Tim Harper | Blog
Life and Kiteboarding in Cape Town.
Cabrinha Drifter 9m 2012 Review
Dec 3rd
I had the good fortune to try out the new Cabrinha Drifter this past week and here is my review.
Wind: averaging 18-20knots, no gusts above 22knots.
First thing I noticed, it looks like a hybrid delta shape, with some c-kite elements, namely the straight cutoffs on the wingtips.
Second noticeable element: The hardcore bar setup with loads of steel and soft comfortable rubber grip. It seems like bar design has come along some, the simple chicken loop and release system is very streamlined, albeit very complicated looking. (I didn’t release and see how it was put together)
Bar pressure was definitely at a comfortable level, I know cabrinha’s have in the past been known for some very stiff bar pressure, but this was very comfortable.
The most noticeable flying element that was apparent was the stability in the air, no matter what you do with the bar or where you fly the kite, even directly through the window on a kiteloop or downloop, the kite did not luff once!
Even flying straight through the window on a hard carved turn, and releasing some power through pushing the bar out sharply, there was literally zero canopy distortion whatsoever.
What this means is that cabrinha have built an extraordinarily solid kite, that you have to worry less about where you fly it in order to keep the canopy in shape.
The overall power was good, but I have become accustomed to my </a href=”http://www.timharper.co.za/2010/03/f-one-bandit-3-review/”>F-One bandit 3 </a> that has some amazing grunt behind it.
The power ratio from the side of the window to the center of the wind window was also fairly consistent, some kites really peak quite dramatically when you send it through the center of the wind window.
I would like to try the 7m kite in some overpowered situations to give a more solid review that would include how well the kite depowered, but I was certainly impressed.
Definitely another kite to test if you are considering asking Santa for a new kite this festive season!
I had the good fortune to try out the new Cabrinha Drifter this past week and here is my review.
Wind: averaging 18-20knots, no gusts above 22knots.
First thing I noticed, it looks like a hybrid delta shape, with some c-kite elements, namely the straight cutoffs on the wingtips.
Second noticeable element: The hardcore bar setup with loads of steel and soft comfortable rubber grip. It seems like bar design has come along some, the simple chicken loop and release system is very streamlined, albeit very complicated looking. (I didn’t release and see how it was put together)
Bar pressure was definitely at a comfortable level, I know cabrinha’s have in the past been known for some very stiff bar pressure, but this was very comfortable. The most noticeable flying element that was apparent was the stability in the air, no matter what you do with the bar or where you fly the kite, even directly through the window on a kiteloop or downloop, the kite did not luff once! Even flying straight through the window on a hard carved turn, and releasing some power through pushing the bar out sharply, there was literally zero canopy distortion whatsoever. What this means is that cabrinha have built an extraordinarily solid kite, that you have to worry less about where you fly it in order to keep the canopy in shape.
The overall power was good, but I have become accustomed to my </a href=”http://www.timharper.co.za/2010/03/f-one-bandit-3-review/”>F-One bandit 3 </a> that has some amazing grunt behind it. The power ratio from the side of the window to the center of the wind window was also fairly consistent, some kites really peak quite dramatically when you send it through the center of the wind window.
I would like to try the 7m kite in some overpowered situations to give a more solid review that would include how well the kite depowered, but I was certainly impressed.
Definitely another kite to test if you are considering asking Santa for a new kite this festive season!
For full details on the kite see the Cabrinha site here.
Nobile NHP review (9m kite – 2010)
May 4th
With some really late sub-strength south easter wind here in Cape Town I recently had three long sessions on a 9m Nobile NHP kite (2010 model) recently. The wind was from 14-20 knots each session, and the kite handled really well throughout that wind range, without ever feeling overpowered beyond my control.
More on the performance later, but it really does look slick in the black and gold colour scheme, I can’t find an image online to post here, but I’ll attempt to get one up later. The blue and white one below will have to do for now!
The construction seems as solid as the rest of the nobile range, not as bombproof as some kites I’ve seen though, but all the right triple stitched seams and rough gaurds that you would come to expect these days.
The bar and lines are standard Nobile, but there’s no improvement needed there, the bar is comfortable with finger shaped grooves close to the center of the bar. The bag is standard too, nothing special but it was never a huge selling point for me in a kite anyway.
The only one improvement both Nobile and F-One could make is that they could include some sort of spinning shackle for the center lines, as they do tend to get twisted on themselves if I do kiteloops in only one direction for a session. Slingshot’s below the bar spinning chicken loop is definitely the way forward, I’ve got no idea why other brands don’t follow suite.
So performance wise the NHP is quite impressive, it’s very smooth through the entire window, and has a very direct feel to the kite. It turns really quickly too and the kiteloops feel very stable throughout the whole loop. Unhooked the NHP has all the drawbacks of all other bow / hybrid kites where your normal riding will see you fairly powered up, and you will need to depower before unhooking to make sure you don’t flare the wingtips. I tried this and it worked just fine, I only needed to depower around a quarter of the depower strap to counter this. When I was unhooked the kite still felt very stable and didn’t fly further back in the window like I mentioned on my F-One Bandit 3 review.
I’m trying to think of a negative or two to balance my review but the only thing that springs to mind is this: The kite fell back into the window once or twice when it was on the 14knot side of the wind range, but a quick correction saw it come back to the edge of the window, and this was generally on the beach or when I had turned into a wave / carving turn. (So it may have been my fault in the first place!)
