+1RadDrDuke wrote: ↑Sat May 26, 2018 12:44 amSURF and TT Review:
2018 9m ultra. 17-21 knots side-onshore wind, 2-3 foot waves, 80kg rider, 20m lines, jimmy lewis surfboard and then a crazyfly carbon TT.
Very powerful for it's size, I was on the 9m and everyone else on 12ms (riding TT).
Again it's a super fast kite and flies very close to edge of the window with looping turning NOT pivot turns. Always wants to be at the edge of the window. Excellent drift.
Definitely not a dedicated wave kite even though the drift is great, the turning and rushing to the edge of the window is not ideal for waves...that being said I think it's the NEXT BEST THING to a wave kite and much better than a freeride kite (evo, switchblade, etc.)
When you dump power it flutters and you can feel it in the bar and hear it, some may not like this. Dumps fast.
Excellent upwind for getting into the pocket.
Great boosting, feels just like a 3-5 strut kite. Totally fine for twin tip riding, you would have tough time knowing you are on a one-strut.
Honest overall review after foiling, surf and TT riding:
- I am stoked on the purchase!
- If you do a mixture of kiting (foil, surf, TT) I would highly recommend the 9m Ultra. With the addition of low-wind hydrofoil riding you can legitimately have fun with this kite from 8 to ~25 knots. It's obviously awesome for travel too. I really can't imagine a better overall multi-discipline kite if you enjoy hydrofoiling.
- If you are a pure wave rider with generally good winds (aka super lucky) I would go with a wave specific kite for better drift and turning style, even though the ultra is great in waves it's not a wave kite. I haven't tried low wind wave riding with it which may be the niche?
Sorry for all the reviews but I had to put them out since there is obviously lots of interest in this kite but few reviews on it.
I must say, I was pretty impressed with RaddrDuke performance on the Ultra 9m, I was on a 12m I had enough power to keep upwind but did not expect he was going to stay upwind on a 9m as well as he did, VERY impressive for a single strut 9m kite with ocean current.RadDrDuke wrote: ↑Sat May 26, 2018 12:44 amSURF and TT Review:
2018 9m ultra. 17-21 knots side-onshore wind, 2-3 foot waves, 80kg rider, 20m lines, jimmy lewis surfboard and then a crazyfly carbon TT.
Very powerful for it's size, I was on the 9m and everyone else on 12ms (riding TT).
Again it's a super fast kite and flies very close to edge of the window with looping turning NOT pivot turns. Always wants to be at the edge of the window. Excellent drift.
Definitely not a dedicated wave kite even though the drift is great, the turning and rushing to the edge of the window is not ideal for waves...that being said I think it's the NEXT BEST THING to a wave kite and much better than a freeride kite (evo, switchblade, etc.)
When you dump power it flutters and you can feel it in the bar and hear it, some may not like this. Dumps fast.
Excellent upwind for getting into the pocket.
Great boosting, feels just like a 3-5 strut kite. Totally fine for twin tip riding, you would have tough time knowing you are on a one-strut.
Honest overall review after foiling, surf and TT riding:
- I am stoked on the purchase!
- If you do a mixture of kiting (foil, surf, TT) I would highly recommend the 9m Ultra. With the addition of low-wind hydrofoil riding you can legitimately have fun with this kite from 8 to ~25 knots. It's obviously awesome for travel too. I really can't imagine a better overall multi-discipline kite if you enjoy hydrofoiling.
- If you are a pure wave rider with generally good winds (aka super lucky) I would go with a wave specific kite for better drift and turning style, even though the ultra is great in waves it's not a wave kite. I haven't tried low wind wave riding with it which may be the niche?
Sorry for all the reviews but I had to put them out since there is obviously lots of interest in this kite but few reviews on it.
Great review RadDRDuke!! I have had a 9m ultra for a few months now and I love it as well. I am 100kg beginner/intermediate foiler and experienced strapless surf, very rarely on the twin tip these days so i haven't tried it with the twinny.RadDrDuke wrote: ↑Sat May 26, 2018 12:44 amSURF and TT Review:
2018 9m ultra. 17-21 knots side-onshore wind, 2-3 foot waves, 80kg rider, 20m lines, jimmy lewis surfboard and then a crazyfly carbon TT.
Very powerful for it's size, I was on the 9m and everyone else on 12ms (riding TT).
Again it's a super fast kite and flies very close to edge of the window with looping turning NOT pivot turns. Always wants to be at the edge of the window. Excellent drift.
Definitely not a dedicated wave kite even though the drift is great, the turning and rushing to the edge of the window is not ideal for waves...that being said I think it's the NEXT BEST THING to a wave kite and much better than a freeride kite (evo, switchblade, etc.)
When you dump power it flutters and you can feel it in the bar and hear it, some may not like this. Dumps fast.
Excellent upwind for getting into the pocket.
Great boosting, feels just like a 3-5 strut kite. Totally fine for twin tip riding, you would have tough time knowing you are on a one-strut.
Honest overall review after foiling, surf and TT riding:
- I am stoked on the purchase!
- If you do a mixture of kiting (foil, surf, TT) I would highly recommend the 9m Ultra. With the addition of low-wind hydrofoil riding you can legitimately have fun with this kite from 8 to ~25 knots. It's obviously awesome for travel too. I really can't imagine a better overall multi-discipline kite if you enjoy hydrofoiling.
- If you are a pure wave rider with generally good winds (aka super lucky) I would go with a wave specific kite for better drift and turning style, even though the ultra is great in waves it's not a wave kite. I haven't tried low wind wave riding with it which may be the niche?
Sorry for all the reviews but I had to put them out since there is obviously lots of interest in this kite but few reviews on it.
I never quite understood the deal with XR3/4/5 kites. Especially for lighter riders. These are heavy wings with 5 struts and at their lower end there's a threshold where the kite becomes a royal PITA to keep in the air while most other models in similar sizes are still flying just fine.danielescobarg wrote: ↑Thu Jun 28, 2018 11:49 pmIve been enjoying my 12M for about 6 months now, exceptional kite, unlike anything I have ever ridden in light winds. I put the kite to the harshest of conditions a few weeks back in Sub 10 kts @ 8,000 ft elevation lake. Tried first with a 13.5 Core XR4 and it could not stay up in the air, while the Ultra flew like a champ.
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