I have had the same problems with the orange bladders: pinhole leaks anywhere the oversized bladder is folded and I have had two valves come apart. I won't be buying any more of them.

What is the status of this issue? I did a search and there haven't been any posts on this issue in a long time. After getting tired of reading old posts I never found any solid resolution to this issue other than replacing original valves with Airtime valves. This gets expensive when you end up havi...

I have been comparing the Mako Wide to the narrow Mako 150cm, back to back, for about three hours so far, and at 160lbs with 7-12 mph of wind, and the narrow feels twice as fast. The absolute low end, while going slow, is definetely better with the Wide because of the extra surface and floatation, b...

I would agree with Another Toby. The biggest problem we have is the rate of change. The plants and animals of this planet have never seen CO2 and temerapture change so rapidly. It will be hard for even humans to migrate quickly enough to stay comfortable (dry). Additionally, don't you feel the least...

I am running out of ideas. The best method I have found yet is a 5th line induced hindenburg at low altitude, which I feel has some risk, including puncturing the leading edge if it lands on a shell, etc. I have tried reeling in the lower front line = tumble, and 5th line = inverted flight with enou...

I would agree with all of the above, 19m S2 SA is an incredible kite. However make sure you familiarize yourself with the "mixer" test before you go to the beach with your kite. Mine was not usable because of folding wingtips and I lost a session because of it. Doing a mixer test is simple to learn ...

Oh, as for going for speed, pitch control will get very "scetchy" at speed. You would have to have a mechanical "autopilot" for pitch control. The sailboats that have foils use them. They would cause some drag and you would lose some manueverability but overall I believe speed records are possible. ...

I have riden an air chair. Whether you sit down or put foot straps on it, using one for kiteboarding would be like adding another sport/skill to focus on. If you think about kiteboarding as doing two sports at once, (flying the kite and riding the board), riding a hydrofoil would by like doing three...

I second the recomendation for Drycoat from west marine or other sailing store. Seams to be a good compromise between not attracting sand and requiring re-application.

while the pop is not on the level of say a Wavetray, it is an excellent compromise. I believe the longer than usual length helps give you more to work with to get pop. To me you get very acceptable pop while getting a board that turns better than any.