Deal on Airush ultra vs. Naish Boxer

[Peert]

9m Naish boxer '17/'18 for 620€ new or Ultra V2 in 9m for 830€ also new. What is the better deal?

Based on enthusiasm on this forum I would say Ultra is the better kite in this one strut segment. But is it 33% better? The smaller sized ultra v2 is said to be very similar as thr V1

Did anyone have sessions on both?

I would use it for 55% foil, 25% surf (more often onshore than sideshore) and 20% TT.

[Dwight]

I had two friends with Airush say it doesn’t jump. I own Boxer. It jumps fine. So, I’d say go for the better sale price.

[Greenturtle]

It would be interesting to compare the actual size of both, Kitefinder made a video showing the 12 boxer to be substantially larger than the mono 12.
If this is also true for boxer vs ultra, an 8m boxer would be even less cost with maybe the same power....

[Foxi]

As you can see in the pic below V2 9m IS of course quite different to V1 - or how significant would you judge a clearly visible reduction in segmentation ?

89BBF968-E8FD-4489-B959-B7D486D3B6D2.jpeg (40.05 KiB) Viewed 2515 times

[alexeyga]

One thing that Airush has going for it - in the long run - the load frame. Having experienced canopy stretching - the hard way - I'm a firm believer that it does make a difference.

[jakemoore]

I have Boxer 6,7,8 that I bought mostly for my kids to learn to ride. Also Ultra 9 for me to ride waves and hydrofoil. Both are good kites. I have ridden the Ultra more than the Boxers, but mostly like and ride foil kites. For me, riding foil 70%, surf 25% and TT 5%, I choose my foil kites every time as long as I’m not launching on wet sand or dealing with drizzle or fog. The foils are lighter, tolerate slack line drift better, have better upwind and downwind, have more power, better boost, and a softer landing for my old knees.

Both Boxer and Ultra give the impression of being grunty for their size and generate nice sheet and go power. Both sit deeper in the window and are stable with light wind and drift. Both generate power with appearant wind nicely. Both can jump but not upwind or boost jump champs. Both will make a softer but not gutless loop that could initiate waterstart in light winds. Both relaunch easily in 12+ knots and probably less. I have had the Ultra hindenberg in shifty lulls when trying to push a session below 10 knots. I have not pushed the Boxer for light wind sessions. 9 Ultra pulls harder and weighs less than 8 Boxer.

Boxer has a more durable appearance in construction with heavier cloth and more Kevlar patches and panels. It has less flapping when depowered, possibly due to the leading edge battens. I’m biased to think this means better aerodynamics. It has some features to possibly allow light wind relaunch including a mesh window in the tip strut to allow water to drain and a trailing edge 5th line attachement. I have not tested either. My favorite thing about the boxer is the bridle is compact and won’t wrap a wingtip. I have wrapped Ultra’s bridle for example doing a downwind self launch. Some people have been bitten by octopus one pump. It doesn’t bother me.

Ultra is lighter and will fly in less wind. Some people think the Dyneema load frame is goofy. I think they just want a heavier kite. I think if you are seeking the best light wind experience either to ride waves downwind slack line or hydrofoil with a tube kite, Ultra is your choice. 15 knots plus, especially if you want to leave it flapping on the beach or allow your children to fly it into a fence, choose Boxer. Regarding price, I would consider the value of those extra light wind sessions.

[RalfsB]

I have a Boxer 9m and I really like it. I don't think you will be using 9m below like 10 knots, so Ultra might be lighter but at this and higher wind speeds it does not matter much.

[Peert]

Thanks for all the (sometimes elaborate) but al useful replies and considerations. Keep it coming..

The increased durability due to load frame speaks in favour of the Ultra. With respect to absolute low end I also believe ultra would be the better choice.

In my case two daughters would use these kites too and I have a strutles kite above it. (That I would like to replace next year with a FS Soul/Kitech/ or something like it...)

So still undecided....

[RadDrDuke]

I have put the Ultra through the ringer with lots of use now as I kite very frequently and the 9m ultra is the perfect kite for everything I do: foil (8-16kt) -> surf (12-20) -> TT (15+). It is a fantastic kite and very high-quality/durable as I've rolled it, crash/safety landed on beach in high wind, and done lots of self launches by just pulling on the back line to rotate and launch it. Negatives: Ultra flaps a lot and flies super far forward, the bridle is massive also.

Don't know about the boxer but I heard it's very nice although relatively heavy which makes it less ideal for foiling obviously

[Peert]

I will go to the Boxer since my daughter has renewed interest in the sport a bit less coin in it and durable construction is nice. She is afraid taking my strutless kites more than 200 of the beach...

Thanks all for the input..