CARDBOARDS

In 2010-2011 season, AKS has elected to find another board range to give our customers a better choice.  We wanted to find a range of boards with a great reputation, awesome build and good warranty, a top ride and fresh designs.  To this end we have ticked all the prerequisites we were looking for and also just happens to be owned, designed, built and tested in Australia.  Home grown sticks!

I met Dan Veale, owner of Cardboards, back in 2002/2003 in our travels around Australia.  Way back then, Dan had a vision of great boards, made in Australia for Australian riders.   Finally our paths cross again and we are proud to be supporting a great product into WA through AKS.  We now marry the knowledge and customer service of AKS with the top boards of Cardboards.

Welcome Cardboards!

TYRO - Beginners-Intermediates

Cardboards Tyro

The Tyro is designed and priced for the beginners to the sport looking for an easy fun board to ride that won't break the bank.

133cm x 40cm

138cm x 41.5cm

144cm x 43cm

FREERIDE - Beginner to Advanced

Cardboard FR

The Freeride, or FR, is a board designed for all levels of riders for general freeride fun.  

128cm x 38cm

131cm x 40cm

136cm x 41cm

141cm x 42cm

TEMPO - Wake Style

The board for those who like to push their wake style riding 

127cm x 39cm

130cm x 40cm

135cm x 41cm

140cm x 42cm

PRO - Advanced Wake Style

High Performance Freestyle riding for those who want the best

136cm x 41cm

139cm x 42.5cm

GLIDE - Light Winds

The Glide boards are designed to get riders out on the water in the lightest of winds.

139cm x 46cm

146cm x 45cm

WAVE - Mutant Wave Board (Thruster)

Cardboards Wave

The Wave is the mutant style thruster setup wave board.  The nose has 50mm fins to allow backward riding.

150cm x 43cm

 Use these short cut links to find your board faster

Jaime          X-Ride           Team Series           Soleil         Gonzales           Select          

Phantom     Race LTD     Wave attack             FSF             Kontact              Skimfish

TT Fins        TT Footpad    TT Foot strap           Surfboard Footstrap   Surfboard Fins

North 2010 Jaime

The new North Jaime (pronounced Hymie) is the signature of legendary North team rider; Jaime Herraiz.  The "Jaime" is an incredible blend of new school performance with nice easy to use free ride friendliness.  It's ability to handle a wide variety of conditions including nasty chop, make this a truly stand out board for all level of riders wanting to push their riding to the limits but have free ride versatility.

The 2010 Jaime has a nice rounded rocker and wide centre to offer great upwind and early planing all with a smooth ride.  The new centre flexdesign allows the board to be more responsive and this year has a full concave rather than heelside asymetric concave as previous years.

The easy to use ride doesn't mean you get entry level performance, far from it, the pop from this board is insane.  Other changes to this years board is the new North "S-Bend" freestyle fins which allow faster speed and more control.  The Jaime as with all the new North boards also comes standard with the all new "Vario Footpad Cushions" so you can change the comfort of the foot pads to suit your riding perfectly.

The Jaime was my board of choice last season for freeriding and freestyle so it has a lot to live up to in my books.  Lets hope it's as good as it sounds!

Sizes

129cm x 39cm

132cm x 40cm

135cm x 41cm

137cm x 43cm 

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North 2010 Jaime 132  - Rider Review

Today was my third ride on the 132 Jaime, first time was in surf (not ideal) 2nd time was in just hideous chop and strong winds, very powered up on the new Rebel 9m 2010, also probably not ideal and today in 20-25 knot which was ideal.

For a little perspective, the 2009 Jaime was my board of choice when twin tipping, and my wifes, and my instructors etc.  A very popular board and for good reason. Today I got to really give the Jaime a fair go in conditions I'm used to and I must say, I had to delete part of my previous review as it was incorrect.  

The new Jaime is damn nice and does have a very decent difference to last years.  The full concave makes the board hug the corners more and not skip out as the 09 was prone to do.  The flex and control of the board was every bit as good as last years maybe better ?????  But the ride with the new fins and concave had me sold, and several others whom also ride on it today.

Excellent pop, great in crazy chop, customizable softnes in the pads, improved fins and handle and a better more grippy ride.  I'm sold, I love the Jaime again, so nice to ride!

24/09/09

North 2010 Jaime

North 2010 X-Ride

The North X-Ride is the all round cross terrain board designed to excel in a large variety of water conditions ranging from surf to chop to smooth water, whateveryou choose.  The X-Ride is the ideal board for riders wanting stability and dependable handling at high speed.  It's really all about control.  With control you can handle blistering carves in less than glassy conditions, you can handle aerated surf and tight controlled turns on the wave face and also be confident of holding a good edge when sending massive jumps.

The X-Ride was our biggest selling board in 2009 and for good reason, it was a pleasure to ride and did everything everyone asked of it.  Now this year with the improved flex in the centre section, new sizes being added and also the new fins and pads, the board should continue to be one of oour biggest sellers.

The characteristics are early planing as the new board has slightly wider dimensions compared to length, tighter turns and improved flex to make it even smoother and more comfortable in chop and surf as well as a no spray in the face design!

Also with the new Vario footpads and all new North "S-Bend FR" fins, we expect a lot also from this board.

Sizes

129cm x 38cm

133cm x 39cm

136cm x 40cm

140cm x 41.5cm 

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Rider Review - North 2010 X-Ride

Decent breeze and a bit of swell around today so headed to Scarbs for a demo run on the new X-Ride 133 (among others).  Wind was about 18-13knots NW and around 2.0m swell with some nice walls and plenty of chunks to hit.  The board is a little different to last years model in that it has a totally new core shape, a little less flex, new fins, and less concave which had a dramatic effect on the way it rode.

It took me a couple of runs to get the footstraps right (I used medium density inserts) once adjusted the connection to the board felt same as previous model.  Now for perspective I liked the 09 version but found it locked in a bit much and tracked very straight as though the fins were a bit far aft and the concave was a bit deep (subsequently I prefered the Jaime instead in most cases).  None of that with this years, it feels so much more lively but still has the great grip.  In the short ride I had (about 20 minutes) the board felt trustworthy even when dicing the top off a wave from under the lip, the board had great control and threw absolute buckets!

Although the chop wasn't the short staccato type like Pinnaroo, the ride was the same smoothness as we've come to expect from the X-Ride, I reckon if the Jaime and X-Ride of 09 were to mate and have an offspring, it would be the new 2010 X-Ride.

Still fast, still grippy, still carves in chop like no other but has a much nicer ride and feels looser without being loose enough to skid or slide unintentionally. Rode it again in strong winds and Pinnachop today, it's still a great board, many will like it's ride, and worth a demo for sure.  If you liked the 09, you'll love the 010.

North 2010 X-Ride

North 2010 Team Series

The North Team Series is the Wakestyle and New School riders boards.  These are the boards used by all of the North team riders when freestyle riding.  The Team boards come in four sizes; The Youngblood (125cm), the Small (131cm), Medium (133cm) and the Large (135cm).  These boards take the place of the YB, Mallory, Cesar and Sky from 09.

The Team series is an ongoing pursuit for the ultimate freestyle board.  The Team series has the most uncompromising tip flex and centre flex pattern to give insane pop and handle the hardest landings whilst still offering excellent edging and control for that solid feel when riding hard.

The 2010 boards are a little wider than previous models to maximize upwind and early planing, this allows riders to throw down more tricks in the judging square per run and also use smaller faster kites which gives versatility in trick reportoir.

The new "S Bend" fins give more drive whilst at the same time offering increased control and speed.  The varying chord thickness of the new fins also assists in engaging after crazy landings like never before.  The last new feature is the rounded centre rail which gives a smoother ride and safer landings when looping hard.

Couple all of this with the new footstraps and pads and you have the board of champions!

Sizes

125cm x 36cm

131cm x 40cm

133cm x 41cm

135cm x 42cm

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North 2010 Team Series 131cm

North 2010 Team Series 133cm

North 2010 Team Series 135cm

Rider Review - North Team Series 132

I and a few friends have now given the Team Series 132 a good workout, unfortunately only in choppy waters, but this aside, the board was able to be reviewed reasonably although I think it would be better riden in smoother waters.

The board feels a lot more like the Jaime of 2010 this year than in previous years.  It is a bit stiffer but not as stiff as previous models which I guess is why it feels so much nicer to ride in the chop.  It planes well and slices throught he chop easily.  The 132 has good grip in the water and has great speed.  Of course the amount of pop is excellent and landing big and fast moves has been made even easier with the new flex and improved fins.

The new footstraps and adjustable footpads  mae the connection to the board as comfortable as possible and the board this yea, in my opinion, is going to be suitable to a much wider rider base than just the hard core new school crew. 

Bottom line is the Team Series 132 is a beautiful board, both to look at and to ride and is worth checking out.

North 2010 Soleil

The Soleil is the North board specifically for the ladies.  This one is in two sizes; the smaller, more hard core 128, which has all the hard core characteristics of the new school Team Series boards and the 134, which is the more user friedly free ride board for the ladies who want a great fun ride for day to day riding.  Don't let the pretty graphics throw you off, this board has bite!

The 128 Soleil is designed for the North team riders Ania and Angela who push their freestyle to the limits and need a board that is cutting edge enough to allow them to perform at the limits of their ability.  The 128 has nice flex and massive pop for throwing loaded kite low tricks and still getting plenty of height.  The centre of the board uses the same flex technology as the range of new mens boards.

The 134 is for the ladies who prefer a more relaxed ride but still want to throw down nice tricks.  The smooth ride and longer length and width allow early planing and smooth control.  The flex in the board is more suited to nice carving and loaded jumps, and general freeriding fun.

Both boards are of the same construction and materials as the mens boards but are reduced in stiffness, size, smaller stance, smaller footstraps to suit the size differences of the ladies.

Sizes

128cm x 37.5cm

134cm x 38cm

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North 2010 Soleil

Rider Review - North 2010 Soliel

Although I haven't had a ride of this board myself (footstraps are too small for my great clod hoppers ).  My wife, and several other ladies have had a chance to ride it.  I base the review on their feedback and reviews.

The Soleil is smooth and really easy to ride and of course with the small footstraps designed for small womens feet, they felt the board so comfortable and well connected to them.  The board has great pop and is just easy and fun to ride.  Upwind is easy and the words from my wife are "light, flexible and very manoevreable".

We've had nothing but rave reviews and sales from women who have demo'd the board.  Try one for yourself , we have a 134 in demo stock!

North 2010 Gonzales

The Gonzales is the pure freeride board ideal for beginners to the sport, or cruisers looking for a soft and comfortable ride.  The medium width and harmonic flex pattern give a super smooth ride.  The Gonzales is ideal for nice carves and jumping.  The shape offers good upwind ability and early planing.

For the price there is no excuse to not start riding.  With the new 130 added this year, the sizing ensures there is a board for everyone.

Sizes

130cm x 38cm

135cm x 39cm

143cm x 40.5cm

151cm x 42cm

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North 2010 Gonzales

North 2010 Select

The new 2010 North Select is the top of the range freeride andNew School board.  Built from the most high tech carbon fibre "Textreme"which offers a 20% weight reduction over standard carbon fibre constructions.  This is the same cmaterial and construction used in aerospace and formula one.

This board is the ultimate in light weight performance and the epitome of high tech design and construction.  The flex has been micro tuned to offer the most unique and comfortable ride in the range as well as having massive pop and incredible response.

A very lively and responsive board for riders demanding the best from North.

Sizes

132cm x 39.5cm

135cm x 40.5cm

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North 2010 Select

North 2010 Phantom

The Phantom is the light wind option in the range because it sucks sitting on the beach when the wind is light.  For those that must get the most from the wind, the larger Phantom is the absolute weapon to get you riding upwind before anyone even thinks about pumping up.  This board is to get you going in the lightest possible wind.  A very straight outline and almost flat rocker gives you all the help you need to maintain speed and keep planing.

The smaller Phantom is for light wind freestyle.  The light weight construction and responsiveness gives a lively ride while the width gives you plenty to push of from the back foot.

Sizes

141cm x 44cm

154cm x 45cm

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North 2010 Phantom

North 2010 Race LTD

The Race LTD is all about going fast .... upwind!  The Race LTD is really a highly tuned precision board for course racing and winning.  Designed in conjunction with current world race champion, Charles Deleau, the Race  LTD absolutely scorches upwind.

The precision machined G10 Quad Fin setup is designed for speed in the lightest possible wind and without a doubt has the worlds best upwind performance seen in any production race board.  Additional length width and volume has ensured light wind early planing to get you a jump on the competition from the start.

The deck has three footstraps for comfort on long reaches and ease of gybing and the wider nose makes control at high speeds easier.

Rider Review - North 2010 Race LTD

OK, so after a few weeks of enjoying the 2009 model, I couldn't help it and had to get a 2010.  They are so radically different in appearance and riding characteristics that I almost had to relearn all I'd learned on the 09 model.  It's longer, wider, thicker and has more fins and an additional footstrap.  The board itself is light to thanks to the Textreme carbon fibre construction.

The 2010 Race LTD gets planing in less wind than it's predecessor and powers upwind marginally better.  The difference is in the reide due to the concave bottom and quad fin setup.  Initially it is smoother and easier to ride and it will ride quick, but to hit the afterburners and get that JATO type accelleration it still requires a healthy amount of thigh and calf burn from your back leg.

The speed is blisteringly fast and unlike the 09, control at speed is much easier and the board never feels out of control.  The 09 may be just a touch quicker but at that speed you are bordering on losing control which is exciting but hazardous to have a fall when racing fast.

Downwind stability is much improved on the older model  and riding off the wind is much more balanced and fast.  It is truly amazing at how muchground you can cover in a short space of time.  Gybing is easier once you master the arc of the carve on the new board, (it created a wide arc) and would be better to tack rather than gybe this board so as not to lose too much upwind ground.

Overall, fantastic improved in almost all areas and addictive to ride, so much challenge in going fast and now with the AKS racing Wednesdays,  you have a reason to come and have a go.

Updated : 8:55am 16/11/09

Rider Review - North 2009 Race LTD

You've never experienced anything like extreme going upwind until you have ridden one of these course board.  They require a fair amount of back foot pressure which causes some thigh burn, but once you crank one of these boards up onto the wind where they want to be, you instantly accellerate and outpoint the best riders on other boards by a whopping 20 odd degrees.  It's hard to not grin like a deranged cheshire cat as the board points insanely high into the wind and all at high speed.

It actually makes upwinders a seriously fun proposition as you can ride upwind as fast as you ride downwind.  Riding directly downwind can be a bit sketchy as they lack stability so you need to run 3/4 off the wind to gain comfortable control.

A word of warning, it is good to have your mate buy one too so you can match race, because there is no one that will come close to matching you upwind with one of these bad boys and smokin' everyone so easily is embarrassing and it won't be long before no one will give you a race.

Size 

175cm x 48cm

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North 2010 Race LTD

North 2010 W.A.M. (Wave Attack Model)

The new North Wave Attack Model (WAM) is the all rounder and will be the wepon of choice for most wave riders.  Where as the Kontact is for the crazy big stuff and the FSF is for the grovelly little stuff, the WAM is the do all, hit everything board that packs a hell of a punch.

The WAM comes in three sizes 5'8", 5'10" and 6' and all are thrusters.  The rounded pintail and almost full length concave gives the board a lot of drive and smoothness in choppy water.  The rails are fairly soft almost all the ay back until the thruster fins where they harden up and allow speed and a clean release from the water.  The WAM boards can be ridden strapless or strapped and have deck grip preinstalled on both front and back foot placements.

The new footstraps have a simple pull strap to tighten from almost the centre of the strap and release with the push of a hidden button beneath the neoprene.  The straps are easily adjusted even whilst still planing, just lean down, grab the loose tab and pull!  The fins are fibreglass Pinheads and have nice foiling which give incredible control and grip.

Sizes

5'8" x 17.75"

5'10" x 18"

6'0" x 18.25"

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Rider Review - North 2010 WAM

I rode the 6' x 18.25" x 2" WAM in 16-26knots gusty and frontal very onshore wind and large surf up to double overhead.   The first thing I noticed was how the board felt very well balanced leaving the beach, in that it didn't bounce through the chop whilst working my way out to the break (3km offshore).  The board felt fast underfoot with no fin drag feel at all.  The board pointed upwind nicely and we made our way out to the reef.

Once in the break it was there I started to really notice how quick the board is, easily gunning along broken sections and when the decision was made to attack a section, the board turned so hard and fast it took me aback.  I decided to get a feel for the board before trying any more high speed snaps and deep carves into the face and under the lip.  Once I got my head around how responsive the board was and how much grip the fins gave, I started to attack with more confidence and aggression. 

