Quiver Dilemma: Pulley, non-Pulley Kites mix

[AdroVempo]

Hi All,
I am in a bit of a dilemma about which way to go with kites.

My weight : 190+ lbs.
Skill Level : Beginner.
Location : In-land lakes of Minnesota, US. Gusty winds and a lot of times, Choppy waters.

Kites I have :
2017 SlingShot Rally 9m;
2015 SlingShot Rally 12m, Airush Ultra V2 12m;
Airush Ultra V1 15m.

Board : Only 1 board - Liquid Force Libre 150x45. Flat light-wind door-style board.

Now my current dilemma:
This summer, I had been out on the water quite a bit, and rode the 12m Ultra for the first time, and also flew the 15m Ultra once...and the 9m and 12m Rallys thrice altogether. So what I realized is that with all these years of flying Slingshot kites, I got so used to the direct steering feeling of the pulley-less kites.

While I like with the Ultras :
Super lightweight - easy for carrying during self-launch and self-landing (drift launch is only way to launch at our lake shores here).
Amazing Stability - they stay in the air so well with minimum input.
Light Bar Pressure - no pain in the hands handling/flying the kite.

What I'm not liking :
The delayed response between what I do with the bar and the turning/steering of the kite (because of the pulleys being in there).

Maybe it is just a matter of time before I get used to the feeling of the not-so-direct response of the pulley-kites, but my dilemma is....Even if I get used to the 12m Ultra's way of flying and steering, my 9m is a Rally with no pulleys. "9m+12m" is the most used kite combo at our location, for my weight and twintip riding. Because we really do not have consistent light-winds like other places, so using the 15m kite myself and being able to confidently kite independently is still rare.

So is it a good idea to have the 2 most used kites in the quiver me of completely different type? [9m Rally + 12m Ultra]. I already feel my kiting progress was hindered this summer because of this constant switch between the 2 types of kites. I suddenly started struggling with even water-starts as well, which did NOT used to happen earlier.

So to make the quiver more uniform, if I choose to go with all Airush Ultras, is it a good idea to have a 9m Ultra single-strut kite in heavy winds ? Especially in the gusty winds of Minnesota lakes.

So that brings me to the decision that I am leaning towards. Which is to keep the 9m and 12m Rallys, sell off the 2 Ultra kites...even the 15m LW Ultra, because Slingshot too now has a single-strut kite Ghost. So maybe I'll get that in 17m for LW riding.

Wanted to see what all the kiter folks think ?

[Pemba]

I've never flown either of those two kites but I'd be surprised if you couldn't get used to both of them - although you might prefer one over the other. Keep in mind that the Ultras are much bigger (and therefore slower) than the rally's. You should only really compare the two 12's with each other. Is it a good idea to have a 9m ultra for heavy winds ? No I don't think so, it's made for light winds. For now, I'd get rid of one of the 12's, keep the one you prefer. I think as you develop your skills you'll get used to both the 9 and the 15 as well. At least I'd postpone the decision for a while.

[vakiter]

i think learning how different kites fly makes you a better pilot, and different models are better in different sizes.

i have a 2015 rally 12m, and i think its a pig, but relaunch is great and it pulls good.

[Herman]

I would say it should not matter much. Flying characteristics probably vary more with size than they do with bridle style.
Imho it is good practice to be able to dial into different kites and different conditions. In the end there is no right answer, I guess it is personal taste!

[edt]

fly whatever you like. I think most of the hydrofoilers are using foil kites at least occasionally. Now there's a huge difference between a tube and a foil kite. It's harder to dial in tricks on every kite when the kites are so different because the timing will be different. That's about it.

[AdroVempo]

I've never flown either of those two kites but I'd be surprised if you couldn't get used to both of them - although you might prefer one over the other. Keep in mind that the Ultras are much bigger (and therefore slower) than the rally's. You should only really compare the two 12's with each other. Is it a good idea to have a 9m ultra for heavy winds ? No I don't think so, it's made for light winds. For now, I'd get rid of one of the 12's, keep the one you prefer. I think as you develop your skills you'll get used to both the 9 and the 15 as well. At least I'd postpone the decision for a while.

Thanks Pemba. I'll do 1 more ride with the Ultra in 12m-winds and decide on which one to keep. will hold onto the 15m for now to see if I'm able to progress with the multi-type quiver.

[AdroVempo]

i think learning how different kites fly makes you a better pilot, and different models are better in different sizes.

i have a 2015 rally 12m, and i think its a pig, but relaunch is great and it pulls good.

Thanks Vakiter, so you think the 2015 12m Rally you have is slow? Meaning slow-turning?

[AdroVempo]

fly whatever you like. I think most of the hydrofoilers are using foil kites at least occasionally. Now there's a huge difference between a tube and a foil kite. It's harder to dial in tricks on every kite when the kites are so different because the timing will be different. That's about it.

Thanks EDT. When I get to that stage, I guess learning to jump will be harder on the Ultra than the Rally. (from what I've heard from people; I've never tried to jump on a kite, so I wouldn't know).

[vakiter]

yeah i meant the 2015 rally 12m is slow turning, and slow flying.however i think its a great kite to learn on and jump, and/or good for heavier riders.
i would keep them all and ride them all.

[Greenturtle]

I wouldn’t say pulleys make a kite more/less direct. The most direct and reactive kites Ive ever used have six pulleys per kite! And Ive used some pulley-less kites that were vague and spongy. Just saying I think its impossible to predict kite feeling based on pulley or not, its the complete design big picture not just the one facet.