Australian Kiteboarding

Hi Phil, The guys in Thailand that own KBA are mates of mine and they run a very good operation and sell cheaper than we can here in Oz. They deal in Airush and Cabrinha and wont BS you. However, this is Australia and if you are a local, it'd be way wise to support your local shop for the sake of a few hundred bucks, as others have said, it will pay you back tenfold in after sales service if you have a problem through expediency alone. The guys running good kite shops and schools in Australia will always "go the extra mile" for our customers and need those extra couple hundred to make ends meet. My advice is to strike up a relationship with your local retailer and develop it over time. You may end up with a friend and probably save that money back in bits and pieces and good service over a shorter time than you think. Just my 2 bobs worth, Darren AKS

Hi Guys, Seeing as no one seems to have had the chance or the time, I thought I'd pop my thoughts on the new Sport II's here. As you may well know, we attended Kitestock in Dongara WA recently and had 11 brand new Ozone kites to demo over the three days. We took with us Instinct Edge II 13, 11 and 9m. Instinct Sport II, 13, 11, 9 and 7m, and INstinct Light II, 12, 9, 7 and 5m. We had a great opportunity to test all of the kites in steady winds from 12 knots up to 25 knots as the wind increased very gradually all day long. This review is on the Sport II's. Bag: First thing you notice is the quality and finish of the bag. very well thought out and ample size for the kite. When you pull out the kite, you pull out the new lightweight bag containing the kite. You also pull out the bar from it's internal pocket within the main bag (very nice). The kite has a compression strap around it, and although nice when new, I reckon it has no place in the day to day use of the kite. The kite is completed with a neat repair kit containing a large strip of Tear aid repair tape, and 30cm x 20cm sheets of all of the coplours of the canopy material as well as the black dacron for the struts and Leading edge. The kit also contains spare parts for the one pump system which now comes standard with all of the kites in the range including a cable tie and spare crimpy thing for the hoses! Bar: This years bar is exceptional and is a complete rebuild of last years bars. The new bar has the same stainless centre hole but the Beal line has had the PVS tubing removed to make sheeting even smoother. The composite bar ends are beautifully smooth and have EVA foam padding right up the bar ends for protecting hands in F16's. The new Megatron Chickenloop is awesome with a dedicated ring for suicide attachment keeping the chicken loop free from clips and suicide shackles. The Chicken dick is easy to swing into or out of position for pinned or unhooked riding and is suitable for the job. The quick release is a 1000% better than the 07 chicken loop QR and can be reset with one hand if dextrous. It is easy to use, super safe and effective, you can even adjust the bungie tension for triggering pressure. A super nice feature that no one told me about is the little plastic bit that is connected to the chicken loop to the beal line. You'll notice that the front lines have no swivel above the trim, thats becasue it is acheived by twisting the little plastic bit between the chicken loop and the bar. SO easy and smart. If you get a bunch of twists, just give it a spin and the twists are gone! The best invention thus far! The Cleat for trim is perfect, cleats everytime with minimal effort and is easy to adjust powering up and down. The old webbing strap is gone and the new one is a non flapping beal line which connects in a loop to the centre line below the cleat, it makes it super easy to adjust and doesn't dangle around and flap in the wind. The other part to the bar is the flagging/landing handle which press studs onto the beal line near the depower line to keep it close but not flapping around in the wind. Very nice! This is also the place for beginners to clip their safety leash for a "kill the kite" bar release. The steering lines have the trimmer straps on each side to allow for easy trim of power and to level the bar if the lines were out I guess??? Overall, the bar is amazing, simple, clean, comfortable, effective and uncluttered. Do I dare say ..... Possibly the best bar on the market ????? Kite : Lines are colour coded and numbered to make it even more kook proof and are super quality. Just attach the lines to their corresponding pigtails and you are ready to go. Care must be taken to ensure the 5th line is not tangled and also the steering lines on the kite as sometimes, the anti invert lines