The WAM responds to every little hack and carve with unbelievable accuracy and control.  In the tightest of carves I could actually feel the fin tips flexing and the back end of the board "give a little" , but not once did it slow or slide out.  The more I rode it, the more it blew my mind.  Even in onshore winds, I was able to execue moves I had never pulled off quite so cleanly.  The power of the fins and the ability to continue the speed into your next hack was lifting me to a new level of Riding I didn't think possible. 

This board is comfortable in large and small surf and easily turns on a dime when it's small and is totally comfortable in big drawn out high speed bottom turns.  A really fantastic board, not a bad word to say.

I really can't speak highly enough of this board.  Unbelievable!

North 2010 WAM (Wave Attack Model)

North 2010 FreeStyleFish

The Freestyle Fish is all about making the most of crappy, mushy, small and cross onshore conditions like we have here in Perth 9 days out of 10.  The FSF is the ideal first surf style board for people wanting to venture into the waves but don't have the experience to get the most out of the more higher performance WAM or wild Kontact.

The short wide shape allows easy planing in light winds as well as maintain speed on the face when the kites power drops off momentarily.  Designed with full surf rails makes it very forgiving and stable to gybe.  The short length means you can crank a 180 degree turn in and have the board come around as fast as you can swing your legs.

The rails have hand grips for freestyle riding at high levels for the more advanced riders who want the challenge of unstrapped performance riding.  The FSF's light weight and light wnd performance characteristics make it the best board for waves up to head high.

Size:

5'2" x 19.25"

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North 2010 FreestyleFish - Rider Review

I had the opportunity to test this board out in conditions not perfect for the FSF although at times it was good and at other times the waves were too big and kite too big, it did however lead to a good review as I got to find out what it does and doesn't like and what I did and didn't like about it.

As the waves were up to head and a half high, I chose to ride it strapped.  The FSF feels good through the water and certainly feels at home in the waves.  Plenty of bouyancy, width and very big soft rails mean this board is more at home in waves probably up to about head high, It doesn't like high speed as the front of the board tends to feel like it sucks to the water and sprays the front foot which causes drag throwing your balance off.  This only happened when I was racing down a big face with way too much kite power on.

Apart from this problem (a bit like saying this Ferrari is no good because it wont climb sand dunes .  When the wind was a bit more under control and the waves were a bit smaller the board was a heap of fun and it showed some of the traits of the WAM (my fave board ATM).  Incredible grip and control in tight snaps on the face.  Very predictable in the foam and easy to ride and gybe.

I actually think this board would be a lot more fun and potentially easier to ride without the straps where you could explore it's freestyle ability.  The board had good drive off it's fins and cruised wave faces nicely and surfed easily when in the right conditions.  Pretty good fun and if you are seriously into Scarbs type waves and freestyle or are looking for a good board to learn unstrapped waves and gybing, then this could be a winner.  I think it would really come into its own in knee to waist high crumblies where you could tear the place apart and throw some nice airs and board flips etc.  Solid Fun!

North 2010 Freestyle Fish (FSF)

North 2010 Kontact

The North Kontact is the ultimate big wave weapon.  Born and bred in Margaret River for one of the worlds most famous big waves, the Kontact is for those wanting to challenge the most powerful and biggest waves.

The rounded pin tail, thin rails and gunny outline all contribute to high speed control.  You can attack any large wave with furious speed with the dependability of the board holding the turns predictably and comfortably driving with speed back up the face.  Control in chop is easy with the narrower board and definatley, this board opens up new levels of attack when ridden strapped.

The ultimate big wave and high wind board.  This is the board ridden by Dreau and Sky when it gets over 6 foot and windy!

Size

5'9" x 17.125"

6'0" x 17.5"

6'3" x 17.875"

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North 2010 Kontact

North 2010 Skimfish

The Skimfish is the great practice toy for riding strapless.  The light wind ability, early planing and light weight make this a fun board to tool around with on days where it really is pointless getting out a surfboard.

Made in the same construction as the snowboard industry standard, itis durabe and strong.  A fun toy!

Size

138cm x 50cm

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North 2010 Skimfish

Board Accessories

North 2010 FS and FR Twin Tip fins

Fins - S-Bend for Twin Tips

New North G10 "S-Bend" fins haven't been designed for the sake of design, but rather have been a major break from traditional design fins.  Right away the difference is obvious, they deliver more grip and less drag.  More grip means stomping and nailing the hardest tricks with confidence the board will have traction and control.  The new fins come in two sizes 5.3cm and 4.5cm.  They also come in two different configurations the FR (Free Ride)and the FS (Free Style).

Footpads for Twin Tips

North 2010 Foot pads Twin tip

North 2010 Footpad inserts

North 2010 Footstraps for Twin Tip

Footstraps for Twin Tips

The new North Multi Adjustable Footstraps are totally adjustable in size to fit every foot.  Width, length and also asymetry (front to back of strap pressure) are all adjustable within seconds with the velcro.  Width is adjustable with the screw position in the inner or outer holes.  The "S" footstraps are specifically designed for ladies or young kids or people with very small feet!  If you have very small feet, let us know when purchasing and we will include the "S" straps.

Footstraps for Surfboards

The all new 2010 Surfboard Footstraps have been made even more comfortable by adding additional padding on the inside to make for the cushiest ride ever.  Flex zones on each side allow you the freedom of movement whilst maintaining a good connection to the board.

The strap has an adjuster for size on top but hidden inside the strap itself.  Just pull on the tag hanging out pf the strap and the buckle tightens up and locks off until you press the buckle through the pad to release it.  It can even be adjusted as you ride along.  So easy! 

North 2010 Surfboard straps

Fins for Surfboards

All North Surfboard fins utilise the incredibly strong Future Fin System which is easy to use and readily available from regular surf shops.  The fins are moulded fibreglass and are the same sized and shaped ones that were used throughout the entire design and testing process so that your production board rides the same as the prototypes. I love future fins personally as I've never broken one!

Pin Head fins

The Thruster Pin Head set of fins come stock in the 5'9" and 6'0" Kontact and also in the 5'8", 5'10" and 6'o" WAM.  Being fast and snappy the Pin heads offer excellent gripand loads of speed to keep you and your fins flying above the lip where they belong!

North 2010 Pin Head Fins

Fat Head Fins

The Thruster Fat Head set of fins come standard on the 6'3" Kontact and also on the 5'2" Freestyle Fish.  These fins offer plenty of grip and are ideal for heavier riders to push hard against so you can drive hard up the face and attack with power.

North 2010 Fat Head Fins

Check the Online Shop pages

Use these Hyperlinks to jet you to your info faster .....

Myths Busted          Board Selector Guide          Pick a Twin Tip          Pick a Surfboard         

Board Characteristics          Style and Location

Need some help deciding on what's for you?

AKS have an excellent selection of boards for you to choose from, many carried in stock, some need to be ordered (up to a week).  The confusing thing though, is which board is the right one.  Well, Like I always say, the best way is to come on down and ride them all to see what "feels" right.  If you can't make it down to us, then this guide should help.  Have a look at our Board Selector Guide below

The first thing you need to know is what you want the board to do.  this sounds quite obvious, but before you can pick the right board, you need to be honest with yourself about your level of ability, how you ride currently and the conditions you ride in, and what you ultimately want the board to do for you.  Ie, do you want a board that works in the surf?  Do you want speed and grip?  Do you want massive bionic pop for freestyle?  Do you want something for harsh chop etc etc.

Next is size.  What do you weigh?  The other consideration that heavily weighs in on this argument is do you want to get going in light conditions or hold down  a huge kite in insane gales?  This will effect the size and width of the board you select.  The average rider of 75-80 kilos will ride something like a 133cm-135cm x 39cm-40cm or therabouts depending on experience, water conditions, wind strength and kite sizes.

Lastly, what is your budget?  No point looking at the top of the line freestyler if you have a beginner board budget.

Firstly a few myths busted:

Volume has nothing to do with light wind ability in twin tips and even has little to do with surfboards unless you are paddling them into waves.  In fact, volume will make life harder for you in all aspects except self rescue when you need something to float you home. Planing surface area (Tail and middle width) is king of light wind performance and stability.

Featherweight is not always best.  Often a board with a little more weight will assist it in crazy conditions, too light and they become wind effected in the air.  Too light often also means fragile.  Although a light board often feels nice when freestyling, if you land a jump wrong, SNAP!  It's all over! 

Megaprice does not always mean mega performance.

The best board for you is the one that does what you want it to do and makes you ride better than you currently can.  Yes a good board can do this for you!  Just like falling in love, you'll know if it is right within 5 minutes of riding, if it is the right one for you.

Board Characteristics

Flex -  There is many different types of flex in a board and all boards flex to some degree or another.  Flex is important because it offers control and a comfortable ride through rough water.  However, there is good flex (mostly in the tips) and bad flex (even across board and allowing centresection to flex too much (like a banana).  Banana flex robs you of the ability to go upwind, but gives you a very soft ride through chop.  Also it takes the sting out of harsh landings.  Tail flex absorbs the chop whilst a stiffer midsection gives you good upwind ability.

Reflex -  Is a term I use to describe how much energy is thrown back at you when you flex a board.  If the tip flexes back to normal with quite a bit offorce anddoes it quickly, it will be said to have great "pop".  Pop, is the most misunderstood and most incorrectly used term in all of kiteboarding.  Pop is loading the tail with the kite low and using the energy stored within the loaded tail to "throw" you up and into a roll or jump without aid of the lift of the kite.  Soft boards like beginner boards have low reflex and poor pop.  Freestyle boards are stiff and have hi reflex which offers excellent pop getting you high off the water without a wave or kitelift.  Using pop in a board requires skill, as a newbie, it will not serve you, it will own you!

Width -  The width of a board in the centre and tails will help determine the speed at which it will get you up and planing and the amount of effort required to pull you from the water to a planing position.  Most average boards are between 37 and 42cm wide, wider than 42cm boards tend to be light wind specialty boards designed to get you planing and staying upwind in the lightest possible winds.  Very wide boards although good for heavy riders can make edging nearly impossible for light riders in a good breeze.

Length -  Length plays less of a role now than it used to.  A longer board gives better stability and easy upwind and tracking.  The average board these days will be around 135cm and can be as long as 144cm.  A short board would be 125 and anything smaller would be specialty board for youngsters or small women.  It is best to ride a board that is not too short so that you don't end up constantly catching spray off the nose and face planting.  Too long and it becomes cumbersome and gains too much "swing weight".

Rocker -  Rocker is the curved profile shape of a board when viewed from the side.  Most kiteboards have a tri stage rocker ie, curved upwards on both ends and a flat centre section.  The curved tips allow nice controlled carving and handling rough water whilst the centre section gives good speed and upwind ability.  The flatter a board, the faster it will go and the harder to ride and land jumps, the more curved ie constant rocker from tip to tip will be great for ...... a garden ornament!  No just kidding.  for rough water and hard landings.

Rail shape -  Rail shape is the edge of the board.  Is it square ie 90 degrees to the deck and bottom (hard rail)? or is it curved (soft railed) evenly or parabolic in curve favouring either side?  Generally speaking, a soft rail is good in the surf and is much more forgiving but tends to allow some side slip and also water wrapping which creates drag.  Surf boards aren't supposed to be fast so they take rounded (soft rails) to help in tight turns and low speed handling.  Hard rails are used to gain a "bite" on the water and create a clean release of the water following the hull (bottom).  These rails are fast and unforgiving.  Almost all twin tip boards have ABS rail inserts to protect them from damage when dropped against something hard.

Footpads and Straps -  Foot pads are really important in the feel of the board.  A hard pad is good for sensitivity to the boards feedback but can hurt when dropping from great heights onto a flat landing.  Soft footpads are comfy and cushy but you will not have the same feel and responsiveness from your board.  Some boards give you options like this years North boards.  Foot straps must be comfortable and must work with the footbed for maximum comfort and grip.  Most footstraps are adjustable, if not, upgrade them!  We help people get the most from their footstraps, so if you are having issues, come and see us, odds are we can help without having to resort to heel bungees (Yuk!).

In having said all of that, read on for the details on all the following boards and if you still aren't sure what would do you best, just contact us and we'll be only too happy to help you with suggestions or demo boards.  In this Table, the boards are aligned with their respective nemisis to give you an idea of what board will compare to what between the two big brands.

Board Selector Guide

 +  The Airush Exile models are available in both Protoy and Switch and are especially made for light winds (Extra Wide)

How to pick your first twin tip board if your new.

Firstly, lets talk about twin tip boards or sometimes refered to as Bi-Directionals for obvious reasons.  Most beginners start on twin tip boards because generally they are easier to learn on.  You don't have to swap stance or foot positions.  As a beginner, the larger the board you get, the more stable it will be.  Larger boards will also plane earlier meaning you don't need to ride at break neck speeds to have some control and manoevreability.  Of course a large board will be more of a headache in stronger winds as they become difficult to edge and also tend to become cumbersome as you progress.

Most beginners buy the "next board up" so they don't grow out of their first board too quickly.  A really advanced board, or something too small will make learning that much harder and you'll stay a learner for much longer.

Look for something that has a bit of flex to handle the chop, a bit of width in the tails and centre and average length 135 is average for a rider of say 85 kilos.  Deduct or add 3 cm per 10 kg up or down ie, if you weigh 65 kilos, deduct 6cm to get a 129cm.  If you weigh 105 kilos, add 6 cm to get a 141cm.  (rough guide and you must take width into account too).A good width is about 39-41cm for a 135.

Too much rocker will make upwind riding difficult so look for a gentle rocker in three parts, flat in the centre and curved in the ends from the footstrap outwards to the tips.  Also have a look at the fins, the bigger they are, the more drag they create, but also the more stability they give you. 

The bottom shape that works best is single concave of around 3-5mm running through the board and flattening out at the tips.

Most importantly, put your name and phone number on your board as soon as you get it home and write "Reward" on it., A brightly coloured board will be easier to spot in the water, and you may even decide to paint your fins bright orange to help spot it when it floats upside down.

Hope this helps!

How to select the right surfboard if you are new to the surf.

I am going to make an assumption that you are already able to ride a twinny before starting in the surf.  We don't recommend learning to ride a kite and surfboard in the surf because you will destroy your kite, your board and get in everyone elses way.  Just don't do it.

Buying the right board depends on where you ride (local conditions), what you weigh and also what style you want.  We'll start with local conditions.  There is little point in buying a big wave gun if you ride in 2 foot slop all summer long, although I see guys riding the wrong boards for the conditions every day.  This is mainly because they buy a board that they think looks cool or should be the kind of board they idealize.

For Perth conditions, a shorter wider board is far better than the 6'2" flat rockered, pin tailed speed stick from hell.  Lets face it, it's cross onshore (2nd from the worst wind direction,that being onshore) so you are riding towards your kite which depowers you, this means you need to compensate with a larger planing area or a wider tail and mid section to get you through the dead patches (sweep).  Gunny high performance surfboards are great in over head high clean cross off shore conditions, but in Perth mush, they bog down, lose speed, sink on the face catch rails and bog snap turns etc.  = Not fun!

Look for something like the Airush Choptop or North Freestyle Fish, both these boards will suit a beginner to advanced rider in Perth conditions. These boards have wider tails making it more stable to gybe and ride strapless when you are beginning, but also work brilliantly as freestyle wave boards for advanced riders.  Some boards will work well ina cross of conditions like the WAM and Converse, but go the bigger sizes for smaller waves.

If you go up north or down south and intend on riding huge mountains of sucky steep face water draining off coral or slab reef, then look at a second board more suited like an Airush Converse, North WAM or Kontact.  Please ask us for advice on boards as the right board can make learning in surf a pleasure instead of getting yelled at all day and having a hard time.

Style and Location

Just to make things a little more challenging (up til now we've made it so clear so  why not?).  Your style of riding will have perhaps the greatest impact into what board you should choose.  As a beginner, you probably don't have any style or you'll have noob style, Thats OK, but I'm sure you have an idea of how you want to be riding ie, will you follow the surf path, the wake style or nuskool style, or will you be a freerider that covers a bit of everything including big air and surf as well?

As a general rule, the more hard core you want to ride, the stiffer and less forgiving the board you'll need.  If you want to freeride, a bit of flex and a bit of stiffness is good, softer rails and more concave, usually also a bit narrower.

Location is the last factor to look at but by no means least.  If you ride in a location that is nightmare choppy, then you need something to take the sting out of all that chop, so you need flex, the more the smoother the ride.  Obviously a wake style (stiff) board isn't going to like chop, so maybe look at something like the North Jaime or Airush FS which does a bit of freeride too (best of both worlds) having a concave bottom, a bit of flex and also good reflex and stiffness.

Again, it is always best to talk to us, we can size, evaluate and suggest boards that will best suit what you want to do.  We have a very good track record.  

