Postby dolphintnks » Sun Jul 08, 2012 2:53 pm
After looking for a decent detailed review I figured on busting one for those like-minded folks. I live in San Diego and the North Dyno is a necessary part of my arsenal. I own the North 2011 16 meter Dyno and have put 60+ days on the kite. An average day in San Diego it 8-13 knots and for a guy that is 6’3” weighs 220 lbs. the only way I am able to have any fun is with the right gear. I can out ride my buddy who has the 16 meter 2010 rebel and he weighs 180 lbs., 40 lbs. lighter than I am. Yes he is getting Dyno too, he just can’t take it any more… Before owning the Dyno I was a Rebel guy. I still have a 2009 16 meter Rebel and the 2010 16 meter Rebel but do not use them. They are my backup and loaner kites for when friends come into town to visit. The Rebels are great kites but do not stand a chance next to the Dyno in light wind. I used to get kite elbow from the Rebels high bar pressure and the kite was heavy. It took at least 8 knots to keep it in the air. Now I can kite all day in light wind with no effort and elbow pains. The Dyno allows me to kite with incredibly light bar pressure, less than my 10 meter rebel. Not to mention this kite boosts bigger and has more hang time than the rebels! It was hard for me to convert over after flying the rebels for years but now the Dyno is my go to kite for any wind condition from 6- 20 knots. The kite drifts better when surfing down the line than the Rebel in light wind. The old rebel is heavier causing it to fall in lighter winds like the zephyr, fat lady, infinity and other 17 meter kites, these are not just ounces heavier but pounds heavier than the Dyno. The heavy kites Hindenburg… it is basic physics, what goes up must come down…In light wind every ounce counts. North has taken “light weight” to a whole new level. In light wind every ounce counts and weight is crucial. Thy Dyno is not a one pump system they shaved every unnecessary ounce of weight possible like the hoses and gear going to each strut. Don’t fret, it only takes me two minutes to pump the struts and it is well worth it. The Dyno is made with ultra-light Technoforce D2 canopy material so not only is it lighter but it is also stronger. Now let’s talk about the differences between the North 2011 Dyno 16 meter and the 2012 Dyno 17 meter.
Differences between the 2011 and 2012 Dyno: The North 2012 has no battens unlike the 2011 that has two. This is one less thing to worry about and lightens the load. The struts on the new kite have been moved closer to the wing tips to prevent any flutter and help increase the turning speed. The 2011 kite when power looped did make an awesome sound from the wing tips but this has been eliminated in the 2012. The new 2012 17 meter turns faster than my 2011 16 meter, yes I know this is hard to believe since it is bigger, so I urge you to go test drive one and see for yourself. The leading edge of the new 2012 is smaller in diameter than the 16 meter 2011 Dyno. This makes the kite fly further forward in the window with less wind drag and turn even faster. The Dyno is high aspect, meaning the canopy arch is longer and flatter, so it fly’s further forward in the wind window and provides more park and ride grunt. Other light wind kites like the fat lady and infinity are shaped more like the rebels so they stay deeper in the window. Low aspect kites are great for surfing in decent wind but lack in overall performance in light wind and racing. For light wind I want a kite that flies as far forward in the window as possible to keep me upwind. I don’t want a kite that I have to sine all day just to try and keep up with the Dyno. The North team did a great job of making an already quick turning large kite even faster, stronger and more high performance. The weight of the kite from 2011 to 2012 has gone up slightly, using a digital luggage scale the 2011 Dyno weighed 8.6 pounds and the 2012 is 8.9. The 2012 is bigger and stronger than the 2011 of course justifying the tiny weight increase. For a 17 meter kite this is incredibly lite! The bar pressure remains very light for a big kite. Both the 2011 and 2012 have fantastic kite feedback and the lightest bar pressure out of any big kite on today’s market. Yes I have flown them all. The new Dyno turns faster and has less bar pressure than the Zephyr, Fat Lady, Infinity, and Rebel. Yes I have flown other kites but they are not at all light wind contenders. There is no such thing as a 14 meter light wind kite…. Unless you live in Maui where light wind is between 12-18 knots or weigh a buck 50… would be nice!!
For those of you that have already tried the Dyno last year or own one already the new ones are worthy, very worthy. I was going to get the Dyno 18 last year but there were a couple things I didn’t like. It was too powerful and much slower than the 16. I never thought I would say a kite had too much power but the 18 Dyno is nutz. I would get pulled off my edge down wind in 13 knots…So I went with the 16. This year they took everything I liked about the 16 2011 Dyno, the quick turning speed, crazy stability, high aspect ratio, light bar pressure and mega boosts right into the 17 meter 2012 and made it even more kick ass. Super-stoked. The launch of the kite is much better than the 2011 for those of you 4 line bar folks you can now easily launch the new Dyno. The 2011 was easier to launch using the 5th line lay back but now 2012 launches with ease using any method. Another important change to the Dyno is the turning is more of a pivot turn this year like the rebels. Last year was more of an arching turn. I’m stoked on the new pivoting and faster turning speed. Feels like I’m back on my old friend the Rebel but with all those great light wind bonuses the Dyno presents. Now I hope north gives me some free stuff for writing a killer review!! Haha! Yeah right….. I wish.