Hello. Long time Cloud rider here. I started on the C1s, am now on the C2s and not too keen to upgrade beyond that. I am also advanced on a strapless surfboard, but a complete novice idiot on a foil and don't twintip anymore. So, for me the Cloud is a wave kite. I have 4, 5, 7, 9 and 12m C2s and at 185lbs use the 7m the most.
tmcfarla wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2017 2:51 pm
I have 9m and 12m c2. I'm advanced on a strapless surfboard and beginner at foiling. I really like them for foiling in flat-ish water. On a surfboard, their upwind is not great (no problem on a foil). They relaunch well in flat water, but relaunch in waves is pretty bad. I probably won't use them again in surf on a bad shoreline. I really like them on a foil, they have great drift, great depower, stay in the air very well, and feel nice in the air. A lot of the concerns that people have about them are total non-issues. Fluttering does not matter in the least bit. Self launching and landing is fine, but I highly recommend a tether. Drift launching in flat water is fine. The probably aren't the best twin tip kites, but they do generate lift and you could jump with them. The only aspect of their flying behavior I don't like is the tendency to stay very low in the window when going fast, requiring a lot of back hand pressure.
They are not fun to ride overpowered. They have a fair amount of depower range, but no more than any other kite. They do cover this range very quickly and with very little bar throw, much faster than other kites. I think the speed with which they shut off power is their best attribute.
The quoted post is some really accurate info on their characteristics. I will add my own thoughts too.
On upwind: I mostly agree. Their upwind is fine if the wind is not holey. If it becomes too holey, you lose board speed and therefore apparent wind, which is what keeps these kites upwind. Gusts don't affect upwind in the same way as holes.
On relaunch in waves: I almost only kite in the waves. We don't have any particularly bad shoreline. I can't say for sure if that would change things for me, because the positive aspects of the Cloud are so good in the waves (fast turning, small sizing, drift, on/off depower, not pulling as hard when passing through the window). Because our wind is mostly side on or onshore, when I crash the kite, I am usually riding towards it, so crashing puts a lot of slack in the lines. Because of that, I am unlikely to have time between waves to tighten the lines again to try to relaunch, so my preference is to disconnect from the kite (with any kite). Better for me and better for the kite. So relaunch in the waves is not a huge issue for me. And the reason I say I am unsure if bad shoreline would affect my choice is that when I swim in, I always end up on the beach before the kite.
The back hand pressure tmcfarla mentions, I don't mind as much. The characteristic I am least fond of is their poor handling of holes in the wind.
One of the things I like a lot about them is their low end. It keeps me on much smaller kites than everyone else, which I really enjoy. I did try the C.5, which I found to have lost some of the low end of the C1 and C2. It seems like this might have been addressed in the Cloud D, but I've never flown one so I can't say for sure.
And as others have pointed out on this thread, one of the great things about the Cloud is Greg. He is very responsive to questions and will answer honestly. If he thinks the Cloud is not right for you, he'll let you know. And if he does, he will offer you a very guarded "it seems that you might like the Cloud" sort of perspective. Thumbs up for that!