Best Kahoona V2 9.5 Kite Review

At a Glance
A first look at the new Best Kahoona and it is very impressive; the design of the kite has a high-end finish with black and white graphics and a choice of five different centre primary colours. The Kahoona still has a four strut set up leaving the very centre of the canopy completely open to aid catching and keeping a clear air flow in the centre of the kite where it counts most. The struts this year have been given a Kevlar wrap around the connection point to the leading edge, giving the kite a nice strong rigid frame.

The inflation valves have been given a new housing to ensure they stay put and all bridal attachment points are now attached on the inside to avoid snagging and wear, as opposed to being stitched on top.

A new Mini VP2 Bridle has been fitted to give maximum depower for a small amount of bar travel, the bridal also helps with stabilization, whilst the leading edge has plenty of bumper pads for all terrain use as this kite has proven to be a popular choice of kite for ATB and Snow Kiters.

To finish off, the new revamped, stronger, better looking Kahoona V2, there is a new leading edge seaming system for added stiffness and lighter construction called Flat Pack LE barrel seams.

The Bar
Best have finally finished their new kite bar that can work across the whole kite range. The new bar comes as standard on 20m lines which works perfectly on the 9.5m, however on the larger kites Best are producing an upgrade extension line set if the rider wishes to use longer lines. The bar still features a double pull down depower strap for adjusting kite trim on the move, and the chicken-loop line comprises of two centre lines with a slide down stopper to adjust and set bar travel on the fly.

Best have scrapped the line swivel on top of the depower strap and stuck a swivel within their all-new chicken loop. The new loop has a locking pin situated on top to lock the loop out straight from easy entry and exit when riding unhooked. Quick release is very sensitive and can release with ease under any amount of pressure. The leash system works on a false fifth line that travels through the middle of the chicken loop and up onto the two front lines. For complete safety and depower the new bar still has reride on both outside lines with grab handles.

In The Air
The new Kahoona is a pleasure to ride, as it sits solid as a rock in the air and shows no signs of the canopy wanting to ripple or flutter. For a small kitesurfing kite, the Kahoona has plenty of low end power which means you can stay at a pleasant riding speed without the kite getting carried away and wanting to out fly itself at any stage, You can stick the kite at 12 and leave it when fumbling about for your board like a beginner would, without much chance of the kite falling. The new bridal gives a well connected positive bar feedback, and the kite responds really well to rider input. Re-launching is automatic and really impressive, you will struggle to keep this thing in the water!

For 2010, this new Kahoona has really been made for pretty much anyone to use regardless of discipline. Wake style riders will benefit from the ability to park the kite and have the confidence it will behave itself and won’t become too active without bar input. The Kahoona does not send you to the moon when jumping, but there is plenty of float and glide and learning to kiteloop or performing complex kiteloop tricks is made easy with the ability for the kite to loop at the riders chosen arc.

The Kahoona is a brilliant wave riding machine as well, having great low end enabling you to put up a small kite early. The fast re-launch and the all-new stronger kite construction give you plenty of confidence when things do go wrong in the waves. The responsive well-behaved nature also helps make wave riding simple and easy. However, one area the kite does not excel is its forwards flying speed, which is typical on a kite of this aspect ratio. Big air junkies would definitely prefer the Nemesis.

Pros
Not just beginners, but advanced wave riding, free riding and wake style riders alike. It is a durable kite at an affordable price.

Cons
Speed sailing in high winds and high attitude freestyle is not made easy by such a deep powerful canopy.

Overall
The kite is priced affordably and designed to be easy enough for the beginner entry level kitesurfer, however is it also built strong enough for the toughest of kitesurfers to learn high end wake style tricks and wave riders to give it a hard time in the biggest of surf.

For more information please visit your local dealer or go to www.bestkiteboarding.com

Original review from our friends at IKSurfmag

2010 Kiteboard Bag Rundown with S2AS - Part 3

Concluding our feature on the different kinds of kiteboard bags available feature we are again looking at some of our favourite 2010 kiteboard bags available at S2AS. As before we are keeping it simple with a look at the bags, how they feel, any features and what we like about them.

