HQ Hydra

by Jenny
(Toronto, ON , Canada)

Hi I have a few questions about the Hq Hydra.

1. If left long enough in the water would it ever sink?

2. How do you inflate and deflate the kite

3. Can you use it in a kayak - if you can how do you get started.

Comments for
HQ Hydra

Click here to add your own comments

Jul 05, 2010

It Would...
by: Glen - KiteboardingEvolution.com

Hi Jenny,

Thanks for the question.

If left long enough, the Hydra would eventually sink. All of the cells at the front of the kite are sealed except for two that are covered with a fine mesh. This mesh allows air to flow in and out slowly, but it effectively traps it there for short periods. It's like an air mattress with a few pinholes - jumping on it won't force much air out (but you might pop it), but it will slowly leak air over time.

If the kite was to sit with it's leading edge down on the water for a long time, it would eventually get water in it and "flounder'. I say 'flounder' because I think it would take a long time to completely fill up. This would take some time though (and to be honest, I have never tested the time it would take to sink the Hydra).

Inflate/Deflate - The kite is inflated by holding it into the wind (either by hand, or using the lines) and allowing air to enter the mesh openings. It takes a bit longer to inflate than the standard open cell kite because the mesh limits the amount of air that can enter (and escape). Once the kite is filled with air and flying, the movement of the kite keeps it filled up.

To deflate, you can just start packing the kite up and the air will leave via the front. There is also a zipper on the back that you can open to deflate faster (and clean the kite out).

You can use it in the kayak, and it would be pretty fun to play with. What I would do is get everything set up (kayak, kite, etc...), and when I was 100% ready to go I'd launch the kite, park it, and get into the kayak (the definition of parking is here). It would be a bit tricky parking the kite for that long and getting into the kayak, but it's an important skill to learn. If the kite crashed, you could always re-launch it.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

Thanks!

Glen
KiteboardingEvolution.com

Jul 11, 2010

Kite sailing a canoe
by: Andrew

Whats your thoughts on sailing a canoe. Do you think its safe. Do you think the lines should be connected to the canoe or the rider (me).

Jul 13, 2010

With a Canoe
by: Glen - KiteboardingEvolution.com

Hey Andrew,

My first thought is "why not?", but then a little cautioning voice pipes up in my head.

Using a kite like this in a canoe would work for certain, but there are some things to be careful of.

I don't think attaching the kite to the canoe is the best option. First of all, if you attach the kite to the canoe itself, you need to have a way to deactivate it (kill it's power). You would need a way to get the kite OFF the canoe if something went wrong. The last thing you want is to fall out, and have a canoe ripping down a lake away from you. You also don't want an out of control spiraling kite. So, if you were to do this, you could attach the kite to a harness strap with an emergency release that you could trip to activate the safety leash. In my mind though, this scenario has a lot of things that could go wrong (and believe me, I'm used to things going south).

Sitting in the canoe with the kite attached to you would eliminate chance of an out of control canoe, but it increases the chances of you banging yourself up. This option would allow you to steer and depower the kite normally, but it creates issues with how the kite's power is transferred to the canoe (which would be through you!).

If you get pulled out of your seat, you could easily be smacked into the side of the canoe or pulled overboard (and this happens a lot faster than you think). I can also see steering the canoe being a problem (unless you have more than one person or are going downwind). I don't think strapping yourself to the canoe would be a good idea (for obvious reasons).

In my mind, this would work best if you were only traveling down wind, the winds weren't very strong (and consistent would be preferred), and had someone there to help steer and lend a hand. I can see that working out, but like I said above, I can imagine a lot of situations where things could go wrong.

I would be a hypocrite if I said "don't do this, it's unsafe", but if you DO decide to give it a shot, please think about all of the things that can go wrong and have a foolproof safety plan. Kites are fun and you can do a lot with them, but they're also extremely powerful and need to be respected.

Be Safe!

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Trainer Kite Questions and Answers