Peter Lynn Guerilla II 9M

Peter Lynn Guerrilla 2, 9m

Desiring a high wind Arc to supplement the 13m Bomba in my quiver I eventually won this one off a well known auction site for a fair price.

First Impressions

Although second-hand the material was still crispy and the kite had either been well looked after or hadn't seen a lot of use. It looked kind of tiny alongside the Bomba, unfortunately the inflation zip is also scaled down, so, despite being a smaller kite it takes just as long to inflate as the larger arcs. There's not much else to say about arcs, material, zip, bit of string on each corner and that's about it.

First Flight

For once a maiden flight didn't cause North East England's answer to The Doldrums and the lines were attached in a respectable 25-30mph wind. Inflated it launched nicely with a respectable amount of pull for such a small arc. Compared to the Bomba it positively zips around the sky, needing a some bar input to supplement the fabled PL auto-zenith in gusty wind. After a passes through the window to check the handling, I decided to try a little jump. Not expecting too much from such a small arc, I redirected the kite, yanked the bar all the way down and suddenly found myself checking out the tops of my companions' heads. Quite a bit of lift for a 'little' kite.

In Use

I've used this arc mainly for buggying sometimes in wind which would probably be better suited to the 13m Bomba, just because it turns so much faster. It produces so much power in the buggy compared to foils, quite easily dragging the bug sideways on upwind runs, the extra torque also opens up the softer sand area's of the beach and gives confidence in long runs, knowing the 'walk of shame' won't have to be undertaken for the return leg. Of course, being an arc it's pretty much useless in wind speeds which aren't in double figures, and 9m being small in arc terms it probably needs quite a bit more than that to realise its full potential.

Great kite, handles well, excellent for buggy use, doesn't turn as fast as a Phantom but much less temperamental to fly. I've just ended a three month enforced lay off from boarding, so I hope to be using the little fella for some four wheel cruising over the next few weeks.

By : terra