A quick recap on how not all kiteboard bags are the same; you have 3 types:

• Kiteboard only bags – These are designed to fit one kiteboard and no extra gear

• Kiteboard and other small gear bags – Designed to fit one kiteboard and some accessories such as a wetsuit, harness etc

• Kite and Kiteboard bags – Typically wheeled bags that are designed to hold up to 3 kites and 2 kiteboards.

The last area we will be looking at are the daddy of all kitesurfing equipment bags. The bags below will cost you more; however they have lots more features for your money. These bags can take up to 3 kites, 2 boards, a harness, wetsuit, helmet and anything else you may need to take away with you!

Mystic Ammo Box Kiteboard Bag - £119.99

With the new Mystic Ammo Twin Box kite bag you can avoid overweight baggage charges by separating the Mystic twin Ammo Box into two checkable bags, making it one of the best heavy duty kitesurfing travel bags on the market.

The Mystic Ammo Twin Box comes with heavy duty padded construction to ensure the over enthusiastic baggage handlers don’t totally destroy your kites or kiteboard before you even arrive at your destination, The integrated wheels with plastic undercarriage and stair runners ensure that transportation is simple.

The Mystic Twin Ammo Box is plenty large enough for a board, 3 kites and all your other kiting stuff with the dual compartment construction giving easy access to the bag contents throughout your travels. An internal bungee system prevents shredding kites in the zipper and keeps everything neat inside.

Features:

• PVC840 material
• ventilation mesh
• Top and bottom compartment
• Extra pockets for smaller items
• Fits multiple kites/kiteboards plus gear
• Inside zipper boundary
• Detachable shoulder straps
• Secure straps on inside and out
• Address card holder with visor
• Front and back handles
• Integrated wheels

Sizes:

• 150cm
• 140cm

Dakine Club Wagon Kiteboard Bag - £105

The Dakine Club Wagon travel bag is a high capacity golf style rolling kite gear bag. This bag has a single entry top zip which ensures easy access to all of your gear. The all terrain urethane wheels and padded front pull handle make rolling this bag around a breeze.

Features:

• Heavy duty urethane wheels
• Golf inspired design for travelling incognito
• 12mm foam padding around the bottom, front and back of the bag
• Internal gear compression straps
• Full length duffle style lockable zipper top
• Heavy duty handles
• Exterior I.D. pocket

Specifications:

• 150cm x 40cm x 25cm

Colour:

• Black Patches

Mystic Golf Travel Bag - £99.99

Due to the excess baggage charges, most airlines are now allowing a small charge or even no charge for golf bags! Disguised as a golf bag The Mystic World Tour Golf bag will carry 1-2 boards with lengths up to 150cm, 2-3 kites and all of your kitesurfing spares.

The Mystic Golf Bag comes with integrated wheels and a tough plastic undercarriage with stair runners, The Mystic World Tour Golf Bag creates great protection for your kitesurfing gear and makes for easy transportation.

Features:

• Main compartment holds 2 kites and a kiteboard
• Integrated wheels with plastic undercarriage and stair runners
• Address card visor
• External compression straps
• PVC reinforced sidewalls with padding
• Heavy duty 600D Dual-Coated Polyester Canvas
• Front and back carry or pull handles

Sizes:

• 150cm

Dakine BTS Kiteboard Bag - £129

The Dakine BTS (Beat the System) bag is designed with air travel in mind. This bag can be converted into 2 separate bags to avoid overweight luggage charges!! Put them together for easy transport. This kiteboard bag was one of our best sellers for 2009!

Features:

• Converts into 2 separate bags
• Heavy duty urethane wheels
• Split level design for multiple compartment access
• Internal gear compression straps
• You can use just one bag when you want to travel light
• Exterior ID pocket on both bags
• 12mm of foam padding

Specifications:

• 140 x 44 x 28cm

Colour:

• Black Patches

Mystic Gearbox Kitesurf Bag - £69.99 - £79.99

The latest Mystic Gearbox Kite Surfing Bag brings you great value for money, and because of this it is one of the best selling kite board travel bags out on the market today.

The Mystic Gearbox Kite Surfing Bag is one of the biggest Mystic kite travel bags out on the market today and will easily accommodate 3 kites, a couple of boards with some room spare for the rest of your kiting kit.

