Forums > Kitesurfing   Western Australia

Advice on wave kite

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Created by Cookastorm > 9 months ago, 29 Dec 2019
Cookastorm
WA, 12 posts
29 Dec 2019 3:16PM
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I'm currently riding a 2011 12m rebel which I have be thrashing ever since I brought it new. Absolutely love the kite and have often thought to myself why buy anything else. It has been crashed, snagged, stored inappropriately and lost out at sea (got it back miraculously). But even then, the old north rebel still lives on!! Still holds air and has never had any major repairs other than some very small tears that I patched. It is still serving as my only kite for more that 8 years and I have lugged it round with me wherever I went, including Chile, Argentina, Germany, France and Spain. Although I did replace the depower line on the bar after it snapped and I narrowly avoided a kitemare in Rostock Germany riding overpowered all the time.

And that's the thing I've only ever ridden a 12m and that means so many sessions overpowered. And I truly believe if I had of had multiple kites this whole time my skill level(and stoke level) would be much higher. Not that I am not stoked!! I am as keen on kiting as i have ever been it's just a matter of lifestyle balancing. And after Kites aren't cheap. Although I can testify that they do last the tests of time and are very durable even in accidents.

So anyway...... my one kite quiver is about to get an upgrade!! And that brings me to kite choice in nowadays high quality market. As I remember myself saying many times before that I would never buy another kite. The North rebel has been an amazing machine and has helped me progress well with the sport. So my initial thought was to get a 9m rebel and then maybe later a 7m. I come from a strong surfing background but have only ever ridden a Twintip, partly due to being so powered all the time. And having difficulty holding up wind on a surfboard(only tried once or twice.) I am 75kgs and when overpowered I change to a small north Twintip and I can hold the 12m in some serious winds 30+ So my new goal is to get good on my surfboards (already have plenty of old hacker boards to play with). Now I just need some new kites.
So I kinda get the vibe that any new kite I brought would be on par with the durability of the old rebel. I like the idea that I can have these kites for many years to come. Another question I've been asking myself is, do I really need a wave specific kite. I have played in the waves a lot with my twin tip so I understand the fundamentals pretty well. But feel a bit like Im a noob all over again....

Should I get a 9mtr rebel
or should I move to wave specific kites

mazdon
1196 posts
29 Dec 2019 4:26PM
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7,9 neos and keep the 12 for nostalgia... but you'll never go back

cauncy
WA, 8407 posts
29 Dec 2019 7:55PM
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Ozone enduro v2' has 3 settings wave free ride 'freestyle' takes 5 seconds to change but changes the kites behavior drastically' very direct feel' jumps very big' drifts and loops effortlessly ' well worth a run

timmybuddhadude
WA, 738 posts
29 Dec 2019 8:03PM
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Jeepers ...rebel sounds good..what a 'lovely story'
reo and bws noises personally and i am going for a 'drifter' next if i can handle the valve nozzle..
Goodluck with the surfboard..

eppo
WA, 9372 posts
30 Dec 2019 3:43PM
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Neo if you want to get a kite with the same feel as the old north / duotone feel. Or you you may want to dip your toe into say an Evo which sits in between the rebel and the neo. Bit of both if you like. I come from rebels and am really enjoying the neos now but I use a surfboard and foil as well as use a TT (now and then). A lot of crew I ride with like the evo as it does a bit of both.
so... I'd demo an evo and a neo myself as your are already in tune with the feel of these kites. Really depends on what style of kiting you you want to pursue. If mainly TT I'd go the evo. If you want to mix it up on a SB then the neo, especially if you plan on seeing the light and foiling as well.

you are gonna miss that obvious plug and play drive upwind of the rebel. But give yourself time to adjust ...and it's not an issue.

eppo
WA, 9372 posts
31 Dec 2019 6:36AM
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Oh and another kite wirth demoing with a closer feel than others (higher Y) would be say the core nexus... soz forgot to mention that one.

BrendanRobb
WA, 70 posts
2 Jan 2020 9:06AM
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I had a 2012 Cabrinha Drifter 9m that was going strong right up to around 6 months ago when I sold it. Try and score a demo day, or some of the local kite shops offer demos to try out some kites.

I suspect you will find there will be a bit of a transition though, getting a different kite AND moving from the tt onto a standard surfboard. You will find it harder to kite upwind on a standard surfboard, I rode a 6'4" square tail thruster for a few seasons, and while I loved surfing it especially down the line (downwinders), it was difficult to maintain an upwind position when surfing beachies or reef breaks as it had too much volume, probably the wrong outline and rail profile.

I picked up a second hand Cabrinha Trigger 6'1" in excellent condition which is proving to be a great board for me, (with the fins replaced). I also picked up an Eleveight Wave Series 9m kite recently which I am enjoying. I haven't tried using kites that are geared towards tt and freestyle/trick riding so can't offer any comparisons. I guess my advice is to perhaps also consider getting a kite-specific surfboard rather than riding your standard surfboards, which you may be able to factor in depending on your budget.

Good luck :)

danno
WA, 127 posts
6 Jan 2020 12:15PM
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Transitioning from kiting to surfing, I'd suggest don't go straight to a 'drifter' kite like the Airrush Wave, as they have no-where near the direct feel that you're used to. Stick to a more 'all-rounder' kite to begin with as you learn to surf. I reckon the Airrush Lithium is an epic surfing kite, and for Perth, a 7m or 8m is what you want if you only have one kite to use with a surfboard. When the wind-waves actually start to get good, the 9m will be too big, you'll be too overpowered to properly surf the waves, especially if you only weigh 75kg. At your weight, I'd recommend a 7m, all-rounder type kite.



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Forums > Kitesurfing   Western Australia


"Advice on wave kite" started by Cookastorm