So overall a great looking kite with all the characteristics that I look for, if you are in the Cape Town region and want to test it out yourself call Coci on 083 273 2212. There are only a few in South Africa at this stage, so if you want one I’d get on it quick.
NHP Kite 2010
F-One Bandit 3 – Review
Mar 10th
F-One bandit 3 2010 – Review
I’ve had the bandit 3 for just under two months now, and can say that it really is a superb kite. I used to ride slingshot fuels, so the need for direct input on the bar, and quick turning speed were essential in a new kite for me. A few highlights of the kite’s performance that set it apart from anything else I’ve ever flown:
1. The pull from the bandit 3 remains consistent throughout the entire window, the fuels have a very definite sweet spot below 12o’clock and it will slow down as it gets to the edge of the window. This means that when I jump on the new bandit 3, the upward motion is never a jerk upwards, it’s always a very smooth, floaty lift, and then it’s always a smooth float down too.
2. Turning speed, the bandit 3 that I have is a 7m, so it should be quick anyway, but this thing turns on an absolute dime, beating the 2008 fuels I own hands down.
3. Wind range, I’ve been out in 18knots and been happily riding upwind on the bandit 3, and then I’ve also been out in 35knots and been ok too, (just depower and hold on!!). The low end is seriously impressive and this kite will see me through most of the Cape Town wind that we get.
So to give a balanced review I need to mention the two things that I don’t enjoy about the bandit 3…
1. The lines are cheap and nasty – I’m not sure how long they will last, but they really do feel a lot thinner than any other’s I’ve owned.
2. I need to depower to unhook – riding comfortably when I’m on full power on the depower rope, I’ve found that I need to depower if I want to unhook, I’ve also found that when I do unhook the kite is very responsive still, so any tiny tweak sends the kite off into the water, or back to 12o’clock
Overall a fantastic kite, and it is the 3rd generation so F-One has obviously made some improvements along the way. I’ll have to send it through a wave or two to test the construction, but I’d rather not do that for the purposes of a review…
I’ve had the bandit 3 for just under two months now, and can say that it really is a superb kite. I used to ride slingshot fuels, so the need for direct input on the bar, and quick turning speed were essential in a new kite for me. A few highlights of the kite’s performance that set it apart from anything else I’ve ever flown:
1. The pull from the bandit 3 remains consistent throughout the entire window, the fuels have a very definite sweet spot below 12o’clock and it will slow down as it gets to the edge of the window. This means that when I jump on the new bandit 3, the upward motion is never a jerk upwards, it’s always a very smooth, floaty lift, and then it’s always a smooth float down too.
2. Turning speed, the bandit 3 that I have is a 7m, so it should be quick anyway, but this thing turns on an absolute dime, beating the 2008 fuels I own hands down.
3. Wind range, I’ve been out in 18knots and been happily riding upwind on the bandit 3, and then I’ve also been out in 35knots and been ok too, (just depower and hold on!!). The low end is seriously impressive and this kite will see me through most of the Cape Town wind that we get.
So to give a balanced review I need to mention the two things that I don’t enjoy about the bandit 3…
1. The lines are cheap and nasty – I’m not sure how long they will last, but they really do feel a lot thinner than any other’s I’ve owned.
2. I need to depower to unhook – riding comfortably when I’m on full power on the depower rope, I’ve found that I need to depower if I want to unhook, I’ve also found that when I do unhook the kite is very responsive still, so any tiny tweak sends the kite off into the water, or back to 12o’clock
Overall a fantastic kite, and it is the 3rd generation so F-One has obviously made some improvements along the way. I’ll have to send it through a wave or two to test the construction, but I’d rather not do that for the purposes of a review…
f-one_bandit_3_most_wanted
- f-one bandit 3 Kite
Nobile NHP 3D 2010 Kiteboard | Review
Dec 31st
So it’s been quite a while since I did a review of any new kit I tried out and liked, and now that I’ve had my brand spanking new Nobile NHP 3D 2010 board out on the water for a number of sessions I figured I should give it a review.
So the first thing I noticed out of the box was was the massively different rocker, it looks a lot more like a wakeboard than a Kiteboard, and it’s obviously being aimed at a more wake focused rider. So this being said I was a little apprehensive about how it would perform in the wind chop that we get in Cape Town. First time on the water it just felt so beautifully smooth, so that worry was totally unwarranted. The next thing I noticed was the almost zero amount of spray that came of the heel edge and up into my face while kiting, I’ve got no idea which part of the board design is responsible for this, but it seriously makes a huge difference.
Next thing I noticed was the Pop, now a lot has been said about it and brands always mention this as a selling point, but i noticed a huge amount more effortless pop than my previous ‘06 555 board. The 3D moulded bottom is another selling point from nobile, it’s basically a wakeboard style channel system that runs the length of the board, and it does make a fairly significant difference to landings, they just feel a lot more stable than my previous board, so yes, not just marketing hype on that one either.
One bit of marketing hype is the human concept (?), what a name! And seriously, a slightly different shaped toe edge to heel edge is not a new concept at all, it’s been around on snowboards for ages. The difference is barely noticeable, the one on the new T5 is very noticeable, so i’m not quite sure on why it’s such a huge part of the board description.
Last but not least that I should mention is the inclusive IFS Pro footpads, which I’m a huge fan of, at least they aren’t an additional cost when buying the board.
That about sums up my experience on the board, I’m really enjoying it and will leave you with the following images:
(Mine’s the black one, oooh she’s a beauty!)
nobile_nhp_3D_kiteboard
nobile_nhp_3D_kiteboard_specs
More details on the nobile website:
