Wainman Hawaii 2012

[kitenb]

Sounds like a lot of work! And I don't like the idea of having to run towards the kite...

I'm just used to the way I always did it on my C kites... fly the kite to the edge of the window about 10 ft above the ground....unhook....dive the kite towards the ground...grab the outside o shit handle....and it lands perfectly... real easy to do, and takes no reconnecting of anything when you are ready to go back out and ride...

I'm sure I'll figure out somethng that will work well... I'm really stoked on these kites and can't wait to get some wind!!!

[wondamic]

Sounds like a lot of work! And I don't like the idea of having to run towards the kite...

haha, don't run towards it. Run away from it--it only takes a few steps really. I do this technique cause it works in all conditions. All of this is done when the tip of the kite is touching the ground, super mellow and IMO safe.

I used to do the method you are talking about but in strong winds the kite can roll back into the power zone and crap may hit the fans.

Either way, stoked you are keen on riding the new gear. I can't wait either!

[wondamic]

I'll keep this portion short cause I'll bust out a full review on all the new gear with photos once I get a ride on them. But for now, here's a little something something about Big Momma (BM2.0).

She's trimmed down a bit and feels much more natural and progressive.

Last year's model was a Mack Truck with no brakes, I would either be pulled down wind or had to break my back to get her upwind. BM2.0 however, is a fresh relief...she comes with standard lines and bar that matches her boy, the Boss.

What does this mean? Well, she's faster, smoother, more predictable and a lot easier to handle. WH did a great job on trimming down the thunder thighs but still kept her heart in the game.

More detailed pictures of EVERYTHING will come soon. Hold on gang, I got a feeling it's gonna be a fresh ride this up coming season!

[kitenb]

I was able to test the low end of the 12m this weekend. I'm 170lbs, and was riding a light wind surfboard(was demo'ing one of those Corevacs). Winds were crappy low... in the 8-15mph range, averaging about 12mph. I wouldn't normally bother to ride in these conditions, but wanted to see what the kite could do. Living in Florida, we get a lot of light winds, so I wanted to find out if the 12m would be enough for my biggest kite.... I wasn't super powered up by any means, but I could actually ride and stay upwind. So, this is definitely the biggest kite I will need in my quiver. The kite is just so stable and smooth. I got a little taste of how fun it is going to be, when the few gusts in the 15mph range came through...

Hopefully, we will get some "real" winds soon...so, I can try this one and the others out... I ended up getting the 12, 10.5, 9, and 7.5.... which are all complete with bar and lines...I don't need 4 bar and lines, so if anyone is interested in picking up any, send me a PM. I'll probably sell 2 of them, and keep 2...

[wondamic]

I ended up getting the 12, 10.5, 9, and 7.5

Sick quiver...That 10.5 in lite days with a surfboard is gonna be rocking the bells!

Alright so no wind today, but I got pics for you guys comparing the OG Gypsy (6.5) vs the Gypsy 2.0. I don't know if it's possible to this all in one post without having to go back and forth so I'll bust them in multiple posts...

Let's peep out the bag:

You will notice they upped the material all over. That annoying zipping that was getting caught up, fixed with a much sturdier backing. They also added an adjustable chest clip for your hikes. The velco and meshing for your pump and hose also beefed up. The bag can also open up top so you can store your kite with its struts inflated.

[wondamic]

What's inside the front compartment:

WH is working on releasing a manual, I'm positive it's going to be plush when they finish. If some of you had the pleasure of seeing their latest manual, they are the best looking and easy to understand manuals. So hold on.

There's nothing out of the ordinary here, so please check the photos for all the goodies.

[wondamic]

The kites:

Alright so I laid out the two kites and there's not that much of a difference that I can tell from just looking at them. They beefed up certain area's here and there. Gave you more options for speed/bar pressure and probably moved the bridles by a couple of cm. They also added an extra knot for your front pig tail. This was added to help keep your lines even in case they get stretched. It's hard to tell much of a difference between the two kites but all of this is a good thing!

I've had my OG Gypsy since 08 and use this kite a lot! It's almost my one kite quiver. I'm pretty amazed on how it held up with all the abuse. I have yet to replace one thing on the kite--now that's freaking sick!

The bigger sizes however, have been changed a little and have a stiffer leading edge, which I'll high light when I get a chance.

Stay tuned, the off springs are out in effect!

[Rossall]

Could this be the finest bar yet produced, we'll see but it certainley looks like it !


pic : hydr8
Phil
WHUK

[kitenb]

I finally got some rideable wind over the past 2 days. Got to ride the 12, 10.5 and 7.5m.

The winds were all over the map the past two days... yesterday when I was out, it was 13-18mph, increasing to 16-22mph.....
and today it was gusty off shore winds in the 13-22mph range, inceasing to 20 to 35mph range....

Don't have time right now to break down each kite, so here is the short summary that really applies to all of them based off of my limited experience on them:

-Bar pressure: I would say just right...not heavy, not super light...I always had a good feeling where the kite was....

-Speed of kites: All turn very fast for their sizes...Obviously in the higher winds, the speed of the kite would go up...but, even in the low winds, the speed was nice. Very nice for redirecting last minute to smack a lip...

-Stability in the air: really impressed with this. I rode today in some gusty 20 to 35mph winds... and the kite would just eat up the gusts... was never worried about it over flying in the gusts...

-Low End: The kites have great low end for their sizes. 12m is the biggest I need, and I live in Florida! I rode the 10.5 in winds where most guys were on 15m's... and I rode the 7.5m today in low 20's....

-High End: Don't know on the 7.5m or 12m yet, but I got close to the upper limits on the 10.5 today. I rode it when it was gusting to 35mph… I could still comfortably ride, and was never out of control, but it was a little much…I dropped down to the 7.5m, and it was perfect…

-Range on the bar: Some kites I have flown, fly very well when the bar is pulled in, but you can’t turn the kite for crap when you have the bar pushed all the way out…. And vice versa for some other kites… These kites work well whether the bar is pulled in, in the middle, or pushed all the way out…

-Jumping: I got some pretty high lofty jumps today. The kites definitely jump. Probably not as high as some higher aspect type kites, but jumping is not an issue…

-Overall: Very smooth, fast, huge range, easy to fly, and just fun… I am really stoked on these kites… I ride a surfboard 90 percent of the time, and these are exactly what I am looking for…

-Negatives: I really can’t think of anything negative on these yet…I’ve only had a few hours on each, so time will only tell. But, for everything I like to do on a kite, these kites have them. I guess the only minor negative for me so far, is not having an O shit handle on the bar...but not a huge issue....

[tripman]

@Wondamic: funny that you criticise the zipper on the kite bags. I think this was the smartest kind ever put on bags. Same goes for the board bags. Big zippers only made of plastic. All other types someday get busted by salt coz the thing you pull is made of metal. Can't see if that's the case on the new bags but that would be a stupid. So I hope Franz did not take that option to satisfy the guys who change their gear every season and never experienced having to break a rusted zip because of the salt...
Did they tune-up the front bridles and pulleys on 2.0 because those on the 2009 kites are crap. Got a front bridle broken 2 days ago on my Gypsy, which other than that looks like brand new. Kind of disapointed by that... But I still love the kites and not ready to change them as I demoed some others these last weeks, just to compare them with 2012 kites, and nothing's like the rabbits for my riding.