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12m or 14m Slingshot Rally for 200 lbs riders ??

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grigorib
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Local Beach: OBX; Clinton Lake, IL; Lake Michigan; Hood River; La Ventana; Ocean Park, PR; SPI; Tawas, MI
Gear: Kites: Slingshot Rally 5/7/9/11m, Turbine 9/13m, SST 4/5m, UFO 3/5/7/9m, Flysurfer Speed4 10m standard, Flysurfer 2cool 6m, Peter Lynn Venom II ARC 16m

Boards: Spleene RIP 37, Flysurfer Radical6 138, Flysurfer Flydoor5 XL, Slingshot/Moses/RDB 70/90/101cm masts with 1200/860/800/730/600 kitefoil or 2200/1700/1400 wingfoil wings and 310/230/425 stabilizers, Naish MicroChip 80cm, 36" Woody, Slingshot Dwarfcraft Micro 100, MBS Comp 95x

For sale: Slingshot Turbine 9/13m, 20” Guardian bar, 1700 sq.cm wing/fuselage/stabilizer fitting Moses mast
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Re: 12m or 14m Slingshot Rally for 200 lbs riders ??

Postby grigorib » Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:05 am

Matteo V wrote:
Tue Mar 13, 2018 3:35 am
I am still using 2011-2015 Best Kahoona's from in 3.5m to 13.5m in 2m increments. Mostly the old ones, but I have flown some of my newer ones ('14 and '15's) that are barely used - just waiting for the older ones to die. I am sticking with Kahoona's because I am very much in tune with them, and they work for my local spring and fall conditions. My most recent target for a replacement for them was the LF "Wow's". But given that my 2011 13.5m is still kicking, though very much tissue paper, I think having 3 more of those 13.5m in other years will last me for some time. I do consider myself an expert on the Kahoona line post 2010. The Kahoona is a great kite with a lot of grunt, though I would not recommend them to beginners for that reason. The depower, upwind capability, and smaller size comfort, is somewhat lacking too much for most kiters. But it is a pretty hard kite to beat for stability - maybe only the Naish "Rides" are better. The Rally's are good too for not being skittish or jerky when overpowered, but they do pull.

Other kites I occasional fly are Rally's, Turbines (only 17m so far), RPM's, Cabrinha "Switchblades", "Crossbows", Naish "Rides", Cult's, Bolt's, Wainman, Switch "Element" (2-4), Nitro's (5 only), North Evo, Neo, Rebel, and some experience with C-kites. I have demoed or tried some LF, and Core, Adi, and a few other kites - not enough to really give an informed opinion on.

For the 5.5m wind question - the 3.5m comes out at about 45knots. So the 5.5m gets used anywhere from 22knots to 40knots. 7.5m comes out in 17-25knots, 9.5m in 15-20knots, 11.5 in 14-18knots, and 13.5 in 7-17knots. There is the occasion for someone of 75kg to be out on a 7m when I am out on a 5.5. But I am most often the smallest kite out there. This year I started to pass the torch to another kiter on the coast who is going small like I used to. I had some issues, when kiting everyday with no breaks, with my elbows. A bigger kite may not be as fun for me, but it has been better on my elbows for me this year. Next year I plan on going small one day, then trying to at least get close to the average kiter out there in size. My goal with this is to be able to easily do both way underpowered and powered. Some of my beginner skills, using a powered or overpowered kite, diminished to some degree while using smaller kites for about 3 years. Some of my issue may just be that it is above any skill level I will attain, to work a powered kite in the same manner I work a under-powered kite.

For boards, I have been through LW twins (Cabrinha Plasma and others), small flat twins, near wakeboard rockerd twins, kite skims, skims, wakesurfers, prone surfboards, Slingshot and North Kitesurfboards (wrecked em all) - and now I only use the LF Kitefish with a Quad fin setup. Durability is the main reason I now use the Kitefish. I never really liked it for doing one specific thing but it does them all, from being an "almost" light wind board for a 220lb rider, to being a speed board that will stay calm through chop. It takes some attention to surf on vertical faces, but I am not focused on simulating prone surfing anymore. I like to see what I can to with the kite and the kitefish is the all around board for that in almost any wind to play around with stuff you can't do prone surfing. It is my foilboard too. And I own 6 of the Kitefishes now. Lastly I have to say again, it is durable.


With regards to the kite model discussion, I have a honest learning disability with the Rally. It is the one kite I can NOT make do what I want to do with it. And I know this is a problem with me as I often watch others doing some amazing things with them that I can only match with my Kahoona's. I need to buy 2 used Rally's and really put some time into seeing what my problem with them really is.
By any chance would you know anyone interested in a 11.5m V6 Kahoona 2014 in great condition, used for less than a year and/or a 5'3" LF Kitefish with 3x4.5" Litewave G10 fins on it?
Last edited by grigorib on Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:15 am, edited 1 time in total.

Matteo V
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Re: 12m or 14m Slingshot Rally for 200 lbs riders ??

Postby Matteo V » Tue Mar 13, 2018 3:34 pm

Kamikuza wrote:
Tue Mar 13, 2018 12:16 am
As a heavy rider, I have problems buckling the SB when really loading it up, which I never had with my XBs. Wonder how the Rally is...
Having so many Kahoona's, I really got to know the quirks of different years, and even the different feels of multi-point vs single point inflation. Some of these differences, I believe, are related to the actual person that sewed the kite together, or one material layup vs another.

3 of my kites have buckling issue for me, but no one else that I let use these kite complains. a 2012 9.5m multi-point inflation Kahoona is the worst. I actually cannot use it in the waves it is so bad. But again, no one else I push it off to try, complains or replicates the buckling. I have 3 other 9.5m Kahoona's - a 2011 (multi only), a 2012 (single point), and 2-2013's single points. None of the other 9.5m's do this. Given the problem and having plenty of 9.5m's to cover me at that size, I could sell it (with a honest warning of why I am selling it). But I am really set on figuring out if it is a sewing/bridal placement issue. The other 2 kites that buckle under high load, are my 2011 (multi only) 3.5 in winds less than 35knots (fine if more wind), and a 2012 single point 11.5 very rarely.

So you may not want to straight up attribute the buckling issue to the model, but rather the specific kite you have. Try some other SB's and see if it is an isolated incident.

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Kamikuza
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Re: 12m or 14m Slingshot Rally for 200 lbs riders ??

Postby Kamikuza » Tue Mar 13, 2018 9:00 pm

All three of the ones I have do it, three different years and sizes, and the other SBs I've used have done it too. Common issue for most kites. I thought it was cos the kites I was demoing were three strut or under inflated, but I think it's a bridling design issue.

Ozone Enduto v2 was the worst. Basically just sheeting in when the kite was powered would buckle the wing tip :roll:


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