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Ocean Rodeo Aluula & Hybrid Overview

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Ocean Rodeo Aluula & Hybrid Overview

Postby Toby » Thu Sep 09, 2021 11:06 pm








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juandesooka
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Re: Ocean Rodeo Aluula & Hybrid Overview

Postby juandesooka » Sun Sep 12, 2021 7:05 pm

Wow, that's a pretty frothing review!

But overall I agree with his conclusion. I have 2 sessions on the 5m A-series ... so far I am unable to find any faults. Stiff leading edge, tight canopy, no flutter. Can feel wing pump translating fully and directly. It feels light weight luffed and the handles seem to work particularly nicely when changing hands.

First 2 sessions were right around 20kt, which is pretty much perfectly powered in the middle of the wind range. So I have not yet experienced the high-end capabilities. I wonder how the upper range will be, as it's got a lot of juice, so will it become unmanageable in high 20s? In my last session, a couple buddies said they were quite overpowered on their 5m, and wished they were on smaller wings (was low 20s, possibly 25). That surprised me, as I felt no discomfort....either I am too well muscled too notice (I am not) or the wing handled the gusts well (more likely :lol: )

My goal right now is a 5m / 3m quiver.

EDIT: Session #3 update: the low end is amazing. 10-14kt on my biggest foil (GL240), able to get up easy. Shocked frankly. Buddy was just barely able to make 12m kite work with surfboard. Pretty sure this wing will replace my 6m.
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Re: Ocean Rodeo Aluula & Hybrid Overview

Postby salvino » Sun Sep 12, 2021 7:44 pm

I have had 2 sessions on 5m and am gushing.

So light in hand and stiff.

The stiffness is what must make this thing point 5-10 degrees more upwind. First day I was on 15-23 mph, second was 10-27 (holey and gusty). One tack out and then back for fantastic 1 mile downwind swell ride. Felt like no work involved. It is not as nose light as slingwing while flagging, but wind was poor quality.

The pump seems to be a different process. Because so rigid, it’s more direct. I was used to loading and scooping slingwing to pump. With this wing that didn’t work. When wind was light I realized I need to do something differently. Just not sure exactly how to . When strong gusts were there it just rockets onto foil no problem. I’m sure it will come with more practice.

Any ideas/experience with low wind pumping technique?

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Re: Ocean Rodeo Aluula & Hybrid Overview

Postby juandesooka » Sun Sep 12, 2021 8:37 pm

salvino wrote:
Sun Sep 12, 2021 7:44 pm
Any ideas/experience with low wind pumping technique?
Great you are enjoying it too. I forgot to add about upwind....both sessions I noted I was more upwind than normal, wondered if maybe a slight change in wind angle, but thinking it must be something to do with wing profile.

Pumping...I am not expert! But I did notice with my ozone 6m vs my old gong 7m, the pumping seemed was more up and down than forward. Kind of like hanging below it and pulling me up, rather than in front propelling me forward. But just slightly/subtle. I don't know if it'll be similar for the Glide.

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Re: Ocean Rodeo Aluula & Hybrid Overview

Postby juandesooka » Mon Sep 27, 2021 7:15 pm

Update on my Aluula experience, still no high end tests to report, we are in shoulder season for dependable wind. But I did have another wave day with quite light wind. Once again, I was shocked how well it worked, exceeded my expectations. I was getting up with my 5m in probably 10-12kts, which for me is usually marginally doable 6m. When the wind died down a little, I got my first experiences with wind-assisted wave riding: standing/slogging until the set arrives, and then pumping wing hard to get into the wave, so never really planing -- and it worked really well, as the wing is light to hold up and pump and then easy to transfer to luff position. I only missed the grab once, I was able to fly it for a little ways behind me riding down the line, and then it touched down and yoinked me out.

I am as critical as they get in evaluating pros/cons positives/negatives ... but I still can't find anything bad to say about it. Frankly, I am blown away by this wing.
"If you love it so much, why don't you marry it" ... "sorry honey, I have some bad news" :lol:

And big thanks to Chris Curran aka windoc for taking pics! https://www.instagram.com/christopher.curran.photos/

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Re: Ocean Rodeo Aluula & Hybrid Overview

Postby OzBungy » Thu Sep 30, 2021 8:16 am

I have a number of concerns, mostly about a mega-expensive wing.

The obvious one is that the canopy is still ripstop and foils are still pointy. I've punched holes in two wings in the first 10 hours of use. Annoying but no big deal. Tape it up and go for it. I would be extremely annoyed if I did that to my even more extremely expensive wing.

My kiting experience is that the dacron structural parts break ie. fatigue damage and split seams. The canopy gets torn, and more importantly the canopy is the part that wears out. Again, it would suck if my Aluula struts and leading edge were pristine and the rest of the wing was ragged out.

The reviews say the Aluula wings do everything that other wings do, but they do it a lot better. That's pretty good. I'm not sure "better" is worth a $1000 premium. I do just fine with my cheap and cheerful wingdings. If you're doing better than me it's because you have more skill. I doubt if a better wing will make you that much of a better rider.