Us these short cut links to find your board more quickly

Switch           Protoy           FS           Crossover           Choptop

Converse      Skim            Monaro      Hammer

Airush 2010 Switch

The Airush 2010 Switch is the 9th edition of the ever popular all purpose board.  Although spruked as a great board for intermediate riders looking for great upwind performance, it has always been the ideal learner board which offers a stable ride, good upwind ability, smoothness through choppy waters and nice carve ability.  Sizing hasn't changed so will still suit the beginner market and the more advanced pure freeriders too.

The new '010 version retains the "eye" concave and claims to have refined the flex characteristics to be stiffer through the centre section, this will make quite a difference, as previous models have been too "soft" in the center for more advanced intermediate but have been right on the money for beginners. 

New Foot pad and straps have been added to spruce up the comfort and certainly look like an improvement over previous offerings.  The Switch has a new graphic on top and bottom which is refreshing but still quite conservative which will suit the wider market.  Airush have also gone for a gloss finish which always looks better than the "texture finish" IMO.

The new Switch will sport the Airush "Wake" fins of 50mm.

This looks to be a nice new board and we'll write more once we have had a chance to ride it.  No massive changes, so the success of the Switch is sure to continue as it hits the beginner market with all required.  It's a great beginner/intermediate freeriders board.

Sizes

132cm x 40cm

138cm x 42cm

144cm x 44cm

146cm x 46cm

Riders Review - Switch 132

The Airush twin tips finally turned up and I grabbed a bunch of new demo boards from Airush for our demo fleet.  The Switch was the first one I grabbed to ride in 20-25 knots of choppy conditions. 

The footpads and straps are exactly the same as last years as are the fins and are beautifully comfortable, but that's where the similarity ends.  The new boards has a much stiffer flex which still feels great in the chop but has so much more pop for throwing a bit of freestyle.  The board goes up wind well and carved beautifully with plenty of grip.

The board created very little to no spray in the face and just had a "nice to be home" feel to it.  I instantly felt comfortable and reckon it is still a good learner board but has absolutely heaps of performance for more advanced riders.  The flouro orange ABS rails are great to help find your board, and the graphics aren't bad too but the colours are a bit dull (browns and blacks).

Overall, a great board and Airush have really done a great job of this board. 10/10. 

Updated 22/10/09

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2010 Airush Switch

2010 Airush Switch bottom

Airush 2010 Protoy

The original Protoy was designed as a high quality competition freestyle board which just happened to have great freeride characteristics as well, making it a great intermediate to advanced riders board.

It appears that the 2010 Protoy has lost it's "flick tips" which, in this riders opinion, will be no significant loss and in fact should improve it's overall speed and feel through the water.  Nice work Airush!  The sizes remain similar with the exception of the Exile which has grown a bit longer to 138 and seems to have split the difference between last years Exile SM and LGE to be 46cm.  This also can only be a good thing as heavier riders will like the added waterline length to go with the new width.

With the similar construction and materials to last years, the Protoy should be every bit as strong as last years.  An even more pimped out foot pad and strap combo make this board look damn nice, and the fins have had a refinement also.  The Protoy is fitted with Airush Metro II fins.

Perhaps the best news of all is the new pricing of the Protoy.  Down from $1,283 to $1,099, this should be the "refinement" the Protoy needed to take a much bigger share of the market.  The high end board just became much more affordable.  NICE!  I can't wait to see how it rides.  When I do, I'll add more .....

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Sizes:

123cm x 37cm

129cm x 39cm

135cm x 41cm

138cm x 46cm

RIDER REVIEW - 135 PROTOY

The Protoy has never been one of my favourite boards but legions of people love them and for good reason, they do everything pretty well.  I threw one on for a first test a few days ago in 20-25 knots and enjoyed the experience.

Firstly, the board is significantly heavier than it's two previous predecessors.  Fins are good, and graphics look really nice.  Finally a gloss deck which looks really bling!

The footpads are wicked, super soft and comfy and feel really great, you can even add a wedge to increase arch support.  The footstraps are totallty new and I hated them, they created a strap which looks sensational but the actual support material in the guts of the strap is really hard and super stiff which creates a very hard point which aggravates your foot where it contacts the top of your foot.  I felt if I had ridden it for an hour I would have been bleeding from the top of my foot as the skin would have surely been worn through.  In having said that, I'll be trying to "duck" the footstraps out a bit wider to try and relive the rubbing and will update this review if it alleviated the issue.

The ride itself is purely Protoy, does chop well, goes upwind well and planes early.  Smooth to ride and has good pop, it actually feels a bit stiffer than last years board and would be a sick board for bindings (that way you don't need the footstraps ).

The board created a bit of spray to the face for me, bareable  and not enough to overlook the board, but still enough to make comment on.

Overall, a good board and Protoy riders will love it.  8/10

Updated 22/10/09

2010 Airush Protoy top

2010 Airush Protoy bottom

Airush 2010 FS (FreeStyle)

The Airush FS is in it's second year and is well known for it's insane Freestyle/New School pop and ability to deal with a thrashing from advanced riders looking for top end performance.  This year Airush have added a new size, the 142cm (although not really sure how many heavy guys are really into advanced freestyle) but hey, maybe a good size for lighter riders needing lighter wind performance.

The graphics haven't changed too much and still retain the punky style as last years with a few tweaks (if it ain't broke, don't fix it).  Planform seems similar and still with a subtle concave the shape of the board should produce the same striking performance as previous models.  

Again the new footstraps are a nice change and look the goods helping to add "bling" to an already good looking board.  It is reported that the flex is stiffer than that of the Protoy so this represents the pinnacle of advanced rider solutions.  The Quad carbon bracing help to keep the board shape fast and more stiff than other models. 

More info on actual rider characteristics will follow .....

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Sizes:

132cm x 39cm

138cm x 40cm

142cm x 42cm

RIDER REVIEW - FS 132

This board has been a great board of last year apart from the spray to the face  which was enough for me not to ride it much, so it was interesting to see what the new one was like.

Wind was 20-25 knots and choppy water.

First thing you notice is the incredible weight, it's heavy as hell and quite thick.  The graphics are a little dull with a large clean area in the middle of the board.  The stock fins are only 40mm and this creates a very skatey loose board, in fact IMHO too loose.

The stiffness is ridiculous, it's as stiff as a 2inch thick plank with almost no give.  The tiny amount of concave is almost un noticeableas the board slips all over the place as you ride along.

The pads are awesome, but same as the straps on the Protoy, are awful.  The ride is slippery and unforgiving and quite frankly would only be any good if you added 50mm fins to the heel rail and rode it in flat water.

The FS sprayed me in the face constantly off the front of the board even worse than last years.  The best thing about this board is the footpads and the 2 year warranty.

Sorry Airush, this board is one that I won't be riding much, maybe a good flat water board for freestyle freaks, but not for me!

Score : 5/10

Updated 22/10/09

2010 Airush FS top

2010 Airush FS bottom

Airush 2010 Crossover

The new Airush Crossover is a completely new board to the Airush range and is designed to pick up a bit of the slack from the now ended Hammer (except in Australia, 09 model re-released) and cross over a bit towards the switch.

The Crossover has a double concave centre section changing back to a Spiral "V" in the tails.  The tails are tucked more than the standard twin tip to allow greater carving on the waves and the centre ABS rail is rounded and tucked for clean carving.  Tail rails are still "hard" to allow control during fast carve.

The Crossover is principally a wave twin tip which was designed to work well in normal twinny type riding as well.  Due to the bottom shape the Crossover will work very well in choppy conditions taking some of the slap out of the ride.  The ends have "micro flick tips" to keep the nose up.

Different to the Hammer, the Crossover is similar construction to the other twin tips which will offer reliability and strength.

This is one board to keep an eye on as if it does all it has been designed to do, it will be a very good board and "Crossover" the most influential riding styles at the moment; surfing and power freeriding, and all this from one board.

Noice!  I'll write more when I have ridden it ....

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Sizes:

129cm x 38cm

135cm x 40cm

142cm x 42cm

RIDER REVIEW - 135 CROSSOVER

The much awaited for Crossover arrived and I got the chance to take it for a ride in choppy water and 20-25 knots of pinnaroo's finest.

Immediately this board feels very smooth through the chop due to the double concave and pronounced "keel bump " in the centre  of the board, it ate up chop like no mans business.  It rode upwind well and turned OK.  For a wave crossover, it lacked a little of the grip I look for when laying down a huge spray top turn or carve.  I think this could be fixed with the addition of Code 60mm fins on the tail and make it a biased wave board.

It feels good as a freeride board and will surely be popular as a downwinder and all rounder for Perth conditions.  It seemed to have decent pop and has the deluxe footpads, but again let down by the footstraps.  

A nice board for All terrain but with a little sanding of the rails, improved footstraps and code fins it will kick arse.

Score : 8.5/10

Updated 22/10/09

New 2010 Airush Crossover

2010 Airush Crossover bottom

Airush 2010 Choptop

The new Choptop has come of age and is now available in two size; the 5'3" and 5'8".  Both boards are designed for onshore crappy mush riding and light wind surf up to say shoulder high conditions.  The plan shape makes these boards easy to learn to ride directionals as the width offers stabilty and early planing as well as great upwind ability.

The rails on the boards are rounded surf rails for full bore carve turns and have a tucked edge for speed and early planing.

The fins that come standard are the All new lightweight, bombproof Hexcore ARS-DF fins and are combined with the revolutionary new Surfinz box, this new box system allows up to 18mm of forwards adjustability along with heavy duty below deck installation. The new system is fully compatible with FCS fins.  Custom your ride!

The rocker is very flat and tail rocker is medium for speed and to get going in the lighter conditions.  Both boards remain snappy and will carve hard when needed due to the tail rocker.  Both boards also have grab rails for surf freestyle transitions and fun.

The foot hooks can be easily removed or repositioned to allow for full on strapless or for when riding gets choppy and you need more grip.  Foot straps can be added if you want to really cut loose and give it your all.

The 5'3" has a concave deck to keep the centre of weight lower and the 5'8" has more volume to allow bigger riders up to 85 kilos the ability to paddle surf the board into waves up to shoulder high.  Sweet!

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Sizes:

5'3" x 19"

5'8" x 20.25"

2010 Airush Choptop

2010 Airush Choptom bottom

Airush 2010 Converse

What can you say about one of the worlds most favoured kite surfboards.  These boards are the evolution from the 09 which were amazing in every sense of the word.  This year Airush have released a 5'6", 6', 6'2" and 6'4" version of the Converse to make sure you can get the exact sized board for your weight and needs.

The Converse is a true wave board and has the performance to excite even the most skilled pro rider in bigger clean waves as well as smaller surf.  To be able to attack vertically, control the top turn and accelerate down the line is all a matter of course.  The Converse has soft rails, light weight but strong flytech construction ie lightweight core, wood laminates, PVC strengtheners in the foot pad area and alloy "T" stringer in the nose to handle the abuse of full on surf kiting.

If it's aything like the previous years model, it'll be a big winner.  I'll wait to ride one until I write more....

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Sizes:

5'10" x17.25"

6' x 18"

6'2" x 18.25"

6'4" x 18.75"

2010 Airush Converse

2010 Airush Converse bottom

Airush 2010 Skim

The All new Airush 2010 Skim, is the perfect light wind wave toy for those wanting a light wind fun board to try more skate oriented tricks.  The board can be ridden wihtou fins, with a single fin. with twin fins, or for full surf feel with thruster setup.

The bottom shape is flat rocker with single concave for control and early planing.  The board has ergonomic hand rails around most of it's rails and the deck is comfortable for shove it type moves.

This should be a fun toy or would suit the rider looking for lighter wind options and versatility.

Note that the fins are sold seperately!

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Size:

132cm x 52cm

2010 Airush Skim

2010 Airush Skim bottom

Airush 2010 Monaro

The New Airush 2010 Monaro is the go fast board for the speed freaks and racers.  Designed with a super flat rocker and sharp release edges, the board will go upwind at angles you have to ride to believe.  The directional design is pure speed with some  compromise to achieve control.  The nose lift is designed to keep the nose up out of the backs of waves when reaching off the wind.

The Monaro comes with a set of 15cm reaching fins for off the wind racing and freeriding fun.  There is an optional 18cm Upwind set available as an extra set so you can have the best of both worlds.  The 18cm fins come on a cost plus basis.

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Size:                                Fins:

170cm x 46cm                 15cm Reaching Fins    

                                       18cm Upwind Fins  (optional extra)

2010 Airush Monaro

2010 Airush Monaro bottom

Rider Review - 2010 Airush Monaro 170

We secured a Monaro race board for out twilight racing series (kindly donated by Auswind).  After having ridden the North Race LTD quite a bit I was very keen to have a ride on the new Airush Monaro.

The Monaro looks fantastic and  the graphics and colours are excellent.  The shape is a little more tucked at the tail than the Race LTD and the tail shape is a little different  in that it is a shallow "V" release edge.  Fins look similar to North's and rocker is identical.

The first thing you notice on the Monaro after having ridden the Race LTD is how smooth it is and how easy on the body it is.  It's actually quite comfortable to ride and would be a great cruising board.  Upwind ability  is good and stability is good too.

The deck grip is fine but the footstraps seem to have been added as almost an afterthought being assymetrical like the twin tips footstraps, in fact they are the 09 footstraps unless this one is a prototype which hasn't come with the proper straps.  This makes it a little uncomfortable if you gybe and change stance on one tack.  

But how is the speed?  The speed of the Monaro has to be compared to the North boards and dependent upon the angle you are kiting in relation to the wind and also the sea conditions.  I think that Monaro is super fast off the wind and in big seas or choppy conditions.  Upwind, it is probably as fast as the North, but doesn't point as high.  By adding the upwind fins, it'll probably go as high to windward, but will then lose stability off the wind, so all in all there are trade offs and the fins you choose should be determined by the course itself and the sea and wind condition.  The Airush is as fast around the course as the North in strong winds and rough conditions, but in lighter conditions, I think the North Race Ltd 2010 board would be quicker due to it's light wind ability.

In powered conditions, both boards are equally competitive which makes the racing even more fun.

Drop in to give it a demo or race it in the race series starting 11/11/09

Updated 23/11/09

AUSTRALIAN KITEBOARDING SCHOOL

TRAINER KITE GUIDELINES AND PRACTICE

Important notes!

If you are reading this, chances are you have purchased a quality Ozone Trainer kite from us (or we hope you have ).  This is a basic helper to get you started and we urge you to get proper lessons for power kiting.  The exercises in this document are to be used in conjunction with the kite manual you receive with the kite purchased.  Initially you should approach flying your kite in light winds as even small kites can generate quite a bit of power.  We suggest light winds (up to 15 knots or 25 km/h) and small Trainer kites (up to 2.5sqm), and always consider safe location and the safety of others around you.  Again, these are TRAINER KITE PRACTICES and should absolutely NOT be applied to large kites of any description!

When flying your trainer kite, BEFORE you launch, fit the safety leash to your wrist and carry out preflight checks (refer to kite manual).  After flying your kite, safely land the kite and THEN remove the kite leash.  Kite leashes, kill the power of the kite when you let go of the control bar ensuring yours and bystanders safety.  We suggest if you lose control of your kite at any time, you let go of the bar (assuming you are wearing the leash).  Safety Leashes should be WORN AT ALL TIMES when operating your kite.

This is currently a FREE document and AKS is a small family owned business, PLEASE DO NOT change the content, remove the AKS branding/references, or use if for any commercial purpose.  We rely on your support to keep offering stuff for free.

We hope you get practicing safely and enjoy power kiting as a recreation whether it be on water, snow or land.  Happy and safe Flying!

Flying a Trainer Kite

A Trainer foil kite will teach you everything you need to understand the wind window and the theory and dynamics of flying a kite in the wind window.  Understanding this information is 85% of the total knowledge and skill required to be an independent and safe kiteboarder.

Basic Setup of a Trainer (2 or 3 Lines) Kite.

Most foil trainers will have two or three lines from the bar which connect to the kite bridles.  Most lines are colour coded or numbered.  The two lines from the ends of the bar connect to the two front bridles on the kite, make sure the bridles of the kite are tangle free before you connect them up.  Generally the red line goes on the left side of the kite as you look at the underside of the kite in front of you.  The green or blue or whatever other colour goes on the right.  If you have a three line kite, there will be a central line coming from the middle of the bar and it should be connected to the trailing edge bridle of the kite.  This is the bridle set connected to the back edge of the kite all along the trailing edge.  Make sure the lines are not crossed or tangled before you launch.  It pays to check your lines twice before you launch, as tangled, twisted or incorrect lines can result in a powerful kite launching with reduced or no control over steering.  Like driving a car with no brakes and no steering wheel and the accelerator at full speed!

