2007 fuel and link kites in ventana

endoshred · Since 22 May 2006 232 Posts HR Stoked

just got back from ventana. took down fuels and also a link 7 with new red bridles. wow! the 07s are amazing. the 11m is the single best kite i have ever flown. insane power, yet virtually total depower like a bow kite due to the movable stopper ball. quick, stable, and seemingly no limit to high end wind range. juicy power! 7m is quick and fun. will be great wave kite, although i now want to try a 7m fuel. wondering if the fuels are the ticket for all things.. dabbled in the waroo world last year. never again.

Onad · Fri Jan 12, 07 11:39 am

Endoshred,

Which size Fuels did you fly?

Did you fly the '06 Fuel? If so, how does '07 low-end compare to that of the '06?

Agree with you on the LINK! Excellent kite!!

Tx, Dano

endoshred · Since 22 May 2006 232 Posts HR Stoked

i flew the 06 fuels also. i had 17,13,and 9m. the 9 and 13 were great! i still have the 9 and 13 and cant wait to try the new bar with them. the bar will make these kites even better. i can tell the gustiest gorge days will never be a problem. now i have added the 11m and 15m 07 fuels. they gave me too small a bar for the 15 and i had to muscle it until i used the larger bar. the low end is good. also cant wait to try the larger links. hard to say what i would choose. being a long time fuel guy, it is hard to change. the waroo test was fun, but you got to pick your tool for fun in the wind. mine will always be slingshot and mostly fuels. seems to work ok for len10. ps- the new 137 sx was also great. wish i chould have tried the fuse on the two big wave days we had.

Wyo Kiter · Fri Jan 12, 07 12:46 pm

I couldn't agree with you both more. The Link is the best kite I have ever flown. I to was a Fuel guy and with The 07 SS bar the Fuel has mega range and don't forget the Sheatable 5th line. Early reports on the T2 is that it rocks!!!

The question is not what brand to buy but which Slingy kite to buy!!!

Link

Fuel

T2

tinyE · Since 21 Jan 2006 2004 Posts not really an XTreme Poster

i would love to try the fuels, but I look at the cost, and the quiver required, and it keeps scaring me off.... Rolling Eyes

endoshred · Since 22 May 2006 232 Posts HR Stoked

i cant wait to really test the fuel's full range with the new bar. i wonder if i could even extend it far enough that i could just fly two kites, a 13m and a 7 meter and cover all wind ranges with maybe two twin tips (147 and 127) and a directional for the surf or big river swell. good point noting that the fuel can depower three ways, the normal sheeting adjustment, the fifth line cleating and now the freedom to move the stopper ball. many times i wanted to lock myself in when the wind was stable and could just hang off the bar and cruise. but there were a couple crazy gusty days where i moved the stopper ball fully out of the way and move the bar to any sheeting position to spill the gusts. i could even down loop right into the full power zone during big guts and just sheet out and feel like i was flying a bow kite with no big pull. so actually the fuel has become a hybrid with this new bar setup. there is a cost, but with huge rewards in performance and durability.
-scott

Wyo Kiter · Fri Jan 12, 07 3:52 pm

Ultimate Quiver
Link 7m I flew this in 45+ at rooster rock and on the snow. Great kite, sick depower

Fuel 11m with the new bar Tons of range Everyday kite...

And if you want to kite in light wind a Link12m has huge range and loads of low end

shannon · Since 15 Aug 2006 126 Posts Bolstad Clan

Since I've been in La Ventana, I've had a 1 kite quiver and it is the Link. Amery was nice enough to hook Grom up with a 12m Link and me with a 9m and I've ended up flying it everyday. When it was super gusty and all the guys were out on there 7m Vagas, I was able to hold down my 9m and Grom was out on the 12m. They can handle all winds because they have so much depower and on days like that, Grom and I would have the big air compatitions. I can say from personal experience, one 9m Link is all I need in my kite quiver. It works for everything.

registered · Since 12 Jul 2005 1319 Posts tsunami Sandbagger

Yeah the 07 bar is nice, whoever came up with that should be given a raise for sure. Some innovation to the fuels would have been nice too.
Twisted Evil