The Mystic Gearbox doesn’t offer as well padded protection as the more expensive Mystic Ammo Box; the reinforcements are limited at the base of the Mystic Gearbox.

The weight of the bag is very impressive at just 3.4Kg or 3.6Kg for the 150cm version. This makes it ideal for travel and those wishing to avoid the overweight baggage charges. The Mystic Gear Box has a very tough plastic undercarriage which gives it great protection on your travels and it also features stair runners which makes life easier during transport.

Features:

• Large main compartment holds multiple kites and boards.
• Integrated wheels with plastic undercarriage and stair runners.
• Small item storage pocket.
• Address card visor.
• External compression straps.
• Detachable shoulder strap.
• Front and back carry handles.

Size:

• 140cm
• 150cm

For a look and the Takoon Kite Surf Board Bag click here

Hope you enjoyed our look through some of our favourite kiteboard bags and if you kie the look fo any for yourself visit us at www.S2AS.com

The S2AS Team

Takoon Furia 2010 Kite Review

I have been riding the Takoon Furia LTD 11m & 7m for the past 4 months now, so I think its time for a review. As soon as I took the kites out of their bags I checked them over and they are very well constructed with the usual reinforcements where needed (leading edge, wingtips, ect). The kite is one-pump but also can be easily changed to none one-pump with the stoppers provided.

The kite has 3 rear attachment points which allow you to change turning responsiveness. The front bridle also has 2 attachment points which change bar pressure, depower rate and low wind ability.

The bar comes comes with 22m lines which I really like. The chicken loop is nice and big so perfect for un-hooked riding. The chicken loop is also self aligning so when you unhook it is aligned ready to hook back in.

The trim system on the bar is a mini clam cleat which works really well. however after 4 months of use there is some slight wear, which is expected from clam cleat systems. There is also some velcro on the trailing end which allows you to keep it out of the way when riding.

The main centre line/depower rope is covered in a PU coating which stops the wear you normally get on DP ropes.

The bar can change between 45 cm and 55 cm simply by swapping the larks head on the end of the leader lines.

In the air the kite is really stable and you can just let the kite sit above your head and it doesn't overfly/hindenburg even in gusty winds. The kite turns very fast this may be because I have come from flexi atoms which are slow. The kite also seems to travel through the window very fast aswell.I have the kite set on the slowest turning setting and the 45 cm bar and it is perfect for wakestyle.

The wind range of these kitesurfing kites are pretty impressive too. With the 11m I can ride from about 13knts to about 28knts but by this point I would be hanging on. (im 73kg and ride a 133x40). I can ride the 7m from 18knts too 35knts, It probably has a bit more top end but I haven't had chance to see because the wind has been pretty poor recently. The bar has allot of de-power at the bar and there is a stopperball to allow you to adjust the bar throw.

The kite boosts huge and there is loads of float. I have the front bridle set on the low wind setting which is great for parking the kite and popping. Un-hooked it feels nice and stable and doesn't need much trimming. Relaunch from the water is pretty easy, pull one of the rear lines and over it goes, obviously it takes a bit more persuasion in lighter winds.

The safety releases onto a single front line. I have only used it twice and on both these occasions it has worked really well.

Overall Id say this is a great kite, the best kite i've flown up to date. Would suit intermediates onwards, however Id say if you are a beginner looking for a kite to grow into then you should be fine as there is heaps of de-power and is nice and stable. One thing I would change is have a suicide attachment point maybe something like on the ozone bars.

For more info take a look at

www.s2as.com
takoonuk.blogspot.com

Jamie

2010 Kiteboard Bag Rundown with S2AS - Part 2

Continuing our feature on the different kinds of kiteboard bags available feature we are again looking at some of our favourite 2010 kiteboard bags available at S2AS. As before we are keeping it simple with a look at the bags, how they feel, any features and what we like about them.

A quick recap on how not all kiteboard bags are the same; you have 3 types:

• Kiteboard only bags – These are designed to fit one kiteboard and no extra gear

• Kiteboard and other small gear bags – Designed to fit one kiteboard and some accessories such as a wetsuit, harness etc

• Kite and Kiteboard bags – Typically wheeled bags that are designed to hold up to 3 kites and 2 kiteboards.

