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9-15 Knots, choppy water, FW Evo, what kite?

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martino86
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9-15 Knots, choppy water, FW Evo, what kite?

Postby martino86 » Wed Dec 06, 2017 11:20 am

I have a Enduro V1 in 12 which I use and really like for anything from 11/12-17 knots but I'm looking for a fast lightweight kite for those 9-11 knot days with a Firewire Evo in flat to choppy water. Overall freeriding and carving fun, no strapless airs. I don't ride TTs anymore below 11 knots. I'm only 63kg/140lbs so it shouldn't sit too deep in the window and have medium bar pressure. Tried the Hyperlink 12 and I do like relaunch, bar pressure and lowend but it's just to slow for me, I prefer tubes.

The one's that come in mind from reading your reviews are:

- Flite 12/14.5
- BRM Cloud D 13.4 (1 or 0 strut)
- Airush Ultra 12/15
- Liquid Force Solo 12/15.5
- Naish Boxer 12
- North Mono 12
- North Juice 15
- Breeze 13

What kite should I try next and why?
Last edited by martino86 on Wed Dec 06, 2017 2:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Strekke
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Re: 8/9-15 Knots, choppy water, FW Evo, what kite?

Postby Strekke » Wed Dec 06, 2017 1:16 pm

Don't get a bigger kite: save your cash to get a foil, and you'll be foiling on your 12 in 7 knots, and having a lot more fun doing so. All bigger kites are slow and sluggish, especially in those low winds. Many have been in your position (including me) chasing LW sessions with big kites and saying "no I don't want to get into the hydrofoiling thing", but the hard truth is just that for lower wind days (anything sub 16-17 knots), nothing beats the hydrofoil's efficiency and fun-factor. Get one, sacrifice a few sessions in learning how to ride the thing, and never look back!

martino86
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Re: 8/9-15 Knots, choppy water, FW Evo, what kite?

Postby martino86 » Wed Dec 06, 2017 2:13 pm

I don't think a Enduro V1 in 12 will let me foil in 7 knots, it's hard to keep it up there below 9 knots. Don't get me wrong, I do wanna get into this hydrofoiling thing but in the meantime I'll definitely kite in places where I'm not able to learn using a hydrofoil (shallow water, ...). Thats why I'm looking for one of the above mentioned kites. I don't wanna go really low, I just need a kite that let's me have fun on an efficent directional (like Evo or Nugget,...) in those days with 10 knots on average. I doesn't need to be a 15.
Last edited by martino86 on Wed Dec 06, 2017 3:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

dylan*
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Re: 8/9-15 Knots, choppy water, FW Evo, what kite?

Postby dylan* » Wed Dec 06, 2017 2:27 pm

yeah you're not going to be foiling in 7 kts on the 12m enduro. im pretty close to your weight (145ish) and don't really foil on my 12 envy until about 10 knots absolute minimum because it's just boring and you're watching the kite the whole time to make sure it doesn't fall in the water.

if you really want to ride a surfboard in that light of wind id just grab the biggest kite you can. a 15m isnt going to be a huge benefit over your 12 (maybe an extra half a knot to a knot of bottom end at the most) but a 17 definitely gives a little extra kick. i still can't go upwind on a 17m unless its around 11 kts but if you're in less currenty water/less humid air/etc maybe you can get more bottom end out of it.

personally i dont find a HUGE benefit of the big kites over a regular 12-14m kite so don't bother with them. i ride my 12m+foil from about 10-14 kts then switch to a surfboard when it's actually fun to ride. if i was to resize my quiver today i'd do something like 14/10/8 for my local conditions.

martino86
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Re: 9-15 Knots, choppy water, FW Evo, what kite?

Postby martino86 » Wed Dec 06, 2017 2:44 pm

Thanks, that helps a lot! Was also thinking about to completely resize my quiver.

A 1-strutted 13.4 Cloud D + 10/8/(6) Enduro might be a good solution.

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Re: 9-15 Knots, choppy water, FW Evo, what kite?

Postby BWD » Wed Dec 06, 2017 5:49 pm

Unless you drop the kite all the time
and
are impatient about relaunch
but
don't wan to learn new techniques
and
don't actually have the wind go below, 10 kts,
I would say get 13.4 cloud WITHOUT strut.
It's in the light wind that the extra weight of the strut will be felt
But
it's only 150 grams so whatever

One more idea:
last year, before I started foiling, I (80kg) built a lightwind board 5'x22" with big controller keel fins that performed halfway between a regular surfboard and a foil, and only took 12" water to ride.
It took a little technique to manage in chop though. For your size, 5'x20" simmons outline with quad fins and LOW tail rocker would do...
But it's still worth it to get into the foils, if you like new challenges! The performance is unique.


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