Happy New Year to all! so now the water is getting warmer and we all start expectantly and longingly looking at the wind forecasts a shiny new set up is at the front of many of our minds, here are some of the 2011 offerings from Slingshot as reviewed by forcesix.com
2011 Slingshot Rally
The Rally is what Slingshot call an “Open Delta C” hybrid kite with a medium diameter leading edge with 3 struts and an overall delta shape with high curvature convex LE coupled with a concave TE. It has a pulley-less bridle which gives the kite good support and allows it to pivot very well for good depower. The kite is well reinforced in all the places youd expect, and the stitching is up to Slingshot’s usual high quality.
The Rally is notable because it comes with split struts - rather than having them sewn on underneath the canopy, the canopy is split and sewn onto either side of the strut.
Like all Slingshot kites, it’s a one-pump affair – which gets you out on the water quickly, and is quick to pack away also. There are three rear line connections options to adjust bar pressure and response.
The slingshot bar is a meaty affair, and is a product of real quality. The bar itself is weighty with a rubberised grip which looks like it will stand the test of time. The safety system looks up there with the best of them – a push away release which flags the kite onto a single front line and a ‘suicide’ attachment point to cover all bases. The Chicken loop on the Rally bar is significantly smaller than those of the Fuel and RPM. The flying lines are exceptionally good also – 800lb front lines with thinner rear lines to reduce overall line drag. The bar comes with a clam cleat beneath the bar which will please anyone who normally struggles to reach above the bar sheeting systems.The larger kites in the range come with a 23 inch bar and 27m lines, mid-sized kites use a 20 inch bar with 23m lines, and the smaller sizes use a 17inch bar with 20m lines.
In the airThe Rally feels great in the air, responsive steering, reasonable power in the turns and with a medium light bar-pressure, which increases as the wind does to help iron out the gusts. Its canopy creates a good deal of force without the need for working the kite in order to generate it.
Launch and re-launch are excellent - the kite rolls effortlessly on the curved leading edge allowing it to proceed swiftly to the edge of the window.
On the waterThe Rally is a great free-ride performer - it generates effortless power when left still in the window, which accelerates you up to an impressive top speed. It drives upwind very well, and produces some incredibly lofty jumps from which you float down very nicely - its also great for slamming out big transitions, turning heads close to the beach.
Unhooked the rally is very capable also, it sits in the air happily and produces huge pop when you edge hard against it, but does keep on pulling through the air without generating much line slack (which is why it boosts so well!). Its perfectly capable for what the vast majority of people would ever use it for however. The rally loops neatly but doesn't generate as much power in the turns as a more dedicated kite like the Fuel or RPM - but still more than enough for most people.
ConclusionsThe Rally is a great freeride crossover kite with plenty of performance for big air freestyle and basic wakestyle, and will have a very wide market. Its a kite which a beginners will love due to its simple relaunch and ease of use, intermediates will appreciate its top end speed and huge lofty jumps, and there's plenty of performance there for advanced riders to race with, push freestyle & wakestyle or to go aggressive with it in the waves.
Dedicated wake-stylers or kiteloop mentalists should probably check out the Fuel or RPM, but otherwise the Rally produces performance which is hard to fault.
Kite Style
Struts
Inflation
Front connection
Rear connection
Tuning options
Depower
Safety
Low End
High End
Bar Pressure
Turning
Unhooked
Upwind
Hang time
Relaunch
Delta / C Hybrid3
One pump
Simple bridle (no pulleys)
Direct
3 options for rear line connection (bar feedback)
Clam cleat (beneath the bar)
Mini 'fifth' line to single front line
Very Good
Excellent
Medium
Medium-Fast
Very Good
Very Good
Excellent
Excellent
Slingshot RPM 2010 (10m)
Out of the Bag
The RPM is what Slingshot call an “Open C” hybrid kite with a medium diameter leading edge with 3 struts. It has a 2 pulley bridle which gives the kite good support and allows it to pivot well for good depower. The kite is very well reinforced in all the usual places, and comes with Slingshot’s usual attention to detail with the stitching.
Like all Slingshot kites, it’s a one-pump affair – which gets you out on the water quickly, and is quick to pack away also. There are two front line attachment points on the leading edge, allowing the kite to be tuned for freestyle or wake-style and four rear line connections to adjust bar pressure and response.
The slingshot bar is a meaty affair, and is a product of real quality. The bar itself is weighty with a rubberised grip which looks like it will stand the test of time. The safety system looks up there with the best of them – a push away release which flags the kite onto a single front line and a ‘suicide’ attachment point to cover all bases. The flying lines are exceptionally good also – 800lb front lines with thinner rear lines to reduce overall line drag. The bar comes with a clam cleat beneath the bar which will please anyone who normally struggles to reach above the bar sheeting systems.The larger kites in the range come with a 23 inch bar and 27m lines, mid-sized kites use a 20 inch bar with 23m lines, and the smaller sizes use a 17inch bar with 20m lines.
In the air
The RPM feels similar to the Fuel in flight, direct steering, good power in the turns and with a medium light bar-pressure. Jumping seems very good due to the lift generated when working the kite and loops are a lively affair.
Launch and re-launch are very good too – a pull on the back line will cause it to pivot, and can also be reverse launched with ease.
