koma Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 First of all a little background so you know that this review isn't coming from a hardened/seasoned veteran kitesurfer, more an enthusiastic guy with a passion for pushing my limits. Experience: Kitesurfing 6 months; just progressing basic tricks. Traction kiting 2 years & stunt kiting 8 years. Weight: ~80kg dry Board: '06 Naish Sol 136x41.5 Kite history (kite's i've spent 5+ sessions with): '06 Ozone Instinct 11m, '07 GK Sonic 11m, '06 GK Sonic 11m, '03 Naish AeroII 12m. So my new toy arrived this afternoon as i eagerly sat at home having taken a week off from work as a late Xmas holiday. Whilst this review is only based on one session i'll update it over my week holiday to include pics and additional review info. First session was down at St Kilda this afternoon in ~20-24 knots gusting to 28 knots SW. Not ideal conditions to test out a new kite but i thought i'd give it a shot anyway. The kite had been set up by it's previous owner although i gave it the once over to make sure it was all to my approval. The lines had been set up for maximum power, which in hindsight was a bad idea for today but more on that later. Upon first inspection the detailing on the kite is fantastic! Scuff pads on the leading edge in all the right places, and not the weak pissy little double layer of fabric. I mean proper armour style scuff pads. The attachment points and lines from the kite are all far more heavy duty and thicker than any of the other kites i've spent significant time with. As is usual these days the front and rear lines are 'kook-proof', whilst the fifth line is a different length so it's practically impossible to stuff up if you've ever rigged a kite before. Even without the instruction manual i was fine and dandy setting it up on a windy beach. From the bar the front line (yes just the one dear) runs up with a few loops to keep the fifth line under control and not flapping around until about half way up where it splits in two. I didn't get a chance to closely inspect that detail. Pumping it up with the jumbo Naish pump that came with it was a simple process... although i'll be sure to remember to check ALL the strut valves are closed before wondering why one strut wasn't inflating whilst all the rest were done. The 'octopus inflation system' works well with decent pressure in the LE and struts; although IMHO i would've thought more pressure was required in the struts. None the less once launched it proved to live up to all the marketting hype about 'canopy stability' and all that jazz. Each of the struts has an internal one way valve attached to the LE to allow inflation, then a dump valve on the side of each one for deflation. It works well but i've been told it's a PITA to repair bladders. Assisted launching was as easy as always, although my launching buddy commented that the kite had significantly more grunt than he was used to whilst launching. I guess that means i can just launch even wider in the wind window next time. The Alliance comes with the Naish 'Smart Loop' system already fitted instead of the optional upgrade like the Helix, so i can't compare the non-smart loop edition but i can say that it's very neat and really simple to use... until you forget that the bar stopper needs to be slid down ever so slightly otherwise the depower rope just won't budge an inch! Only caught me out once then i learnt. Once on the water i kept it with about 4 inches of depower pulled in just until i was used to it. Gave it the usual dive and held the bar in about 1/3 the way and it pulled me out of the water with a significant grunt i honestly wasn't expecting, and was certainly not used to compared to my '06 Instinct's smooth and progressive pull. I can only equate the two kites to cars; the Instinct is like a high revving 4 cylinder turbo, the Alliance is like a big block hemi! Once i got a bit of speed the Alliance continued to develop power... and kept going, and going and going. Now i'm going to admit that i need to spend a bit more time on this kite as it kept pulling me off my edge. It just doesn't have the massive depower throw that my Instinct did; and i realise now that i was using alot more of that depower than i knew! Not to worry, it'll just mean my board skills will improve over the next few weeks as i come to terms with it. Turning speed on the Alliance is about on par with my un-modded '06 Instinct 11m, until i tried turning the Alliance almost fully powered to launch into a bit of a jump, then it turned so quickly i really wasn't expecting it! None the less, held my edge and decided to rip the bar in for a bit of 'up up & away action'. Jumping this kite is going to take me a little while to get used to, but i'm already addicted! With the quick yank of