Kiteboat: sailing innovation on SF Bay • Hacker News Board

Re: Kiteboat: sailing innovation on SF Bay

#11

Post by Jemaclus » Wed, Apr 02, 2014, 4:24 PM UTC

This looks nice, but I really don't like websites that make me click around to find out what exactly they are.

Is Kiteboat a company that sells... kite.. boats?

Or is it a technology?

Why is on HN?

Is a kiteboat a boat that's sailed by kite? or is it just a cute name?

Are you selling something or just showing off your cool boats?

What's the goal?

Why am I looking at your site?

Who are you?

What's the Log In link for?

What would I be logging in to do?

I get none of that from the main page, and none of the links in Navigate look anything like "About" or "FAQ" or "Who We Are" or "What is Kiteboat?". All I see are videos (which I rarely watch for various reasons, but even so, few look like they explain what the Kiteboat Project is), News (why should I care if I don't know what Kiteboat is?), Advantages (compared to what?), Tests (???)..

I wound up clicking around and got answers to some of those questions, but for someone who just lands on your homepage, that's a lot of work to expect them to do. Ideally, you would have something front and center that says "Kiteboat: A Better Way to Sail" and then a button that says "Find Out More" or something. Because otherwise I'm either just gonna navigate away, or start clicking random links til I find something that explains WTF I'm looking at.

Re: Kiteboat: sailing innovation on SF Bay

#12

Post by 205guy » Wed, Apr 02, 2014, 5:29 PM UTC

Jemaclus wrote: post #11

This looks nice, but I really don't like websites that make me click around to find out what exactly they are. Is Kiteboat a company that sells... kite.. boats? Or is it a technology? Why is on HN? Is a kiteboat a boat that's sailed by kite? or is it just a cute name? Are you selling something or just showing off your cool boats? What's the goal? Why am I looking at your site? Who are you? What's the Log In link for?…

Why so grumpy? And why assume it's my website? I thought people could post anything on HN, not just their own stuff.

I've been a commenter on HN, but this is my first submission to get any traction at all. I thought it was self explanatory, had a descriptive title (keyword: innovation), and gave a few links at the bottom for those that want more than pretty pictures (try videos).

You know, I like websites to be clearer as well, I can't stand products that don't show me what it is and how it looks (screenshots). But I thought this was pretty straightforward:

It's a boat powered by a kite (see big pictures). It's existing tech applied in new ways, but still requiring lots of innovation, prototyping, and testing (notice the experimental nature of the craft). It's on HN because I like sailing, the Bay Area, and people developing innovative things. I am not affiliated in any way with the people or the website.

Do you write a comment like this for every submission on HN?

Re: Kiteboat: sailing innovation on SF Bay

#13

Post by 205guy » Wed, Apr 02, 2014, 5:38 PM UTC

sailfast wrote: post #9

Once again my two favorite things on the HN front page - technology and sailing. The combination of kite power and a foiling hull make for crazy speed. 31 knots on a relatively small craft, in 10-18 knots of breeze is incredible, and must be a huge rush to drive. As a racing sailor, I'd be interested to see how these boats could compete in a fleet race setting, or even a match race / America's Cup style setting. The…

Submitter here: I have the same excitement (though not a sailor myself, just a spectator). I actually wondered about a kite pulling a boat a while ago myself, and now someone goes and does it.

I was surprised how fast the foiling technology has been spreading after the America's Cup. There were the foiling moths (small sailboats) before, but now it seems to be more popular. Then recently, I saw something about kiteboarders fitting a foil to their boards and gaining speed. Now this.

One disadvantage of the kiteboat is that it requires a bigger sail and thus longer lines. That will increase the risks of entanglement in a race. And with 80-meter lines, this prototype already has to worry about bridge clearance on the bay.

Re: Kiteboat: sailing innovation on SF Bay

#14

Post by Jemaclus » Wed, Apr 02, 2014, 5:54 PM UTC

205guy wrote: post #12

Jemaclus wrote: post #11

This looks nice, but I really don't like websites that make me click around to find out what exactly they are. Is Kiteboat a company that sells... kite.. boats? Or is it a technology? Why is on HN? Is a kiteboat a boat that's sailed by kite? or is it just a cute name? Are you selling something or just showing off your cool boats? What's the goal? Why am I looking at your site? Who are you? What's the Log In link for?…

Why so grumpy? And why assume it's my website? I thought people could post anything on HN, not just their own stuff. I've been a commenter on HN, but this is my first submission to get any traction at all. I thought it was self explanatory, had a descriptive title (keyword: innovation), and gave a few links at the bottom for those that want more than pretty pictures (try videos). You know, I like websites to be clear…

I'm not grumpy at all! Just wondering, because as someone who is not an avid boater, I have no idea what a Kiteboat is, and it was not exactly self-explanatory. I did have to click around to find out the answers to my questions. I'm just pointing out that the website could be better, and that as a non-boater, I was confused.

As a techie and HN user, I'm interested in technology and websites, and one thing I want is for websites to appropriately convey their messages. This one simply doesn't convey necessary information to people who don't know what they're looking at. Is that a problem? Not necessarily. It depends on the audience.

Also note that at the end I offered a solution to the problems I mentioned. If I were grumpy and a jerk, I would have simply complained. It just so happens that I'm trying to help.

Thanks for the downvotes though! Carry on.

Re: Kiteboat: sailing innovation on SF Bay

#15

Post by 205guy » Wed, Apr 02, 2014, 8:55 PM UTC

Jemaclus wrote: post #14

205guy wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why so grumpy? And why assume it's my website? I thought people could post anything on HN, not just their own stuff. I've been a commenter on HN, but this is my first submission to get any traction at all. I thought it was self explanatory, had a descriptive title (keyword: innovation), and gave a few links at the bottom for those that want more than pretty pictures (try videos). You know, I like websites to be clear…

I'm not grumpy at all! Just wondering, because as someone who is not an avid boater, I have no idea what a Kiteboat is, and it was not exactly self-explanatory. I did have to click around to find out the answers to my questions. I'm just pointing out that the website could be better, and that as a non-boater, I was confused. As a techie and HN user, I'm interested in technology and websites, and one thing I want is f…

Twas not me who downvoted you. I did not even know before today that HN won't let me downvote any comment on my own submission (unless you need more points for that too). Only the upvote arrows appear for me here.

You may not be grumpy, but having many short questions with a sarcastic tone ("cute") or negative slant comes across very aggressively. I realize the website may not provide all the answers to someone who has no knowledge of the domain (sailing), but I think it provided enough visuals and information for someone approaching it with an inquisitive mind.

Re: Kiteboat: sailing innovation on SF Bay

#16

Post by fretless » Wed, Apr 02, 2014, 9:48 PM UTC

This is pretty cool but lower-tech than i was expecting when i saw the link. I went by their loft a few times in 2008 or 2009 but haven't followed them since. I think Makani is a sister company.

http://www.google.com/makani/about/

There's also other companies working on e.g. computerized winches that can react in hunderdths of a second, if I remember correctly

http://inhabitat.com/power-your-boat-with-kites-wind-power-b...