- A Moment for Life -

Ruby

Vida

Kite

A high performance foil kite for racing and airstyle

Minimalistic bridle layout
Morphing aerofoil
Cord Cut Billow (CCB)
ALULA - software de simulación

Specs

	TEN	FIFTEEN
Área (m²)	10	15
Peso de la vela (kg)	2	2.5
Número de líneas principales (A/B/C)	3
Cajones	51	59
Alargamiento real	6.6	6.9
Cuerda media (m)	1.6	1.9
Envergadura real (m)	8	10
Wind range foil racing / twintip freestyle (knots)	15 - 32	12 - 22
Wind range foil freeride (knots)	8 - 22	7 - 15
Recommended line lengths - freeride (m)	17 - 18
Recommended line lengths - racing (m)	10 - 12

Info

The wind is an unpredictable traveller. It’s in constant evolution, in constant fluctuation, yet here we are, chasing its perfection. Training our acuity, refining our tools, in the hopes of understanding this transient energy on a deeper level.

The Vida is a product of patience and meticulous attention to detail, capable of redefining your connection to the elements and finding true pleasure.

A glide of meditation, a buttery soothing sensation of pushing the limits of speed. A moment that will stick with you. A moment for life.

– Dorian LeBihan

+ + + + +

Tech

Minimalistic bridle layout

A huge number of structural simulations were performed in order to minimise line consumption and reduce the number of attachment points. As a result, the kite has the simplest bridle line layout of any foil kite for it's class. So the lines do not tangle easily and you will be up and ready in seconds.

Morphing aerofoil

The shape of the kite's aerofoil is designed to change when it is powered or depowered. As a result, the power to depower ratio is exceptional. Powered up, a high-camber aerofoil provides all the lift you need; Depowered, the aerofoil turns into a low-lift, super stable reflex profile, so wyou can have absolute confidence when overpowered, even in the worst conditions.

Cord Cut Billow (CCB)

La tecnología Cord Cut Billow ha sido desarrollada para mejorar la fricción de forma, la estabilidad del kite y el rendimiento general de nuestras cometas. Dos costuras corren a lo largo de los paneles superiores del borde de ataque para acomodar el abombamiento del panel que ocurre cuando se infla la vela. Se crean hasta cinco centímetros de exceso de material en los lados de un panel plano inflado que se dobla sobre un perfil de ala. La tecnología Cord Cut Billow absorbe el material con un panel 3D que produce menos ondulaciones y mejora la forma y la estabilidad del perfil de las costillas.

ALULA - software de simulación

El futuro del diseño de cometas depende en gran medida de las simulaciones. En lugar de diseñar y producir prototipos uno por uno, ahora podemos simular con precisión cientos de cometas utilizando nuestro propio programa único de simulación estructural / aerodinámica. De hecho, ahora podemos probar prototipos virtuales usando este programa y en nuestras cometas hacemos más de 200 prototipos virtuales. ¡Analizarlos implica más de 500 mil iteraciones de los cálculos estructurales / aerodinámicos para cada simulación!

Diagonales de tres piezas

El Koala está diseñado con una estructura interna compleja utilizando 3 cintas diagonales cortadas. Esto se hace para ajustar la distribución de la carga de las pestañas de anclaje de la línea a la vela, maximizando la rigidez a través de la cuerda del ala (de borde de ataque a borde de fuga) para superar las rachas de viento. Esto también significa que la tela no se carga en el sesgo, lo que aumenta la durabilidad de la cometa.

Target

The VIDA is a high-performance kite for racing and airstyle. It has the agility and performance to satisfy the most demanding of riders and seasoned pros. Because of its stability and ease of use, it is also an accessible competition kite for riders just starting to get serious.

The VIDA is built for performance. It is a hybrid 3 / 2 liner with a high aspect ratio and thin lines. It has an incredible power range – the pull when it's fully powered up, compared to depowered, makes it very easy to use for its category. It means riders will feel in total control, and trust in the kite when out racing. You can put it where you want it, and the VIDA will stay on target in broad reach conditions.

Because it has no fibreglass rods, the VIDA is easy to relaunch and also easy to pack.

Foil-freestyle pro Maxime Desjardins loves the great pop and massive hangtime – this kite will make you fly!

Size 15 is available, size 10 will be released soon.

Not IKA registered

Designer Notes

At Airwave we design kites we want to ride. Tom designed the Vida for hydrofoil racing, as none of the existing options were exactly what he was looking for. Tom says:

When I started hydrofoil racing my dream was to push my own limits in the most difficult conditions, but none of the kites on the market quite did the job: the classic 3-liners were easy to handle with good power, but they lacked the depower to withstand strong gusts; the 2-liner kites had the depower, but, because of the fibreglass rods, they did not have enough power to water-start in light winds. They are hard to relaunch, and much harder to handle in general.

My super-computers started running at full capacity with one goal in mind – to get the best of worlds! The power and ease of use of 3-liner kites and the depower of 2-liner kites, without fibreglass rods. I also worked extensively with foil-freestyle professional Maxime Desjardins to test and validate its freestyle capabilities. Its longer lines and shorter brakes, with the great depower and performance really made it also amazing for airstyle!

Riding Level / Style

Material

Internal structure	Porcher Skytex 40g/m² Hard
Top surface	MJTex 32g/m²
Bottom surface	MJTex 32g/m²
Pulleys	Ronstan/Harken P18 pulleys
Top lines	Edelrid Magix Pro 8001U
Middle lines	Edelrid Magix Pro 8001U
Lower lines	Edelrid Magix Pro 8001U