Trainer kite Launching (Light – medium winds)

For the purpose of this exercise, let’s assume your kite is already setup with lines attached to the bar and kite ready to fly.  A foil kite launches from straight downwind in normal light to medium wind strengths, we’ll cover strong wind launch later.  Place the kite down on the ground on it’s back with the open end of the kite (Open celled leading edge) facing away from the wind direction (Downwind).  Place enough sand to keep the kite in place on the beach without blowing away, along the trailing edge of the kite only.  You should be looking at the kite on it’s back showing all the bridle lines facing up with the trailing edge closest to the wind direction.  Then unroll the lines from the bar as you slowly walk upwind away from the kite.  Once you are in position with the lines stretched out, untwist any twists or tangles in the lines without pulling tension on the lines.  Once you can clearly see that the lines are running directly to the bridle of the kite unhindered,  make sure the red side of the bar is in your left hand and attach the safety leash to your wrist (if the leash is connected to the right, connect to the right wrist, if from the left, then connect to the left wrist.  If the safety leash is connected to the center line, you may attach the safety wrist to either wrist that is most comfortable. 

Check to make sure nobody is approaching close to the kite from downwind, upwind behind you, and from the sides.  If you are all clear, and when you are ready, pull a little tension on the bar in order to lift the leading edge of the kite up and into the wind stream, this should partially inflate the cells in the kite.  When they stop inflating, give a few gentle tugs on the bar to further increase tension and to help the sand lift from the kite and finally, good a good tug on the bar to release the remaining sand and take a step backwards. 

Safety Tip!  If the kite takes off and you lose control or there is a problem, immediately LET GO OF THE BAR whilst wearing the safety leash and the kite will depower and land straight away awaiting further input from you.  You can then sort any problems or rethink your launch.

The kite will lift off the ground with moderate power and quickly climb directly to zenith (above your head) where it will stay so long as you do not change the course of the kite.  Keep your hands steady and evenly distanced from your body so as not to turn the kite.  The kite is steered by pulling on the side of the bar that corresponds to the direction you want the kite to turn.  To stop the turn, straighten the bar again.  Push with one hand and pull the bar with the other hand  to turn the kite.  Do not try and turn the kite by steering it like a steering wheel.

To turn the kite to the left or anti clockwise in the sky, gently pull on the left side of the bar towards your body.  You only need a tiny amount of input for the kite to turn.  The kite will continue the turn so long as you keep the difference in line tension.  To make the kite fly straight again, return the bar to straight so as both lines are equidistant from your body.

To turn to the right or clockwise, pull on your right hand side of the bar.  So long as you keep pressure on the right side of the bar, the kite will continue to turn to the right and will execute a full circle in the sky.  This can lead to massive unexpected power as the kite loops through it’s turn. 

We suggest you make small inputs of control initially until you gain an appreciation of the power in the wind window.  Remember, if you loop the kite in then power zone and you cannot control the power – LET GO OF THE BAR – rather than trying to regain control, especially if you have people or obstructions about you.  You can repair a kite easily and inexpensively with repair tape.

Strong wind Trainer Foil Launch

To launch the kite in strong wind it is better to avoid the directly downwind launch procedure as outlined in previously inn the light/medium wind launch instruction.  Instead, set the kite up more towards the edge of the wind window away from the land ie towards the waters’ edge side of the wind window.    The layout of the kite is the same as in 5.2, but the kite will launch so much closer to Neutral that you will not get the massive pull immediately on lift off that you will get from the downwind launch method.  The kite should be approximately half way (45 degrees) between Neutral and directly down wind.  This will give it some power and stability but still be controllable.

The kite should be set with one wingtip upwind and the other downwind, still on it’s back and of course with the trailing edge closest to you.  Walk back slowly and as the wing tip lifts and starts to fill with air , the kite will gradually power up and climb up overhead with much less power than a directly downwind launch.

Basic Flying Exercises

Having good kite flying skills is fundamental in learning to kiteboard.  How can you expect to combine riding on a board and producing just the right amount of power in just the right direction, if you cannot control the kite without having to think about it?  It is our intention that you learn to fly the kite through feel and intuition and get that skill in your muscles and body (Kinaesthetics).  If you constantly have to be thinking about how to control the kite to position it where and when you need to, then  you will waste valuable and precious lesson time when you could be up and riding.

1.       Basic Steering and Control.  Firstly, with the kite at 12 o’clock, gently pull a little on the left side of the bar to start the kite to make a left turn, towards the 9.30 o’clock position or L/H neutral.  As the kite turns and begins to slowly descend along the neutral of the wind window you will not have  to keep left hand pressure on  instead, return your hands to even pressure, allow the kite to slowly fly towards the ground and stop it’s descent with a little right hand pressure on the bar until the kite stops and flies 1m off the ground.  Adjust your hand pressure until you can effectively keep the kite steadily in this position.  Keep the kite stable in this position for 1 minute and then slowly return the kite to the 12 o’clock position by gently pulling on the right hand side of the bar to initiate a right hand turn upwards away from the ground.  Again, once you have initiated the turn, you do not have to keep the turn pressur eon until you wish to counter the previous unput with opposite steering.  To stop the kites ascent, counter with a little left hand to turn the kite directly back into the direction of the wind once the kite reaches zenith (12 o’clock).

2.       Carry out the same exercise on the opposite side of the wind window, ie, from 12 o’clock down to 2.30 o’clock and then back to 12 again.   Continue this exercise for all positions of the clock face and ensure you can keep the kite absolutely still in each position for 30 seconds to 1 minute at each point.  If the kite drifts in and out of position, you need more practice.

3.       Easy Figure 8’s.  The second exercise is to fly the kite in figure 8’s between 11 and 1 o’clock.  This will help you build a fluid feel for the kite whilst keeping it in constant motion.  Begin as usual from 12 o’clock and by pulling on the left side of the bar, turn the kite towards 11 o’clock.  When the kite reaches 11 o’clock, make a turn with right hand pressure,  straight away without stopping, and bring the kite back across the window, past  12 o’clock until the kite reaches 1 o’clock.  Again as soon as it reaches 1 o’clock, immediately turn the kite back across the top of the wind window towards the 11 o’clock position againand so on……  You should aim to become fluid in your steering and control of the kite and this will produce a small amount of power if done correctly.  As you gain confidence you can turn the kite more aggressively back and forth until you feel comfortable.

4.       Powered Figure 8’s.  This exercise is to allow you to feel some of the power of the wind window.  It is similar to the previous exercise but instead of 11-1 o’clock, start at 10 o’clock and fly straight across to 2 o’clock in as straight a line as possible.  To do this you will need to make a sharp turn and aim the kite at the opposite clock number, then execute another sharp turn to get the kite to race back across the wind window to the original starting point.  The kite will produce considerable power as it accelerates across the wind window.  Pay particular attention to how much power is created and where in the window the kite is as the power comes on.

5.       Power strokes.  An important exercise is to create consistent power strokes in the direction of intended travel.  To create a power stroke in the direction of across the wind to the left, you need to start the kite in a power dive from 1 o’clock diving sharply towards 9.30.  Before the kite reaches 9.30, you need to make another sharp turn back towards 1 o’clock again.  Again, before the kite reaches 1 o’clock, you need to execute another tight turn and bring the kite back down the same diagonal line towards 9.30 again and so on…  The aim is to try and create uniform traction favouring the left hand side of the wind window which will be the choice of direction to travel.  This is a very exacting exercise and must be completed flawlessly to create power only in the direction of travel.  If you go too far to the right, the pull will be too far downwind, if you turn to early, the power stroke will be too short, if you wait too long the kite will reach neutral and the speed and power of the kite will be too “on and off” to be of any use.

6.       Sining.  Same as 5, but this time to the right hand side.  Starting from 11 o’clock, dive towards 2.30 and back and so on.  Repeat until you can control it precisely with ease.  No mistakes!   This exercise not only teaches good power strokes, but also is the embodiment of “Sining”.  Sining is a technique in which we can generate more wind speed across the canopy of the kite than the prevailing wind speed.  This is a fundamental skill required when you ride in less than enough power for your kite and will be a skill you will always use in kitesurfing on lighter wind days.

7.       Advanced Exercises – Down turning the kite.  Most of the time when you are learning, you will turn the kite upwards towards the zenith which will slow the kite and reduce power as the kite moves closer to the neutral away from the power area.  Sometimes however, you need to create power in the turn to keep speed and power high for fast carving turns on the board.  In order to do this, you need to turn the kite in a downward loop away from the Zenth.  Begin with the kite at 1 o’clock and make a turn towards 11 o’clock by pulling with the right hand.  CAUTION: Downturning the kite will create substantial power as the kite tracks down into the heart of the power zone, so be ready!  You will also notice straight away that the kite, during it’s loop, will twist the lines.  Do not be concerned with the crossed lines.  The left side of the kite still corresponds to the left side of the bar, so just ignore the twist in the lines.  Once you have successfully made a down turn across to 11 o’clock, you can keep going and execute another down turn away from Zenith in the opposite direction from 11 o‘clock down and across back to 1 o’clock again.  By doing this you will remove the twist in the lines and return everything back to normal.  Again, expect some serious pull from the kite.  Remember if you lose control, LET GO OF THE BAR.

8.       Crash Recovery.  It is almost certain that you will crash the kite into the ground at some stage.  If flying a 2 line kite, you will need to put the bar down, remove the safety leash and go to the kite, resetting it in the original launch position, then start over again.  If you are flying a 3 line trainer such as the Ozone Imp’s.  Simply pull on the trailing edge or 3^rd line progressively until the kite lifts off the ground backwards.  Once it starts to lift, turn the bar either way and the kite will flip over into the launch position.  Grab the bar with two hands again making sure you have the left end of the bar in the left hand and get ready for the pull of a launch.

9.       Expert Exercises for fun and skills sharpening.  Try flying perfect squares in the wind window.  Tight right angle turns and fly straight lines to form the square.  This is not easy!  If the beach is clear, try flying across the wind window with the kite at a constant height from the ground starting at 3m off the ground and eventually working your way down to less than 1 m.  Please watch out for other beach users when flying advanced manoeuvres’.  The kite will move fast and creat tremendous power in these manoeuvres and should not be attempted until you have the skills.

10.   Synchronized Flying and chasings.  Grab a friend with a similar kite and stand side by side and chase each other copying the manoeuvres’ of the leader.  Take turns in being the leader, this will sharpen your skills and reaction time.  Enjoy the trainers, they are great fun.

11.   Final Exercises.   Once you have mastered the exercises above, the next step is to learn to do most of them without looking at the kite directly (Foveal vision).  Your aim is to be able to fly the kite using only your peripheral vision (watching out of the corner of your eye).  This will take a combination of three things; sighting the kite in your periphery, feeling the kite’s pull with your arms and upper body (muscle memory and physical feedback, and also having the knowledge through experience of where the kite should go and what it is about to do (Cognitive).  Ultimate level, is to be able to fly the kite with your eyes closed, opening them every now and again if you need to ascertain the kites position.  Only do this on the basic exercises!  This takes time, don’t rush it, enjoy the learning process.  The more time you spend flying your trainer kite, the more flying the kite becomes intuitive, second nature and an extension of your body.  You will not have to think to produce the kind of power you need in the direction you want, you will have experienced all manner of feelings and situations from the trainer so that when you fly the big power kites, you will not be learning harsh lessons  of “what if?.....”

CAUTION ! Remember that full sized kites cannot be flown like a trainer kite.  Many of the power exercises can only be done on land which is the reason for the trainer kite in the first place.  Trying some of the power exercises on a full sized power kite will throw you like a rag doll no matter how strong or heavy you are and you will be hurt!  If you feel you need to practice this kind of power moves on a full sized kite after you have had lessons, make sure you are in the water so you can deal with the full power and speed of a full sized traction kite.

Once you have completed this series of Exercises with the trainer kite, you will be more than ready to start lessons with the full sized kites with our school.  All of the exercises correspond to techniques used when flying the big kites.  So when you are ready, book your lesson with us and take the next step.  If you can fly the kite like you should be able to after 12-15 hours on the trainer, then we will get you riding in just two short lessons on the big gear.

Don’t stop flying the trainer though, there is never enough time to gain more experience by flying the trainer, or get your partner or best friend into the sport by giving them a go on the trainer too. 

See you in School!   J

Trainer Kites

Trainer Kites are a great way to get started into the sport of either Kitesurfing or Land Kiting if you have had no prior experience of flying 2 line controllable stunt kites or traction kites.

AKS sells quality Ozone trainer kites from the IMP Trainer range.  These kites are "foil" design and are only suitable for use on land, they cannot be used in the water as they will collapse and take water in the event of a crash in the water.  The foil design is inexpensive, powerful, compact and easy to setup making it ideal to keep a trainer kite in your car for when you may have a few spare minutes to kill.

The IMP Trainer is in it's 3rd series with the latest model being a complete redesign from the ground up.  The new IMP's have the new colour pattern distinctive of the Ozone range of kites and have a cleaner safety system  and new bar.  The flying characteristics are closer resembling the performance and handling of their bigger land and water counterparts in that they fly more slowly, turn in a greater arc and have a solid pull similar to the larger kites, this gives a much better "feel" when learning to fly.  The new design is very stable in the air in all wind conditions making it even easier to fly and fun for all levels of experience.

The IMP Trainers are 3 line configuration with the two front lines controlling the turning  and power of the kite whilst the third line hangs limp and loose in normal flight conditions.  It is only when in emergency, relaunch or landing situations that the third line comes into play.  By releasing the bar, the third line is tensioned and the front two lines are slacked which folds the canopy and allows it to drop harmlessly to the ground without power.

Should the kite be crashed onto the ground leading edge down, the kite can be easily re-righted by pulling on a front line for turning the control bar, and also tensioning the third (back) line to initiate a reverse turning relaunch.  This saves a lot of frustration over a standard two line trainer kite which need to be reset into the launch position to begin flying again.  The IMP Trainer just turns over and relaunches from the bar without having to go to the kite or have an assistant.

Buying a Trainer kite and spending as much time as possible flying it prior to a lesson will give you an advantage if you have no previous flying experience, it is not essential but experience tells us they do help a fair bit, then once you have moved on to lessons, the kite is always there for your friends and family to prractice on at a later date when they become interested in your new sport.

Although learning the basics of flying with a trainer kite is really easy and can take as little as 5 minutes, it is the repetition of flying and having it ingrained into your unconscience that makes the difference, for this we recommend about 12-15 hours of flying until the control and handling of the kite becomes 2nd nature.  If you are going to make a control error when flying kites, its better if it happens on a small trainer kite than on a full sized power kite.

Training Exercises for Trainer Kites only!

For  specific exercises to practice when you have your trainer kite, click this link

Please use the links below to hyper link you to what you are looking for.  Use your browser back button to return to here.

About Kite Styles            Riding Styles/Suggestions          Kite Selector Guide    

Surf Kites                         Freestyle/ride Kites                       New School Kites         

Big Air/Race Kites          Glossary of Terms

I'm so confused, How do I know which kite will suit me?

This is a tough area for anyone who hasn't had at least two years in the sport experience.  There tends to be a lot of Jargon thrown around, a lot of acronyms, a lot of buzz words and quite frankly, a lot of BS.  For a start, every manufacturer will pretty much say the exact same thing, it's like they get one guy to write the blurb for every kite type and they all just change the name where it says <insert manufacturer name here>.  If you believe what you read on their pages, every kite is the saviour of the kiting world and has become faster, lighter, stronger, easier, prettier, more depower, more power, faster turning and the list goes on ...... boring!

My aim is to align you to the kite which will best suit your riding level allowing you room for growth, making sure it does everything you want and at a budget you can afford.  For this you will need to ring me and answer a bunch of questions I'll fire at you, and with this info, I'll make suggestions in the price range you are looking for.  I do not necessarily push any particular brand over another, but rather try and give you what you need, not necessarily what you want, but what you need.  There is often a difference between wants and needs ..... and hopefully you'll see my logic and appreciate the honest feedback . At the end of the day, the choice is your's and hopefully, this will help you make a more informed decision.

As a beginner or someone who is new to the sport, unfortunately, I'm going to ask you to trust me to do the right thing by you because there is so much hype and anti hype, brand pimps who won't declare their allegiances to shops or brands, and lots of misinformation from the chronically misinformed (Yep, its a mine field out there!)

However, as with all of our products, we welcome you to try and demo the gear you are keen on (provided you have the skills to use it) and see for yourself.  Many of our customers have tried every board or every kite in determining what is right for them, and more power to them for they make wise choices and go away completely satisfied they got exactly what they needed!  

The above table is a guide only and will depend on the style you wish to ride.  For instance, if you ride waves on a twin tip, I would rate the Airush Generator higher than it currently is for wave.  Use this as a guide and then read up on the kite itself by following the links of each Kite name.

