CrazyFly Sculp & Hyper 2023

[Toby]

CrazyFly News:

CrazyFly Sculp & Hyper 2023

Sculp:

The new 2023 Sculp is a do-it-all kite with a sporty feel. It is a true allround performer across multiple disciplines. Whether you like old school, freestyle, kite loops, big air, or foiling, the new Sculp will deliver.
The Sculp is a Hybrid Delta Bow shape. This shape takes advantage of both Delta and Bow and results in the most versatile and easy to use kite we ever made. From great hangtime to amazing kite loops to unhooked pop and slack with pivotal turning, this shape is a true do-it-all platform.

This year, the Sculp has been fine tuned to work best with the new Savvy bar. The bridle is completely new resulting in lighter bar pressure, more stability and faster turning. The new bridle features two additional attachment points to the leading edge on each side of the kite. The first added line on the leading edge near the wingtip is mostly active during relaunches and the kite virtually wants to fly up by itself in the edge of the window. The second line is attached to the steering flying line and creates another attachment point on the wingtip of the leading edge. This further supports the wingtip structure, so the kite is more stable in gusty conditions and when overpowered. This line also offers two settings of the kite: soft and hard. Selecting the soft setting knot, the Sculp has less bar pressure, turns slower and is more forgiving. On the hard setting knot, the bar pressure increases, the kite is more reactive, feels sportier and turns faster.

With the combination of the new Savvy bar and the new bridle there is constant feedback of the kite felt on the bar, so you are always in complete control of the kite. The Sculp has gradual power delivery and smooth sheeting. The Sculp inspires confidence in kite loops with improved kite loop recovery and more pivotal turning radius.
The low end of the Sculp is absolutely impressive thanks to TerTex material. TerTex replaced Dacron in strategic areas and results in a stronger kite structure, yet lighter overall kite weight. Optimized weight allows for bigger wind range and improved low end performance of the Sculp. The Sculp really does it all.
The 2023 Sculp – One world, one kite.

Web: https://www.crazyflykites.com/kites/sculp





Hyper:

This kite is hyped up. High performance. Big confidence. Power. Muscle. No hassle. Emotion. Devotion. Addiction. Perfection. Pure power. Rush hour.
High aspect, no respect. Pull to play, accelerate. Oh damn, hit the break, Load up, get high. Let fly. Come down. Retry.
The 2023 Hyper continues to go in the direction of modern big air kites. This year, the Hyper has been fine tuned to work best with the new Savvy bar. The bridle is completely new resulting in lighter bar pressure, more stability and faster turning. The new bridle features one additional attachment point to the leading edge on each side of the kite. The bridle lines connected to these new attachment points on the leading edge are mostly active during relaunch of the kite. The kite virtually wants to fly up by itself in the edge of the window. The newly added bridle lines also further support the wingtip area of the kite, making the Hyper much more stable when overpowered and easier to control in gusty conditions.

With the combination of the new Savvy bar and the new bridle there is constant feedback of the kite felt on the bar, so you are always in complete control of the kite. The Hyper is a powerhouse when sheeting in and has constant pull which is especially rewarding for big air tricks. The boosting is unreal. The Hyper wants to fly. Jumps are super lofty with predictable heli loops and controlled touch downs.
For a five-strut big air kite that is primarily designed for strong wind, the Hyper also has impressive low end thanks to TerTex material. TerTex replaced Dacron in strategic areas and results in a stronger kite structure, yet lighter overall kite weight. Optimized weight allows for bigger wind range and improved low end performance of the Hyper. The fifteen-meter size of the Hyper is specially designed and bridled for the best possible performance in light wind conditions.
The 2023 Hyper – Go big or go home.

Web: https://www.crazyflykites.com/kites/hyper

[Valentinus]

CrazyFly Sculp 2023 (14м)

A small note: this is not my first acquaintance with this manufacturer and this model - I once already had a CrazyFly Sculp 2013, 17 meter (I rode it only a couple of times, then sold it because I realized that I didn’t need a too large size), and That kite didn’t leave any special impressions - the 17-meter size means leisurely survival in a very lightwind: no jumping, no racing, no tricks, just ride and pray to not drop on a wind break, because make restart from the water in a weak wind 17-a meter kite is still a quest. But it was a good kite, so when the opportunity came to upgrade a 14-meter kite to the CrazyFly Sculp, I did it without fear or doubt. But let's return to the 2023 model.

A real objective review should contain at least some disadvantages, and I found them for you:
- During the first pumping, it turned out that the hose at the central strut was kinked. The hose is pinched so that the strut cannot be filled unless the hose is straightened manually.

I saw on kiteforum.com a message from the manufacturer that they inflate each kite, and each kite is independently checked by two people, under video cameras. I readily believe in this, and am ready to listen to the version of how such the hose and kite passed the test. The problem is fixed in a couple of minutes, so I don’t consider it a serious disadvantage.
- The transverse struts are sewn into the front bladder slightly higher than usual, so when inflated they rest against the ground and cannot fully straighten, folding at the point of contact with the front bladder.


