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Gin Marabou v2 reviews ?

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mikesids
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Gin Marabou v2 reviews ?

Postby mikesids » Sun Oct 16, 2022 8:56 am

Starting a more specific thread focusing on the Marabou v2 as the other one seems to have become a Flysurfer / ConceptAir thread now.

There is next to no info out there from people who have actually used this kite. If it does what Gin claim it could be amazing but I’d like to hear feedback from paying customers if possible. My questions all pertain to light wind foiling, I am looking for the ultimate light wind solution that can still be water relaunched.

- what size would you recommend for foiling in 8-10kts ( for an 80kg rider on a 1000-1200cm2 freeride foil )

- does it generate a power spike for water starting ? ( like a twin skin)

- how is it’s performance upwind for foiling - does it sit deep in the window like a regular single skin or further forward?

- how is the deep water relaunch in very light winds (8-10kts as above) ?

- does it rattle when sheeting out ( like a S/S ) or is it smoother like a ram air kite ?

Given that it’s a hybrid of S/S and twin skin designs it would be interesting to know what general characteristics are exhibited ie does it feel mostly like a S/S but with better water relaunch , or does it feel quite different to the likes of a Shaman or Peak ?

Also interesting in how sizing and power compares to a LEI ( say a single strut) and a twin skin , so we can guesstimate which size to use in which wind conditions .

And finally the critical questions - does it perform as claimed, and as you hoped it would when you bought it ? And would you recommend it to others ?

Thanks in advance

br44
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Re: Gin Marabou v2 reviews ?

Postby br44 » Sun Oct 16, 2022 2:46 pm

Buy one and let us know what you think… that’s the only way to find out anyway. Relying on others’ reviews is a (very) poor substitute.

Ask the dealer to give you the option of returning the kite, minus a fee, like new, within a few weeks. Assuming you have no chance to demo it.

I’m sure it’s a (very) nice kite - most are. Whether the trade-offs that are built-in are to your liking, that’s another thing entirely. Local conditions, personal preferences, etc.

nate76
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Re: Gin Marabou v2 reviews ?

Postby nate76 » Sun Oct 16, 2022 10:07 pm

Yes, so the rollout of the Marabou 2 has been a little frustrating, but kind of in line with everything else going on in the kite industry/ international supply chain, and a bit to be expected. On the upside, it does seem like Gin is really trying to make sure they have a refined upgrade that's well-tested, rather than rushing the new version to market.

I’m hoping to have some 8/10/12 Marabous arrive in Colorado this week, but have kind of given up on setting any deadlines/expectations. I also just had elbow surgery, so its going to be a while before I’m doing any water kiting; although, I do plan on posting some pics with technical details as soon as I am able.

With that said, I have been talking with several folks who rode the kite at AWSI and one customer here in the US who got the 10m, and it seems to be living up to expectations. I’ll include my customer’s feedback in another post, but general 1st impressions that seem to be universal to everyone I talk to are:

• Completely different kite than Marabou V1
• The overall performance is closer to a traditional foil kite/LEI than previous single skins, in terms of speed/efficiency, upwind ability and pop.
• It feels a bit like an LEI kite.
• Surprisingly good performance on water with a twin-tip
• Good Drift ability
• Excellent/large depower range
• Quite a bit of power for its size
• Very little fluttering
• Good Water Relaunch

My customer reported the weight of his 10m Marabou as 3.4 lbs which is in line with the weights Gin recently listed on its website:
4m 0.8kg
6m 1.1kg
8m 1.4kg
10m 1.6kg
12m 1.8kg

I do believe CaptainKirks in California has some sizes stocked, so may be worth reaching out to them for more info?
Last edited by nate76 on Sun Oct 16, 2022 11:40 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Gin Marabou v2 reviews ?

Postby Peter_Frank » Sun Oct 16, 2022 10:33 pm

Why not ask (or check) the Foil kite forum here?

viewforum.php?f=197

8) Peter

nate76
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Re: Gin Marabou v2 reviews ?

Postby nate76 » Sun Oct 16, 2022 11:25 pm

Here is the 1st bit of feedback I received on the 10m Marabou 2:

Okay, just so you know may skill level. I cannot consistently ride the mast on a foil board. I can get up on the board every time, just cannot ride the mast yet. I can twin tip pretty well, but with two artificial hips, I'm not doing anything crazy...but can and do ride in most any conditions on Lake Erie, which can get really really sketchy with big waves, wind driven currents, you know the scene.

I took the Marabou out today, Drove to the beach in 20 mph winds, rigged in 15 mph winds, launched in 8-10! :-)

I was able to get up and taxiing around in the 10 mph winds, if I could consistently ride the mast I would probably still be out there foiling...In my humble opinion, having the bar pushed out and diving the kite generated zero power, pulling in the bar and diving the kite generated a lot of power. When I was up on the board (I look gawd awful when I'm trying to foil board) BUT I really really liked the depower of the kite. I could power on and power off by sheeting in or out. Had some pretty long runs for me leaving the kite parked but pushing out and pulling in the bar. I wiped out a number of times and I could feel where the kite was. I never dropped it in the water so I have not tested the relaunch.

