Lou Wainman's Rabbit Series 9m Smoke

Bonetti · Since 29 Apr 2007 411 Posts So. Cal./Oregon Obsessed

My friend Kyle wrote this review for Lou Wainman's Rabbit Series 9m Smoke. Let me know what guys you think.

I’ve been hearing a great deal about the Wainman kites. So once I heard that Brett Fereday from Sunset Beach, Ca had the Rabbit Series to demo, I made a quick phone call. I met him at noon on Monday July 21, 2008 at Belmont Shores, California. I kited for five hours with Wainman’s new Rabbit Series 9m Smoke. Wind conditions average between 19 and 20mph. I am 5’4” and weigh 150lbs. I was on a 2008 Lunacy 129 x 39 with 20m lines on a Slingshot bar. Here are my thoughts:  

Kite Construction and Looks
Bombproof, Bombproof, and Bombproof. A great deal of attention to detail was put fort for the Rabbit Series; therefore, the kite looks great. Very solid, extra stitching and scuff guards where it is most important. Front lines has one pulley on each. The bridle (if you can even call it that) is very small making it very difficult for the bridle to wrap around the kite when kite is flipping around in the water after a wipe out. The back lines have two attachments, which are directly connected to the kite. The Smoke comes out of the bag ready for your enjoyment. No necessary modifications. Set up is simple for more water time. Once pumped, the Smoke looks similar to the F-One Bandit and Nash’s Sima series but not as pronounced where the leading edge dips in like a V.   

Bar and Lines
Super simple. It has a cleat system like the 2006 Slingshot bar with a swivel which has a stopper ball at the end of each leading edge lines closest to the bar. The quick release is right above the chicken loop. After releasing the chicken loop, it is very easy to reattach the chicken loop to the trim line. There is an optional front line safety kit that can be added for maximum depower. It can be attach to one of the front lines that runs down through the bar so you can connect your leash to it. One of my favorite thing about the bar is that it has a ring tied to the chicken loop which can be moved to either side (right or left) of the chicken loop where you can attach your leash to it so that after performing unhook tricks, you can easily hook back in without worrying about the leash getting stuck between the spreader bar hook. Super cool! Speaking of tricks, I personally think the bar was too big for the Smoke 9m performing tricks let alone the Gypsy 6.5m. I can only imagine how cumbersome it would be to maneuver the bar in waves. This is just my personally thought and preference for the bar.

Bar Pressure
Bar pressure is right smack in the middle. Not too much but enough to know where the Rabbit is at.

Self Launch
Very easy! Put kite at the edge of the window and pull an outside line until it rolls over. Sand on wing tip works as well.

Self Land
Attach your leash to a center line, bring the kite to the edge of the window, as the kite free falls from 10-15 feet, pull on the top leading edge line which will turn the kite as the wind pushes the free falling kite to the ground with proper positioning of the kite without concerns of it relaunching.

Water Launch
After asking Brett Fereday if I could dump the kite in to the water to test how easy/difficult it would be to relaunch the kite, I went ahead and dropped the kite so that it would be on its back. The result…very easy to relaunch in the water with all the elements working with/against you. Once the kite is on its back (leading edge facing the water and left (red) side of bar is now on your right side), flip the bar 180 degrees so that the left (red) side of the bar is on your left side. At this point, your lines should be crossed. Simply pull on the trailing edge line on the left (red) side of the bar and BAM the Smoke is in the air. Super easy! 

Speed
Tune it the way you want it. I had it set for all around kiting and it was plenty fast. If you like it faster, try it with 17m lines. With 17m lines, the 9m is now like a 5m, super fast.   

Power
Plenty of power. It felt like a V8 in a Mini Copper with Lexus suspensions. The power is smooth.  Jumping
Timing of it felt like a C kite. It delivered power when you want it and disappears when you don’t need it. I had fun looping it with 20m lines but I had more fun when I switched to 17m lines when looping it. 17m lines made the landing from loops much easier and smoother. During unhooked tricks, the kite is very stable. It is like a puppy waiting for you to give it instruction for the next trick. When passes are not completed, the wipeouts are not as punishing.

Low End
I don’t know yet, the wind was good on Monday.

High End
Wind averaged around 19. I felt very comfortable. I did not depower during the whole session. So I am sure this kite would have performed well with winds in the mid 20s.  

Hindenburg
Out of four different level riders, I was the only one who experienced the hinderburg affect. I am a decent rider who can land F16s and Whirly Birds as well as multiple front/back rotations both hooked and unhooked. The Smoke hinderburg three times on me. I barely took my eyes off of it for a second or so and the hindenburg affect took place. To me that just means this kite likes to be flown and I am ok with that. Thank goodness it is so easy to relaunch on land and water. Can't wait to demo it again to see if it will hinderburg on me again.

Conclusion
At this point you might be asking yourself, “Is this kite for me?” Well it all depends on the type of riding you like. The Smoke is great for Wake style tricks and will handle well in the surf as it is very responsive to the rider. This is a great kite for all levers of riders because three different discipline of kiting took place on Monday. A novice rider was cruising on it, a wake style rider loved it, and a strapless rider enjoyed it. All three riders are at different weight class. I am 150lbs, second rider is 143lbs, and the third rider is 175lbs. It is one of the better kites I’ve flown in a long time. One more thing, if you are into esthetics, not only does this kite look cool in the sky, but more importantly it performs like a champion.