is stiffer there could be fewer battens in WS sails Battens cost lots. Sails could have fewer cuts and sleeves to save cost. Just a thought. From Pat P.

0 Like
webguy's picture
webguy
Offline
Joined: 12/31/2000 - 22:01
Posts: 13785
Re: New Kite Materials - cuts weight in half

Pat, Good idea. With better battens and design, we've already been seeing fewer and fewer battens on especially small sails. A few examples. (not counting half battens, etc)
4 (Ezzy)

3 (HotSails Maui)

2 (S2Maui)

1 Biggrin (Windsurfer LT)

and zero Lol (Duotone)

The well-regarded Simmer 2CX (twin cam) only has 6 battens all the way through the biggest sail, 8.5. Sailwork's Flyers also have reduced numbers of battens even while sporting cams.

0 Like
gene_mathis's picture
gene_mathis
Offline
Joined: 05/17/2002 - 05:00
Posts: 2143
Re: New Kite Materials - cuts weight in half

How about use it for inflatable boards, stiffer and lighter?

Gene

Gene Mathis

0 Like
Randy's picture
Randy
Offline
Joined: 05/05/2002 - 10:38
Posts: 4656
Re: New Kite Materials - cuts weight in half

That's interesting. On the Ozone video the guy commented that combined with the new bladder material they could get kite pressures up to 30 PSI or more. For inflatable boards 15 is considered good enough for SUPs, and inflatable windsurfers are claimed to be using 20+. So it seems very possible to use that construction rather than heavier drop stitch PVC. Also, higher pressures would allow use of smaller but stiffer masts and booms on inflatable sails, which would improve their performance as well.

Questions do come to mind on how easy the stuff is to cut and sew assuming that would be the construction technique as opposed to gluing. Finally, there is is issue of CO$T, which is unknown.

What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.

0 Like
webguy's picture
webguy
Offline
Joined: 12/31/2000 - 22:01
Posts: 13785
Re: New Kite Materials - cuts weight in half

The downside of inflatable boards with higher pressures is the amount of air you would require and the additional effort to get it in the board.

If you go from 15 to 30 psi you'll double the amount of air you'll need to pump in (if my elemental knowledge of gas pressure holds). Moreover, higher pressure pumps move a lesser volume of air with each stroke (since reducing the piston area makes it easier to reach higher pressures).

This might be offset by being able to use thinner boards but then you lose the volume that make inflatable boards attractive to some.

Nonetheless, I am interested in where this leads. Better inflatable boards, foils and compact rigs using 370 masts will mean more people can stuff their gear into smaller cars and the shipping expense of gear will be reduced significantly.

0 Like
Randy's picture
Randy
Offline
Joined: 05/05/2002 - 10:38
Posts: 4656
Re: New Kite Materials - cuts weight in half

I don't think you would need to go all the way to 30 PSI, but in any case, an electric pump would probably be required. I can barely get my SUP up to 15 pounds. I'd still love to see an inflatable sail made from either drop stitch or ulula+ stronger bladder.

BTW - a google search for ulula produces nothing. I'm guessing that is just a name that Ocean Rodeo came up with. There is a super light material called cuben fiber first used in the America's Cup sails (92). Aerotech (I think) made some prototype WS sails from it. But it was about 2x the cost of a conventional material and it seems the project went nowhere. They changed the name to dyneema fabric. Could it be the same stuff? Or maybe just a minor variation?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuben_Fiber

What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.

0 Like
webguy's picture
webguy
Offline
Joined: 12/31/2000 - 22:01
Posts: 13785
Re: New Kite Materials - cuts weight in half

From the video description: ALUULA Biggrin (web site doesn't have anything yet)

Fortunately, kiters spell better than us windsporters.Aluula ? New Revolutionary Material from Ocean Rodeo

0 Like
webguy's picture
webguy
Offline
Joined: 12/31/2000 - 22:01
Posts: 13785
Re: New Kite Materials - cuts weight in half
0 Like
moredownhaul's picture
moredownhaul
Offline
Joined: 05/10/2007 - 07:28
Posts: 1610
Re: New Kite Materials - cuts weight in half

17 meter @ $2,895.00

Jeez I though foiling was expensive.

Alan

0 Like
webguy's picture
webguy
Offline
Joined: 12/31/2000 - 22:01
Posts: 13785
Re: New Kite Materials - cuts weight in half
moredownhaul wrote:

17 meter @ $2,895.00

Jeez I though foiling was expensive.

https://windsportatlanta.com/comment/47481#comment-47481 Lol

0 Like