If still confused, please just call me as I love to tailor kites to individual needs 0433 982 696

Delta Style Kite

About Kite Styles

Delta Kites - The new kid on the block.  The Delta kites are only a couple of years into their lifespan and have breathed some much needed life into the industry.  A Delta Kite is a plan shape with very parabolic leading edge curve and heavily swept back wings.  They are usually bridled kites often with pulleys to enable faster steering and better depower.  Delta's happen to be very powerful for their sizes and turn and fly fairly fast.  They all have auto-relaunch to a point where the kite will do most of the work for you (yes, you still have to do some small part in getting it out of the water). Delta's are usually known to be a bit heavy on the bar pressure but have solid stability and are good all round kites.

High aspect C-kite

Classic Bow kite

Typical 5th Line Hybrid

Typical SLE design

The SLE kite was the  follow on and improvement over the standard "Bow" or wide span kite.  With a slightly lower aspect ratio and less width and more "C" shape, the SLE's turned better and had less flight issues than the pure Bows.  The SlE's tend to be characterised by having a pulley on the leading edge which connects the front line bridle to the back line bridle.  This allows massive range in "pitch control" or in plain terms allows the kite to change angle of attack more aggressively to give more pivotal turning, and higher degree of depower.  These kites tend to be powerful and easy to relaunch, but have little "Feel" for the kite in the air.  The rider usually becomes accustomed to the kites feel.  These kites were the set in evolution between the Bow and Delta.

Riding Styles and Suggestions

Many of these kites fit into more than one category but in order to try and keep it a bit more simple, I have paced them into the category they are most suited to.  Beginners don't have a category as I tend to not sell beginner beginner kites like the Airush DNA or North Buzz, (unless you really need one), but rather I try and set you up with a kite that you will quickly grow into and slowly grow out of. 

Use this list and the table below it as a rough guide to help narrow your search, then click over to the models and info on the kites, check the pricing and sales blurb if you like and then give me a call to help steer you into the right final decision, hopefully I will just confirm what you have already decided.  Information is power!

Surf Kites

These are kites which invariably have a broad range of power to full depower, they are usually fast turning and "Drift" extremely well when lines go slack when on the wave face.  They should also relaunch really quickly and well, and be resistant to luffing and stalling.  

Freeride/Freestyle kites

Although Freestyle and Freeride are quite different in most peoples vocabulary, they have a lot of cross over.  Freeride is a combination of all styles and to ride with no agenda.  Freestyle is to perform new school tricks usually whilst being unhooked from the kite.  Many kites will do both reasonably well.  

Hardcore New School Kites

Big Air/Race Kites

These kites tend to be the most efficient kites producing massive lift, and can handle terrific speed through the air.  TRace and Jump kites tend to have very rigid canopies well supported by multiple struts (5+) and are usually the most difficult  to relaunch

Glossary

Leading Edge - Front inflated tube which forms the front part of the curved canopy 

Trailing Edge - trailing part of the back of the kite, usually unsupported

Struts - Inflated sections running front to back which lock the wings profile.

Profile - The aerodynamic cross section of the wing which creates lift.

Bladders - The inner plastic vessels that hold the air inside the struts

One pump - The system by which all struts and leading edge can be inflated from a single point on the leading edge

Multi Point Pump - All struts and leading edge are individually inflated and sealed off.

Canopy - The skin of the kite 

Wing Tips - The left and right side ends of the kite.  Usually steering lines attach here.

Chicken Loop - Control loop that attaches to the harness to control power.

Trim strap - Adjusts power of the kite in a macro sense

Suicide leash - A leash attached to the kite and your harness which doesn't depower the kite if you let go.

Chicken finger/Donkey Dick - A small 6 inch pin which can lock the chicken loop to the harness.

Bridle - A series of web like  thin lines which support the wide span of a kite and allow huge depower.

Auto Relaunch - Is a term used todescribe a kite that prepares itself for relaunch from a crash by making it's way to the edge of the wind window by simply letting go of the bar and waiting.  Mostly from Delta kites!

Wing chord -  Wing chord is theoretical centre line of wing when viewed in profile.  From LE to TE.

Angle of Attack - A of A is the amount of angle between wing chord and relative wind.  Low angle = Less power, High angle is more power to a point (see stall).  Angle must be positive ie above horizontal.

Stall -  A stall is when laminar airflow breaks away from the wing surface and destroys lift.  Kite usually flys backwards and falls out of the sky.  Mostly caused by rider error of pulling in too much back line tension when kite is low.

Luff -  Is the opposite to Stall where the kite drops from the sky leading edge first also refered to as "Hindenberging", often from lack of back line tension in gusty wind.

Pivotal Turning -  Is the ability of the kite to 'pivot" on itself and turn without much forwrd motion.  Usually low power in turns and commonly associated with many but not all bridled kites with pulleys.

Radius turning -  is the kites inner wingtip creating a wider radius in a turn. both wingtips move in a forward motion and the turn radius is usually larger than a pivotal turn.  More power in turns.

Stability -  The ability of a kite to remain flying with little input from the rider in gusty conditions.

Static power -  Is what AKS refer to as a kites ability to produce power/lift simply by pulling in on the bar to full power whilst the kite remains motionless in the sky.

Apparent power -  The kites ability to create power through its speed through the air.  Little static power, but bags of apparent wind power when flown quickly or ridden fast.

The all new GTS is available for demo.  Stock coming soon!

Core GTS

Well it had to happen, the faithful ofld GT has been finally superceded by the impressive GTS.  Core wisely only release one kite per season and have two models which allows them to run a 2 year duty cycle for each model.  This is great because they have time to iron out any niggly bugs or issues.  Every model is tested to death before release which puts them in a class of their own in this regard without the pressure to produce several models each year like most other manufacturers.

The GTS is a worthy replacement to the GT.  It looks amazing with simple graphics and a bit less yellow and dacron in the canopy than the GT.  It is physically lighter, and has the same bridle setup as the XR with ultimate tuneability.

The bar pressure is light and the kite is responsive and quick when setup on light settings and wave steering.  Three settings on bar pressure and also three settings on steering responsiveness.

On initial tests (Brief and in poor conditions), The kite displayed amazing stability, and that same power as the GT but in a much more refined and smoother power delivery.  Depower feels similar and power similar to the GT.  The GTS is a more refined kite which lends itself to much more of a cross over of different riding styles with it's versatility of settings.

The new bag is one of the best in the industry, well made, spacious and simple.  The bar is the same ESP bar as delivered with GT and XR making it very useable with other models so you can mix and match models without Bar outlay. 

I love it!  Another outstanding Core Kite! Ask us for a demo ride.

Core GT

Core Combat GT

The power of the Core GT is amazing and is one of the most powerful kites I have personally flown.  In general we suggest a kite size smaller than what you have been used to, to account for the additional power of these kites.  The power is what I refer to as static power ie, you pull in on the bar and the power is right there, no need to fly the kite faster to achieve the dynamic power offered in some other kites.  To work out if this is for you, give is a call as different kites will suit different styles of riding.  Usually beginners will love the ability to just "pull on power" when needed and expert riders will appreciate the ability to crank power by simply pulling in when needed too but can still also "work the kite" for more apparent power easily if needed.

The Stability of the GT is excellent and provides a stable power source which allows you to "feel" where the kite is and will stay in that position until you decide to move it.  This is a great feature for beginners as it allows you to concentrate on other things whilst having the peace of mind knowing the kite will do what you want and not something unexpected.  You can also desensitize the steering by changing the bridle attach points and also using the inner bar leader line attach points.

The turning ability of the Core GT is fast but can be slowed by changing the bar pressure settings on the kite and also width of the bar (both take seconds).  With weight required to turn the kite it only turns when you want it to and if needed it will turn VERY quickly to execute tight powered turns which equates to lots of fun for the advanced riders.  Plenty of power in the turns and fantastic for looping and surf riding.  Not as hard core s a true "C" kite, but pulls more than most hybrid/SLE's in loops making it great fun. 

The build quality of the kite is excellent.  Robust construction with plenty of bomb proof Dacron for balance and durability make the kite a little heavier than some, but there is no doubting the strength of the kite and the one pump inflation system is simple and effective.  The unique colouring of the kite makes it stand out at the beach and is easy to spot in a crowd.  Hard to beat red/yellow/white/black in any case.

The bar system is quite unique in that the kite utilizes a "mini 5th Line" safety system.  This means the bar starts off with three lines and converts to four but has a safety system that acts the same as a 5th line without the added lines.  A spinning chicken loop and variable length option on the bar makes it the bar to suit all sizes and is great for safety.  The bar also has a "mini loop" for hooking in to full power and taking both hands from the bar as in old school freestyle moves.

The kite can be purchased seperate to the bar so if you buy two kites you only need to buy one bar saving $500 per additional kite.  The bar is also interchangeable with the new Core Riot XR so if you wish to add an XR to your quiver, no probs, another $500 saved!

Recommendation Level of Experience:  Good for beginner thru to advanced

Recommended Conditions/Styles:   Good for freestyle, freedride and surf.

Take me to the Shop Page

Core 2009/10 GT - Rider Review

Personally I've had the most fun on this kite this last year. The kite may not have the polish of the North gear, nor the light weight of the Airush stuff, but this is a kite worth a ride and stacks up against most others in terms of value for money and raw performance.  If the GT were a car, it would be a '68 Shelby Mustang or a Dodge Viper.  It has so much raw performance and requires a bit of muscle to throw it around but it rewards in a hell of a fun ride! 

Boosting is crazy and easy, just send it and hang on to your lunch, it's a fast ride up, a nice hangtime and then gentle drop so long as you get the timing right.  One of my favourite things is carving with as much speed and power as possible and the GT just downturns so fast and redirects in the opposite direction so quickly that the power needs to be eased midway through the turn but then at the end of the turn it's just pull in on the bar and accellerate again.  I love that!

Looping the kite is excellent, not as hard core as some freestyle kites, but enough to scare you in a good breeze and is definately wilder than the SLE brigade.

I and most of my customers who own one will tell you that it is a kite that grows on you rapidly the more you fly it.  If you really want to boost, try riding one in the upper end of their phenomenal wind range and sending it hard .

I love it!

CORE ESP BAR

The ESP Bar has a multitude of great features and above all else is simple and Effective.  

Spinning Chickenloop - No leash tangles. back roll 'til your hearts content.

Safety release - Simple to load and easy to operate with either hand

Changeable bar line width - Faster or slower  turning

Simple and effective depower strap above the bar.

100% depower when safety released - easy self land and super safe

Core ESP Bar

CORE RIOT XR

Core Riot XR

The improvements come from improved aerodynamic profile and stability.  Core decided to stay with a centre strut after testing many prototypes and finding the centre strut "just works better".  

The power of the kite is a little less than the Core GT by a few knots which brings it in line with most other brands kites in terms of low wind power.  The upper end or strong wind power is truly impressive being far higher than most other kites I have ridden.  Not just being able to "hold it down" in strong wind, but you can truly throw it around and still have fun with it in strong, really powered conditions.  Fantastic!

Relaunch is super easy with the swept back trailing edge similar to the Delta shape.  Just turn the bar and the kite relaunches easily and quickly, no hassle.  Can't beat Delta style relaunch!

Light wind performance has been taxed a little compared to the GT but has been repaid in the upper end wind range and the quality of all Core kites goes without saying.  The finest quality materials are used in the canopy and heavy duty lines (360kg breaking strain) make sure you get the best value for money.  The Riot XR uses the same bar as the GT so interchange between models is possible so you don't need a bar for every kite.  This translates directly into a cost saving of $500 per kite!

This truly is a kite for everyone.

Take me to the Shop Page

Core 2010 Riot XR - Rider Review

Finally got some decent wind for a review.  Conditions were SSW 20-25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots.  Choppy water.  Good fun!

To start off with, the bag is same as GT's, just a different colour (Black/white instead of Black/yellow)  The bag is ample but not mind blowing, but then again, it's just a bag right, you don't take it out on the town clubbing?.  The new bar has some tiny mods but pretty much the same.  Chicken finger is longer, safety leash attach ring is new.  Thats it for the bag and bar/lines.  No need to alter simple, effective and  quality.

There are a few refinements on the XR which aren't on the GT.  The one pump system is 90 degrees from the struts and leading edge which keeps the transfer tubes tucked away in the corners out of the way (totally unobtrusive) and are a more solid looking piece.  There is two little velcro's on the trailing edge end of the centre strut for keeping the bridles from hanging down.  This is genius and I can't believe no one else has done this, so simple, so cool!  Bridles are a bit longer. (perhaps reason for velcros?). 

The build quality is excellent, just like the GT, bomb proof!  Solid construction, a very tough kite and beautifully stitched and assembled.  The main difference to the GT is, apart from the slightly higher aspect canopy, the tuning knots and adjustments.  There are three points on the leading edge which adjust bar pressure and take seconds to change, and three on the wing tips which change steering responsiveness.  You can mix and match any setting and the kite flies beautifully although different determined by your choice of settings.  The beauty of it is in the ease of mods select the desired bar pressure and select the steering responsiveness.  I tried 5 different combinations of settings and it changes the kite from more freestyle to more wav/freeride.  Plug and play and anyone could change their kite settings and notice the changes without making the kite unstable or hard to fly.  I like lightest bar pressure and fastest turning so I set it up for me

As soon as you throw the kite up, it feels similar to the GT, but with less bar pressure and more responsive steering.  The turning speed feels same as the GT, maybe a tiny bit slower but only just noticeable if at all.  So for me, this was an instant hit, a fast kite with lighter bar and more response.  Tick!

When riding, the kite is stable and easy but feels like it needs just a little more bar throw to reach full depower when compared to the GT (Keep in mind today was VERY gusty so may be nothing).  There seemed to be a little less bottom end, maybe by a few knots against the 10.5 GT but there was a very noticeable top end improvement.  At around 2pm, a huge squall came through and I jumped back on the XR in winds of 30 knots and I dialed in about 3 inches of trim and was absolutely comfortable and didn't feel overpowered in the slightest.  I would have been panicking amid teabagging on the 10.5 GT.  I reckon it would be no problem to fly the 10m XR comfortably in 30-35 knots and yet it only seemed to give away a little in bottom end.  Pretty impressive!

Boosting was as easy as the GT but less aggressive on takeoff.  I got some very high jumps on a 10m which rarely happens, now I can't wait to ride the smaller ones in real wind!  The jumps have smooth glide, great hangtime and are pretty easy to land.  I really liked the ride and thought it was a great kite, the more you ride it, the more differences you notice to the GT.  It is VERY similar, but more refined so you don't need to be as strong to throw it around.  I'd recommend this kite to anyone looking for a fun responsive enjoyable kite, it just is more polished.  GT is still the agro kite for guys wanting grunt and aggressive power and turning.  The XR coud be a nice ride for the ladies as well as the gents.  Excellent, well worth the wait, and for the price, good stuff!

The GT still has it's place as the mad mans kite, but the XR will certainly be more widely received as a great all rounder.  Maybe a surf test required now.  Hmmmmm ....   24/09/09

Airush 2010 Lithium

Airush 2010 Lithium

The Delta shape leads to "auto-relaunch"making re-launching a crashed kite childs play.  The depower is almostb total withe Airush's new V3 bridle system which allows the bridle to lay the kit flat and pull from the centre of the kite when depowered.  5th line safety with only 4 lines.

The Lithium employs Airush's "Frame technology" which is just a Dacron frame around the panel edges to prevent major tears from leach to luff and and provide canopy rigidity.  The kite is strengthened in all the right areas and has Airush's new FBI (Fast Bladder inflatio). God I hate cheesy acronyms!

The Lithium is also available in the LW or Light wind variant in the two larger sizes of 13m and 15m.  The LW have optimized flattened geometry in the nose section of the canopy to improve upwind ability and increase speed. 

At the end of the day this kite will appeal to the beginner market or people wanting a simple kite that just works for general freeriding.

All kites come with the new Airush SMART bar and BRAIN Quick Release system as explained below.

Sizes: 4m, 6m, 8m, 10m, 12m, 13m (LW) & 15m (LW)

Airush Lithium 2010 - Rider Review

OK, so the Lithium is a new kite for 2010, modelled on the DNA, it is squarely aimed at the entry level freeride/learner market.  The Lithium is a 4 strut Delta Hybrid kite.  It is designed to sit a bit further back in the wind window and be grunty and stable, it's also pretty quick on the turns. Test flown in 20-25 knots gusting a bit more.

Firstly, the bag.  It's the smallest bag I've ever seen.  My daughters school bag is bigger, now this is great when bringing it home from the shop and hanging on your wall (or in a truck ), but it's an absolute bastard to get back in the bag and forget it if you're in a hurry, you'll just have to stuff it in your boot and deal with it later.  I finally know what the compression strap is for.  Having said that, the bag is nice, well made and lux, it has a nice compartment on the side for the bar and a rig I haven't quite worked out on the other side for the pump (I made it work though not right).

