Went down to Brisbane the other day for work and took the opportunity to demo a board from Kitepower. While I was stuffing around trying to get the bindings right in between runs I found that my 9m Rebel had a cool behavior that I hadn't noted before. If you took it to the edge of the wind window and rested it on its wing tips in the water, let go of the bar it would just sit there on its wingtip nudging upwind and wait for you to finish whatever it is you are doing. It would ride over the ridiculous amount of chop and jellyfish that Sandgate is "blessed" with.. Seriously guys got hand it to you for putting up with that crap day after day.. But I digress.

Probably common knowledge to the old hands but a keeper for me! Any more handy tips to stop me looking like a pro-tard on the beach?

Every kite I've owned has done the same.

Dl33ta said...

Akwa said...
I've got the rebel 2013 as well and I love the way it flies, relaunches and all the rest of it and I'm really progressing on it rapidly but I'm still no fan of the 5th line. It does invert and the 5th line does wrap around the outside quite often when I crash it on the water while learning how to jump and do backrolls properly.

I do however love everything else about it! Love the bar, love how quick it is, love the direct feel, the amazing amount of depower, everything! But as soon as I crash it and my lines slack I'm screwed, and i pump it up rock hard...

just for that reason I'm slightly considering trading it in for an Evo instead which gives you the option of having 4 lines...

I've found grabbing and pulling the centre lines before/during/after a unintentional landing goes a long way to stopping the inversion. Usually it's enough to get the kite airborne again. The only thing I can't figure out is when the wind dies and it just falls straight out of the sky and then inverts because there is too much slack in the lines. Doesn't seem to happen very often any more though, must be getting used to it.

Yes! I had that too! Stop. Hold it at 12 and it just falls down.. now I just hold it at 11 but still its quite weird.

AquaPlow said...
It is in the DNA - my 07 shows the same - I can verify that it launches inverted and flies inverted - all be it with slower response - has got me to shore on more than one occasion.

Hardly flown it this season as Lithium has replaced it - suppose should sell - but great kite power grunt balance predictable - sigh -
I still have first 2003 kite been threatening my youngster to get it out and see if he can make it perform[}:)][}:)] (allowance is he can use a modern bar!!) - just waiting till he gets a bit heavier as it is a 12M.

However the '07 does not behave so well as U describe at the edge of the window - most kites (especially more delta) are good to sit and wait at the edge of the window - excpt when the wind picks up)

Cheers
AP

The fifth line wrap with the rebel can sometimes make it impossible to fly or relaunch though as it looks more like this:


(even tho that dragon still has wings to fly with..)