Fuel 2010 vs 2007

I used to fly a 15m 2007 fuel and now ride a 2010 13m.

I have found the '09 and '10 13m to be on par with the 2007 15m in terms of wind range for me.

So I'd say you are safe going with the 11m.

I have always ridden a 13m Fuel but recently got my hands on an 11m Fuel as well and our wind can be fairly fickle (actually, really damn fickle at times!) I reckon the bottom end of the kites are not that different, a knot or two at the most. IMHO The 11m turns and flies alot quicker than the 13m and seems to generate a similar sort of bottom end. Obviously the top end of the 11m is far superior to that of the 13m.

Even in the really light stuff I still put up the 11m over the 13m as it is alot more enjoyable to fly. I will be getting a 2011 Fuel when they become available and will be getting an 11m instead of the 13m.

I also reckon the kites are bigger in size than they used to be. An older 13m seems to be very similar to a newer 11m when laid over each other.

All just my opinion, take it for what it is.

Cheers

I seem to remember one year that SS stuffed the sizings up. Was it 2007?

I got this straight from a bloke - smaller than I - that used to ride a 13m Fuel at Flozzer (Robyn the Dutchie). I was always surprised he was riding such a big kite but he explained the SS siZe stuff up and he plonked his 13m Fule on the lawn with an 11m, from another year, and i'm stuffed if I could see a size diff.

So in reality your 2007 13m may well be an 11m in disguise.

If you want to ride powered in lighter winds and do unhooked tricks you want the biggest kite there is i.e. a 13m. If you want to cruise back and forward and generally just dangle about an 11m would work ok in the same strength (weight depending).
Your weight will be the real deciding factor in this whole saga. When I was a grommet I could windsurf on a 4m in like 10knots i could kite in any wind on a 9m up to about 20 something knots... Once you get heavier all this awesome light wind range goes out the window. I know for sure that these days my 83kg frame will need a 13m if its lighter* , no matter how much swooping is done an 11m isn't going to perform like a 13m for me.

*(if not bigger, I wish they still made a 15m I have an old 17m that is awesome for light days)

The board makes a great difference as well. I went up a size with the Lunacy this year and I am now riding 132 which has a fair bit of width, especially in the tips and this certainly helps with the bottom end of the kite.



Cheers