The one pump system uses big bore but thin walled transfer tubes of which one kinked on me whilst pumping up due to long tube length and weird angle.  Sorted easy enough and it pinged nicely at 8psi. The big Diameter tubes are great when deflating and rolling the air out, very quick!. The valves work well (sea easily) but are restrictive when inflating so a little more effort required when inflating the leading edge when compared to some other kites.  The Lithium uses two sets of pulleys similar to Core kites so depower is total when safety system is activated (same as Core) which is great and the kite falls onto it's leading edge on the water into the wind.  Makes self landing easy!

Once rigged, we tossed it up and no adjustments were necessary, it flew well straight from the bag.  The Lithium does sit a little further back in the wind window but you tend not to notice it when flying it at 12 on the beach.  The new Smart bar has a long depower throw which is a bummer, but they have tossed the old below the bar trim system, YAY with a capital YAY!   The trim strap is well out of reach so a pair of extensions lead down to a more reasonable level where it is easy to use the Pull/Pull trim setup.  The stopper ball is good but because you need the full length of depower to fully turn the power from 0-100%, then it's a little pointless in gusty wind, probably better in smooth steady wind.

The Lithium pulls hard when dived to get going and you take off with a good squirt of speed.  It turns quite quickly but has a squashy bar feel similar to F-One Bandit Dos.  Many people liked Dos so it shouldn't be a drama to most.  The jumps are fairly easy, just send it, but you need a little speed and when you do send it, it will take you up, but it sits back in the window and will land you a bit fast downwind if you are over zealous on the trigger arm and fire it from 11 instead of 11.30.  The kite gives good jumps considering it is aimed at the lower end of experience and gives decent hangtime when you get it dialled.

The upwind on the kite is fairly impressive considering where it sits in the wind window and I had no effort to get well back upwind, it wasn't a battle like on the older DNA's.  What I really liked was it's power coming out of a downturn carved transition.  Huge power when needed, just sheet in and go.

It's a good solid  kite and will do nicely for the target market it is aimed at.  Perfect for beginner to intermediate freeriders.

24/09/09

Airush 2010 Varial 

Airush 2010 Varial

The Varial has a sleeker profile for greater speed and control in a wider variety of wind strengths.  The sleeker profile also offers better upwind ability than that of the Lithium as it sits higher in the wind window.  Being less pivotal in steering and more forward movement steering it will have more power in the turns and should have smoother power delivery in flight.

Relaunch is easy and will roll over and launch hot which is a good thing for surf riders looking to get the kite back in the air quickly.  The Varial has good boost and controlled hangtime whilst being light on the bar for steering and nimble in the sky.

The new Varial also comes with the new Airush Bar system and allows customizable feel on the bar and adjustable bar throw.

Sizes:  6m, 7m, 8m, 9m, 10m, 12m, 14m

Airush 2010 Varial - Rider Review

This is a kite I was really looking forward to and got the chance to put it through the wringer today in 20-25 knots of wind SSW gusty in choppy water.

The Varial is a 5 strut Delta Hybrid and is the hyped up version of the Lithium in respect to performance range.  Similar in build and design to the Lithium (read above for more details).  Bag is too small, but looks great and if you read my Core XR review, this bag you could take into town.  Helluva sexy bag, just too small to fit the kite in once it's been used without careful packing down.

The Varial felt quite similar to fly to the Lithium  but was a bit faster and less pivotal as the brief says above.  It boosts nice jumps, and delivers good hangtime.  Definately pulls less downwind than the Lithium in jumps so landings aren't so hot, due primarily to wider turning circle.  The steering is direct and turns the kite quickly, but with a similar slightly squashy feel to the Lithium.  This is something you'd probably get used to as I know one accomplished rider who has been riding one for ages and he loves it.

2nd Ride

Yesterday I got the chance to ride the Varial again.  Wind was a very unsteady 15-18 knot.  The Varial needs to be pumped up HARD.   On my previous ride I only pumped the kite to the minimum suggested pressure (8psi) and had an issue with the kite.  This time I pumped it to 10 psi as suggested by Airush designers and had no such issues again.  The kite flew beautifully and made most of my trick repertoir seem easy.  There still isnt a lot of downwind pull from the kiteloops but in most other senses the kite was very predictable and easy to ride.  Boosted good jumps and had a good feel to it.

Upwind ability and relaunch was easy  and the kite looked good in the air.  Several others took the kite for a ride and also came in with similar positive comments .  It's not a cutting edge kite for people looking for the nth degree of performance, but it IS a good solid all rounder which will cover most peoples riding requirements well.

I think the Varial would be a fine kite for the average learner to advanced intermediate to get out there and have some fun.  

Airush 2009 Vapor III (Mid Season release)

Airush 2009 Vapor III

The depower is of hybrid whilst the flight and feel from the bar is pure"C".  Relaunch is also hybrid in nature making it easier to rollover and launch more downwind.

Super stable and fast, the  Vapor is for people looking to improve their freeriding and freestyle riding whilst not getting too far out onto the edges of "C" kite behaviour.

Sizes: 5m, 7m, 8.5m, 10m, 12m, 14m, 16m

Airush SMART Bar and Brain Chicken Loop

Airush 2010 SMART Bar

The Airush SMART Bar is a very clever design and although I don't like the name, the features it packs put it up there with the best.  Firstly, the bar is extendable.  Simply press the pin, remove the extendable bar end slide the special spacer onto the tube, then re-insert the tube back into the main part of the bar until the lock "clicks".  Nice, now one bar makes traveling easier with two kites to save weight.

The new Brain quick release chicken loop lays claim to greater simplicity and allows spinning of the chicken loop benneath the bar so multiple rotations can be un-spun whilst riding.

The SMART bar fits all the 2010 kites and can be 4 line or 5 line, 45cm or 55cm long, and has multiple adjustability for all lines so tuning is easy.  Airush have gone with the more simple and reliable strap trim system which is a BIG improvement over the below the bar cleat system of previous bars.

Some other nice features are you can still opt for below the bar cleat, multiple different line length configurations and improved safety leash.  All in all, Airush have vastly improved the bar system for 2010.  Now how about we work on a new name eh boys?  

SMART Bar and Brain CL - Rider Review

Today was my first look and ride of the new bar system from Airush.  It is filled with little innovations that are unique and clever  and work reasonably well.

The bar length adjustment is good, it is easy to shorten or lengthen, and takes only seconds each side which is good.   The bar feels solid in either short or wide mode.  The bar diameter is good and grip is comfy.  The centre rivet is good and feels solid.  There are no line bungees on the end of the bar winders like on other bars to keep the lines on when wound which keeps the bar looking very clean.  Instead the bungees are cleverly installed in the bottom of the floats on each sid.  Not so clever is they can be quite difficult to get at when the lines are wound on the barespecially if you wind your lines on the bar quite tight.  I'd suggest winding the lines on loosely.  Once the bungees are in place, they work better than any other bar line bungees that I have seen on any system.

The Trim Strap is efficient but out of reach so extenders are added to gain access to the trim, this works well and looks neat and tidy and is a far cry from the previouly unworkable below the bar trim cleat system.  The depower throw is long, quite long, but not out of reach (I have long arms).  If you are short it may be a little issue so that you have to use the stopper ball.  Twin depower lines and a safety line run through the bar for below the bar safety.  This is clean and works well.

The Brain Chicken loop quick release looks a bit plasticky but seems to work OK.  I didn't test the release today under load and note that it can be activated by either hand equally well.  It is impossible to rest with one hand, this is definately a two hand job to reset it in the water and even then, it can be a bit tricky.

The spinning/rotating head on the bar we tested today was extremely stiff to turn and although it will turn with a bit of force, it certainly wont do it on it's own.

The donkey dick is long and chunky and gives you a nice feeling of confidence that it isn't going to fall out in a hurry.  I didn't use the new leash system but did inspect it, it looks good and is simple and foolproof.  Good quality snap gate clip on the end.  Other great feature is the two piece line sets which allow you to change line lengths by removing the extensions.

Overall it is a nice innovative bar and only needs a few minor improvements to be a really great bar.  The extendable bar ends are a real winner.  Nice one!

24/09/09

Please use the hyper links below to get to where you want to faster!

Rebel           Evo            Vegas           5th Element Bar          5th E Bar features

North 2010 Rebel

North 2010 Rebel

Firstly and probably the most significance this year is the Rebel has gone back to a 5 strut design, but with a twist.  The centre strut is only attached from mid canopy back.  The whole front section does not contact the canopy at all and doesn't have the profiled shape which allows the canopy to luff when the bar is depowered.  This was the key to the smooth design and generous power of the 09, 4 strut version, however, stability in some rare cases was the trade off.  Now with the strut firmly back in place, but the centre section of canopy being able to luff freely, we have the best of both worlds!

The Curve of the leading edge when viewed from the front of the kite has undergone some change with straight sections being added on both sides between the outboard and inboard struts.  The rest of the wing tip and centre section is traditionally curved.  The straight section is said to offer less drag with almost eliminated flutter.  Flutter is drag and inflicting damage to the kite so any reduction in drag/flutter is a good thing.

The back lines have changed to a "V" attachment.  This creates two improvements, one being a cleaner tip for relaunching and also a much better feel on the bar when fully sheeted in for max power.

Among other changes are improved strength strut attachments, improved canopy chord stitching creating a less wrinkled look.  Larger sizes have amore crisp feel whilst smaller sizes have been made feel softer and less aggresive.

Quite importantly is the improvements to the new North 5th Element Bar system in the Iron Heart III and new Trust Bar.

A wave kite of epic reputation, I'll be writing more as soon as I get one in the air . 

Sizes: 5m, 6m, 7m, 8m, 9m, 10m, 11m, 12m, 14m, 16m.

Rider Review - 9m 2010 Rebel

I finally took the new Rebel for a spin to put it through it's paces and find out if the hype resembled the facts.  Wind conditions were gusty and frontl from 15 to 26 knots, dead onshore in large surf reef break (waves to double overhead).

The first thing you notice about the kite is it's very different to the 09 Rebel in it's build and also flying characteristics.  The floating centre strut, new straight wingtip leading edge segments between 2nd and 3rd struts, new connectors for one pump capilliaries, new rear line bungee system and of course the new bar (which I didn't have), new pump and new large bag all are nice changes.

Attention to detail this year, outstanding!  The kite pumped perfect and launched easily in the lighter side of the wind and climbed to 12 o'clock.  It felt different straight away.  The rear line bungees keep tension on the rear lines in the turns and when you combine this with the flutter free designed wing tips, the kite becomes silky smooth, almost ethereal to fly,  it's also perfectly silent, eerily so! 

It doesn't turn any faster than the 09, it doesn't fly any faster, it doesn't relaunch any easier and it drifts about the same.  Bar pressure feels about the same, might have lost a little depower in the top end straight from the bar throw, but this is accounted for by trimming with the trim strap.  Although all this sounds similar to last years, it couldn't "feel" more different!

The new kite certainly has a very unique feel to the bar with the kite silently turning and moving without flutter, there is no vibration through the bar from the flutter of either the canopy or the wingtips.  It's a weird feeling and grows on you really quickly, kinda stealth like.  It's evertthing that last years was plus more, it has a very rigid leading edge with no sign of structural instability and the whole kite is just smoother and far more polished.  About the only thing I noted of significant improve was the more linear powe.  As power is pulled on, the speed increases smoothly, same with gusts, when they hit, there is only controlled, silky smooth accelleration upwind. 

Is it worth the upgrade?  Yes, for the bar and safety alone, but the kite itself has entered a new realm of smoothness and refinement indesign.  If you own a '09 come and take it for a demo, and tell me what you think, but don't expect it to boost bigger and turn faster etc, but it will impress you no less.

Darren Marshall  12/9/09

North 2009 EVO  (Mid Season Release)

North 2009 EVO

The EVO's shape offers incredible stability to allow you to enjoy freeride simplicity and an amazingly stable feel in the bar which makes unhooking to throw down your latest trick so easy for you to stomp it.

Bombproof construction and solid "C" kite like loops allow you to experiment with whatever kiteloop variation you can imagine.  The low down power makes it easy to get up and planing in lighter winds and auto relaunch begins as soon as you let go of the bar.  Now you have no excuse to go for it.

The Evo can be flown either with 4 line configuration or 5 line config depending upon the feel you want from the kite.  

Sizes : 6m, 7m, 9m, 10m, 12m, 14m

Take me to the Shop Page

North 2009 - Rider Review

Decided to finally get around to testing the EVO as a school kite option today.  Our biggest concern was it's light wind flying characteristics so we decided to put it to the test at Scarborough in 4-8 knots of onshore wind.  This is purely a beach test, I had no plans on getting wet on this day.

Getting it out of the bag it looked as schmick as every other North product I've ever unwrapped.  The kite is beautifully made and this is evident as soon as you cast your eye over it.  The EVO is 5 struts and has no one pump (which suits school use) and the valves seal amazingly well.  As with other North kites, it has one inflate valve with no one way stopper and a release valve on the left wingtip leading edge.  (You get used to this!).

The EVO has a clever little bridle system on the front lines for if you remove the 5th line and fly it as a 4 line.  rear lines have the pigtail clearing bungee to aid in relaunch by keeping the lines away from the tips.  Standard sweet North 5th Element bar and simplicity to rig, all colour coded and kook proofed.  Once I was rigged it was time to launch.  Admittedly this didn't go easily, but then you wouldn't expect a 10m to self launch well in 5-6 knots.  With a bit of advanced technique and a bit of cursing it was up and flying.  This is where it became really fun!

As soon as I got it up it flew remarkably well.  Due to it's bombproof construction I expected it to be a dog in light winds and be very stally.  Nope! The Evo climbed nicely to 12 o'clock and just sat there over my head making me nervous.  First test power, dive through the wind window and even in 6-7 knots it pulled me forward several metres, sweet!  Plenty of power so throw a nice loop and it pulled nicely pivoting around on it's wingtip with no hint of a squashy feeling turn, very direct.

The bar pressure is what I call moderate and steering effort is also moderate which means the kite is only going to do what you tell it to do rather thanit wandering off with lttle attention from the rider.  After several minutes of fun flying it came down to brass tacks, how would it handle a luff situation in less than 8 knots?  I pulled the bar in to full power and allowed the kite to edge as close to 12 o'clock as possible and as far into the wind as it would go, then suddenly throw the power off by pushing the bar away instantly.  The kite simply drifted slowly back to a more stable position further in the wind window.  Nice!  Now the big test.  Same as before only this time sheet out suddenly and run forward (downwind) several metres.  The kite pitched forward, then pitched backwards and then forwards as it drifted back into the window again with slack lines for almost 5 seconds.  WOW!  We repeated this several times with same results time and again.

We found it very difficult to stall as well as luff.  I've never flown a better behaved and more stable kite.  I liked the lack of flutter taken care of by the trailing edge mini battens and the generous use of Dacron in the trailing edge for flutter resistance.  I liked it so far.

Water Test - Finally got to take the North 2009 Evo 7m for a decent run in strong 25 knot squally conditions in a downwinder from Leighton to Mullaloo (snapped a board by Swanny which resulted in a long walk back upwind). 

As expected from a 7m, the kite turns very fast and has masses of power when sheeted in as well as developing a bit of apparent wind power.  The speed through the window is typical of the average 7m, not too ballistic but fast enough to be fun!  As the wave conditions were onshore again I got to test out the drift factor, and again  was very impressed, didn't luff or stall it once.  The kite is punchy when boosting and should I have wanted to go crazy big, it would have easily done this.  Depower is very good, simply sheet out and the juice stops, just like that!

The bar pressure is moderate and slightly heavier than what I am used to but wasn't heavy enough to annoy or bring on the pain in the arms/elbows.  Steering takes some effort which suited me fine as that way there are no inadvertant steering mistakes.  I didn't put it into the drink to test relaunch so can't comment here, but the kite really surprised me.  Not sure what I was expecting, but the kite is excellent for waves and being a little heavier to steer would probably suit freestylers too.

Me thinks they'll make a great school kite. 

North 2010 VEGAS

North 2010 Vegas

This is the kite I'm waiting for after having ridden last years and being very impressed.  The North Vegas is a "full-on C kite" with a heart of pure New School.  And before we go too much further it would be wise to mention it still has two rigging options; 1) True "C" Kite with minimal depower, mad stability and desensitized steering.   2) The New School Freestyle mode where it has "C" kite feel but also has the hybrid depower and fast steering.

The blurb from North tells us that they have gone for a combination of feel from 2008 and 2009 so more back to grass roots pure "C" but with added speed for getting the kite back up to 12 to cushion massive mega loops hard landings.  The new Vegas has gone from "U" kite back to "C" again!  Hmmmm....

