Light wind bow opinions

[schmoe]

Looking at one of the few options:

• Switchblade 16m
  Crossbow 1 16m
  Assault 16m
  Answer 16m

Not interested in Waroo 14/16 as the low end of the 12 was sub par. Not interested in Flysurfers. New contra way out of budget.

Any opinions?

I will use the kite as my biggest kite (150#) in very choppy conditions, so it needs constant pull to go over chop and small waves that slow you down. Never flat water (I love flat, it just rarely happens here even in light wind).

Other important factors are upwind ability and speed of turning in the low wind range. The Assault and Answer have very little information on those sizes.

I already have Switchblades and like the massive pull, but the turn is on the slow side.

Any opinions will be appreciated.

[uncleneil]

Looking at one of the few options:

• Switchblade 16m
  Crossbow 1 16m
  Assault 16m
  Answer 16m

Not interested in Waroo 14/16 as the low end of the 12 was sub par.

Why is the 12m Waroo subpar on low wind? Your compareing it to other 16m kites. I was riding a few days ago with my Waroo 16m, a North Rebel 16m and a Crossbow 16m. We were all on Speene Door 159cm boards. The Waroo 16m and Cross bow could stay upwind in as little as 6-10 mph and the Rebel as low as 8-12 mph..

[FredBGG]

There is a guy here in Malibu that flies an Answer 16 with a directional surfboard. I have seen him ride in the lightest of winds and by that I'm talking about 8 to 10 mph sideshore with occasional 4 to 5 foot swell.

Keep in mind that he is an exeptional rider.
To deal with chop in lightwind you need a big board, either a Spleene Door 59 or 64 or a flat bigger rocketfish.

The Answer is also a very fast turning kite and that will help in the low wind plus waves.

You mentioned that you are not interested in flysurfers, but if you get a chance try out a Psycho 3 17 or 13. It's got the low wind of previous flysurfer kites, but it also has fenomenal turning speed. It is however an expensive kite.

I was riding my Psycho 3 13 side by side with a rider on an Answer 12 and a directional. Despite me weighing 40 lbs more I could ride sooner, could outrun him and go up wind steeper. His Answer 12 was a bit faster turning.

I would say that with an intermediate rider the Psycho 3 17 would have the edge on an Answer 16, however for a lighter rider the Answer would turn faster and that might make it better.

As for the other kites you have mentioned I have yet to see one come close to the Answer or the Flysurfer Speed 17. Keep in mind I ride alot in light wind and at some pretty buisy spots.

Another Bow that I have seen do pretty well in light wind is the Slingshot TD. Not superfast turning, but good cruising in the light stuff.

Cheers

Fred

[schmoe]

Why is the 12m Waroo subpar on low wind? Your compareing it to other 16m kites. I was riding a few days ago with my Waroo 16m, a North Rebel 16m and a Crossbow 16m. We were all on Speene Door 159cm boards. The Waroo 16m and Cross bow could stay upwind in as little as 6-10 mph and the Rebel as low as 8-12 mph..

Thanks for the feedback. To be clear I am comparing the W12 to other 12s. In my condition the low end of the W12 is comparable to the switchblade 9, and far behind the switchblade 12 which is a torque powerhouse. On very flat water the W12 comes alive in the low end, but I rarely get that. I heard similar feedback from other locals about the low end of the 12.

Thanks for the feedback Fred. I actually owned Flysurfers (still do) and I know they make radical improvements over the years. Call me crazy but I like the smaller ones better than the big ones.

Keep in mind that he is an exeptional rider.

Unfortunately I am not

[srrc]

My SB 16 pulls like a tractor, mind you it needs to, I'm 90kg.
But with a 158 I can go in about 12mph, stay upwind etc.
Slow turning? Well, in that wind I'm not doing anything very fast.

[tomtom]

Im 87 kg

Today i was riding my 14 sonic and wind was very light maybe 10 knots

I was barely holding ground.

So i borrow friends switchblade 16 just to make comparision.

I was very surprise how good actualy sonic is.

I cannot hold ground on SB. And this kite is feel like truck.

It cannot utilize apparent wind as sonic and therefore imo it has worse low end.


It is more stable than sonic and require less imput from rider.

True wake style park and ride

But it isnt for me. I like kite that are my hands extension

[FredBGG]

Thanks for the feedback Fred. I actually owned Flysurfers (still do) and I know they make radical improvements over the years. Call me crazy but I like the smaller ones better than the big ones.

Keep in mind that he is an exeptional rider.

Unfortunately I am not

Your not crazy, the smaller Flysurfers are great, and the new big ones feel a lot more like previous smaller models.
I absolutly love my Pulse 10 which is pretty small for my weight 225 lbs.
Now that I have a Psycho 3 13 that has such a wide range I would like to switch mu Pulse 10 for a Pulse 7.

Cheers

Fred

[KiterChris]

Hello, you may be interested in the Griffin 18m bow, a 90kg rider on a 132 board can get going in about 9 knots. there is also the 15 meter Griffin.

Not many brands are making 18m that I know of.

I have a 9, 12, 15 meter griffin, ther are a well built solid stable kite

http://www.monkeykites.com/index.php?page=griffinkites

[KiterChris]

the bottome end for the 18m bow is 8knots for a 90kg rider .

the bottom end for a 15m griffin 65kg rider is also 8 knots.

Both riders where going upwind on normal sized boards.

This was tested by 2 riders yesterday at Coffs Harbour Australia.

[OzBungy]

Make sure you have the right board for lightwind before you choose a kite. Wide and flat makes for a great ligthwind board. Length is not so important. I use 136x38cm with 5-10mm of lift in the tips.

Rocker and width make about a kite size (about 2 sq.m) difference each. That is, taking a normal size board and making it flatter is like having a kite one size bigger. Make it wider and that is two kite sizes. A 12m bow with a wide, flat board will easily match a 16m bow with a conventional board.

I use a Sonic 11 in all winds and I have never been left sitting on the beach while my mates are riding their 16m Crossbows.

I have made some line extensions to see if the smaller, faster kite can give a bit more bottom end. I have not had a chance to try it yet. On a large kite line extensions make it too slow and you actually lose power.