can be caught around the outside of the wingtip outside of the steering lines. This is something you just get used to checking prior to launch, either that or remove the anti invert lines, they seem to serve little purpose. The first thing you notice with the kite itself, apart from the build quality, is the super thin struts and the small diameter leading edge - so thin! The one pump system has it pumped up very quickly with the reduced volume and you can easily pump the kites to 9 or 10 psi. We pump the smaller ones 7 and 9 to 10psi and the larger ones (11 and 13) to 9 psi. This is adequate to keep them firm and rigid enough. Before launching, we adjust the back lines with the bar trim straps to as short as they'll go, this gives a nice direct feel to the kite on launch and allows extra power until the front lines stretch in. Flying characteristics: The kite climbs easily to 12 o'clock and sits there beautifully. You really notice how rigidly the canopy sits in all parts of flying and all parts of the wind window whether the wind is gusty of smooth. Whilst other kites are bucking around, wobbling or jellyfishing, the whole range of Instincts sit there rock solid! The bar pressure is very light and if you come from other more heavy bar kites, it will take some getting used to. It feels odd to have little bar pressure and yet such direct control over turning and power. It's so easy to hold power and steer effectively with one hand for long periods of time. Although you may feel underpowered, you trust the kite and send it into the wind window and feel the smooth power come on, the kite turns very quickly with minimal pressure and moves back to 12 for the second power dive and then you're planing upwind fast still with little pressure in the bar. Allowing the bar to depower you slow down immediately but progressively. The power from these kites is strong and very smooth and the quickness in the turns makes them a pleasure to fly. There is just enough feedback from the bar to know exactly where the kites are in the wind window and the speed through the window is quick without being ridiculous. The sports boost nicely and provide great hangtime and even drop you quite smoothly back down. They don't hang or jump quite as well as the Edge II's but you wouldn't expect that anyway. The power in the turns remains more constant than the Edge II's and the pull in kiteloops is a lot more smooth than the 07 Sport. The 08 Sport II's boost you high and when you pull the bar for a mega loop the kite responds instantly in the smaller sizes and loops hard and fast producing a scary downwind pull but then has the speed to get back to 12 o'clock to cushion the landing although it will still be at 100 mph! The 7m Sport is fast enough to double kiteloop and the 9m pulls harder in the loops. We flew these kites all weekend in the hands of peoplewho had never flown them before and were doing all sorts of silly things to them on the beach and in the water and I thing I saw an Edge II, luff just once over the three day weekend. Sports didn't luff at all. None of the kites back stalled at all! One of the remarkable things with the kites is their wind range. There were times when we had, 13, 11, 9 and 7m Sports all out in the same wind speed and the same went for the Edges and all riders were comfortably powrrd without being over or under powered. I am at a loss to how to explain this . The upwind ability without even trying is insane on these kites and the same for the edges. They all power upwind better than any other kite I have flown and they do it easily! Water relaunch is about as easy as it gets with just turning the bar usually being all it takes. We had several kites dropped in the surf and badly tumbled even rolling inside of themselves but somehow, they would come back up and were able to be flown to the beach. Again, I can't explain this as to how the 5th line wasn't wrapped around the kite, but the bars were twisted inside the back lines and they flew fine. Overall, the kites are a serious step up on last years in all areas, especially the bar and smoothness of the kites. The only negetive I have is possibly the span lines which I would remove off my personal kites, but not a big enough issue to worry about removing off the demo kites we have. The feedback we received was amazing, the kites were excellent and I only had one negetive feedback over thew whole weekend and that was that bar pressure was too light. I've tried to write this as unbiased as I can and it's hard to not seem to be pimping and hyping, so I recommend you try one for yourself and see what I mean. Good winds and I hope this review was of interest. Darren Marshall AKS

