Kite sock

[ross_burkin]

What is the general rules of making a kite sock low friction? Is it just as big as possible/ practical? What fabric is good? Are people paying for any special low friction material or just low budget trampoline fabric?

My girlfriend has tiny little girl arms and muscles to match ( ) so I want to make her life as easy as possible, especially as she is a complete newcomer to the sport.

[Graham Bridle]

Ross, I'd like to know the answer to that too, we've always had issues with Eddies weedy arms getting the damned thing in and out of the sock.

In answer to your other question re controls etc, the answer is that we led everything to a position where we can both do it. Its not ideal but it works, I found it I put enough purchase on kickers etc so Eddie can use them, we run out ouf travel all over the place.

[roland_trim]

In a boat with a foredeck I'd strongly recommend Royal Mail mail sacks. A big diameter sock, whole mail bag where possible tapering when out of the under the foredeck and a dowsing from a can of silicon based furniture polish in the sock every few outings. If you ask at a post office they will usually have some bags you can take away for free. There are smoother bags that are better for socks. They also self drain which is very handy.

Tensioning the bag so it is always held taught along the boat also really helps (especially on hoists, if the bag crumples it locks the kite in).

With no foredeck standing on the bag and getting under the jib track generally  means it has to be smaller.

Ross, got your text recently. Will call.

[roland_trim]

Forgot to say. Smaller kites and two patches also help the crew 

[phil_kirk]

We recently made our Sock larger to fit the larger chute.  we did this by adding a new panel all down one side.  While we only increased the circumference by 10cm the firction on the sock was reduced much more.  If using the trampoline fabric I reccomend using three or four panels which provide it with some shape.  Our earlier sock had a top and bottom panel so the sock laid flat when the kite was up.   This means the kite has to open up the sock as it is pulled in increasing the friction between the sock and the kite.

So multi panel and as large as you can reasonably go.  Also I agree with the silicone Spray.