Peter Lynn Himself

Kite Sailing

In 1987, the single line kite market for Peter Lynn Kites was developing well- especially in the US and Europe when John Waters at "Catch the Wind" in Lincoln City, Oregon alerted Peter to the possibilities of using steerable kites for traction purposes. By that time, Flexifoils (Jones and Merry) had been used by Ian Day to set a sailing speed record, but few other steerable kites were available that were suitable for traction. On Peter's return to NZ in 1987, the first PL Kite boat was built and tested at Lake Clearwater over the Xmas season- pulled by re-rigged 2 line sky diving 'foil (ever since called 'Adam') and later by a purpose designed 5sq.m two line delta traction kite.

This boat with a rotating seat enabling the flier to always face the kite, was the first in a series of 140 or more kite sailing boats built over the next 20 years in various failed attempts to commercialise recreational kitesailing. This program did have various useful spin-offs like kitebuggying, foiling, and various traction kites but was a misallocation of resources for the company, an obsession that probably slowed the progress that could have been made in kiteboarding and kite foiling.

Some of the more notable attempts were foil supported boats, the 40' offshore racing catamaran acquired with the intent of converting it to kite power (never happened), the rotomoulded monohull kitesailer of 1998 and finally the KiteCat of 2004.

Articles

Image Gallery

<p>Jacobs Ladder with FF's</p>

Jacobs Ladder with FF's

<p>Jacobs Ladder Going Up</p>

Jacobs Ladder Going Up

<p>Kiteboats under the trees 1</p>

Kiteboats under the trees 1

<p>Line pushing seal system.</p>

Line pushing seal system.

<p>Longboat Sailing 1</p>

Longboat Sailing 1

<p>Monohull, Aquafest, with G Arc 2</p>

Monohull, Aquafest, with G Arc 2

<p>Monohull, early, with anti heel attach</p>

Monohull, early, with anti heel attach

<p>Winch details 03</p>

Winch details 03

<p>Wrist steering servo 1.</p>

Wrist steering servo 1.

<p>KiteShip Outleader on Trimaran</p>

KiteShip Outleader on Trimaran

<p>Zero heel board Nov 2012</p>

Zero heel board Nov 2012

<p>Kitecat- early prototype, Craig Knight, Lake Hood, Nov '12</p>

Kitecat- early prototype, Craig Knight, Lake Hood, Nov '12

<p>Monohull with anti-heel, Gavin Mulvey 20'12 </p>

Monohull with anti-heel, Gavin Mulvey 20'12

<p>Longboat and Tory, Dec '11</p>

Longboat and Tory, Dec '11

<p>Longshot, Robert Lynn and Richard Jenkins, July '11</p>

Longshot, Robert Lynn and Richard Jenkins, July '11

<p>Kite-on-a-stick monohull, Pete Lynn Feb 1 '10</p>

Kite-on-a-stick monohull, Pete Lynn Feb 1 '10

<p>KiteCat at Brighton, Dec '06</p>

KiteCat at Brighton, Dec '06

<p>KiteCat, Scott Skinner posing, lake Mojave, '05</p>

KiteCat, Scott Skinner posing, lake Mojave, '05

<p>Four hull, Pete, Estuary, planing, May '04</p>

Four hull, Pete, Estuary, planing, May '04

<p>Peter, Yellow KiteCat, Columbia mouth '04, Dean photo.</p>

Peter, Yellow KiteCat, Columbia mouth '04, Dean photo.

<p>6m Monohull at Aquafest '03,em</p>

6m Monohull at Aquafest '03,em

<p>6m Monohull inside view '03</p>

6m Monohull inside view '03

<p>Cat, stepped hull, Pete, Schev. '03</p>

Cat, stepped hull, Pete, Schev. '03

<p>Cat, stepped hulls, Neils Schev '03</p>

Cat, stepped hulls, Neils Schev '03

<p>Kite attachment system detail '03</p>

Kite attachment system detail '03

<p>KiteSailing, Monohull, Estuary '03</p>

KiteSailing, Monohull, Estuary '03

<p>Kitesurfer, 4 hull, Pete, Schev. '03</p>

Kitesurfer, 4 hull, Pete, Schev. '03

<p>6m Cat., Winch detail c2002</p>

6m Cat., Winch detail c2002

<p>6m catamaran, Elsemere, '01 4 pics</p>

6m catamaran, Elsemere, '01 4 pics

<p>AC class kite with catamaran 1</p>

AC class kite with catamaran 1

<p>4m Catamaran, Brighton c1998</p>

4m Catamaran, Brighton c1998

<p>3m Monohull grp, Lake Cw, action c1997 em</p>

3m Monohull grp, Lake Cw, action c1997 em

<p>3m black grp monohull, Lake Clearwater 1997</p>

3m black grp monohull, Lake Clearwater 1997

<p>3m Monohull grp, Lake Clearwater action c1997</p>

3m Monohull grp, Lake Clearwater action c1997

<p>3m Monohull, 2 footbars, Peter '97</p>

3m Monohull, 2 footbars, Peter '97

<p>Hydrofoil Tri., on lawn with Tory c1997</p>

Hydrofoil Tri., on lawn with Tory c1997

<p>015 Hydrofoil seat, Peter, Lake Cw., '96</p>

015 Hydrofoil seat, Peter, Lake Cw., '96

<p>3m Monohull, 2 footbars, action, c1996</p>

3m Monohull, 2 footbars, action, c1996

<p>Hydrofoil seat, at full speed, 96</p>

Hydrofoil seat, at full speed, 96

<p>Foiling prototypes at Lake Clearwater, c1995</p>

Foiling prototypes at Lake Clearwater, c1995

<p>Klingon mono, 1995</p>

Klingon mono, 1995

<p>Planing board, close up, c1994</p>

Planing board, close up, c1994

<p>8m tri. on trailer at 105 c 1993</p>

8m tri. on trailer at 105 c 1993

<p>Bruno on Hydrofoil c1993 2</p>

Bruno on Hydrofoil c1993 2

<p>Buggy Boat, Black, Ostia, c1993</p>

Buggy Boat, Black, Ostia, c1993

<p>Buggy boats, Paua at Cervia possibly 93</p>

Buggy boats, Paua at Cervia possibly 93

<p>Buggy Boat prototype, c1992</p>

Buggy Boat prototype, c1992

<p>Marine wing 2line, possibly Dominique, Legaignoux, Cervia '92</p>

Marine wing 2line, possibly Dominique, Legaignoux, Cervia '92

<p>First buggy, as a boat, 1989.jpg</p>

First buggy, as a boat, 1989.jpg

<p>Orig. buggy, sailing Lake Cw, 1989</p>

Orig. buggy, sailing Lake Cw, 1989

<p>Clyde Cook on 3m Cat, rot. seat, Lake Cw, c1989</p>

Clyde Cook on 3m Cat, rot. seat, Lake Cw, c1989

<p>3m Cat, rot. seat, close up, c1989</p>

3m Cat, rot. seat, close up, c1989

<p>Pete, W.Skiing, Lake Cw, c1988</p>

Pete, W.Skiing, Lake Cw, c1988

<p>Cat., Bruce Smith, Lake Cw, action, c1988</p>

Cat., Bruce Smith, Lake Cw, action, c1988