Assy kites lift the bow ....

Originally posted by 2547 Originally posted by tgruitt I hope you're not being serious? Looks pretty bow up to me ...

That's because a lead mine has hit a wave!

^^^^Luff tension

What matters is not whether there is a force upwards but whether the moment from the sail is bow down or niw up moment. To figure that out draw an arrow from the centre of effort of the sail in the direction you think the force is acting (forwards and a bit upwards). Now extend that arrow backwards (and downwards) until it hits the water. If that line crosses the water in front of the centre of flotation of the hull then the sail is lifting the bow. If it passes behind it is depressing the bow. Either is possible, it just depends on the boat and sail geometry.

Not static luff tension like a jib, but yes the only thing bending the pole is tension in the tack line.

I can't post pictures from an iPad (unless someone knows how?), but it is a simple moment calc, like a see saw. Of course, flying a kite also makes the boat go faster which may give it a bow wave to climb. But that isn't the kite lifting the bow directly.

Originally posted by ( and with no kite was much safer, albeit a bit slow ) [/QUOTE Really? In your P6? 2 sail reaching was dea

I have seen 2 x Rays that show the propensity of a L5k to pitch pole when 2 sail reaching. It never did it with the kite up. I am not totally convinced this is due to the alleged bow lift, but more boat balance and wind and wave angle. I suspect the culprit is often the mainsail which is often further out with more vang tension when the kite is down. This powers up the top of the mast causing more of a pitching moment.
We learnt on the 5k that playing the kicker was safer and more effective than the main sheet. Shame it took a fracture of my lumber spine to make us listen to the class stalwarts. The second x Ray belonged to another orthopaedic surgeon who did the identicle injury and mechanism.