I keep hearing that the new nomad doesn't have as good a bottom end as the switchblade but their wind range chart says otherwise. It also seems that the nomad has a bigger wind range than the switchblade. What is the truth? or is this chart a load of rubbish?
never tried to the nomad and going switchblade again because I like em but every kite has it's not so good points and if the switchblade has one then a narrowish wind range (low top end) would be it imho.
what sizes are you looking? the nomads are a meter bigger
The Nomad bottom end seems about right for me at 70 kg's on a wide 133...
Switchblade seems conservative, 10 SB = 11m Nomad, 12m SB = 13m Nomad
Looks to me as though they are just basing the bottom end on the sizing...
Nomad's got better top end :) Switchblades got better bottom end :)
I spent about 3 hours on the 11m Nomad yesterday at Magnetic Island on the Naish 5'5" fish, in sub-20knot conditions that I would normally ride with my SB3 12m. Used the "Light / Wave" settings and middle knot on the rear line pigtails, hardly any depower pulled on. I'm 78kg wet.
First hour marginal 13-15knots with 10 knot lulls.
Second hour 17-20knots and pretty steady.
Last hour 14-17knots.
First impression - this kite won't replace the SB 12m. The bottom end is pretty poor for an 11m. In the first hour I was working the kite right up til about 15-16knots, even on the surfboard. Other guys on 12m SB3's, 12m Nemi HP's and 12m Rebels and surfboards were getting upwind way faster. Normally I'd also be "park and ride and rip upwind" on the 12m in that sort of wind. Anyway, that's not really a criticism, as Cab have said all along the kite is less powerful than the SB's and not made for low end grunt. Others have noted the low end is probably not as good as the SB 10m, and I'd agree there.
However, once the wind kicked in to closer to 20 knots and I could park and ride, the kite really started to shine. Very smooth in the air, the bar feels great, and the depower throw is pretty short. Still had to be a bit careful not to kill the kite power with the edge - it definitely likes to fly fast. Turning is excellent - on par with a 9m crossbow IDS maybe? You can really throw it around the sky, and it suits ripping waves with the strapped surfboard a lot better than the sb3 12m. Not sure what the top end will be, but I had no depower pulled on at 20 knots.....I can imagine it will go well into the high 20's and probably handle better and better the more wind it gets. Gust control should be great with the combination of edge and bar throw.
Stability was good, no overfly tendencies. I did put it in the water once, in about 15 knots, and it didn't even look like relaunching by pulling a steering line. Swam hard at it for a few meters to get it on its back, and then it came up OK, but then had a long-ish body drag to get board back. If you were in bigger surf, I'm not sure you would want to be frikking around like that. But that was evidently in light winds, I gather it may be quicker in 20 knots plus. Time will tell.
The kite fits well into my quiver of 12m and 8m SB3's, but it certainly won't replace the 12m until the wind is above 16 knots or so for the surfboard, and maybe 20knots for the TT.
Still keen to try a 2010 kite that will give the power of the sb 12m, but faster turning.
??
Andy
I have 11 and 9 Nomad, the bottom end on the 11 is pretty average, not found the top end though so If your after a kite for below 15 knots then go 13 or switchy 12.
I was thinking of the 13-9 combo. The lack of bottom end on these kites is a concern though, especially it's relaunching capabilitys in marginal winds expressed here www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=54564. Given that
here in nsw I kite in marginal conditions alot(also weigh 85kg dry). i am thinking the switchblades might be better for me. I know the nomad is touted as the wave kite but how does the switchy go in the surf. Also which kite boosts the best?
The Nomad is a far superior wave kite. The Switchy is more of a park and ride kite, super easy too use but doesn't drift downwind like the Nomad and is more prone to falling out of the sky when you ride towards it. I read that the Nomad doesn't boost as high, but I have found that to be completely untrue, I reckon it is easily as good if not better for boosting now I have it dialed. If your 85kegs and want to kite in marginal conditions then you will definitely need the 13, I personally don't bother kiting unless its 15-20knots so no need for the 13 for me.
if I ruled out all those 12-16 knot days we get down here I would have about 100 less kitable days a year. Kiting in marginal conditions may not be as fun as kiting in 20+ knots but if you have the right gear it is still awesome fun. Sure beats sitting on the couch scratching your arse and hoping the wind will pick up.
