The Kitetender 400 is a specially developed monohull without mast, but with kite. This kite driven dinghy is the idea of Peter Renssen, its creator. " I've always sailed and windsurfed, but I didn't like the fact that I had to rig the mast, had huge keels... It took at least an hour and a half to rig the mast so I could sail." Surfing on the development of kitesurfing over the last 20 years, Peter has been taking kite lessons for the last 4 years. " So I came up with the idea of creating a sailboat with a kite."
A prototype Kitetender is born. Built in infusion, it is 6.5 m long . "It was fine, everything was working fine, but it didn't match the market." Finally, the team turned to a smaller model, 4.40m, the Kitetender.
The hull of the Kitetender 400 was developed personally by Peter and his team who were looking for hulls with a different hull shape from what is available on the market. " We brought in a designer, Peter Schermer, who also kitesurfs." The Kitetender uses a rudder and daggerboard, but has no keel. " A traditional sailboat is pushed by the wind while the kitetender is pulled."
"We're currently in production, all the moulds are finished. The first model will be released on April 14th and brought to the south of France for testing and commercial videos."
The Kitetender 400 is a small boat that is easily transportable, it can be fixed on the roof of a car for travelling. Finally, all uses are possible with it. " You can learn to kite with it, you can use it without a kite . . ."
Compulsory driving lessons
Unlike boat sails which are static, the kite is moving. And the faster you move it, the more power you get. " You increase the forces eight times over a traditional sail." Thus, the Kitetender 400 can reach up to 21 knots (39 km/h)!
Its designer recommends that you take lessons before you start handling it . "I think it's important to already have some kitesurfing knowledge or to take some kite lessons. After that, you can start with small kites and then try bigger kites later."
Dusting off the sail image
In Holland, the country of Peter Renssen, "C' is a bit like in France. The image of traditional sailing is a bit old." Today, for the creator of the Kitetender, traditional sailing is a little " the antique". Young sailors are looking for sensations and are looking to sail" cool". The Kitetender allows you to combine feeling at sea with fun sailing. " I sail with my kids and they think it's cool."
Developing foils
To make the Kitetender even faster, Peter Renssen wants to add two foils. " As soon as we get out of the water, there's less resistance, so we go faster." Kitetender will soon be preparing a fundraiser to develop these foils. " It's going to be a very easy-to-use foil system. We're going to design automatic foils that are accessible to everybody."
For the moment, the boat is offered for sale on the Kitetender website. Peter Renssen is currently looking for distributors. " It's a bit specific as a product, I'm looking for good distributors who can explain how to use it."
Technical data
| Length | 440 cm |
| Width | 140 cm |
| Max. weight | 75 kgs |
| Capacity | 2 people |
Price : 5500 HT without the kite
