Have been riding a 12m North Rebel in the waves for a short while now.I Do not have a lot of knowledge of kites and their wind ranges.The 08 Rebel is good from 12-28 knots.Today i was out in wind from 15-28,for about an hour but trying to wave ride & manouvre the kite effectively was hard to say the least.Skill level is 1 issue but another kiter came out with a 7m Airush, yeh the guy has more skill than me but i was truly suprised by it's power in same wind. Now that i have learnt to kite and loving it I obviously need another kite.Problem,budget really only allows 1 more.I am 95kg riding 6ft+ surfboards.Thinking that an 09,8m rebel might be the best bet? The 8m,09 is rated from 16-34 knots.
So I have a couple of questions- can I realistically get away with 2 kites.
- is the 8m the right choice.
I beleive12m is best in the lower range say 12-22 what would the sweet range be for an 8m.
Sorry for making it longwinded but look forward to your thoughts.
Cheers EB.
8m will do you fine.
In fact you will slowly learn to love your small kites and try to use it whenever you can finding that a 12 is too slow and boring....
Small kites are the best, whippy, quick powerful yet user friendly.
Yeah go get an 8.
Hey EB,
The only thing I'm thinking is with an 8m in a new (08-09) kite you might get quite a bit of overlap in windrange with your 12, you might want to drop the size to a 7.
D
I have a 7m airush and i think it is awesome. I have been out at the same time as guys with 12m a couple of times. I've been lauged at while i've been launching my 7 before, but then i've zipped around with just as much go as the the guys on bigger kites (granted i am a smaller person).
My 7m starts from 17kts, and i'll jump on it as soon as the wind gets to 20. I get much more height (although less hangtime) with my 7m than i do with my 10.
Small kites rock.
Too often you see guys out in strong conditions with their kites flying a 11 o'clock because they can't get them any lower. They crawl along barely able to keep their board on the water. It is obvious the kite is too big for the conditions, then a guy on a kite half the size will belt past them at twice the speed pulling all the moves.
If you aren't comfortable and constantly wrestling with your kite, fighting to keep an edge you're not in control but many of these heros will boast they can hold down a big kite, depowered to the max and still pull big moves. I don't think so.
Small kites rock! To answer the question - you can get away with 2 kites with maybe a 3-4m difference between them. Works for me, I fly 10m and 7m.
if your in Darwin (which is the only place you really kite in NT), then I think an 8m will be too small. And no one up here rides on a 7m airush.... And we dont get wind from 15-28 knots either.
By the way I don't know how NT got to be on my profile I am in WA. Sorry for leading you astray skiddz but i don't suffer from a lack of wind or waves in Geraldton.D_MEREDITH79 yeh i was concerned off the overlap that is why i posed the question. I must say that I am not that keen on going when it is blowing over 30knots as the old knee tends to swell up & the waves are not pretty. I just checked the 7m wind range 17-36,8m 16-34 not much in it. I'm lovin the 12 but yesterday it was gusting to 25 and it was a hand full,when wave riding. Would have loved a smaller option. I'm still thinking the 8 would be the go comfortably in 18+ as I am new to kiting it is truly amazing the wind range of the kites.Nice.
Cheers EB.
IMO
Yep just go the 8, smaller kites = , if you live in Gero there will be days you wish you had a smaller kite (6 or 7) however there will be lots of days that you will be happy to have the extra power of the 8 so you can stay on your smallest kite longer. As much as you now love your 12 your small kite will be the one that you want to use all the time soon, I weigh about the same as you and I think it would be used more often if it were an 8.
Tightlines
Hi EB,
I recon your better off with a 9m if you're not into riding when its windy.
Im not sure about the smaller rebels... Have tried them, they are way too powerful for their size also reverse spin easily, but if thats what you're into, they are good.
Thanks for the feedback NJ, yesterdays wind can be pretty common in Gero would a 9m be a bit big when waveriding down the line? 15-32 is the rating for the 9m kite.What do you mean by the reverse spin of the Rebels? I do understand that restricting yourself to 2 kites can leave you under done or over cooked at times.The budget & the wife dictates this awkward outcome.SUCH IS LIFE.
Cheers EB.
Hi EB,
If you're keen on staying out in yesterdays afternoon wind go a 7 or a 6 rebel on a surfboard. I think they make a 6?
I used my 9 earlier but it would have just been enough wind for me on my 7 in the afternoon.
Basically look at what the poleboarders are riding and double the sail size. This is the right size for you. But the rebels are a bit powerful for their size maybe rig 1m smaller and close the depowerr strap.
Thanks NJ now I am confused totally. If I was poling friday or saturday I would not have gone smaller than a 4.5m sail possibly 5m for the extra grunt in the whitewater.That equates to a 9m but as you say the Rebels are quite powerful[why?] so go 1 less therefore the 8m sounds good. Spent a couple of hours in the middle of the arvo yesterday with the 12m but managed to ride a couple of waves,yeh I'd say I was overpowered,I would hate to get a 7 or a 6 & find myself having to work the kite flat out or heaven forbid have poleys scream past. By the way summer is here and I feel born again maybe today will siut the 12 better.
Cheers EB.
