Revolution 1.5 Vented (Custom)

Revolution 1.5 SLE Vented (Custom)

I had been thinking about a vented kite for some time as flying a standard Revolution (EXP or 1.5 SLE) in strong winds isn't much fun as the kite becomes very fast and very sensitive. Given the point is having the kite under your control rather than the winds, this defeats the point of flying the Revolution in the first place.

I also always got the feeling, both with my custom 1.5 and the commercial EXP, that they weren't really designed for strong winds and if I persisted bits would start to fall off.

So in March 2004 I started work on a vented sail for the existing SLE spars - I wanted (as usual) as simple, but striking sail design - and one that would accommodate the vents easily. After messing around a bit I came up with the design used and in flight it looks very nice.

Made: April 2004

Details

Width : 234 cm Height : - cm Depth : - Weight : - g

Spars : Revolution SLE Carbon Fibre Sail : Ripstop Nylon

Wind Range : 15+ mph (but possibly more!)

Cost : About £15 for the fabric (2m of Ripstop, 6m of Mesh, 3m Dacron). All spars were reused from the 1.5 SLE as both kites won't be in use at the same time.

Pictures

Good Things

Generates little pull in strong winds.
Accurate and smooth.
Does all the Rev like things.
Looks very good in the sky (but as I designed the sail I would say that).

Bad Things

Doesn't work at all in lower wind speeds!
Kite is liable to get more damaged due to its use in higher winds.

Final Thoughts

Very good - works very well in the sort of winds that the Revolution 1.5 SLE doesn't like. Generates very little pull and maintains accurate flight.

It won't be the most frequent flyer in my kite bag since it's designed for the really strong wind days, but it will have a place.

Update February 2021

This kite has had a surprising amount of use since it was made. Along the way I broke spars, tore holes in the leading edge and generally a lot of wear and tear. Like the Custom 1.5 SLE I made the ripstop is cheap and has degraded over time. In 2017 I made a replacement - same sail pattern but multi-coloured panels and retired the original to be the vented sail for my "travel kite".

Links

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