As for the nomad, it sounds like a great kite, but if I put it down in between sets in 15 or less knots(as I said I often kite these conditions) and it is hard to relaunch then that is a big concern. It would hardly inspire me with confidence to try new manouvers, the opposite of what a new kite should do. I guess demoing one is the only way to find out for sure, but it's always good to hear other peoples opinions. Maybe a 12m switchblade with a 9m nomad would be a good combo.
Disappointed with the 11 nomad. The bar is the best on the market but for a kite that is advertised as a surf kite and as the fastest turning cab kite, the company got it dead wrong. It is too low aspect making it turn very slow.
I am no pro kiter, started on a fuel then switching to last years IDS, and have had a nomad 11 for a lengthy test (weeks!!) now I am back on the switchblade 8 & 12 09/10 models I am a big fella
the nomad was a great kite but definitely lacked bottom end grunt and boost, the 09/10 switchy's seem to have a little more grunt than last years, the bar and lines are a inprovement for last years especially the rubbered ends now the lines stay on!!!
I think it hard to go past the switchblades proven and tested.
the nomad was a great kite but definitely lacked bottom end grunt and boost, the 09/10 switchy's seem to have a little more grunt than last years, the bar and lines are a inprovement for last years especially the rubbered ends now the lines stay on!!! I think it hard to go past the switchblades proven and tested.
not affiliated with any other company. Just a regular kiter flying a SB3 and had the chance to fly a nomad. Its not a bad kite, but it turns slow. no good for waves
I have a nomad 11 im also a fatso at 95kg i came of a switch ids the kite pumps quickly the bar has vastly improved yes the bottom end is less but once the wind hits 20+ the settings are on "light bar pressure" + "pro kit" = QUICK REAL DAMM QUICK kite and down looping has a huge big pull affect (so hold on) im getting the 13m as well with a pro kit hoping for that missing bottom end its just one of those "park n ride" kinda kites relaunch is ok but self landing isnt as good as the switch ids the bag dosent extend so you can leave the struts up so there is a strap with a cheap plastic clip that easily breaks under pressure so my final verdict turning speed 10/10 kite loop 10/10 ease of use 10/10 relaunch 7/10 simpleness 10/10 OVERALL 10/10
Hi everyone,
Like you I have had a few demo's of the nomad and was unhappy with the result. I was expecting so much more. I wrote to cab them selves and gave them quite a bit about me and how I kite so they could suggest the best kite for ME this season.
I have attached my question and the answer the kite designer gave me explaining not only how the nomad differs, but how it is meant to be ridden to get the most out of the kite.
Question:
Hi,
I am a kitesurfer from the gold coast AUS and I currently ride a switchblade ids 10m.
With the new season starting here I am ready to update my gear but I am unsure what to get. I am reading a lot of reports saying the nomad is fantastic but I am yet to see it. I was at the beach and the local shop (Surf FX) had an 11m Nomad on the beach with no one using it, so I set up my 10m switchie but took out the nomad. The wind was light at first and I was the only one out and found it to be very slow and underpowered . It was blowing about 16 knots and I weigh 80kg. After about 15 mins I put the kite down and took out my switch 10m and had to fully depower at he bar to suit the conditions. My switchie sits very nice in the air. I thought the wind must have picked up so I put down my kite and took out the nomad again, but the conditions where the same. Still less power from a bigger kite. The turning was very quick when the wind hit about 19 knots which meant I missed a lot of the power because I would turn the kite and it would fly past me to the edge of the window before I had a chance to use it all. I ended the session on my switchable fully depowered at the kite in 19knot winds wondering why the nomad was better supposed to be better. A bigger kite with less power designed for the surf and I as using it in the surf. I was riding waves on a twin tip so I could really focus on the difference between the kites.
I started kitesurfing because I was watching a surfing comp and I watched the surfers paddle out at a point and be swept out of the comp zone before they could even get a wave, then some kiters came in, rode the waves, then effortlessly kited back out and ride the waves in again on their surfboards. (I had checked all the beached along the coast that morning intending for surf but the conditions where so bad I didn’t even go out. The waves looked good, but the sweep was a killer, so my mate and I decided to not even bother. So to see the kiters was the answer I was looking for.)