I do think it flew way better/different than the Marabou first edition. The wind did pick up for about five minutes when I was on shore and I do think it might surprise us both with jumping ability. In the strongest winds of the day I landed it by pulling on the back lines to back stall it, it landed nicely that way but there was definitely a short surge of power at a certain inflection point that made me think it was a bad idea, it pulled me a bit but once past about 45 degrees floated down nicely.
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nate76
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Re: Gin Marabou v2 reviews ?

Postby nate76 » Sun Oct 16, 2022 11:28 pm

Feedback from 2nd Session on 10m Marabou V2:

I (160 lbs) rode the Marabou in winds the meters said didn't get above 15 mph felt slightly stronger to me. I was as Headlands Beach on Lake Erie, waves looked tame from the shore were mostly 2-4 footers with a fair number of 4-6 footers as well. Shore break wasn't too bad.

I went out on my big twin tip (149, not huge) and was powered very nicely, kite did feel kind like an inflatable. Might have just been me but it has fair but not obnoxious bar pressure, letting out the bar, it depowered immediately. I'm used to jumping with my Soul, this felt like I could jump with it with a bit more wind or a bit more skill... :-)

I then went out on my Slingshot foilboard (Big-ass one Space Skate or something like that). Mind you I cannot foil board, the kite stayed in the sky, I never dropped it, lost it completely once, not sure where I let go but it auto zenith-ed and it was happy. So was I, I was plenty far from shore. The other foilboarders were on 5M Peaks and 8M Clouds.

I then put up my 10 M Soul for comparison. On my twin tip, I didn't have enough wind to jump with the Soul, similar to the Marabou. I was able to get up wind with both the Soul and Marabou on the twintip. The only other twintipper out there was a beginner on a 15M. My buddy showed up later, good kiter, he rode his fifteen too.

Plenty happy with the Marabou, it is a different kite than the first edition. They did a good job.
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nate76
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Re: Gin Marabou v2 reviews ?

Postby nate76 » Sat Oct 29, 2022 9:00 pm

So I finally received size 4/8/10/12 Marabou 2's, had a couple quick flights on the 4 and 8 in light/trashy winds just to get a quick feel, here's a couple pics and first impressions:

- The kite does feel quite powerful, and inflates easy.
- The fabric isn't ultralightweight, so it is a bit heavier than the Flysurfer Hybrid but feels like it is going to be very durable. Lightwind launching even for the 4m is as you'd expect for a single skin (great); build quality is excellent.
- New to me was that the trailing edge/single skin portion has stiffeners in it at each of the rib locations, which has a noticeable effect on the amount of fluttering in the kite. When fully depowered, there is little to no fluttering as it hangs out at zenith.
- The colors are striking and very pretty (subjective, I know)

Now that the Flysurfer Hybrid has officially released, it is interesting to see the different design targets of these two kites. Flysurfer seems to be putting a lot of emphasis on the Hybrid being an excellent choice for beginners and kids as well as kitefoiling; whereas Gin has opted to push more of the higher end performance of the single skin envelope - trying to make a single skin that is more upwind effficient and lifty approaching performance levels similar to LEI's and twin skin kites but also still excellent for foiling. The result of Gins performance criteria is a kite that has a bit higher aspect ratio. Its still too early to tell for me personally how the stability and drift qualities are going to be, but in initial testing it seemed very good.

I think its great that we're seeing a few hybrid kites come onto the market that are targeting different aspects of the sport; I think the current lineup covers a pretty broad range audiences and riding preferences.

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nate76
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Re: Gin Marabou v2 reviews ?

Postby nate76 » Sun Oct 30, 2022 2:49 pm

Made a quick video doing a walk-around the kite and some of its features:


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Re: Gin Marabou v2 reviews ?

Postby derek440 » Mon Oct 31, 2022 5:15 am

*disclaimer I am the Australian Gin distributor - I took the 10m with me on my recent holiday for a few weeks and rode in a variety of conditions. I agree that it feels a bit like an LEI in that you can depower by pushing bar away. It also has a good power spike to get you out of the water. Most days I could have used a much smaller size but only had the 10m, I personally think these should be ridden quite small like a peak where you take just enough kite to get your ass out of the water and use a surf foil and do upwind/downwind taking advantage of the amazingly good drift. Answer to points:

* relaunch was good even leading edge down * I water started in 8kn no problem (my wife was on a 21m kite at the same time) and I am 115kg using takuma kujira 750 foil (Project area) * upwind performance is incredible the marabou1 and peak i think suffer in this area but marabouV2 flies upwind *almost no flutter *self landing was no problem backing it down * fabric is called Myungjin and its incredible, probably the best foil kite fabric ever, very strong and durable and lasts incredibly well, we have some Gin Instinct kites with hundreds of hours and many swims and races etc still operating perfectly, same with the Gin Paragliders made from this fabric including the tandem and powered wing.

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Re: Gin Marabou v2 reviews ?

Postby lederhosen » Mon Oct 31, 2022 11:05 am

It has this zipper in one of the vents. Does it have a 5th line safety option for snow kite like the hyperlink?


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