This time we are going to be looking at kiteboard / kitesurfing equipment bags - those that hold a bit more than just the board:

Takoon Backpack Kiteboard Bag - £42.99

This bag has 12mm of padding all round, making it a perfect beach bag to protect your kiteboard. It has a shoulder strap for easy carry and a handle in the center of the bag; to top it all off it also has backpack straps nicely hidden in the back of the bag – talk about choice! This bag will take a kiteboard along with some kitesurfing equipment such as a harness or wetsuit, or alternately a kite along with the board.

So if you’re looking for a kiteboard bag to get your kit to the beach this is it for sure.

Features:

• 12mm foam padding
• Shoulder and back straps
• Carrying handle
• Can fit a board and either a kite or a selection of gear

Sizes Available:

• 145cm

Dakine Outlaw Kiteboard Bag - £105

The Dakine Outlaw Bag is a perfect all-in-one kite bag system with light weight compression kite bags, an internal board slot to help remove the kiteboards with ease, and backpack straps for easy carrying. The Outlaw kiteboard bag is fully padded to keep your gear safe on your travels or at the beach.

Features:

• Fully padded for maximum protection
• Two removable kite compression bags
• Internal board slot
• Padded backpack straps and waist belt
• Stowable backpack straps
• Internal tool pocket
• Carry handles
• Exterior I.D. pocket
• 8mm [1/4] foam padding

Size Available:

• 140 x 42 x 25cm

Colour:

• Black Patches

In our final feature we will look at the 'everything but the kitchen sink' style of kiteboard bag; wheeled kite and kiteboard bags.

The S2AS Team

Poole Kitesurf Club

We have just launched a new kitesurf club based in Poole, Dorset.

Here you will be able to meet like minded people who also share a passion for kitesurfing and if you join up you will get access to the club's own forum where you can talk to other members and arrange to meet at the beach for a kitesurf session, you can also use the forum to be kept up to date on where we are going to be kitesurfing and what the best beach will be on any give wind direction or day.

Other things we will be running are as follows:

• 7-9am Morning sessions before work
• Afterwork sessions from 5:30pm
• Improver sessions to help members get out Poole harbour and into the Sea on Sandbanks and other beaches this will in turn let you kite in a lot more wind directions and help you progress faster.

We also have an area where you can send us your photos for other members to see and a calendar so if we have anything going on that that you need to know about - demo's, BBQs, partys... anything! If you want then we can put it on the calendar.

Anyway thats enough talk check it out and join up - remember to fully join you will need to pop into the shop in Poole and fill out a form so we have all your contact details.

Oh and while your at it why not join our facebook page too?

Thanks and good winds.

Angelo

S2AS Poole

Takoon Kite Surf Board Bag

The new 2010 Takoon Kitesurf Board Bag (145cm) arrived yesterday and the bag is just amazing especially considering the price!

The Takoon 145 Kiteboard Travel bag is perfect for most riders looking to bring all their kitesurfing gear in one bag.

It offers the best materials and shape for durability, easy set up and it's light weight. It features a heavy duty outer material 600D design, 10mm closed cell foam, double layer at extremities, along with aluminium heat protector inside material, internal padded dividers, an internal pocket for your wallet and keys, padded shoulder strap and handles and corrosion resistant zippers.

The Takoon 145 kitesurf board bag will hold up to 2 kiteboards and 3 kites as well as your kite accessories and towel. You can also carry your surfboard thanks to the “extra nose extension”.

A handy “Fragile handle with care’’ logo on bag will help your gear to arrive safe and the “golf” logo might eliminate excess baggage charges on some airlines... if your lucky.

Visit S2AS to get your hands on one of the awesome bags!

2010 Kiteboard Bag Rundown with S2AS - Part 1

As a bit of a new running feature we are going to be looking at several of our favourite 2010 kiteboard bags available at S2AS. Were keeping it simple with a look at the bags, how they feel, any features and what we like about them.

