I've been reading about the Wainman Hawaii Kites and I'm very interested in getting my hands on one. I am really interested in the Boss. It looks like a great light wind kite. Apparently they are releasing a couple new kites soon. One of them will be a 15m.

The build quality looks excellent, graphics are very cool and the bar set-up seems pretty good.

If anyone has one or has tried these kites please share your thoughts on what you think of them.

Fantastic kites. In brief, only 3 struts, no one pump, kite has similar characteristics to a Delta, build quality is excellent and simple. The bridle is small so no tangles, can be used as a 4 line kite with or without the bridle. The kite will sit back in the window when fully sheated in without loosing power allowing the rider to edge and cut hard for tricks. Great for unhooking and very good in the surf because of their speed, for eg. the Boss on fast settings turns as fast as a 9m Bandit, the bar is of good quality and simple.
Because of the swept wing tip on the leading edge to the trailing edge the kite is much lighter on the bar than a traditional Delta, but the relaunch is the same and in good wind they will sit up on one wing tip in the water waiting for relaunch.
I like the fact that the front lines come all the way down to a spinner above the depower cleat, so if you have the need to untangle your lines you can do so quite easily from the bar, unlike many of the new kites that have 1 front line that spits to 2 at the top.
So far every one that has bought one from me has not had a problem this season and loves them.
I currently ride a Boss and gypsy for unhooking and flat water, Takoon Furia 2 11m for the surf and a 12m Airush Vapor III when I'm mixing it up or boosting with big loops.
Cool!

I agree about not needing a 15m. The Boss looks very good. I'm definitely going to wait and see what they have on offer in 2010. The Wainman Hawaii Website has some kind of marketing thing going on as all you get when you visit their site is a clock counting down. I guess they will be showing off something new soon.

Thanks for the feedback. Looks like the 2009 Boss is a winner. Hopefully the 2010 will just be refined.

I got the Smoke (the 9m one) last year and love it. It's got a great low-end and the top-end is sweet, had it out at Kitestock in about 30 knots (not 100% sure, could have been a bit less and I do weigh 90kg). The bar pressure is nice and light, its got the mini-5th line safety and a whole heap of settings to tune it the way you like it (I fly it on the medium setting all round).

Picked up the Boss a few months back, but haven't had any wind to actually fly it so I can't give an opinion, other than its dead sexy.

The build quality is fantastic, the bar is nice and simple and comes with an extra chicken loop without the dd for unhooking. The zip on the bag is a bit iffy, but it's far from being a deal breaker.

Price wise, they're in the same range as Bandits and Rebels, but worth every penny (incidently I tested both the Bandit and the Rebel at the same time as the Smoke, and ended up settling on the Smoke because it's so much fun to fly).

Try West-Oz kiteboarding or FiftyFoot kiteboarding, they both carry them and I had exceptional service from both of them.

Anyhoo, that's my 2 cents, hope it helps.

How much $$$$$$$$ ???????

Hey. I sell Wainman gear in NSW. Don't be put off by the prices of the Wainman Kites. The prices are similar to many other brands on the market. In fact they are cheaper than many of the leading brands. I'm not sure where the Wainman's got their rep for being pricey but they have definitely earnt their rep for quality. If you are after one let me know and I'll look after you.

Cheers

Matt

Wainman site up & running Now.
Look at the surf boards, I'm getting one of each

you going to back that up with something spider or just drop random comments then bail.

Go tell Lou wainman he's an unknown brand and see what the father of kiteboarding does to you.

Morg said...


Go tell Lou wainman he's an unknown brand and see what the father of kiteboarding does to you.

I think the spidey will be fine, i just watched "the father of kiteboarding" spend an entire afternoon covering the bench at kitebeach with red fur cloth...