I have been kiting for 5 years now, I ride the surf on my surfboard strapless and on a twin tip when its really rough or big. But I have found the flat water freestyle to be great fun and I prefer it more often. I can unhook, do railes, some spins and rolls and starting to handle pass. I would like a kite that is going to help me here first, and ride the waves a very close second. I do very well in light wind (16knots and up) and have handled my switchie 10m in over 30knotts with gusts up to 35 ( not that much fun )and I am going for 2 kites this year over my very versatile 10m so I can unhook in greater wind ( I don’t unhook over 22knots, I feel too overpowered)
I feel like I am an advanced rider with all the basics down pat, but would not say I am a pro but can handle any condition. I would like to progress a lot more in the wake/ free style tricks but I when all my mates go for a surf session, I wont to show them up.
What would be the best kite for me this season and what sized?
I was thinking maybe a switchie 10 and 7m or maybe a nomad 11 and 7.
Am I better off staying with the new switchblade when it arrives than going for the nomad which is getting nothing but fantastic reviews? I am even debating trying a c kite this year since so many manufacturers are claiming they are using an open c shape over the bow style that was so popular 3 years ago.
What is not stated in review is how it compares to the modern C kite. How does the nomad and 2010 switchblade compare to the 2010 c kites? I can’t find any one that stocks a C demo these days and I wont a kite that’s right for me this season, not just the kite that everyone else has because its popular. I feel that the reviews the nomad is getting this year will make it a popular kite, but I will only get it if it’s the best for me.
I have to say I am really happy with my switchblade but feel I can’t depower it enough to ride it much unhooked which has slowed my freestyle progress.
Can you help me with my dilemma?
Solution:
Aloha John,
The Nomad is a new model that was specifically designed for advanced level freestyle and wave riders. This kite is very quick in the turn and generates power from the wingtips while stroking the kite. This generally requires riding at higher board speeds when on a twin tip (which all pro riders do). This model prefers to be ridden hard and fast to truly feel its full potential. On a surfboard, its very quick through the window to allow the riders to get more vertical on the wave face. This also helps to prevent the rider from getting pulled through the bottom turn and rely solely on board speed to make the turn. The kite also has a very short and sesitive depower throw which is excellent for wave riders as well as high end freestyle tricks. The kite has significantly less low end power as pro riders hate being overpowered. They are generally much more efficient and ride much faster than others and are therfore, on a size smaller of a kite than most.
It sounds like the new Switchblade (7m and 10m) fits your riding style much better. The new model SB is quicker that last years with all the power and smoothness you've come to expect from it over the last several years. Very user friendly and power when you need it.
We can't effectively compare out stuff to C kites since we haven't made one in over 5 years. Besides, it's apples and oranges - ya know.
Regards,
Cabrinha Support
thanks for posting that John.
As I said in the other thread on relaunching the Nomad, its important we put our expectations aside and ride a new kite with an open mind while we work out what the kite designer has made the kite to do.
As a few of us are finding out - the Nomad needs to be powered up and ridden fast to get the most out of it, and turning is its speciality. The sizes are not a good guide - the 11m only comes alive at 18-19 knots, but I imagine it will handle winds in the high 20's no problem at all. Hopefully someone puts up some info on the 13m soon.
The 11m Nomad is something to consider replacing your grunty 9m or 10m bow or SLE kite with when its 18-25knots. It won't take the place of an 11m or 12m bow / SLE kite that many people use in sub-20 knot winds.
Interesting post John, but you can't seriously tell me at 80kegs you have to depower a switchy 10 in 16-19knots, or am I misreading your post????
Good posting John The new Cab's are in the country so just a few more sleeps kiddies till kiters Christmas day (WOO HOO I CANT WAIT) once i get my Nomad 13 with the pro kit i will be testing and writing a review so then its up to mother nature time will tell what the new models have installed
just my thoughts on my new 11m,
the kite is amazing in flight..
but it has 2 massive faults which has annoyed me.. the bottom end on the kite is terrible.. 20knots to get going is knockin out so many days, and hindering my progression..
and the relaunch is terrible on it.. i dont want to be thinkin while im trying to land new moves that its going to take me for ever to get it back up in the air.. i now cant even think about tryin freestyle in the waves because if my kite goes down its going to get ****ed..
i wish i got the 13m.. even though i havent tried it yet, the 11m nomad and my 8m switchblade ids just double up way to much.. i use to just ride 8 and 10m switchblade and it was a perfect combo.. i could get out in about 13knots. now i got 2 kites where one starts at 20knots and finishes prob at around 30knots.. and one that starts around 25knots and finishes at about 40knots..