The kite has basically been designed to serve the new schoolers pushing new trickery to the limits and is the freestyle choice of all the team riders.  The amount of punch from the kite is epic and the can still be setup in a 4 or 5 line configuration with stability and rock solid performance.  This is a Hybrid kite but definately has the old kite feel about it, most old "C" kites were pigs of things, but this kite brings the best of new and old together in a really fun package.  The 2010 kite also comes with the new 5th Element bar stystem of course making it one of the safest kites on the market in terms of depower and safety release system.

I can't wait for this kite to arrive to do a full rider review  Kite arrives on 18/9/09  Stay tuned ......

Take me to the Shop Page

North 2010 Vegas  - Rider Review

This is a review I've been looking forward to.  Test conditions were 20-25 knots gusting to 30 knots.  Board 132 Jaime 2010.

I really liked the 2009 Vegas for freestyle riding and it was OK as a freerider but I liked others better, but Oh!  You really need to ride the 2010 Vegas.  For intermediate to advanced riders looking for a combo of freestyle and freeride ...... This kite is truly in a league of it's own!

Let's begin!  For a start, the bag is big, need only to fold the kite in half after rolling to fit in the bag easily.  Love the bag for packing up in a hurry.  The bar is just a piece of engineering artwork.  The benchmark in aesthetics, design, functionality and durability.  The QR is excellent, the spinning rotor head can be turned smoothly with thumb and forefinger easily whilst under load.  The cleat/depower/trim syste is one of a kind and excellent.  Enough anyways, lets talk kite!

The Vegas 10m (White and Black) is still multi pump so each strut inflates seperately.  Bag because the valve is tight and takes some energy to pump past eh one way valve, good because you could ride a whole session with the plug out and it doesn't leak a bit.  The leading edge pumps up quick (no one way valve) but need to squeeze neck to cap.

I set the kite on Freeride settings for fast steering and minimum bar pressure with maximum depower.  That worked, bar pressure was low end of medium whilst steering was super responsive and fast and depower was total over a short depower throw range.  On launch the kite felt the most stable in the gusty air, perhaps with the short sheeting range it just didn't buck around as much at the bar and so felt more stable and smooth.  Turned fast and felt punchy with power so hit the water.  It felt quite quick as I rode away from the beach and threw a couple of moderately big jumps (Good for Vegas as they didn't go huge in 09 in my opinion).  On one of the jumps I got a little out of shape and spotted the kite way out on te edge of the window.  I felt the downwind accelleration and new it was gonna hurt so cranked the bar.  To my bewilderment, the kite looped back the other way and made 12 o'clock before I hit the water.  I did read about this in the dealers manual, but thought it was the usual BS.  NOT!  This kite is seriously fast when cranked in the power.  I reckon the 10m turns as fast as a quick 7m when you really push it

The  Vegas is so unbelievably sweet in turns, through the window, and in any part of the flight window, that you really need to fly it to appreciate it.  Such amazing control, smoothest depower, predictabilit, speed, stability boost and on top of all that, it looks bloody stunning in the air.  It has lost that upside down U shape from last year and is now just plain sexy.  

At this point I'd like to say, that for more advanced riders, this is the most incredible kite I have flown to date ..... ever!  I now need to test the kite in freestyle/wake settings to see if it is controllable as an unhooking type kite.  If it is, it's a total winner.  I write again when I can spend a session unhooking.  24/09/09

North 5th Element Bar System

North 2010 5th Element Bar

North 2010 Iron Heart III Chicken Loop

The Iron Heart II is the third incarnation of the North Chickenloop and now sets the market standard for safety and design.  The new design is completely ergonomic and can be activated by left or right hand equally as easily.  The safety is designed to release a 200kg load with just 7kg force even when caked in sand and wet and just 4 kilos when dry and clean.  The entire release process must work within 0.5 sec.  This satisfies rigid French Design standards.    Easy to reset and no sharp components guarantee a safe release every time.

Auto Positioning and Solid metal bar center

The Auto positioning head re-aligns the chickenloop with the bar every time you unhook so that when you need to hook back in in a hurry after a handle pass or unhooked trick, the loop will be exactly where you need it, facing you.  The center of the bar is now a solid metal component with polished internal and external surfaces to reduce center line wear and make it smooth to the touch.

North Iron Heart III, Rotating Head

The new Roto Head of the Iron Heart III system allows the safety 5th line to pass through the centre of the chickenloop body and also allows the chicken loop to spin freely with load.  This has the feature of allowing riders to spin the bar many times in the one direction and not tangle the safety line around the centre lines.  When lines tangle or twist around centre lines on other systems, they may jam and render the safety system inoperative.

North Soft winders and adjustable length bar

The bar ends of the North "Trust Bar" are able to be adjusted for width making the bar suitable for small and large kites (All-4-one).  To change from wide to narrow, the floats are slid out of the way and the leader lines are simply larks head knotted to the opposite end of the short red line running through the bar end.  This process takes about 10 seconds per side and can be done at the beach with no tools.  The bar winder ends are coated with a soft rubber to prevent injury from contact in crashes and to help keep lines on after they have been wound.  A bungee is looped over the lines to prevent them from unwinding.

North Stopper Ball

The North Stopper Ball system is a simple sliding stopper for adjusting the maximum amount of depower of the kite so you can rest your arms in light wind conditions whilst taking the load off the bar.  The amount of friction can be adjusted by removing the ball and re-installing it the other way up.  Of course the stopper restricts the amount of depower the kite has and should only be used by persons who know what they are doing, and only on the water while well away from solid objects. Please speak to us about the stopper system when demoing our kites.

North Vario Cleat System

The Vario Cleat System is truly one of a kind in the industry.  Not only does the vario cleat allow you to vary the amount of power by the trim system, but the Cleat can be moved up and down the depower line to change the ratio of trim to depower.  This is truly unique and a major plus for kiters who want less bar movement but more trim, or for riders who ride waves and need more depower and less trim.  The Vario Cleat can be adjusted on the beach with the kite landed and takes only moments to adjust. 

Standard Safety System

The Standard safety leash setup is simple and effective.  The safety leash is clipped onto the stainless steel ring inside the Iron Heart III Chickenloo.  When the safety collar is pushed away, the chicken loop releases the bar from the spreader hook and activates the 5th line safety system totally depowering the kite in the event of an emergency.  The new design also allows the chickenloop to spin freely below the bar which eliminates tangles below the bar like on many other systemswhen the bar is spun from tricks.

Suicide Safety Setup

More advanced riders will appreciate the simple "Suicide" setting.  Simply set the chicken loop to pass through the 5th line stainless ring and reset the safety release.  Swing the donkey dick out of the way and you're ready to start unhooking.  When a handle pass is missed and the bar is let go, the safety leash pulls on the chickenloop and avoids the 5th line safety system activation.  This saves having to reset the bar everytime you crash.  The 5th line safety system still operates but the Iron Heart III safety collar must be activate to release the stainless ring.  This can be difficult or even impossible if the bar is beyong your reach. 

CAUTION!  Using the "Suicide" setup renders the safety depower system inoperative, and should only be used by advanced riders!

OZONE 2010 C4

Ozone 2010 C4

The other question is; "What don't you like in "C" kites?"  This is also usually pretty straight forward.  They don't relaunch well without a 5th line and they don't have depower which makes them the almost exclusiveweapon of hard core experienced riders.

What if you could somehow combine all the good things about a "C" kite and remove the negetives?  Ozone have done exactly that and have produced a kite which has excellent true "C" kite feel with the speed we all loved but have added proper depower and easy relaunch on a simple 4 line kite.  This has been achieved by using a short pulley less mini  bridle to allow the kite to change tow point when sheeted in and out.

The new Ozone C4 is set to take the kiting world by storm by  offering a true "C" kite but making it safe and easy enough to use for the average rider.  The C4 had very good depower and can be relaunched by simply turning the bar.  This coupled with a new bar design and the same Ozone graphic, will ensure a wicked kite which should set the manufacturing world scrambling to catch up.

Keep an eye out on the waters near you as these kites start showing up.  AKS will of course have demo models available to try.

Rider Review - Ozone 2010 C4 12m

After logging 5 days on the C4  it's time for a fair review, as with all our reviews, it will be honest and won't pull punches.

The bag and accessories are usual Ozone quality, basically best in the business.  The same inner bag, and awesome repair kit is in place as per all Ozone kites.  The new bar is awesome, I mean really awesome!  It feels so nice in your hands, the perfect diameter and shape, the textured, moulded grip is perfect and the depower line which is covered by a polyeurathane cover to prevent wear doesn't jam in the hole.  Colours are good, bright blue and bright red, means no mistakes and the megatron chickenloop is great.  Below the bar safety is ok and will wear out with repeated unhooking, luckily Ozone provide spares in the repair kit!  Bar is neat and tidy with same cleat trim as previous models which works perfectly.

The Kite itself looks just awesome, graphics are simple and very tidy and the attention to detail is totally Ozone.  One pump is good, no problems and the canopy cloth is new Teijin Techno Force.  The kite has a mini bridle for the front lines and three positions for the steering lines to change bar pressure/steering response.  Shape is definately "C" when it's inflated and would be considered moderate aspect ratio.  4 Line config is simple and tidy with front line flagging system.

How it feels in the air?  The kite has obvious "C" qualities to it in that it doesn't have full depower like an SLE/Hybrid, but it goes close.  Steering is quite direct and feels good, not as crisp as a true "C" kite but still quite responsive.  Bar pressure is light on light and medium settings, I haven't tried heaviest setting yet but would assume it to be about medium pressure.  The kite turns pretty fast for a 12m and doesn't pivot turn at all, it turns in a radius as a "C" kite should and pulls nice power in the turns.

The C4 has moderate speed through the wind window and goes upwind with the usual Ozone efficiency (well).  Relaunch is easy and is best effected from straight downwind where the procedure is to push out the bar and pull about 1m of either steering line leaders.  This turns the kite over and hot launches the C4 from deep in the wind window.  Just sheet out to prevent  the obvious stall, and it's above your head in seconds, dead easy!

The first thing you feel is how smooth the kite is, the smoothness in turns, in the wind window and through the gusts, very nice feel to the kite and absolutely no bad habits at all.  In fact the kite is so well behaved it borders on flying perfection.  Boosting the kite is simple and easy, no tricks required, just send it and keep the bar in.  This isn't the biggest boosting kite I've ever flown but it is perfectly respectable and on par with most other kites.  The hangtime is a bit under average as it doesn't have the canopy to provide the lift like a wide span has.  Due to it's shape, it also doesn't have the bottom end grunt or power of a Hybrid/SLE and no where near the power of a Delta.  If you normally ride a 10m SLE, you'd need a 12m C4 for the same power.

The kite is very predictable, totally reliable, and so easy to manage that there is no need to get used to this kite, it just does everything so perfectly that there is very little challenge in mastering it which allows you to fully focus on your riding and the tricks you want to nail.  My own thoughts are the kite will impress and be perfect for learners all the way through to advanced or people wanting to fly a real no brainer "C" with good performance and no bad habits, but if you are an expert rider looking for an edgy, twitchy and aggresive kite with raw performance that is ready to take a bite out of your ass if you screw up, then you need to keep looking coz you won't find it in the C4.  It's totally easy, smooth, dependable, quick, reliable and high quality and will suit most riders who want to experience a good "C" kite that will allow you to improve and further your freeriding and freestyling reportoir.  A demo is a must!

Updated : 30/11/09  8.28am

Ozone 2010 Zephyr 17m

Ozone 2010 Zephyr 17m

If you want to be the 1st on the water with a kite that can kite-loop with a  tight turn radius within the top half of the wind window and want to be in with a chance in any course race below 10 knots then look no further.

The 17m Zephyr turns like a 13m, Robbie has worked his magic and the Zephyr is a technical masterpiece.

We have worked hard to ensure the Zephyr not only gets you riding in the lightest of winds but is also “light” on the wallet. Priced the same as most brands 13’s, you can now have a kite to keep you smiling.

The Zephyr has a huge wind range and is therefore an excellent heavy riders large size kite to own.

Our Course Racing Team continue to dominate with the Zephyr and they report having a clear performance advantage.  The new Zephyr rides on the current 2009 bar so no bar upgrade is required.  You can purchase this kite as canopy only for $1699

I hope to have more info for you all in the near future.

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RIDER REVIEW - 17m OZONE ZEPHYR

Today was a pretty ordinary day for wind which turned out great to test the new 17m Ozone Zephyr.  I bought the kite without bar and lines and just grabbed a set out of one of our other Ozone kites.  The kite is big, in fact huge when it's laid out on the beach.  It didn't take that long to pump up despite it's size.

Wind was around 10-12knots gusting to 13 or so.  I grabbed the North Race LTD board and  despite feeling very little wind, dived the kite and stepped on the board.  Power came from no where and I accellerated up to planing speed immediately.  I rode off upwind and speed and was improved by cranking on the back foot and  pointing up wind.

Now I have heard claims of riding in 8 knots.  Whilst that may be the case for some lighter riders, I think that you can forget about it on anything other than a specialist light wind twin tip or Course race boards if you weigh over 85 kilos.  I have ridden the Zephyr down as low as 8 knots and have stayed upwind and had great fun but only on course board.  In this case the wind was wavering around 7-10 knots and yes, the kite did keep pulling me easily through the 7 knot lulls but to start in a steady 7 knots, might be a bit of a stretch although very doable if you are already planing.

I've also heard the claim that this kite turns like a 14m.  Well, when powered this is absolutely true but in the light stuff, it's a little slow, but then again in the ultra light winds we are talking about, most kites barely even fly!  The Zephyr does turn quite decently and it is no slouch for a 17m but this isn't a kite you'll be doing kiteloop jumps with.  Having also said that, most light wind kites aren't the sort that you have to work, you just dive, park and ride in most cases.  The kite can easily be looped whilst on the water and it will comfortably make the turn.  I think the kite should be flown on a bigger bar and it would probably turn more like a 13m or maybe even a 12m on a 60-65cm bar.  TheZephyr ships with a 54cm bar which is tiny for the size of the kite it is flying.

The specialist light wind kite Zephyr goes upwind well in light wind as promised, but to get the most from it,  it needs to be paired up with a specialist light wind board.  Something like the Airush Exile boards or North Race LTD is ideal.

The Zephyr will definately get me out on the water and having a blast whilst eveyone else is standing on the beach wondering if they should even inflate their kites.  This is a serious light wind kite of exceptional ability and quality.  Teamed up with a Race board, it is a dull day killer.  Some of my best days have been blasting along at 15 knots in only 8 knots of wind with almost no chop and no one else on the beaches and definately no one on the water.  I absolutely love this kite!

Is it worth it?  Definately!  Especially if you are a current Ozone owner as you can do as I did and buy canopy only for only $1699, or complete for $2199, so for less than that cost of a 13m Sport, you can have the 17m Zephyr.  Good light wind fun!

Updated 30/11/09

Ozone 2009 Instinct Light XC

2009 Ozone Instinct Light XC

The Light XC is a simple kite made from the best materials in Ozones own factory under their strict control.  This allows high standards to be maintained and attention to detail to be a priority in the build of every kite produced.  All Ozone kites are made from expensive and high quality Teijin cloth.

The Light XC is a 3 strut, surf and freeride kite for beginners to advanced riders looking for performance with dependable simplicity.  The new 2009 kites are all 4 line setup for simplicity and utilize a short bridle system to enable high depower.  Depower is about 85%.  The Light XC is fast and quite nimble as it is made light so it takes less effort to change directions or accelerate and decellerate.  Being only 3 struts, it is two struts lighter than most other kites.

The Light XC is designed to be a great wave kite with fast turning and excellent drift ability.  Re-launch is also simple and intuitive, just pull on one back line and up she goes!  The power of these kites and agility will also send you up high in big sent jumps and kiteloops are great fun as the kite has a nice "C" kite feel to it.

The bar is again simple and uncluttered with the ability to spin the bar (although only in suicide safety mode).  The Megatron chickenloop has been upgraded and improved making it even safer and easier to operate.  The safety flagging line is below the bar.  The trim system is one of the easiest and most effective on the market with the cleat never slipping.

Bar pressure is light to moderate and has great feedback so you always know where the kite is in the sky.  Priced quite reasonably the Light XC can be the kite to suit all riding occassions.

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Ozone 2009 Instinct Sport +

2009 Ozone Sport +

The Sport+ is a 5 strut kite for a super stable canopy and constant power.  The Sport + is a powerful kite and aerodynamically speaking develops monster power from apparent wind speed so often you can ride a kite size smaller than whet you think you need.  Power is controlled by the same bar system as the Light XC ie 4 line setup with a mini bridle on the kite to fascilitate depower.  The depower is not as total as the Light XC and the kite is certainly very "C" like in feel.  Depowers about 70%

The Sport boosts big jumps and has massive hangtime due to the efficiency of the profile and arc of the canopy.  By waiting late in the jump and looping the kite as the kite is right overhead, the kite will hold you up for an amazing hangtime.

