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Light wind: SONIC 17m unbeateable

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filipw
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Postby filipw » Wed Jun 13, 2007 3:54 pm

There is a short clip of the SA 19 about 3.50 into this video:
http://www.kiteforum.tv/component/optio ... Itemid,30/

The wind meter is showing m/s so dont confuse it with knots... ;)

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Tom183
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Postby Tom183 » Wed Jun 13, 2007 5:04 pm

This thread is indeed a joke... 46m lines? WTF? They probably also used a 60kg rider and put helium in the LE. :lol: And 17m foil could only refer to the SPEED1 - technology that is almost 2 years old now, but still has better light-wind performance than most LEI's (if the rider knows what they're doing). Or maybe they were comparing with a 17m Psycho2 - when did those come out, 2003? Surprised PMU wasn't there with his Titan... :lol:

And the difference between 6kts and 10kts - HUGE.

Is it fun? A lot more fun than sitting on the beach waiting for 4kts that never comes, or worse still, waiting for 2kts and then wallowing a little ways before hiking back upwind...

sadorno
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Postby sadorno » Wed Jun 13, 2007 5:12 pm

PostPosted Tue Jun 12, 2007 10:31 pm Post subject Reply with quoteFind all posts by breathe
sadorno, how much do you weigh and what size board?


I love this kite but at 200 lbs I can barely ride at 13 kts on a 156cm board. The upper range is sick though, was totally comfortable on it in +22 kts last weekend, with room for more....

I am 170 pounds, and am on a 5'5' Surfboard JN Fish, it is a great board and certainly helps staying up wind.

yeah, the upper range is insane, i have been up to 22 knots steady +3 gusts and never even had to tune the straps down, i felt completely safe the whole time.

next year I am getting all Sonics (this year I bought a SB2 12m, which i love, but not as much)

i hope this helps!

Sean

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Dr.Gonzo
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Postby Dr.Gonzo » Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:26 pm

Always funny how foil fans never cease to come out and get on the case at the slightest hint of any 'light wind' thread ... like they have some inbuilt 'light wind discussion' radar :wink:

I'm a bit lost on this thread to be honest, what with all the different kites touted and one liners etc.

But as the title is about the 17m Sonic 07 I can give some input as i have also had that kite out in marginal wind around the 10-13 knot mark.

I also was lucky to be able to make quick swaps and fly it back to back with 3 other 16m SLE kites ... of cours the Sonic is a 17m so it was a little bigger to be fair.

But is was far more powered ... far more stable ... and, most noticibly was massively better upwind than any of the other kites. In fact, at 90kg+ on a fast 128 by 38 board I could barely hold ground on any of the other kites and was having to walk back upwind reglarly.

With the 17m Sonic I felt well lit and was moving fast into the wind so much that I would run out of beach in one tack.

For jumps... it was way better than I expected as I didn't find it so fast to whip back on whatever stock settings it was on. I had struggled to even get in a position to get any air at all on the other kites yet on the Sonic I actualy went quite big and very floaty.

I didn't think it was the fastest turning kite on the planet... and to be fair, one of the other 16m kites in particular would turn very fast and direct in comparison allowing me to hit lips and instantly get pulled through a bottom turn ready for the next one... all without making any timing adjustments for a 'big kite'.

All great stuff... but end of the day I was down wind, feeling 'draggy' in the water and couldn't jump compared to being well lit on the 17m Sonic.

I didn't think much to the video (but then if it is a genuine 5 or 6 knots what do you expect?)... but I do think mr Bekite has a very fair point favourably comparing the 17m sonic to other big SLE kites... which is the context he has made the post in prior to foil hijack.

From my one experience with it I would say that it is an exceptional light wind kite at the moment ... and effortless to use also as it just doesn't feel big at the bar.

Though like Sonic owner will tell you... there is certainly a technique required to get the very best from the low end, just like other sizes.

Anyone gets the chance to try one... grab a go. Its a sweet kite for lightwind cruising and plenty altitude and airtime.

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Tom183
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Postby Tom183 » Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:40 pm

Dr.Gonzo wrote:I do think mr Bekite has a very fair point favourably comparing the 17m sonic to other big SLE kites... which is the context he has made the post in prior to foil hijack.
Check the title of this thread again, please... And don't be surprised if you get jumped on for that kind of claim, in the absence of disclaimers like "compared to other SLE's".

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Dr.Gonzo
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Postby Dr.Gonzo » Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:08 pm

I'm sorry if it stops you getting your next kiteforum cop badge :thumb: but I didn't say anything about the 'title' of the thread but simply the context he'd made in his post...

ie:
bekite wrote:After many tests we can say the SONIC 17m is the best big SLE on the market:
Regardless....

I give . that much of a toss if some keyboarder would be so inclined to feel the need to 'jump' on me for some 'abscense of disclaimers' blahfrikken'blah :roll:

Sounds fully lame... take it to a Lawyer's forum.

:bye:

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Flyer51
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Postby Flyer51 » Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:09 pm

I have used a 14 Sonic for more than a year, and once you figure this kite out you will spend most of your time kiting alone, as I do.
I can go upwind and boost big floaty jumps when other suckers can barely kite, and spend most of their time walking back up the beach. And I weigh 90kgs!
I have ordered the 17 Sonic and can't wait, Any day now...

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Dr.Gonzo
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Postby Dr.Gonzo » Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:18 pm

Flyer51 wrote:I have used a 14 Sonic for more than a year, and once you figure this kite out you will spend most of your time kiting alone, as I do.
That is spot on 51... as much as I don't bother much with light wind sessions these days unless I am testing kit... I hear exactly the same " I was the only one going " kind of reports from many, many 14m Sonic owners... even more so now with the 07 model as it is so much faster and more grunty.

So true about figuring it out though... same goes for any size Sonic with regards to exploiting that 'extra bonus' low end.

You'll be well stoked with that 17m ... The float when jumping actualy freaked me out a bit... but in a good way of course... you'll see what I mean :lol:

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Postby sadorno » Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:28 pm

Yes, the float is unreal.

I loved flying my old Switchblade 16 for the long jumps, but it is nowhere near as good as the new Sonic. Sometimes I just glide off of waves when I am not trying, too. Very Fun!

:D

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Tom183
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Postby Tom183 » Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:35 pm

I saw the bit about "best big SLE" - put it in the thread title if that's all you're talking about.

Then let's hear some comparisons from Waroo and Contra owners (using 46m lines :lol2: )


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