This from Peter Lynn's email newsletter:
"What's new this month?
For some time we've been developing special Arc kites for buggying,
boarding, snow kiting and kitesailing. The characteristics are different to
those required for kitesurfing, with emphasis on upwind performance,
de-power and top end rather than water re-launchability and the low speed
grunt that kitesurfers require to pull them back up onto the plane after
jumps and slow speed turns. Currently we are offering this range (to be
called FARC 2's) in 6m, 9m and 13m (flat area) sizes only but will be adding other sizes month by month, including much larger kites (probably 30m and bigger) for the coming sport of kitesailing.
I had some intimations of their performance when using earlier versions in
the Nevada and California deserts during April but the latest 6m I had at
Fano for buggying was a revelation.
Traditional buggy kites- bridled foils and C Quads- are strongly established
and offer handling characteristics that make them secure in their niche but
I believe that arch style kites (of the inflated tube and ram air type) are
about to move out from their kitesurfing base and find growing acceptance
for general kitetraction activities.
Part of this comes as a cross benefit from the huge R and D investment that has gone into kitesurfing. Probably few dedicated buggiers, boarders, or snow kiters yet realise just how good kitesurfing kites have become.
There are differences which may slow their acceptance:
One is the general use of bars instead of handles- but actually this is
completely optional- normal 4 line handle sets work very well with FARC 2's for those who prefer not to adapt to the more usual bar system.
Different techniques are also required to launch and land arch style kites.
We have developed an effective single person launching systems for Arcs but some experience and skill is required to ensure safety. Kitesurfers help each other with launching and landing- to the extent that doing so has
become a behavioral marker of the kitesurfing community. I expect that
other kite traction exponents will develop this way also as their use of
arch style kites become more common.
I have also had some concern about the inability to easily park Arcs on the
ground while resting etc., as is usual for bridled 'foils, but now realise
that the answer is to leave them parked up in the air. Unlike 'foils or C
Quads, Arcs require almost no attention when left tethered by their de-power loop. If the lines are balanced they will often fly reliably as single line kites for long periods- and with very little pull.
In the end, superior upwind performance, 30%+ de-power on demand and
stability that is in a totally different league will be hard to ignore.
Initially, FARC 2's will be available ex-NZ only. They will be supplied
directly from here to dealers and re-sellers worldwide. Prices and
availability on application to
www.peterlynnkites.com