Steering is de-sensitized in the Sport + because the last thing you want is a kite which moves to unwanted bar input, however if the bar is cranked fully to one side, the kite still turns fast, especially sizes below 11m.  I wouldn't recommend hard core kiteloops on the larger sizes as they will not complete the loop before you hit the water due to larger turning diameter.

Ideally the Sports make great cruising kites for people who want beautifully smooth flying highest quality kites, or for the more hard core wake and new school riders needing solid stability and dependable power.

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Ozone 2009 Instinct Edge RX

2009 Ozone Instinct Edge RX

The Edge RX is the highest aspect ratio, most aerodynamically efficient kite in the range and the power and smooth feel immediately make you feel at home.  The long thin canopy is well supported by 7 struts which create a rock solid profile under all conditions which make the kite feel the same in all wind strengths.

Due to it's superior profile and drag reduced design, the Edge is more depowerable than the other kites by simply creating resistance with the board ie, hard edging.  This sends the kite even further upwind and depowers the kite.  The upwind ability in all of the Instincts is legendary but even  more so on the Edge RX where a dedicated run can put you so far upwind of everyone else you'll sruggle to believe it.

For sheer power and speed the Edge RX is in a class of it's own and as a racer or big air weapon you will struggle to find better whilst still being easy to manage.  Relaunch is again simple although requires just a fraction more technique than the two other kites in the range as the Edge RX can and will relaunch in the middle of the wind window if you so choose.

The Edge RX is a 4 line also with short mini bridle.  The feel again is "C" like with very smooth and balanced ascent rates in jumps and smooth long flight times bfore returning you to the water quite the distance from take off.  Care must be taken in launching huge air in cross to cross onshore winds as you may very well land on the beach if you don't allow for enough glide time.

Ideally suited to freeriders and seekers of cloud base.

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Ozone 54cm Bar (All Instinct Kites)

Ozone 2009 Bar (all Instincts)

The Trim system is easy to operate, never slips and is in easy reach of even those with the shortest arms.  The bar ends have retractable line keeper bungees to keep things tidy and the centre rope of Amsteel is coatd with a PU cover to prevent wear so you never need to replace the centre line.

The Megatron chicken loop is easy to operate, safe and simple to reset.  Only draw back is it's uni directional or favours one hand over the other when compared to some other bars.  The safety system is above the bar but is transferred through to below the bar via a short bungeed line running through the centre hole to a loop at the head of the chicken loop.

The Megatron C/loop spins to untangle spun front lines but onlyif you connect to the suicide setting below the bar.  If you use the flagging safety system you will need to add the Airush Spinning Loop attachment to your harness to keep your safety leash from spinning and tangling.

All in all a very nice, simple, effective and clean bar.

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Ozone Repair Kits

Ozone Repair Kit (all kites)

ION Harnesses

Content is coming soon!

HELP ME!  I don't know what to buy.

OK, so you aren't the first person not to know which harness is right for you, and surely wont be the last.  This is why we have this page for you, it will give you a few of the "ins and outs" and things to look for in a harness. 

Before we go any further, if you are miles away and can't come and see us, bear in mind we will gladly exchange or refund any monies (except freight) for product that hasn't been used, without question.  Having said that, lets get on with what you need to know.

Waist Harness or  Seat Harness or a bit of both?

Harnesses come in three types; Waist harnesses which go strangely enough, around your waist, Seat harnesses which go around your seat (see bum), and Combo harnesses which are a combination of waist harness with a half seat and leg loops. 

At AKS, we almost exclusively recommend good waist harnesses, versus the use of seat harnesses.  We do this for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, seat harnesses create bad riding posture leading to poor riding performance and also bad physical alignment which can lead to soreness.  Secondly, a higher hook position makes upwind body dragging much easier and facilitates easier water start and water start position.

Different harnesses have different properties and depending upon what you want them to do, can either work for you or against you.

What you should consider is:

Support:

A harness must support you comfortably and keep your body aligned straight.  It should also spread the load of the kite evenly across all contact points against your body.  Point loading can abrade skin away or bruise badly to the point where you can't kite any more.  This is a bad thing! A nice high backed harness with lumbar support offers best support but if you have a short torso, they can come up under your shoulder blades.  A low side panel allows easier twisting and bending as well as more comfort.

Spreader Bar

The spreader Bar is the stainless steel bar that attaches to either side of the harness and also to the hook which the kite connects to.  It stops the harness pulling together at a single point where the hook is and crushing your waist.  A good spreader shouldn't be too narrow or crushing will result, and shouldn't be too wide as a loose fit will result and make it hard to get tight enough.

Spreader Bar Padding

This one is easy, a spreader bar is pulled upward by the kite because of the spreaders curved shape and geometry of the position of the hook.  It [spreader] rotates upward and inward at the top, towards your ribs causing pain and discomfort from concentrated contact area.  A thick and well supported spreader bar pad will reduce/eliminate the pressure and spread the load without causing pain or discomfort.  A good bar pad coupled with good harness design and hold down straps should eliminate the pain entirely making for a comfortable wear.

On this note, there are some pads that look really cushy, but when you try them on, they are too soft and allow the hook to push through the padding.

Type of Spreader Hook

The hook itself on the spreader bar can be either parallel or "hammerhead".  The parallel hook can be less expensive but can accidentally release when riding with your body twisted against the direction of the kite.  Hammerheads or narrowed hooks that let the loop sit in a "hollow" which prevents the loop from slipping off.  Most modern harnesses use Hammerhead hooks nowadays.  We can advice you on hook suitability and also how to rectify hook problems by adding an Ozone "Chicken finger" if you are having issues.

Safety releases and Hook Knife

Safety releases on the sides of handle pass leashes can be a nice feature if you ever need to ditch the kite in the event of an out of control or runaway kite when you have lost control in a crash and cannot reach the bar to release the safety systems.  Although this is a very rare occurance, and is usually exclusively the domain of the very advanced rider, but it's nice to have peace of mind.  A hook knife is something that should be on all harnesses, especially if you ride surf.  Being able to "Cut away" at tangled lines is definately a good idea when in the surf.  Although not essential, it's a nice to have.They can be purchased seperately if your fave harness doesn't have tham as standard.

Sliding or fixed spreader bar

Most harnesses these days are fixed spreader bars ie, they attach the ends of the spreader to either side of the harness through various buckles or clips.  Fixed harnesses can be great if you freeride or freestyle, but if you like to change the angle of pull from the kite to the angle of the harness quickly and often, then you ideally would like the whole harness to slide around easily.  Neoprene inner is good for this.  Moulded  inners tend to "grip" and not slide so easily.  Horses for courses and in general this is a small consideration for beginners.

The other side of the coin is the harnesses that have sliding spreader bars.  They have a 2-2.5in tape webbing which connects the sides of the harness and allows a spreader to slide back and forth across it.  These can be good, but if the spreader is too short it can create pinching/crushing of the rib cage and also can and generally does, wear out the webbing in the tape and must be replaced a couple of times per season.

Sliding or constrictive harness.

Some harnesses slide easily back and forth (rotate around your body) for ease of aligning with the pull of the kite.  This can make riding toeside (switch) or blind easier.  It also makes wave riding in and out of the surf easier if you don't change stance (Gybe).  Sliding harnesses can slide upwards as well as rotate which can be annoying or even painful for  beginners.  This won't worry a more experienced rider as they ride with the kite lower and at a greater lean when riding, keeping the pull of the kite at 90 degrees to their body.  So even a beginner will enjoy a sliding harness in time.

A Grippy of constrictive style harness grips to your body and resists sliding which helps prevent the harness riding up over your ribs.  This also gives you the most "connected" feel to the kite and is probably the most common nowadays.

At the end of the day, the harness MUST be comfortable.  It is the piece of gear which transfers all of the kites load to your body.  Considering the kite can generate more than three times your body weight in force, it must be comfy otherwise .... it's gonna hurt!

How much should I spend?

The most expensive harness is not necessarily going to be the most comfortable, and the cheapest harness is not necessarily going to be crappy or painful.  The determining factor for purchasing one harness over another should always be comfort and fit.  You do this by coming in to see us and trying on several harnesses and attaching them to a fixed loop and loading them up whilst feeling for comfort.  If you are lucky, the right harness for you won't be expensive, but if it is, be happy you've found the right one and don't compromise for the sake of cost as you'll regret it every time you ride.  The cost between the cheapest harness and the most expensive is about $120 which is a small price to pay for comfort during every ride you have over the next few years.  If you get out for 120 sessions a year that is only a dollar per sesh, and only 33 cents per ride over three years!  Now what was that about scrimping and saving $50?   If you're really lucky, the best fitting harness will be moderately priced or could even be a cheapy.  A good harness should last you minimum 2-3 years, so choose wisely!

Hopefully this gives you some things to consider when looking at harnesses.  If you are unsure at all what would suit you, please feel free to tell us what you are looking for and we will be happy to throw some advice your way and make recommendations based on our experience.

Hope this helps!

She Lives to Ride!

Luna Kite Waist Harness

Maui Magic Luna Kite Waist

Maui Magic doesn't  make womens items as a sideline to their mens range, it is all they do, designed specifically for women, the ultimate in comfort and purpose!  Everything about the construction and materials used in the Luna harness screams quality right down to the beautiful Hook knife powder coated alloy with dual stainless blades.  These harnesses are worth every penny and ooze style.

Sizes: XS, S, M, L  for the Ladies!

Features:

*  Neoprene Edge

*  Moulded Foam

*  Integrated Anaotomical Back Support

*  Battle Belt

*  Kite Spreader

*  Quick Release

*  Spreader Down System

*  D-Rings

*  Knife

Other Maui Magic products ....

AKS is passionate about supporting women and offering the products you want to make kiting more pleasurable, so if you are interested in other items such as beach apparel, board bags, wetsuits, bikini's etc from Maui Magic, please ask to see our catalogue as we can order in almost anything you want very quickly.

PAT LOVE - CAST

In 2009, The Pat Love Cast was one of the biggest selling harnesses we stocked and was good value for money.  The Harness is thermo moulded both inside and out and tends to "stretch just a litle when you get it wet, so buying one that is just a little on the tight side (without being ridiculous) is the right thing to do.  

The Cast is around a medium weight and "solid as".  It comes with a safety hook knife which sits in it's own pocket on the back right hand side and is retained by a plastic press stud.  The spreader bar pad is excellent and really protects you "big time" from any undue pain inflicted by a rising spreader bar.

The Elastic "kidney belts" as I call them, keep the harness down in position nicely and the harness is easy to get into and out of with the releasable hook on the right side strap.  The Cast also comes with a fixed handle pass leash bridle which is great for the price.  It is easy to fit most leashes to the HP loop.   You can also attach the leash to the "D" rings on the sides of the harness.

Overall a good quality, value for money, comfy harness that looks good and lasts if you take care of it.

2009/10 Pat Love Cast

PAT LOVE - QUEST

The PL Quest is the 2009 top of the line mens waist harness and is a bit of a step up from the Cast.  The Quest has additional soft neoprene edging where your rib cage starts which is lovely and smooth.  Same kind of inner and outer thermo mouldings but appears to have some additional padding to the cast.

The Quest also has no handle pass loop but does have an integrated handle that retracts away.  The absence of the HP loop is good for me as I like to run my own bridle in any case so the leash travels smoothly from side to side.  This wouldn't be a consideration for a novice kiter.

Same kidney belts and spreader setup as well as great bar pad.  The Quest also has additional heavy duty "D" rings on each side for tieing leashes and bridles to.

2009/10 Pat Love Quest

PAT LOVE - TFMK

The new Pat Love "top-of-the-line" mens harness for 2010 is the TFMK (K for kite).  This harness is the most comfortable and has the most amount of support whilst allowing full freedom of movement for the freestylers throwing themselves into contortionistic positions.  

As well as comfortable, it's fitted as standard with a handle pass leash which has quick release to allow the kite to be dumped in the event of emergency.  It also comes with the standard hook knife and has a great spreader bar pad and spreader hook designed to not uncouple accidentally.

For those looking for the best, you've just found it.  These harnesses come in a range of colours and will be in limited supply so make sure you get yours early before they sell out.

2010 Pat Love TFMK harness

2010 Pat Love TFMK Inner

PAT LOVE - EVE (for the ladies)

The "Eve" harness was the first real modern ladies harness we started selling and was a significantly different harness from the old Flying Objects harness which we have stopped selling due to it's dated design and lack of serious spreader bar pad.

The "Eve" is most closely related to the mens "Quest " harness in terms of looks and styling.  The thick inner and outer thermo formed skins are comfy to wear and most of the ladies we have sold to love them, our only bitch is about the length of adjustment strap can be a bit short to make tightening up a bit tricky and usually needing a friends assistance.

Having said that, the Pat Love spreader bar pad is exceptional and super comfy.  We've never had a complaint of spreader bar created pains.  The harness fits snugly and holds itself down nicely so long as the kidney belts are velcroed up nice and firmly before cinching down the main straps.

The "Eve" comes in White, baby blue or pink and our experience tells us girls either love it or hate it (pink) no in between   The harness also comes with strong "D" rings to allow a solid handle pass leash if chosen, or at last a great spot to handle the load of suicide tension from kite.  There is a handle on the back for an assistant to hold and of course they come with a Hook knife in the little pocket.

2009/10 Pat Love Eve Ladies

PLEASE NOTE: 

We recommend that all persons try on first to evaluate first hand, the comfort, fit and to feel if there are any acute contact points which will cause rubbing.  Sometimes as little as a neoprene rashie under the harness is all that it takes to alleviate an abrasion issue, sometimes not.  Most people have different body shapes and for this reason we do not recommend any particular harness over another.  It always should come down to how good it feels when YOU TRY IT ON!

Do not set yourself a budget when buying a harness.  You should buy the harness that is most comfortable.  Remember that the harness is the conduit through which ALL of the force and pull from the kite is tranfered to your body.  During some tricks, the force applied to you can be many times your own body weight, so having a comfortable connection is paramount to your overall enjoyment of the sport.

FLYING OBJECTS - FLIGHT CONTROL 09

The Flight Control has been a favourite harness for kiters since it's first design in '04.  The latest '09 model is a further improvement of the original concept coupled with a better look and greater comfort and function.

The standard features offered are large and comfy bar pad, a grab handle to allow assistance during sketchy overpowered launching, a wide style hook for positive connection to the chicken loop and a quick release spreader bar to make getting into and out of this harness so much easier.  The back has a key pouch and sides have Neoprene fairings to hide the excessive strap ends and buckles to prevent catching on lines in powered moves.

The outer skin is 3D thermo formed to give good support and a modern appearance.  The inner is soft 3mm neoprene for comfort and protection against abrasion for long session.

The design of the FOFC gives good high back support and comfort to riders whilst still maintaining the freedom of movement to allow you to give every trick your "all" unencumbered by bulky or heavy harnesses.

The FOFC comes in 4 sizes : S, M, L, XL and two colours : Red or Gold.

2010 Flying Objects Flight Control Waist

Flying Objects "Felix" Waist Harness

The Flying Objects Felix waist harness is for those who want something a bit different and functional too.  If you know Felix, then you will understand this harness .  Felix waist is simple, no compromise freedom of movement so you can attack waves without restriction.

Back support is good with heavily cutaway sides to allow movements and twisting of the torso.  The harness comes with a good quality spreader bar pad and harness hook to prevent the ribs being pressured and has heavy duty "D" rings on both sides for the leash attachment.

2010 FO Felix Waist

PLEASE NOTE: 

We recommend that all persons try on first to evaluate first hand, the comfort, fit and to feel if there are any acute contact points which will cause rubbing.  Sometimes as little as a neoprene rashie under the harness is all that it takes to alleviate an abrasion issue, sometimes not.  Most people have different body shapes and for this reason we do not recommend any particular harness over another.  It always should come down to how good it feels when YOU TRY IT ON!

Do not set yourself a budget when buying a harness.  You should buy the harness that is most comfortable.  Remember that the harness is the conduit through which ALL of the force and pull from the kite is tranfered to your body.  During some tricks, the force applied to you can be many times your own body weight, so having a comfortable connection is paramount to your overall enjoyment of the sport.

North 2009 Styler Waist Harness

The 2009 Styler is a great harness, extremely well made and distinctly different in that it uses a large bar pad and wide spreader bar which prevents narrow loading of the harness sidewalls caused by the width of the spreader being narrower than your back width.

A neoprene inner and stiff backing make the harness comfortable and able to slide easily around for toeside  or blind riding.  The back of the harness has a handle/handle pass bridle for your leash and a neat clip on the end of the spreader tomake getting in and out of the harness a breeze.  Good quality and sizes S, M, L, XL

North 2010 Styler Waist Harness