the bar i ended up doing a bit of an S-bend (first time for everything), then turned the kite with the bar still ~2/3 the way in and floated back down to continue on my merry way. Now it was only a couple of sessions ago i started landing jumps, so this was a HUGE confidence boost for me. Bar pressure was a fair bit higher than i'm used to since flying the GK Sonics (very low) and my '06 Instinct (also very low!). It wasn't uncomfortable but it was certainly more of a work out that i'm used to. I did end up using the bar stopper and found it a real blessing. Just riding with the bar against the stopper with minimal input just to keep the kite positioned perfectly. For a summary of this outing i can only describe the kite as a very well finished kite, lovely raw grunty pull but not as much depower on tap as i would have liked. That's not to say it doesn't depower, just it really needs the edging board skills that i'm still developing. More session reviews and some photo's to follow shortly. Cheers, Jason. Quote
JKS Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 Nice banter Koma .... look forward to round 2 ... and 3 ... and 4 .... and photos Happy Days Quote
SHEPPO3930 Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 good to read a review by a kiter who isnt considered a pro, expert, highly skilled, etc (all in due time of course ) nice read and i look foward to the next part Quote
koma Posted January 17, 2008 Author Report Posted January 17, 2008 Session 2 Report Conditions: Started out at ~13 knots building progressively building to ~22 knots (with 25 knot gusts). Location: St Kilda Since i've managed to get a week off work and i happen to have a brand spanking new kite just sitting here i thought i'd make the most of it and get back down to the beach for another session. On the agenda today was light wind performance and stability. Starting out by rigging up and taking a couple of photo's on my phone so excuse the quality. Decided i'd experiment with self-launch and land this time whilst the wind was light. I must say that for a 12m kite this thing launches incredibly easily! I have zero experience launching 5-line setups but i understand the theory as i spent a bit of time on an old-school 4 line Naish Aero II. So on the beach, left one edge of the kite just starting to catch the wind as if i was going to do a bow launch. Pulled that corner around so the kite filled with wind, pulled a bit of fifth line then pulled a rear line and it just rolled over on it's sigma leading edge and up, up and away she went! No dragging the leading edge across the sand; it just rolled over and up it went. Optimistically grabbed my board and headed for the water. Turns out that ~13 knots IS enough to get me up and riding, just not enough to hold my ground and get upwind. Not to worry, i learnt alot about over-flying the kite and how NOT to get the most out of it in marginal conditions. I did unfortunately drop it in the water a couple of times whilst the wind was low and am very happy to report that it's an absolute breeze to relaunch! Comparing it to all other kites i've flown, it was easily the quickest kite to get back in the air in marginal conditions. I'd have been struggling to even get my Instinct back in the air! One small victory for the fifth line. Speaking of over flying... next time i decide to take the Alliance out in marginal conditions i'll remember not to over-fly it past 12 o'clock. On three separate occasions i was attempting to extract every last bit of power out of the minimal wind available and accidentally ended up dropping in the water with the bar pulled all the way in causing all the lines to go slack. I can honestly say that as i watched and saw my new kite toy fall out of the sky and spiral towards the water my heart skipped a beat. Well, it's not quite as bad as i had expected, but unfortunately without the anti-inversion lines that i mocked on my Instinct, the Alliance folded itself over resulting in the fifth line going around the outside of one of the rear steering lines. No major harm done, but it did result in a short swim back to shore to undo the lines and quickly re-rig. If anyone was down at St.K today watching me, please know that this was almost undoubtedly user-error given that i kept accidentally over-sheeting the kite and then dropping in the water. One positive that came out of my kack flying is that it's pretty much impossible to get the kite to back-stall. Keeping in mind that the rear lines are at their tightest knot on the bar end and i was still not able stall it! When ever i did intentionally over sheet the kite it just sat there and sunk back slightly from the edge of the wind window where it would just hang there until i released the bar, at which point it would come back to