This is the part that I simply don't understand... you buy a kite that supposed to have a built in relaunch system... but if the system is useless... why is it on the kite... I mean... there's a huge weight penalty in the over-sized battens at the tips... it almost implies that one should ride the '03 blacktips.

Hi

Nice writeup...

You should have a QR on the blue safety line as well? Or are you speaking of something else.

Added comments to original post above regarding power delivery, gusts, light-wind waterstarts.

I guess I should have explained that, since not everybody has seen the RECON system...

The SPEED safety can only be activated by pulling the QR on the chicken loop (or unhooking).

RECON has a release near the depower strap - pull (Gen1) or push/pull (Gen2) and the centerlines release and activate the safety (which bunches up the trailing edge and brings down the kite). Or - if you have the Bypass leash - pull the QR on the chicken loop (or unhook) and the same thing happens.

If you don't have the Bypass leash, you've got a spinnable bar, but pull the QR and you've got a runaway kite. So, with the Bypass leash, Cabrinha wins on safety but loses on the leash not being spinnable. Without the Bypass leash, they're tied on both counts.

Tom thats Great to hear that you are loving your new speed 17..It will only get better in time it takes a day or two just to bed in and then it seems to me to have even more power..But I will have to beg to differ on one fact that you posted I can deffinately jump the 17 Speed over 10 meters high..Actually I did so on last Friday in hatteras and also here in Va. Beach on Monday..The wind was over 20 and in "the planet of the apes" I was boosting huge and I have plenty of witnesses they where all yelling about the extended hang times that the speed was providing...I then took the 13 speed on my second run and 10 meter high jumps wher the average height with some super lofty jumps during the gust of 30 plus knts of wind.. The Speed is a true hang Time machine.....Ted B

Hi Ted - you'll have to give me some tips on how to max out the vertical, certainly no complaints about the hangtime though

Hey Tom
Armin seems to love the kite at full soft steering I ride mine at 1 knot below soft steering. But Also I almost always leave the Bar against the gust absorber and only pull in for tight turns, so backstall is no problem for me..But I will also be playing with my settings and will post my results...
On a Different note I have had 2 days of waves and the speeds work great in the surf and will just float down the line with you or you can loop them on axis for extra powered down the line riding..To me the kite is way more stable than it has been advertised I rode waves so far under the kite (on purpose)that ANY Lei would of fell face first, But the speed just floats back in the window.. And when on the face the kite flies so fast through the window you can edge it right out with no problems so staying in the sweet spot on the wave is much easier...
Kite Safe TEd B

So you're not pulling in on the jumps? Or not pulling in all the way?

When I was riding on +1 hard steering, I had the bar out all the way when setting up for a jump, then sent the kite, then pulled the bar in all the way - worked almost exactly the same as the Contra (a bit easier actually), and no backstall just hangtime.

On +1 soft steering, the kite felt quite a bit weaker so I didn't have the bar out as far, and when I pulled in on the jumps it felt like the kite had nothing - when I landed (if I got off the water at all), the kite was in a funny position and I had to push out all the way to get it flying again, so I'm assuming I stalled the kite by pulling the bar all the way in on that setting.