Ok first things first not all kiteboard bags are the same; you have 3 types:

• Kiteboard only bags – These are designed to fit one kiteboard and no extra gear

• Kiteboard and other small gear bags – Designed to fit one kiteboard and some accessories such as a wetsuit, harness etc

• Kite and Kiteboard bags – Typically wheeled bags that are designed to hold up to 3 kites and 2 kiteboards.

First up we are going to start with the simple kiteboard only bags:

Dakine Slider Kiteboard Bag - £34.99 - £39.99

The Dakine Slider Bag is capable of holding one kiteboard and provides maximum protection during travel, whether it be travel from beach to beach or on holiday.

With padded side walls and 12mm foam padding, the Slider Bag offers increased protection compared to standard kite board bags, making it far more suitable for airline travel as well as in the back of your car.

Whether you're spending a week in paradise or a session on the road, the Slider Bag will help you pack right and protect that expensive kiteboard.

Features:

• Padded wall for maximum gear protection
• Webbing carry handle
• 12mm foam padding

Sizes Available:

• 135 x 44 x 6cm
• 155 x 44 x 6cm

Mystic Venom Kiteboard Bag - £29.99

The Mystic Venom Kiteboard Bag with its heavy duty padded canvas construction provides maximum protection for your car and kiteboard during transportation and also provides an ideal home storage solution, Shaped like a kiteboard and not a door the Venom Kiteboard Bag has great graphics so you will look pimp at your local kitesurfing spot!

Features:

• Heavy-duty 600 D dual-coated polyester canvas
• Lined with 8 mm heat proof foam
• Heavy duty zipper
• Carry handle

Sizes:

• 145cm
• 155cm

Next time we will look at the 'board and accessories' style of kiteboard bag.

The S2AS Team

2010 Cabrinha Switchblade IDS

2010 Cabrinha Switchblade IDS

Yes it's a bow, yes it has depower, the relaunch, the safety bomb proof construction and it's turned into one of the most popular, highly developed high performance bow kites on the market to date.
From croosing around, boosting big floaty jumps and hitting any conditions you feel on the day the SB will deliver.
The Cabrinha Switchblade IDS is most famous through Cabrinha international rider Andre Philip. Therefore the kite has been developed through the years with his input and has turned into one of the best wakestyle kites. Pure clean power delivery while unhooked for hitting obstacles and performing low tricks while having safety and easy relaunch when needed.

But don't be put off, the Switchblade has been marketed towards the wakestyle side of kitesurfing but its a pure easy kite to fly and learn on while giving great performance when needed.
The SB is purley a kite I would happily lend to a beginner in the first stages of learning, or an advanced to pro rider.

Together with the new and improved IDS bar it’s the perfect setup. It’s one of the most clean bars Cabrinha have developed with the intergraded IDS line, it makes it super clean & easy to use. The new diameter makes a perfect grip and the new mounded bar ends offer extra protection and conformability for your hands when unhooking.

Get out and ride, its the year of the rider so make the most of it.
Dan Sweeney
S2AS Team

For The best price on the Cabrinha Switchblade kite and kiteboard packages look here Cheap Kitesurf Packages

Advance Kappa 131x42 Kiteboard Review

At a Glance
Like the rest of the Advance kiteboard range, the Kappa has a lovely high quality finish with a white and clear laminate over the top to expose its beautiful full wood core. The Kappa utilises full hand made construction, to guarantee a close eye has been kept on each board whilst it is made.

The Kappa is quite a square railed board with a width of 42cm that only tapers down to a width of 30cm in the tips. These wide tips gives this little 131 plenty of planing area to make sure it can perform as well as larger boards on test. The board features a strong white ABS sidewall that blends in with the rest of the graphics well, also giving a strong impact resistant edge. The rocker has been kept to a minimum for added planing ability, but where the board lacks in rocker the flex makes up for it.

The board has G10 fins which have been beefed up for 2010 with more substantial bolts to keep them in place and a lovely concaved asymmetrical shape to give maximum grip and drive for minimum fin size. Straps are easy to adjust and have been designed to suit the board, the pads on the other hand look and work great, but the green clashes with the white and black graphics and orange fins.

