Authors: Ben Ruhe
Date Submitted: August 31, 2005
Article Type: Journal

Engineer and kitemaker Peter Lynn established a kitemaking business in Ashburton, New Zealand, in l971 and within a decade was exporting kites around the world. From l987, Peter concentrated his research and development on kite traction- —using kites as sails to propel water skiers, snow skiers, ice skaters, kite buggiers, and kite boarders. His development of the first practical kite buggy in l990 started a new sport and an industry that is now worldwide. By 2004, the British Buggy Club had 4,000 members. He was also a significant contributor to the development of kiteboarding and has patents on several arcshaped ram air inflated kiteboarding kites.

For many years now Peter has starred at kite festivals around the world flying a range of outsize, showy kites. His Octopus, Ray, Gecko, Cat, and Fish are well known. In 1995, his ram air inflated MegaBite soft kite in the shape of a giant trilobite became the world’s largest kite, with 635 square meters of lifting area. It was formally ratified as a Guinness record holder. Last year, his even larger single line kite in the shape of the Kuwaiti flag, built for a Kuwait family, was flown successfully. At 1,000 square meters it is expected to claim the Guinness mark.

For the last few years, Peter focused on something new, kite boating—-big kites pulling small boats. He envisions it as the next premier extreme sport. Important commercial applications might well follow. His catamaran named the Kite Cat is one of numerous boats he has built and sailed. An innovator who tests things theoretically and then reinforces that knowledge with hands on experience, Peter understands that great success by one person only means something if it is complemented by others. Thus he has issued a call for traction kite researchers and developers around the world to join forces with him. “Kiteboating is the next big sport, and it’s just around the corner,” predicts Peter Lynn. More about the inventor and his world starting on Page 3.