On the water
The bottom end of the RPM is impressive due to the large projected area coupled with its ability to generate power by working it through the window. It flies mostly off the front lines and the bar pressure is light-moderate and adjustable. The bar needs to be steered assertively in order to induce a quick turn, making it perfect for wake-style. It’s a great kite to free-ride on, boosts well, but its real strength lies when you unhook – it generates bucket loads of pop, with decent line slack for passes, whilst patiently sitting stationary in the air for you to land – a wake-styler’s dream kite.
Similar to the Fuel, the RPM needs to be worked a bit to get good air-time, but can boost very well indeed once you get the hang of it.
Conclusions
The RPM is a kite which will be very attractive to a wide audience – a great freestyle kite which will blow the socks off intermediates all the way up to pro’s, without the inherent weaknesses of a hardcore C kite. Its wake-style performance is outstanding, but is also a great all-round performer, ticking all the boxes for wind range, relaunch, hangtime and powered kiteloops.
Kite Style
Struts
Inflation
Front connection
Rear connection
Tuning options
Depower
Safety
Low End
High End
Bar Pressure
Turning
Unhooked
Upwind
Hang time
Relaunch
Open C Hybrid3
One pump
2 Pulley bridle
Direct
2 options for front line connection (freestyle/wake), 4 rear options
Clam cleat (beneath the bar)
Mini 'fifth' line to single front line
Very Good
Very Good
Light-Medium
Medium-Fast
Excellent
Very Good
Very Good
Slingshot Fuel 2011 (9m)
Out of the BagThe Fuel is a high aspect ratio Traditional C kite with a medium diameter leading edge, supported by 5 thin struts. The kite is very well reinforced in all the usual places, and slingshot have gone the extra mile with the stitching to ensure they live up to their bomber proof standards (such as triple stitching on the LE seams, and double on the canopy). The kite has a surprisingly large number of panels which must help with its rigidity.
Like all Slingshot kites, its a one-pump affair – which gets you out on the water quickly, and is quick to pack away also. There are two front line attachment points which sit pretty closely together on the leading edge, allowing the kite to be tuned for freestyle or wake-style.
The slingshot bar is a meaty affair, and is a product of real quality. The bar itself is weighty with a rubberised grip which looks like it will stand the test of time. The safety system looks up there with the best of them – a push away release which flags the kite onto a single front line and a ‘suicide’ attachment point to cover all bases.
The flying lines are exceptionally good also – 800lb front lines with thinner rear lines to reduce overall line drag. The bar comes with a clam cleat beneath the bar which will please anyone who normally struggles to reach above the bar sheeting systems.
The larger kites in the range come with a 23 inch bar and 27m lines, mid-sized kites use a 20 inch bar with 23m lines, and the smaller sizes use a 17inch bar with 20m lines.
In the AirDue to the light wind conditions on the first test day, I got the opportunity to give the Fuel a good fly on land. It’s a real pleasure to fly and it’s plain to see what 10 years of refinement brings. The kite is so rigid in the air, turning is precise with great feedback and it feels oh so right, making other kites feel dull and unresponsive in comparison. The fuel sits in the air just where you left it whilst handlepassing, and was a kite which I was very eager to take out on the water to put through its paces further.
The Fuel generates a great deal of power when it’s moved through the window, and kiteloops send you scudding down the beach in winds well under 10mph.
Launch and re-launch are exceptional – pulling on a back line causes the kite to pivot effortlessly, it needs to be seen to be believed! The Fuel can also easily be reverse-launched, if that option proves to be preferable.
On the waterThe bottom end of the fuel is impressive as bucket loads of power can be generated by working it through the window. The kite flies off the front lines with light bar pressure, and will sit happily in the sky unless the bar is steered assertively. The kite is great for aggressive free-riding – blasting up and down with powered turns, jumps and kiteloops which are sure to get the adrenaline pumping.
Boosting on the Fuel requires technique on the flat, as you can get pulled off your edge if you're not expecting the power it generates, but it can go truely huge as Lewis demonstrates in the video at the bottom of the page!
As you'd expect, the Fuel excels when unhooking - pop is very predictable and explosive but does require a certain amount of kite power. There is a good deal of line slack in the air for nailing those air-passes and hooking back in on landing is child's play.
I wasn't able to test the top end of the Fuel, but power which feels a little much on the beach just feels great on the water - to get the most out of this kite you really do want it powered!
ConclusionsThe Fuel certainly isn’t a mass-market kite and probably never will be, but for aggressive adrenalin-pumping free riding, slamming out huge kiteloops or busting expert unhooked moves its performance is at the top of the game. Its build quality and outstanding performance are testament to 10 years of refinement by Slingshot – If you’re and advanced rider, you’ll definitely want to give it a try - there isn't another kite out there quite like it!
Kite Style
Struts
Inflation
Front connection
Rear connection
Tuning options
Depower
Safety
Low End
High End
Bar Pressure
Turning
Unhooked
Upwind
Hang time
Relaunch
Traditional C
5
One pump
Direct
Direct
2 options for front line connection (freestyle/wake)
Clam cleat (beneath the bar)
Mini 'fifth' line to single front line
Very Good
Good
Light
Fast
Excellent
Good
Very Good ++
Excellent
For more information visit
s2as.com or call us on: 01303 268 269
(Kent) or 01202 738 448 (Poole)