life and zip back out to the edge of the window. The good thing about all of those stuff-ups is that i got to test the quick release and fifth line depower and relaunch a fair bit. I could've just said i intentionally was trying to drop it in the water... but i'm sure you all appreciate the honesty in my review. The quick release is by far the best i have used, and definitely among the best on the market. No sharp edges and nothing to jam up with sand. Just slide the plastic collar towards the kite and a little rounded metal tongue pops out sideways releasing the CL. As soon as you've done this the bar flys about 2.5m away from you up the fifth line causing the kite to completely flag out and fall on it's back. This is the sort of safety i had dreamed about since having safety 'issues' with my Instinct not fully depowering. To keep going i simply pulled the fifth line towards me until the bar was within reach, re-rigged the CL, hooked in then off i went. After all of this the wind picked up to a respectable 16-20 knots which was enough to give me a nicely powered session. The outcome from this session is that i can clearly say that the low end of this kite is superb! I was up and riding whilst other guys were doing about as well on 15m kites. At the same time, i can undoubtedly say that the top end of it isn't quite as high as my Instinct. Whether it's the 1m difference (12m Alliance vs 11m Instinct), if it's the SLE design vs the 5th line setup, or if it's the difference between an '06 and an '08 kite, who knows... but i like it! Very stable, very powerful kite with all the safety features and simple bar that i've been looking for. Quote
MilesMan Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 Really nice information koma. I haven't flown the alliance but did get to try the cult on a one off and found it was nice but not radically different to other kites. I much preferred the helix more then the cult but will have to try an alliance next. How does it compare to a helix? Quote
just some kitin' girl Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 excellent review Koma!!!.... Usually readin' a review I'm a bit like this before the kite is even blown up..........but not only read ya first one but every word of the 2nd outing as well....AND lookin' forward to the 3rd!..etc...I agree with Sheppo....tis good to read (such an informative and entertaining) review from someone that is not considered a pro etc.... Quote
Jason Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 Session 2 Report Speaking of over flying... next time i decide to take the Alliance out in marginal conditions i'll remember not to over-fly it past 12 o'clock. On three separate occasions i was attempting to extract every last bit of power out of the minimal wind available and accidentally ended up dropping in the water with the bar pulled all the way in causing all the lines to go slack. . Hopefully I can shed some light on to the differences between the 3 Naish Sigma models this year and also give ppl an understanding of why each model reacts in such a way. Not trying to preach here just that I have flown all 3 models a bit. I will try it one kite at a time. HELIX The Helix is the big air kite of the 3. The higher aspect and 7 struts give the Helix the biggest top end wind range of them all. (a friend of mine was out on his 12m2 in 25-35knt with me the other week) Characteristics of the Helix are smooth power delivery, precise steering and excellent top end. The 1:1 2:1 bar option really isn't needed as the kite is great in 1:1 but it might suit a few riders. CULT The Cult is the all rounder of the range. With less struts and a 1:1 bar it is also the cheapest model. The Cult offers more bottom end power than the other 2 and more pop than the Helix. Not much else to say here other than this is my favourite of the 3 as it does everything well. ALLIANCE The Alliance is the freestyle Sigma kite. Designed to offer more direct feedback through the bar and a 5 line setup. Obviously without a SLE it offers less wind range than the other 2. As a freestyle kite it is designed to punch to the edge of the window after you pop the board. This is to stop the kite trucking you through the air during unhooked moves. The down side is less bottom end power and a kite that will tend to be a little luffy in marginal conditions. The upside is if you stomp your back foot a bit in a gust the kite will shoot to the edge for you. Hope some of this banter has helped. Quote
