LocalKiteSpots.com Rider Profile
Greg Drexler, founder of Boardriding Maui
[date]March 2013[/date]One new direction that kiting has been going in recently is the use of lighter, single strut, or strut-less kites that don't have any struts at all. After hearing about the strut-less kite on the forums last fall, I was curious, but thought maybe it was a gimmick.
[leftimage]http://boardridingmaui.com/uploads/3/1/8/2/3182159/857816.jpg?183[/leftimage]Still, having flown a single strut kite all summer, I knew that "lighter" is "better", and that all those struts were really just dead weight in the air. I purchased a Boardriding Maui's 17m Cloud last month, and love every bit of it. It's lighter than my 9m, and turns faster than my 14m. The light weight, large size, and fast turning have allowed me to bag some really great light-wind snow kiting sessions this winter.
Here's a quick interview with Greg Drexler, Boardriding Maui's founder.
To find out more about these awesome kites, visit boardridingmaui.com.
[question]How did you get started with Kiting?[/question][spot id=1207320278931]Kite Beach - Maui[/spot]I was working at a surf shop on Maui that was probably the first in Hawaii to get into the sport as it was just coming together. I think that would have been 1997. I was a windsurfer at the time. When I saw a bunch of Maui’s top watermen/women getting into it, I knew I needed to check it out.
[question]Where do you ride?[/question] – I live a couple blocks from the beach on Maui so this is where I spend 99% of my time in the water. I feel fortunate to have been able to travel a bunch to compete in 2001.
[question]what style of riding do you prefer?[/question][rightimage]images/brm2.jpg[/rightimage] – I support the idea that whatever style of riding makes you smile is the way to go. What has made me smile has changed over the years. I’m not sure how to describe my riding now. It’s goofy for sure. But changing it up to learn new things is what keeps it fresh for me.
[question]What other sports are you involved with?[/question]- I found my life’s calling in 1984 windsurfing on the local lake in Pennsylvania. Water has been the focus of my life since. I swore I’d always be a windsurfer, and I think I am from the perspective that kitesurfing is really the same sport on slightly different gear. For me the key is moving forward. When my learning curve in windsurfing flattened out, I got bored.
Kiteboarding came along and had my full attention for a bunch of years. When that flattened out I focused on surfing for a couple years. About four years ago teaching my wife to kite I changed up my approach to kiteboarding and have been as addicted as ever. Every session I learn something new. Combine this with my obsession for gear development that I’m now in full control over – this is exactly the situation I’ve wanted my entire life.
[question]Tell us why you created a “no-strut” kite? What was your inspiration[/question] – Main thing was that I wanted more depower (without sacrificing other performance attributes) and imagined allowing the kite to go flat could be a solution. It works, but wasn’t as simple as I first imagined. Actually, at first I didn’t imagine it would even fly, so I was super stoked from the very first flight of prototype #1 even though there was a ton of work ahead of me.
[rightimage]images/brm3.jpg[/rightimage][question]What do you have against struts? Is this personal? (Just kidding…)[/question] – I saw struts as doing the same thing in a kite as a camber inducer on a windsurf sail. Instead, I wanted a wave sail for its on/off handling. My thinking was that struts were probably necessary for earlier kite designs, but that they could be eliminated with minor changes to overall design.
[question]Why has the industry been so slow in producing a strut-less kites?[/question] – Impossible to say. One idea can be formed from some responses online. Riders that have never seen one claiming it flat-out can’t work. Some insist that more is by definition better. That’s obviously not my philosophy, and some riders agree. I think its great that there are options for everyone’s tastes.
[question]Describe how the kite performs compared to more traditional kites[/question] – Based on my work I had thought the strutless configuration allowed the canopy better twist for way more responsive steering. Having more recently flown another brand’s strutless kite in development I can say I was wrong. Just as no two kites perform the same even with the same strut count, the same holds true for strutless.
[question]Are there any negative aspects to flying a no-strut kite?[/question]- My personal feeling is that there isn’t a disadvantage. I make that comment specific to my feeling because others will disagree. One common experience is that riders consider the way the kite luffs at a low angle of attack a disadvantage. Even though this was part of my goal in its design, I can understand and relate to their feeling. Very early in development I was considering how to control the luffing. But the more I flew it and learned about its handling, I didn’t want to change that character. Otherwise, it’s just another kite. The goal was to push the envelope, and I think its cool that at the same time it challenges the rider to find the kite’s full potential.
[question]Are there any other kiting innovations that you foresee in the future?[/question] – Heck yeah!! I’m working on something right now that could hugely impact how we experience the sport. And this is just one idea among the infinite. We’ve only scratched the surface.
[question]Thanks Greg![/question] Thanks Greg, we look forward to seeing more of your innovations. Aloha.