Wainman Boss 3.0 Review.
After demoing a few different brands of kites (North, LF, Naish, Best) I bit the bullet and decided to purchase a Wainman Hawaii 12 metre Boss. To date I have only ridden in lightish condition ranging from 12 knots with a run out tide to about 18 knots.
Out of the bag The Kite comes with a well thought out bag and includes a Velcro side compartment for your pump, bar storage on the side and also a compression bag which I thought was a great inclusion. Because of the design the kite actually looks quite small when pumped up due to its depth. There are several different setting on the kite, I have primarily used the middle setting however there are options to give more upwind or downwind ability. The build quality looks solid and the finish to me looks the goods.
Bar The Bar is very simple and works well. The safety runs through a pvc chicken loop and is very function and minimalistic. The magnetic depower rope is also very cool.
Depower Being a bridled style kite there is a lot of depower in the kite, I havn’t had enough wind to see how it rides overpowered.
Handling The kite was super fun to fly, I managed to get solid power out of the kite in light wind on a surfboard. The Kite has a great feel and gives consistent pull and what I would call medium to light bar pressure. In more moderate winds (15-17knots) in the surf the kite kept me upwind on a Tona Pop. Jumps were very floaty and gave some very soft landings. Unhooked the Kite is very predictable and sat nicely during rolls etc. I can’t comment on the drift of the Kite as I was riding a twin tip however the kite turns really nicely and was great for hitting a few lips!
Conclusion/Summary. Am I happy with the purchase? Absolutely, for me this a great all-rounder which is responsive when needed however also suitable for freestyle/wakestyle riding which suits me down to the ground. As previously stated the Boss 3.0 is just a super fun kite to ride, no fuss and finished nicely.
Cheers
Sounds great. I have the 2.0 last years model. Does it have a large inflate deflate valve? or is it still the little inflate and separate deflate valve? They have a octopus system to now don't they?
hi Skywalker,
The inflation point has a one way valve and there is a dump value to deflate quickly.
Yup single inflation system for the whole kite.
Can't comment on improvements as have never flown a Wainman before.
Hoping to try out the Manic C at some point.
Cheers
Hi James01,
You surely tried the Boss in higher winds and all sorts of conditions by now. I am thinking of buying one, but there is no demo to try in WA at the moment. Yesterday I asked a bloke on the beach to try his older model Boss in marginal conditions (15-18kts) and I could not stay upwind (I am 100kg on 135x44 board). The kite back stalled a lot - perhaps the lines were out of tune, or they were set to 'light wind' setting. Turning speed did not seem much different than my 2013 Switchblade (12m as well). The low end of my SB seem better as well in the same conditions - to be fair, I changed to much bigger board (North Spike 153 x 46) but had no problem with back stalling and was able not only to stay upwind, I was riding upwind 
I own 2015 Smoke, which I demo, loved, and bought. I kept on dreaming about the Boss, hoping it would be similar to Smoke but my short try at the beach yesterday did not live to my expectations. I tried my Smoke in the past on 'light wind' setting and did not like it much ( easy back stalling) but it rocks on its standard setting (I have not try it on 'high wind' setting yet).
Could you comment some more on your Boss if you had a chance to try it under many other conditions?
Perhaps anyone who owned older and now has 2015 Boss could compare the two - do they feel much different? (Low end, turning speed, issues in back stalling?)
Cheers
Swavek
Hi Swavek,
Was over your way a couple of weeks ago, shame because you could have taken it for a spin.
I had to tune mine a little when i first got it however just had it on the wrong setting.
I am only 75 kg however in light wind i find the low end is similar to most brands.
In short I am really happy with the kite, i had a session in 25 in WA and had to come and swap for an 8 metre however i could hold it down.
key positives
- Smooth as
- Floaty boost
- simple bar
- easy as relaunch
- medium to light bar pressure.
will PM you my details
cheers
Just wondering how these new wainman kites go in the waves, has anyone had a chance to try one in the waves on a surfboard yet ??
Haven't had the 12 "Boss" out in surf yet, but time on the 9 "Smoke." Much like years past rabbits, with just better everything. Compared to a pure wave kite like Reo, not as precise for following the kite in side, side-on where you might be going down line faster than wind speed. This is where I found Reo to be better than any other kite. For unhooked, point style waves, or any riding style that is more drift than follow kite, I'd say you would be just as happy. The flip side is you get a kite that jumps to the moon, kite loops insane, and can be flown by a beginner or pro in flat water and waves. Check out this link to Cato for tuning tips. http://catothekiter.com/2011/07/10/rabbit-tuning-tips/
If you try one, I'd suggest setting the center bridal at down wind and back lines to one up from fast for surf. If you are the type who prefers to be lit so you don't have to move kite, try center at stock (middle) and back at full fast. These kites can back stall if set rrear to lightwind and you pull the bar to the stop. Setting the center bridal to downwind will lessen this and make the kite less depowerable and more "C" kite feeling which is good for riding a smaller kite for a given wind range. Sounds like a lot of work to tune, but not really an issue as all settings work fine. I'll update if the wind goes lite here and I go out on 12.
Got out on the Boss in the surf and a flat water session too. Like the Smoke, if you're in side, side-on, beach break and you ride hooked in and fast, you'll find this kite a bit slow, especially on a crowed day weaving through the barrage balloons. Next, Ill try without line extenders (17m lines instead of 24 give or take). I'm happy that I replaced 5 kites (3 reo, 2 c4) with 3 (Boss, Smoke, Gypsy) and have gained way more than the loss at the far ends of the spectrums.
Positives: very stable, tunable, drifts well, jumps very high with long float, almost impossible to crash, quality, they thought of everything bag and accessories, great graphics and colors. Goes upwind very well even in downwind setting. A very favorable alternative to Pivot, Rally, Catalyst, etc. Doubtful there's a better jumping kite that works well in waves too. I've never been so high on a 12. Fuel 9 height with long, long flights. A good 3-4m higher than my old C4 and a good 15m more downwind float.
Negatives: hard to find, let alone get a demo on.
Been riding the 2013 Punch, just ordered a 2015 models, can't wait.
the only problems is , no bloody wind. Hasn't been since December 14