Hi All, The only way to buy a board and know it is going to be right is to try it before you buy it. Graphics, dimensions and stiffness etc etc is all nice to know but I know I have been wrong about boards in the past and have only found out by riding them that they are good. For example, I predecided that the 2008 Airush Switch would be a piece of crap based on it's flex and composition. I rode one a few weeks after we opened and got the shock of my life. It was a dream to ride for freeriding! I couldn't have been more wrong. Find a good store in your area and go and ride a few different boards. Ignore brands, colours, and all the other stuff and ride it. Use size as a guide to decide roughly what you think you need, then check with the seller about what they recommend and go out and ride it. Ride several boards and don't be too hasty about your purchase. When you find something that really makes you smile, BUY IT! We have a range of 10 boards on the beach everyday for demo and sell only a handful of boards, but the ones we do sell, the customers love to bits, because they are the right board for the individual. Two different riders try the same board in the same conditions and one loves it and the other hates it. Comes down to your own particular style, so take others opinions with a grain of salt and decide yourself. Good winds, Darren Marshall AKS

Hi Guys, Finally we had a short session at Point Walter with a rather uninspiring 12-15 knots of up and down Easterly. Wind maxed at about 15 knots and at a minimum was around 4 knots. I didn't care, I had new kites I had to try. When I arrived there were a lot of kites out and only one or two people holding their ground upwind. I grabbed the 13m Ozone INstinct Edge II as my weapon of choice as well as a Sport II and a Light II, 12m. I also grabbed the Airush Exile board. Tech specs Body Weight - ~89 kilos Kite - 2008 Ozone Instinct Edge II, 13m Board - Airush Exile-L 135 x 47 Water conditions - smooth to small chop Wind conditions - 8-15 knots with gusts and holes. Rigging was easy, straight out of the bag. No surprises and connect by numbers. Typical Ozone quality with bag design and all compoonents. Internal bar pocket, inner bag for kite, repair kit of (Tear aid, canopy cloth in all canopy colours and a dacro LE material as well as alcohol swabs and spare bits for one pump). The new bar is a far cry from the previous 07 offering with a very functional and tidy setup, nothing blowing around in the wind and super easy to use. The new Megatron Chicken loop is simply sweet, easy, safe and perfect for unhooking as well as hooking. The plastic over the beal line is gone and it slides effortlessly through the stainless centre hole. The smooth composite bar ends with EVA foam padding are a welcome improvement. Ozone have removed the big clunky swivel from the front lines and instead the swivel is down above and part of the chicken loop and is super easy to manually twist about. I really liked that! Flag out line is press buttoned to the centre line setup so it doesn't float about. I liked that too as last years seemed to flap around and get in the way a bit. It is easy to reach for a self landing and can be set up on either front line. The trim setup is similar to last years, super easy to use and a firm cleating each time it is set, very user friendly. I set the back line adjusters to shorten the back lines by a couple of inches for the light wind use and was ready to launch. The kite inflated really quickly due to the narrow leading edge and super thin struts and it easily pumped up to 9 psi. It felt like it wanted more but I thought I'd try it at 9 to be safe. One pump is nice and simple and the little neoprene socks on the crimps are same as last years but dont roll back and get scrunched up (if you know what i mean ;-). The 5th line bridle at the kite looks really complex but is actually easy to rig, it just looks a bit spider web like. Aside from this, it all attached same as last years. I had an assisted launch and immediately brought the kite up and noticed the nice light bar pressure and how quick the kite reacted to the bar input. After a couple of minutes on the beach I grabbed the board and headed out. The wind was still light so I walked upwind a bit and dived to start. The power was smooth but very noticeable. I allowed speed to pick up and then just rode out getting a feel for the kite. Occasionally needing to Sine the kite in the lulls but not coming off the plane. Wind speed was around 12 knots. I turned for the beach and was surprised how easy it was to hold ground. Admittedly the board did help in this department. NExt run was a bit windier and upwind became laughably easy. I decided to try a jump after a few runs and had read a lot of posts on this machines abilities in this department, so I prepared for disappointment. In the light wind, first jump was only a couple of meters and average hangtime, but then again most other kiters were walking back upwind and no one else was even jumping. Next jump was in about a 15 knots gust and I coule feel the pressure as it came up to 12. I tried not to over send it like on my first jump (hard to get used to the quickness of steering) and managed a huge jump of around 5-6 meters but the hangtime was insane. It hauled me up quickly to height and I just hung there. Redirect and a smooth landing, several other jumps were a bit higher and each time the hangtime was ridiculous. The turning of the kite is crisp and swift for such a high aspect beast and the bar pressure required for a turn is light. Holding power is light bar pressure and depower is about 65 - 70% so it is not a kite for noobs. I didn't try the relaunch as I just wanted to ride but will test relaunch when the wind gets up into it's range. I held ground easily in around 11 knots and was jumping in around 12-13. I simply cant wait for a windy day to really send this kite. At last a kite that I feel will deliver scary big jumps. Everyone who rode the kite was really stoked with it and considering the light wind we were riding it in I took this as high praise. I reckon in 15-20 knots, this kite would blow minds and words wouldn't do it justice in 20-25. Come and see us for a demo if you want a ride on this or any of our other kites. I reckon it'll really surprise every one that rides it. Good winds,