I don't know if this is a feature of this particular model, or the hybrid bow-delta shape, or all three-strut kites, and it does not interfere with inflation too much, but it may cause faster wear of the dacron in the folds. I don’t know how critical this really is, but so far this is the only thing that really worries me.
- There are no reinforcements (plates) on the canopy at the places where the transverse struts are attached - so it is better to keep the places from ground (like any other kite)
- The backpack is not very comfortable due to the fact that the zipper is sewn at an angle (“L”) - because of this, some skill and self-discipline are required to put the kite in smoothly, and if this is not the case, then in the end the backpack with the kite looks crooked and askew. It has no real meaning, but it's an image, guys. What prevented you from sewing a U-shaped zipper?

IMG-20230825-172344.jpg (87.45 KiB) Viewed 472 times

- I thought that this would be the end of the list of disadvantages, but the fifth gurney added one more - the inflation valve (modern, with a button) has broke - not fixed in the open position. There was a spare valve in the repair kit for the kite, so I changed it in a couple of minutes. I studied for a long time what could have broken in the faulty one, but I still didn’t understand, the mechanism is simple, like a button on a ball pen.


Now about the beautiful things.
Quality: there are no complaints about materials and tailoring, everything is neat. There are a lot of “branded” little things: clamps for the tubes, plastic strips on the ears of the kite (to prevent the lines from catching on the strut), etc.
I like the color of the kite - bright, very noticeable. This adds safety both when riding in kite traffic near shore and on the far sea (in case of incidents).
As I wrote above, the inflation valve is modern, with a button, and the manufacturer included an adapter for old pumps in the kit. Respect for the adapter.
A diameter of front balloon at center as of other manufacturers, but towards the ends of the wing it decreases slowly that of other manufacturers. Maybe this is a necessity to maintain shape, because there are only three transverse strut. I will say that the kite moves well up the wind.

On each side of the kite there are two pairs of knots (there is no word about them in the kite manual): one shortens the control lines, offering a choice between FABRIC SETUP and MORE POWER (obviously for a lightwind); another pair of knots is marked as SOFT and HARD - this pair of knots changes the shape of the line triangle and the point of application of force to the end of the wing, which, logically, should affect the sharpness and severity of control - such an interesting replacement for the traditional sewn loops on the edge of the wing.

Instead of rollers, the manufacturer included a pair of bradle lines with an elastic band (if you are thinking about the durability of this elastic lines during winter snowkiting, even if something happens it will be easy change, so it is a not negative).
I can appreciate the generosity of the manufacturer, who included in the repair kit for the kite, in addition to self-adhesive dacron patches, also spare tubes, a valve (already useful), a key for replacing the valve, and a tube retainer on the nipples of the balloons.
The material of the backpack is fabric (like canvas), not leatherette, so it will not crack or tear in the cold.

In use:
The kite is very light, really. Weight is only 4 kg.
The lower wind range is very good. The manufacturer specifies 9-20 knots, but the kite flies better than my last kite, which stated 8-20. I skated on it for four days on lightwind, each time the wind weakened in the evening, but I was the last one to leave the water (among those who rode twintips). One day I went into wind at the upper end of the range; in gusts the kite behaved very carefully, without sudden jerks.
The 14m size, in principle, does not imply sharp and fast control, but the transition of this kite for jumping is not at all sluggish, much like 12m kites. You won't fly into "big air" on a 14-meter kite, but it makes jumps for fun very easy. The rise at the jump is not sharp, but confident. The landing is soft.
The bow shape smoothes out gusts of wind, the load on the bar is comfortable (the bar was not original).
The kite does not require much shortening of the depower, so it can be used with both slot and band trimmers.
There were no stalls in the wind drops; when the wind weakened greatly, the kite behaved good - it did not dive, but smoothly flew back, staying in the air until the last (once, when the wind was completely turned off, the kite fell from the zenith onto the sand - it remained intact, which allows hope for strength).
A water restart is common, as with all bow kites; the kite does not take water, so it without any problems. Once I even managed to restart him from the water without a board (but there was a good wind).

Summary: An excellent kite for beginner and intermediate riders.

P.S. Sorry for bad english.

[Faxie]

The kinked hose probably happened during the packing of the kite (which is pretty tight). I never had a kinked hose with any of my CF kites. It did happen with some of my older Switch kites though (more flexible hoses), but it was never really a problem with durability.

The broken inflate is due to a little broken plastic piece on the pin. I've had it happen once (on the 2nd inflation) but there's a spare for a reason. I understood they would replace the inflates at some point with a version with a metal pin. Not sure if the '24 versions have it. I don't like the Halkey valves... I prefer an old fashioned Boston valve (or the Slingshot/Cabrinha version of it)

The kinking of the strut during inflation is pretty normal for any kite. The only strut damage I ever had (with another brand) was a failed seam in the middle of the strut.