just to much overlap.. so im pretty bumbed about my new kite, considering it needs to be blowing a gale before i can get out.. then when im out im sure it will be just too windy to do anythin apart from loops..
i wish i stuck with the switch blades..although i havent been out much on my nomad, the relaunch on it is very scary when the wind drops.. i dont want to be shark bait drifting down a canal or stuck in a set of waves crashin on me and my kite..
if all these reports I keep hearing about the nomad are correct, and you have to admit there is a fair amount of consistancy to these reveiws, then cabrinha have developed a wave kite that is a bitch to relaunch. That doesn't make much sense to me, you want to be able to get your kite up real quick in the surf. Also it seems that the power of these kites is akin to the old c's I used to ride in 04, 05, eg 11m from about 16knots, 9m from 20knots ect
The kite is easy to relaunch!!! Just not as easy as the switchys!!! I think everyone is way to used to the easy characteristics of the switchy, the Nomad isnt for everyone, but if you know how to use it, it pisses all over the Switchy. The 11 gets me going in about 15 or 16 knots on a 133 and I weigh 80kegs. I have dropped it in the surf numerous times now and have never had a problem relaunching it 
If you want a kite thats not great at wave riding but wipes your ass for you on relaunch then get a Switchy, If you want a kite that is awesome for waveriding but you have to put in a little extra effort to relaunch quickly then get a Nomad, simple.
yo lads,
i have spend a few days on nomad 11m. My weight is 83kg, on a 132cm Mallory, with the pro bar set up and the faster set up on kite ( knots up).
First day in 20knts. I was fully lit, decent pop for unhooked but not as much as the Switchblade.
The boosting is pretty impressive with heaps of hangtime and smooth down-looping.
I found the nomad to be stable ( no overflying) and very predictable.
The bar pressure is higher and the kite loves to be ridden with the bar fully sheeted in. You will then get a strong pull with park and ride. Only if you edge to hard the kite tends to overfly toward edge but this can be adjusted by sheeting bar out a bit.
Yesterday, i tried 11m in 16-17 knts in flat water. You had to dive it up and down to get it going. It moves very fast for an 11m and once i had the speed up i just parked it and pulled the bar in.
I did some kiteloops and it felt so smooth through the loop with a very constant pull coming out with the kite right on top of me, landing soft. I gained confindence in looping nomad quickly and clnt stop doing it. 
The re-launch takes a little bit of effort if the wind is under 16knts. The kite does not flip on wingtip as soon as u pull backlines and the wingtips tend to fill up with water which makes it harder to get kite back up in light winds but anybody that can relaunch a kite will not have issues..
Pros:
rock stable with tension on bar
fast
loop-machine
good hangtime
very responsive
Cons:
heavy bar pressure
drag
Kite is somethings for more experienced kiters who love a fast flying kite that will always make u feel what it is doing.
Try it!
Light wind relaunch is potentially a VERY serious issue for this kite, especially in waves.
I found that attaching a soft cuddly toy to the bar and saying "Upsee Daisy, there's a good kite" made a big difference! In fact I realised that the big pocket on the side of the kite bag was obviously made for storing a toy for the light wind days.
Hey Guys,
I am 105 kgs and have a 9 m nomad. I ride a surfboard and find this kite sweet down to about 16 knts. My previous 9 was ok down to about 13. I have always been the fattest guy on the smallest kite. Now I am just the fattest guy on the same size kite as everyone else.
You guys winge way too much about the relaunch. You should not be dropping your kite that much to worry when in decent surf -As discussed if you are riding a nomad the wind should be up. Any kite dropped in decent surf and light wind will get nailed.
I am so happy with my nomad that I have also ordered a SMALLER one as well.
At 16 knots on on my 9m Nomad. I am talking about riding waves and just staying upwind on my widest surfboard.
If I was wanting to ride a TT and jump and do powered tricks it would be nowhere near enough - Different requirements between riding waves and freestyle I guess.
I always go for fast turning and easy drifting over power which is why I like the nomad so much. I'll always use the smallest kite I can that will just keep me upwind.
Does anyone out there in Nomad land have the 13 with the pro kit yet post a reveiw if ya do A!!!
