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North Rebel Reviews??

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ToastSYN
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Postby ToastSYN » Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:08 am

Raoul,
The 9m would cover the 8m extremely well. I think you might find the 7m a little on the light side

Toast

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Postby Sake » Mon Aug 14, 2006 8:44 pm

1. @Dwight: are the new lines of the same type as the 5th line?
Looks pretty slick FWIW

2. Rode the Rebel 12 of Fuchur (for the Germans on kitesurfing-kiel.de)
Much credit on him for letting me test the 12m that long. So much for the value of meeting a kitesurfing/forum "friend"
:thumb: :thumb:

FWIW my short experience in 2 sessions of about 1½-2 hours each:
In the first session the kite seemed to be tuned with too much power
(lots of barpull. As much as that I was tired in my fingers very fast and it did not go upwind very well)
IMO the setup was just wrong. It is more difficult see as with C-kites to see whether the kite is overtuned, so check that out when testing a Rebel.
As soon as I got the setup right (frankly pull the depower about 10/15cm), barpressure disappeared and it was like V6 or even less. Upwind improved lots. Steeringforce is great too. A little more then the V6. IMO no way to heavy.
Second session was just one blast. Cruising with 1 hand and no fatigue at all. Fast turning to hit the lips of small waves and turn direction. About the same as a V6-12m. The way of jumping also like a V6. Lift explosion seems less as the V6, but the hight is the same. Also without loosing lots of ground. Easy to tell that the Rebel has more depower then a V6 and is even better in absorbing gusts. The V6 gives a little more direct input. As with the V6 untwisting the lines by rotating/swinging the bar is as easy as with a C-kite. Speed of kite is great like with a R5. Water was choppy otherwise I could easily imagine doing speedruns with the fastest windsurfers.

All in all the V6 is already a hell of a kite and the Rebel seems even better in most cases and just a little less in some (lift explosion (but not hight) and little less direct feel)

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Postby Dwight » Tue Aug 15, 2006 12:12 am

Sake wrote:1. @Dwight: are the new lines of the same type as the 5th line?
Looks pretty slick FWIW
Yes.

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Postby Chris0106 » Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:03 am

how does the rebel compare to the V06 in unhooked performance,
Thanks.

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Postby Dwight » Tue Aug 15, 2006 11:21 am

Chris0106 wrote:how does the rebel compare to the V06 in unhooked performance,
Thanks.
About the same. Unhooked kite loop throws you a little harder.

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Postby dakz » Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:28 pm

I picked up my new quiver this morning: Rebel 14 and Rebel 9
There´s no wind today so I´m bummed but have been inspecting the kites and am most impressed with the North quality, as usual!

I do have a couple questions for you guys:
1. Do the kites come with a manual? I only found a manual for the 5th element bar and the iron heart but no manual for the kites.

2. How does the stopper work? I tried sliding the bar against it but the stopper slided upwards. Is this normal? Will it work with more tension on it?

3. This is my 4th season and have always had C kites. I tried a few bows and tried to jump but it felt awkward. How different is the jumping technique for the Rebel compared to normal Cs?

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Postby uncleneil » Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:23 pm

I tested the Rebel 16m last week in lighter winds. 10-15 knots. I am 185 lbs. and was using a Sleene Door 159cm. The kite is a fast turner and felt like I was flying a 12m. Great for kite-loops and wave riding. For the lighter winds the jumps were floaty and the kite fun. In the air the Rebel looks exactly like a bow kite and depowers like them too. The 3 attachment points on the LE are just a bridle to me and all that flew it. I like my bows for the reaon that when I throw down and miss the bar, the kite is still in the air when my head pops up with nearly no pull. If it hits the water (my bows) it just sits there ready to relaunch when i'm ready and if the kite is straight down wind on it LE, I just pull on a line and off it goes.

Now the Rebel. It's a true 5th line kite. Let go of the bar and you have to relaunch it every time. The kites wing tips are cut down which keeps them tight while on it's back. This make it a bitch to relaunch once it is on its back. Pull on a back line and it just sits there. Out of 6 North riders in the water with me, not one of then could relaunch it easily. If I was in deep water it would have been imposible. The wind got under it and fliped it thru the lines (on the water) and it inverted. This happen @ 4 times. We did figure out that if it is not on it's back, pull the 5th line in till it leans back a little and at the same time, pull on a back line and it relaunches similar to a bow kite but once it's on its back you may be done.

We were able to ride in as little as 10 mph. It didn't have the low end of the Waroo that we tested the Rebel alongside. We could ride the Waroo in as low as 6-7mph.. Then just before finishing up, the kite (Rebel) hit the water in a lull after a hindenburg and blew on the seam. Probably a fluke.

Overall I liked the way the kite flew overall but the the relaunch could be a bit of a pain.

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Postby Experimental player » Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:11 pm

Oh man the relaunch sounds bad.
Especially from 5th line.
Thought it would be better.

Hope Wipika keeps the great relaunch from 5th.
I have no problems relaunching my 06 Matrix 11m. Comes up really quick.
Hopefully Wipikas 07 kites have just as good relaunch as 06 models

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Postby Dwight » Wed Aug 16, 2006 6:02 pm

uncleneil wrote:I like my bows for the reaon that when I throw down and miss the bar, the kite is still in the air when my head pops up with nearly no pull. If it hits the water (my bows) it just sits there ready to relaunch when i'm ready and if the kite is straight down wind on it LE, I just pull on a line and off it goes.
The Rebel will do the same. Just connect the leash like you do your bow. To the chicken loop, not the 5th.

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Postby AKA_KALLE » Wed Aug 16, 2006 9:50 pm

Dwight wrote:
AKA_KALLE wrote:im pretty into getting a rebel aswell, im 70kg and on a 128x36 board. You guys haveing experience with the kite think that ill do with a 10 as only kite? I currently use a Fuel 13 and a EH 9 as kites and im very pleased with the range they give me, could a 10 rebel replace these or am i better of with a 12? Thanks!
12m.
Thank you for the answer, still I wonder, do the rebel have wider windrange than the vegas 06? According to norths homepage it seems tat they have the same or even the vegas 12 have wider windrange than the vegas.


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