On the Water
The Kappa’s flat rocker and wide tips has you up and riding really early for such a short board and with the help from the long straight rails and unique fin shape the board grips solidly and drives up wind very well.

Unlike many kiteboards with the same design features you can still stall and slow down riding speed by stomping down on the back foot giving the tips a load more rocker with the flex. Although the board grips like you are using a dagger board for fins you can flatten the board to the water and slip and slide to the rider’s desire. But watch out for the short nose, if you are not careful it’s more than happy to catch and remind you of its length. The board definitely prefers flat-water conditions, and riding powered up makes for a really playful twin tip that accelerates well, and turns on a sixpence. Choppy conditions will keep your riding reserved, making sure the toe side rail and nose keeps way out the water.

Such a square design will automatically pop well, but with the added flex you won’t need a tree trunk of a back leg in order to load the rail to get it to pop some decent height. Sticking in quick explosive rotations is made super easy and fun with the board weighing next to nothing and hardly any tip and tail sticking out past your stance.

Pros
Very playful board with lots of freestyle performance yet remains useable enough to enjoy all round freeride riding.

Cons
Flat rocker and wide tips makes for a bouncy and wet ride when using in choppy or wavy conditions.

Overall
A perfect board for a freestyle/wake style rider to use as a one board quiver that you can play and have fun on, but doesn’t blow out the knees and become uncomfortable to ride after long days out on the water. It has a beautiful high quality finish that wouldn’t look out of place above a mantle piece.

For more information visit your local dealer or go to www.advance-kites.com

Original review from our friends at IKSurfmag

Advance Kaiman 2010 Kite Review

At a Glance
This kitesurfing kite is the 3rd generation of the Kaiman model from Advance. The kite still has its very unique canopy shape that pulls in towards the middle section of the canopy to make the tips wider than the centre, giving the kite a high aspect ratio but keeping the kite stable enough to fly.

Taking the kite out the bag you will notice the kite is well engineered with rows of stitching everywhere, plenty of bumper pads and a big strip of Dacron making up the trailing edge. The kite has a few finishing touches some other brands have always overlooked. One key feature is an extra valve on all of the struts as well as the one pump system to give instant and complete deflation. Another handy design is a kite handle in the middle of the leading edge to make handling of the kite on the beach very easy. The Kaiman works and flies like a 4 line bridled kite, but added just as a safety feature is an extra 5th line to leash the kite out instead of the standard release systems that just fly the kite out on the two front lines.

One of the main changes to the new Kaiman is as new bridal layout to give the kite a better high end, but with out compromising on its high low end. Not forgetting to mention its new graphics, which we think is a huge improvement making the kite look pretty mean in the sky. The kite also came with a nice little tool bag with everything you would need to undertake pretty much any kite repair down the beach.

The Bar
Like their kite, Advance has a unique bar. The chicken loop is pretty special with a large sensitive plastic push away release that’s clean and easy to use but not the most simple to reload. The loop has a full 360 swivel and a rotating 5th line attachment point to make sure any twists and tangles can be removed after spinning the bar. To finish the loop off they have added a suicide attachment point that has been designed to break if you over load it. The bar has a double pull down strap as a power adjustment system that works well and keeps the top half of the bar clean, on the back of this strap there is a extra cleat that the 5th line runs through so once leashed out the 5th line locks in place disabling the kite unless you let the line back out through the cleat manually. This system makes the kite very safe and water pack downs are simple. It also has line adjustment straps on the outside lines on top of both bar floats for fine-tuning the kite when back on the beach. Rear and front kite lines have been finished at different lengths to make up for the length of the bridals on the front of the kite, this can make rigging a little tricky in high winds.

In The Air
The 8.5m is a small kite, so launching it on a windy day is always going to be exciting. We assumed the kite wouldn’t have much low-end power due to the high aspect ration and cutaway canopy. However the kite surprisingly has plenty of grunt and power giving the 8.5m lots of low end. Moving the kite around the sky lets you know you are attached to a high aspect machine, it flies very far forwards and pointing up wind is taken to a whole new level. The Kaiman hacks up wind, which makes regaining ground after jumping easy. Although the kite flies very far forward in the window, the Kaiman never shows signs of wanting to tip forwards and over fly the rider.