One kite quiver is a pipe dream, unless theres no variation in your wind.
Better off flying the CORRECT size kite for conditions. 2 kite quiver more possible but three is the way to go.

magicmaker · Since 29 Oct 2006 895 Posts da Hood Opinionated

I can't imagine that flying a 9m link in a constant totally depowered state could possibly be better than flying a 7m fuel (or 8m octane in my case) powered up nicely as it should be, let alone that much fun? I mean, having the bar sheeted out the entire time has got to be a drag and if you sheet in any amount then it seems to me you would start getting pulled off the edge of your board, or at least yanked around quite a bit. I mean sure the bows have great depower, but that still can't possibly make up for having a smaller kite.

I'm curious, how does the kite handle when you have to fly with the bar sheeted out farther than your arms can just barely reach? I remember a time last summer, when it was gusting up to like 31 mph and i was flying my 11m fuel totally depowered and it sucked. I mean sure, it was do-able, but if i sheeted my bar in any amount it would just become completly too much. Also having to control my fuel that lit up with my bar sheeted out as far as i could reach was a real bitch and the kite was a little more squirrelly than i was used to. Like it has been said before know the difference between being overpowered and needing to go down a kite size.

Also, can someone enlighten me on the 07 bar. If you have your depower strap pulled in, does that limit the amount you can sheet the bar out? cause it looks that way, i just haven't gotten my hands on my new 07 11m yet, and i'm debating about whether to get a KO or kite+rig.

Speaking of ultimate kite quiver, i was thinking about doing away with my 15m fuel in exchange for a 12m link, but not until after i get a chance to fly one.

tonyb · Mon Jan 15, 07 10:17 am

I'm not sure how the Link is but my Waroo 12m has incredible range. I've had it out in wind from as low as 15 mph up to 30/32 mph. The depower strap on the Waroo is long enough that you still end up with the bar in a decent spot where you can still reach it. I still prefer the 9m when it's over 25 but the 12m works when I was too lazy or didn't have enough time to come in and switch kites. Hang time on the 12m is pretty wild on those really windy days! Shocked

Also, if the wind is up when I go out I rig to a knot further out on the back lines to help keep the bar closer to me and still give me range on the depower strap. There is about 4" difference between the knot I use on light wind days and the knot on nukin' days.

I think the ideal quiver with a set of bow kites is different than a C set as you can skip a kite size. I currently have a 9m, 12m and 16m set but I think I would be better off with a 9m, 13m, 17m quiver.

genek · Since 21 Jul 2006 2165 Posts East Po KGB

Wyo Kiter · Mon Jan 15, 07 5:48 pm

With the 07 bar you can adjust the chicken loop lengh (depower) and still have pleanty of throw in the bar. So if you pull in some depower and slide the stopper ball to where you want it you will be flying the kite in a depowered state with some sheeting range that is a comfortable distance.

As for the 07 fuel, the longer wing tip allows for more depower with out sacrificing the the control of the kite when it is depowered. Also sheeting the 5th line add to the depower with out sacrificing the the control of the kite

kiteboard117 · Since 02 Mar 2005 450 Posts PDX McLovin

yea i have flown the 07 fuel with the 06 bar and the depower/power is still much better.

endoshred · Since 22 May 2006 232 Posts HR Stoked

i'm sure the 07 fuel is much improved, although the 06 was great. just the new bar really opens it up. yes, if you sheet it way out and the wind is light the kite is not as responsive, but when a kite is powered in higher winds or gusts, it is very responsive even when sheeted out. when i flew the kites last week it was so easy to quickly down loop while on a wave and sheet out to reduce the pull though the power zone, then sheet in when the pull decreased, much like the waroo.

i hear people concerned about not having long enough arms. it is no different than with the waroo. my riding comfort actually improved with my ability to move the stopper ball and extend my arms to where ever felt best in term of bar pressure. the kite was easy to fly and turn one handed. my fuel quiver will be a 15, 11, 7 for all wind.

the link 7m was insanely quick turning versus the 11m fuel, a bumble bee and a completely different feel compared to the fuel. im not sure what the advantage is to this over the the fuel in the surf.

Kataku2k3 · Since 14 Aug 2005 3753 Posts Los Angeles, CA Videographer