aaahh...a triple-whammy of pleasures this weekend, while some of you lucky lads (and laddettes) were having fun in Fleetwood I made the tough choice to stay at my usual haunt with the chance to demo the new Voodoo.
Beaches were deserted, 18-22mph dead cross shore and flat at old hunny- two guys out. Undid the ties on the bar & lines that come already attached to the kite, unwound the lines and checked what little bridle was on the kite (for a foil), and found some new bridle adjustment points that can change the profile of the kite depending on user ability/use (water/buggy/snow/ lapdancing etc). Also found some zips for inflation/deflation on the leading edge, but didn't need to use them as there was plenty of wind.
Left the bridling on factory settings and asked a friend to hold my harness while I side launched ( always a good idea with a new kite) and sheeted out the bar. Kite goes up no problem as do I but my back-up buddy holding my harness stops me from gaining any more than his eight foot reach ( thanks Tony). A little surprised I pull half in on the depower and walk easily to the water.
First of all this is a 10m supposedly the eqivalent of a 13 LEI, and it turns really fast- not just for a foil- I mean fast, it felt similar to sq's 13 04fuel but still felt like a foil- smooth transition of power and hardly any bar pressure.
Swept it back from 10 to 12 and pulled in on the bar, launched into the air and after looking up to see where the kite was (cos it does turn fast) sheeted out and spotted the landing- butter smooth and fast.
yyyyyeeeeeeeesssssssssss!!!!!!!!! You know that feeling you get when you know the potential in a kite or a board will make your favourite sport even better, that was it, I spent the next hour till dark shouting ooooooohhhhhhh mmmmyyyyyyyyyyy ggooooooooooddddddd!
Sunday morning, Brancaster 12-15mph crosshore and not a cloud, 16m weather for LEI's, rigged the 10 again (keeping the factory settings) and went out. Now anyone who has learned to ride a foil properly will understand how to coax the apparent wind out of the kite by using its profile as opposed to just flying it up and down, and when it works well its a fantastic sensation. This kite made it feel as easy as the 9 psycho and allowed me to sail the whole time without going downwind and could still get the one footers, front and back kiteloops and floaty transitions due to the turning speed.
A buggy friend of mine then asked for a go and proceeded to rip up and down the beach and managed to stuff it nose first into the sand, relaunched by pulling on the bar in about 5 seconds! If he reads this he may like to give his own opinion of what he thought.
Another friend was getting nailed on his fuel 16m as the wind picked up and pulled his release, so I took pity and offered him a go. "Never flown a foil before but I'll give it a thrash!".
Chased that b*stard up and down the beach trying to get the kite back.
He managed to fly it nose first into the water at one point, and remembering what I said about pulling on one line relaunched in about 10-15secs. He turned around and laughed and pissed off again."This could be an expensive weekend" as he handed it back. Hopefully he'll give his own opinion but his grin said it all to me.
I tried everything to get it to luff but stopped trying. Super stable with the big vents, 'jetflaps' in the trailing edge and speed of turn, but the best thing was the pop. Being a leightweight (10st) I easily get pulled off a rail if the upstroke isnt quick enough and so lose the pop that heavier riders can get from holding the rail longer, but this didnt happen even in the strongest gusts because I only had to sweep the kite a small amount before pulling in on the bar and instantly going up. JOY!
Needless to say I kept the kite and the girlfriend is having a lean christmas this year.
Whole forum discussion can be found here:
http://www.sickair.tv/forum/display_top ... Position=1