The kites wind range is pretty big and holding down this powerful 8.5m is a lot easier then you would expect, pushing the bar away in gusts keeps the kite manageable even in strong winds. It holds plenty of speed and loves to accelerate at any opportunity you give it. Picking up speed and sending the kite back for some lift is loads of fun. It rips you up and sends you sky wards and unlike some boosting machines the Kaiman glides, finding time to stick in grabs and tricks is easy. But like any high boosting kite, make sure you use plenty of front hand on the way down to keep the kite out in front of you. Jumping in high winds is brilliant but not for the faint hearted.

Kitelooping is pretty extreme, the Kaiman lets you know were it is throughout the loop and there is no escaping its powerful turning axis. But in the right hands kiteloops on this 8.5m can be some serious fun keeping any riders adrenalin rushing around their body. Unhooking and getting technical is not one of the Kaiman’s strong points but with enough skill and balls you can use it for new school riding as long as you don’t mind some pretty fast manoeuvres. Re launching is easy with no need to use the 5th line, just grab one end of the bar and pull the kite up and around the wind window.

Pros
The kite makes for a brilliant high wind boosting machine, You can push the bar forwards forcing the kite miles up wind to make ground then let your rail loose and fly.

Cons
Kiteloops will need a pretty confident rider at the bar end to ride out the beast when it unleashes its power. A stopper ball of some sort on the chicken loop would be a good addition to give the arms a rest after flying the kite in mega winds.

Overall
The Kaiman is built and designed to last with plenty of low and high end giving the kite a large wind range. The kite flies up wind and boosts huge with plenty of glide to stick in any freestyle tricks. Kitelooping and any wake style tricks will need an advanced confident rider to keep the kite tamed. The re launch is really easy, unlike the old high aspect machines we were used to riding a few years ago.

For more information go and see your local dealer or visit www.advance-kites.com

Original review from our friends at IKSurfmag

RRD Placebo 2010 Kiteboard Review

At a Glance
The Placebo has been a strong character in the make up of the RRD kite board range. It has been designed for the every day rider looking for universal freeride freestyle board.

This kiteboard hasn’t changed much over the years, they have kept a nice wide width between the straps where you need some planing and landing area, yet the tips have been pulled in to make the wide board manageable through chop.

The Placebo is aesthetically pleasing, with a high gloss finish and a full wood core, backed up with a strong stepped ABS Sidewall that tappers to the tips. It has plenty of concave and fairly soft flex characteristics to make it user friendly to ride. To finish off this typically Italian stylish looking twin tip, we have RRD’s deep thick comfy foot beds and straps which can be done up without a screwdriver.

On The Water
The first session on the RRD Placebo had us pleasantly surprised. Regardless of the thickness of the rails, the board bites straight in and digs up-wind without hardly any heel pressure. With loads of surface area and relatively thick rails, the Placebo gets planing very early and can maintain a fairly slow planing speed.

With help from the heel raise and toe grips on the comfortable pads, the board gives you a brilliant connected feel with the water surface, providing you with the confidence that the board won’t side out at any point.

Heading in to some small messy chop we weren’t expecting anything special from the Placebo, but it really did hold its own. The rail holds beautifully and grips on the worst of the bounce chop, whilst carving really well with the added help of those pulled in tips. Any surf with a reasonable size would demand a board that accelerates faster down and into wave’s faces.

Loading up the rail going in to a jump is pretty easy for any moderate size jumps, but pushing too hard into the board to get some real spring or pop gives the board a little more rocker than desired sometimes slowing the board and forcing the kite to far forwards to early. Once you get the technique down though the board is impressive and should excite most riders.

Pros
Great for a freerider looking for an early planer that will give them ample confidence in getting their teeth stuck in to some free style.

Cons
When you really push the Placebo you can, if you are good enough find its limits, the flexi nature can slow the board as you really load up the edge. Perfect for freeride and most riders abilities, if you want a high performance freestyle machine you should look to the Poison

Overall
A great well-rounded board with plenty of get up and go with enough performance for 95% of riders. The board has you getting stuck in trying freestyle moves you wouldn’t have had confidence to try before!

Original review from our friends at IKSurfmag