Bow kites cost a heap more but gave us range and safety that we didn't have before. Foils are expensive but give us a whole world of on water experience that just wouldn't be possible in any other way. Aluula wings give us more of the same but a bit better.

Philosophically I decided long ago that wings and kites are consumable items. Use them hard. Take reasonable care of them. Replace them when they wear out. Part of that is that in an emergency I would happily jettison the kite or wing or whatever. I've never had to do that but it's reassuring to be able to. Not sure I'd be so sanguine about throwing away a wing that costs more than double the price.

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Re: Ocean Rodeo Aluula & Hybrid Overview

Postby leeuwen » Thu Sep 30, 2021 8:50 am

OzBungy wrote:
Thu Sep 30, 2021 8:16 am
The reviews say the Aluula wings do everything that other wings do, but they do it a lot better. That's pretty good. I'm not sure "better" is worth a $1000 premium.
If its worth 1000$ extra will depend on the size of the wallet of the people spending the money.
There will always be a market for premium products even if the gains are wayyyy less obvious then this.
e.g. people are paying significantly extra to get a Duotone/Ozone/Core kite/wings over something like Gong / Ventum / Gaastra or other "cheap brands".
Differences in characteristics are way less pronounced there then the difference between a Dacron and Aluula product.

Last but not least: It also matters if you can get away with owning fewer wings if the wind-range is better on Aluula wing products.
For context: I own an 10M Aluula Roam.
Does it open up conditions that would be otherwise impossible? I would argue probably not significantly when comparing to one or no-struts dacron kites.
However, compared to one/no strut the windrange covers 1.5 maybe 2 dacron kites so you do gain a lot of convenience there and "win back" some of the price that way.
You also get a kite that is a lot nicer to handle . So I would certainly take my 10M Roam over two A brand one struts, e.g. 11m and 8m any day.
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Re: Ocean Rodeo Aluula & Hybrid Overview

Postby Dontsink » Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:40 am

OzBungy wrote:
Thu Sep 30, 2021 8:16 am
I have a number of concerns, mostly about a mega-expensive wing.

The obvious one is that the canopy is still ripstop and foils are still pointy. I've punched holes in two wings in the first 10 hours of use. Annoying but no big deal. Tape it up and go for it. I would be extremely annoyed if I did that to my even more extremely expensive wing.

My kiting experience is that the dacron structural parts break ie. fatigue damage and split seams. The canopy gets torn, and more importantly the canopy is the part that wears out. Again, it would suck if my Aluula struts and leading edge were pristine and the rest of the wing was ragged out.

The reviews say the Aluula wings do everything that other wings do, but they do it a lot better. That's pretty good. I'm not sure "better" is worth a $1000 premium. I do just fine with my cheap and cheerful wingdings. If you're doing better than me it's because you have more skill. I doubt if a better wing will make you that much of a better rider.

Bow kites cost a heap more but gave us range and safety that we didn't have before. Foils are expensive but give us a whole world of on water experience that just wouldn't be possible in any other way. Aluula wings give us more of the same but a bit better.

Philosophically I decided long ago that wings and kites are consumable items. Use them hard. Take reasonable care of them. Replace them when they wear out. Part of that is that in an emergency I would happily jettison the kite or wing or whatever. I've never had to do that but it's reassuring to be able to. Not sure I'd be so sanguine about throwing away a wing that costs more than double the price.
I am sure i will end up with 2 Aluula wings as my quiver.The material just has so many advantages for Wing construction...it is like carbon fiber vs regular fiberglass.No contest in most high perfo applications.

But i also share some of your misgivings.

An the OR release has been such a botched one,with very little info.
I gave up on OR last July and got 2 Takoon wings.They cost less than a single Aluula wing and do a fine job.

I will wait for the Aluula Unit/Glide shootout and probably a V2 of both.Maybe OR will have the Aluula Ripstop substitute by then.

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Re: Ocean Rodeo Aluula & Hybrid Overview

Postby juandesooka » Fri Oct 01, 2021 6:27 am

I can understand that...I splashed out on my 5m a series. But I am leaning toward the hybrid for the 3m. I think the weight saving and stiffness may not be as big a gain in high winds. However we'll see how it goes. Unfortunately 40kt days here are all too often periods of 25kt mixed in, so the wider wind range the better. I suspect the 3m a series will buy a few knots extra on the low end.

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Re: Ocean Rodeo Aluula & Hybrid Overview

Postby OzBungy » Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:49 am

I had a PPC 2.8 for high winds. It was gutless in the lulls and twitchy in the gusts. My 4m Switch wing is happy in 20 knots to over 40. I suspect I lose some facility in the extremes of the range. It's hard to know because so much depends on the sea state. Certainly I have been circulating quite happily with a 4m when people have been slammed on their tiny name brand wings. This is why I think rider skill and application is far more important than a wing's claimed advantages. Switch are working on a 3.5m but it's being held up due to material shortages.

So in the context of an Aluula wing, extraordinary prices = extraordinary claims = requires extraordinary proof


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