Hey Squidrun, I'd love to catch up but am currently working 7 days a week and haven't been able to play for best part of three weeks. After Kitestock I hope to have more time and then we can catch up and go find some terrain to ride. I'll have some land boarding gear at Kitestock because I reckon Dongara has some sick spots to ride. See ya soon, Darren

Hi Exarch, We sell a ladies harness by Flying Objects. It fits nice and is comfortable (so the ladies tell me). At only $110 it's a winner. Good winds,

Hey everyone, Am fairly new to landboarding (several months), and love it. It would be sweet to catch up with some locals to board with and to try and find some nice terrain. My ability is pretty basic, just riding around at moderate speeds, nice carves and ollies to switch and am just getting into jumping. I've been riding South Perth foreshore, Carine Open Space, Pinnaroo Car park, Hillarys Car park, and have been eyeing off the Whitfords boat ramp and car parking area. Drop me a reply, it'd be great to ride with someone else. I feel like a freak! Good winds, Darren

Hi Guys, Agreed, I use the Ozone Harness when landboarding too and reckon it's pretty good. In WA it gets hot here so wearing a waist harness over a T-Shirt just makes me sweat like crazy and it gets uncomfortable. The Ozone harness doesn't make me sweat and the low C of E keeps the bar in a nice comfy position when riding. I attach the chicken loop directly to the D on the harness as the new Ozone QR on the chicken loop is da bomb! There's also a punch out collar on the front lines to kill the kite so I have two ways out. Good winds, Darren

Hi Guys, Yep, Steve's onto it! We'll hopefully have our kites around 3rd or 4th of Feb. We have ordered a heap of demo's which we will be taking on the road to Kitestock and then to selected towns in WA after Kitestock. Our first stop will be in Esperence, so if you are in the local area, keep a close eye on the usual forums to see dates. Most Likely 23 and 24 of Feb. We will also be demoing in and around Perth. We have also placed an order for stock which shouldn't be too far behind the demo's arrival. We will have most of the Sport II's, All of the Edge II's and most of the Light II's as well. Big news is, we are going to give away a 2008 Instinct Sport II at Kitestock, all you have to do to be in the running for this awesome prize, is come and have a demo on any of the Ozone kites we will have on demo. How good's that? I haven't been this excited about the release of a new kite model in years. We have the same commitment to customer satisfaction as Ozone and Kitepower so come and have a chat with us. Feels like Christmas again Good winds, Darren Marshall AKS

Hi Baggsy and others, The standard procedure to run and IKO course is it needs a school to request an ITC from IKO. IKO then send out a request to the nearest IKO Examiner to see if they are able to lead the course. In the event that the local Examiner is unable to run the course, then the IKO send out an email to all other Examiners worldwide to see if someone else will make the trip and conduct the course. This is standard procedure since IKO began. IKO is in the process of appointing and training another Examiner for Australia as my family commitments are increasing and my ability to tour off around the country is becoming more and more difficult. There is also an ITC in Perth on the 14th December. I hope you can get yourself onto one of the local courses. Good luck and good winds, Darren Marshall IKO Examiner

Hi Baggsy and others, I came across this forum and thread by mere chance and started reading. I am sorry you have not been able to get onto a course, I've never known anyone who wants to do the course not get into it. I am the IKO Examiner for Australia and tend to teach most of the ITC's (instructor Training Courses) here in Oz. I run at least 5 courses per year over the last year or so and have normally done 8 per year for the years further back albeit some were in Thailand or Indo. I recently did a course in Sydney for Kitepower, a course in Port Macquarie for X-Shore, a course in Port Douglas for Windswell and a course in Perth through my own school. I also have another course coming up in Perth (14th December) due to strong demand. Padi at Surfconnect is running two courses in the Sunny coast I think this month. I suggest you keep an eye on the IKO website or on my website in the "Events" page. I list them as soon as I am confirmed to do the course. Here is a link http://kiteboardingschool.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=25&Itemid=38 and IKO is http://www.ikointl.com/training_calendar.php?menu_id=3 If you have any further issues, contact me directly through my website, I am easily reached and would be only too happy to help you. Hey Stephen, your response is a little disappointing, perhaps you would like to enlighten the forum members why you have such feelings towards the IKO????? I know the truth, will you tell it? Good winds, Darren Marshall IKO Examiner