had a friend buy a good as new sonic built august 05 from a W.A shop. finaly got his second session in and did a 20m run on his board when the leading edge seam split. Compared it to the halo and you can see why the stitching came apart. Besides that it either had no steering or would oversheet in light winds . does any one know a good kite repairer for this dud?

prob was a faulty or didnt check the seam as nearly all bow kites split at the seam cross bows ect.... it isnt a c kite takes some time to get used to flying i personally had 8 and 11 and friend 14. all kites can over sheet in light wind bows and c's... u have to tune the kite which really isnt that hard adn i found the perfect setting and didnt have to change it after that only for really strong wind where i depowered it. u need to sheet the bar in to turn the kite to get back line tension. and go to " hold the line kites" in wembly he is great for repairs! as you've said he has used it 2 times... it takes a little while to get used to but once u have got used to it sick kite! was my fav out of the 06 bows and the waroo! u can do it all on the kite!

Interesting thread. The quality of the sonic seems to be pretty variable. I've had mine since December and have used it extensively since. Its become my standard kite and I use it in preference to my other C-kites. This kite was getting out of the bag a couple of times a week through summer (but a little less now )

I haven't seen any sign of stitching problems on the LE or anywhere else. The stitching generally looks fine with balanced thread tensions. I'm not 100% convinced on the rear line attachment points - the pigtails look a little bit weak. I think I'll replace them with 2mm spectra. Otherwise the construction looks solid and the reinforcing generally looks tougher (more dacron, stickback and patches) than I've seen on other bows.

I have a 11m sonic. It has exploded on the LE. It has been fixed and I am reasonably it will not happen again. I love this kite as it will do me quite comfortably in 15 to 30 knots. It is the only kite I use pretty much now, but I am still a little worried about the durability of it.

In my opinion the Gk flies best with a good amount of pressure, especially in strong winds. I was flying mine in 30+ knots winds sheeted in quite a bit when it looked like it was going to invert. It dropped from the sky a little bit and then filled again launching me up a bit. When I came in the pressure seemed alright but seemed fly better the harder the leading edge was.

Forgot to add the support from Stonker for Sonics has been first class.
Thanks Alex the 8m rocks.

I’ve had my sonic 11m for about 5 months, and have no seam problems yet, even though it has been tumbled in the surf many times. I have found the wind range quite large and have been out in 30 knots, gusting to 35. It starts to behave badly in those conditions however it is still quite useable. And yes the leading edge must be pumped up hard otherwise it is a pig. I don’t have a pressure gauge so I squeeze about 6 inches in from the end on the leading edge. If my fingers can touch, not enough pressure.

I have also found that the kite flies better when the rear lines are connected to the forward attachment point on the trailing edge. It steers a lot quicker and has a better feel at the bar. It depowers quicker (less bar travel needed) however it feels as though there is slightly less bottom end.

On the negative side I have had problems since new with one bladder that had a manufacturing fault and have not been able to purchase a new one. It appears that you can’t get parts for them and it’s not because of the retailers....... Also I had the webbing break between the chicken loop and cleat. When this happened the safety disengaged as it got pulled through the chicken loop/cleat cover. Lucky it landed in the surf and didn’t hit anyone on the beach.

Would I buy the same kite again??............not sure at the moment……

I'm only new to kite boarding and have recently bought a sonic 11. Your comments scare me a little...however, while talking sonics can anyone comment on how they find the front line adjustment and cleat and has anyone fitted the retro front line kit (reverse cleat and double line)... seems a bit agricultural...not sure about the durability of spectra turning thru a steel ring ...thought a small pulley would have been better.

Bribie Rob,

I have been trying different setups for my trim line over the past few weeks and have ended up having the cleat at the top of the trim line instead of at the base. This seems to work better for me, however it affects the usability of the stopper ball. I tend not to use the stopper ball at all and ended up taking it off. I have just changed it again tonight so I'll test it again in the next few days if we end up getting any wind.

If you live on Bribie Is (as your name suggests), your more than welcome to have a look or I'd be happy to send some pics if works alright.

quote:

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Originally posted by hilly

Bribie Rob

No system is perfect yet(07 we hope), just get used to it and worry about getting time on the water which with the wind range you will. Sonic bar grows on you after a while - stops you being lazy and resting on the stop. ...

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I disagree about resting on the stop being lazy. I tried the Sonic with the stopper and it is hard working having to edge when a gust happens. It is so easy to just ride along holding the bar with just the friction of two finger tips and let the weight of your arm control the trim. The Sonic is such an easy kite to ride.

St Kite,

I was actually after some strut bladders........however I'm interested in how much you are selling it for? I like to have spares.

yeah - its a no brainer to pull in on the trim line when the bar has been fully released. What I find is that I rarely get to this point though. I can usually access so much depower by just easing the bar that most "situations" can be resolved while still holding onto the bar.