koma Posted January 18, 2008 Author Report Posted January 18, 2008 Thanks Jason. I'll agree with the reduced wind range compared to the Helix; that said i do tend to prefer to ride slightly over-powered so this is working well for me. I really must play around with the depower trim a bit more as in both of the sessions i've had i've not moved it more than about 2 inches. I was also going to play around with the attachment points on the kite and see if i can find a setting that works well for me. Anyone reading this review please don't take my overflying comment as a kite based fault, as i'm pretty much definite it was the kook holding onto the bar that was causing the trouble. The Ozone Instinct has programmed me into wanting to keep the bar about half way through it's travel, so now i just need to unlearn the Instinct technique and get myself hooked in with the Alliance technique. Also your comment about stomping your back foot to get the kite to shoot to the edge of the window is one thing i've been working with as i quickly found that the upwind technique for the Alliance is quite a bit different compared to my Instinct. My board skills are being forced to improve at an incredible rate and i now realise that the Instinct was flattering me by allowing my poor board skills to be masked by the massive 'fall from the sky' depower range on the bar. Quote
Jangles Posted January 18, 2008 Report Posted January 18, 2008 Do you have any pics of the shift system? Keen on seeing it in a little more detail! Quote
koma Posted January 18, 2008 Author Report Posted January 18, 2008 I didn't get a chance to take any photo's of the shift system myself as i was kinda keen to get out on the water and riding. :D I've attached a couple of pages from the user manual off the Naish Kites website which shows it in as much detail as any other photograph will. ... and lastly a close up of the smart loop; which i must say i'm very happy with! Very neat and easy to release system with no sharp edges or anything to cut or squash a finger in. Combined with the shift (5th line) system it works really well! Eeh ghad; i hope i'm not sounding like a kite pimp now. I'm just trying to give credit where credit is due. Did i mention i don't like the Naish bag? The Ozone bag is MUCH MUCH better in that it's got a nice comfy back padding for those of us without luxurious back fat, and is a much smaller and neater bag. The Naish bag does have the bit to strap your board to, but it's on the outside further away from your back so it tends to move around and wobble all over the place when the wind is up. Over all, when you pack your kite away in the Naish bag, it looks like the bag ate too many pies, where as the Ozone bag looks like it contains something important. See, i'm unbiased! I just like my new toy. Oh, and after reading through the manual again (yeah i know RTFM!) it appears that i've got the kite set to the 'not as much depower' setting on the front of the kite, so i'm changing that this afternoon and will see how i go. I'm sure after a couple more sessions i'll have it tweaked just the way i like it. PS. I'm glad everyone likes my reviewing. I tend to find that once i start writing i'll just keep rabbiting on until every little detail is on the screen/paper. Quote
Baggsy Posted January 18, 2008 Report Posted January 18, 2008 Anyone reading this review please don't take my overflying comment as a kite based fault, as i'm pretty much definite it was the kook holding onto the bar that was causing the trouble. Koma, thats what reviews are all about !! if you come across difficulties or favorables , put them in because there are a heap of newbies (and advanced riders) out there wanting to try these kites and it helps to know when something "might " happen so they can prepare for it or prevent it . reviews are not about telling every one the "YUMMY" stuff... they are about YOUR HONEST OPINION. and i must say you have done a Fantastic job of that :clapping::clapping: definatly worth the nigel award :nigel: Quote
koma Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Posted January 23, 2008 Third Report (and probably the last) After a few more sessions ranging from ballistic 26-32 knot winds at Altona, to rather sedate and a little lack lustre 15-18 knots at St Kilda i've got a few last tid bits to report on this kite. I decided after reading the user manual that i'd swap the front attachment points from where they were when i received the kite being the rear option which in the Naish manuals words means 'more hang time, more power to harness, choice for heavier riders, bar is less sensitive to movement' to the front most attachment point which in Naish language means 'choice of pros, wost wind range, increased sheetability, best for overpowered conditions'. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT KITE! The bar pressure has now been reduced from what i would describe as a mild-to-moderate work out to a complete pleasure to fly. Bar pressure is now what i'd call solid and informative but subtle enough to not be heavy. In real terms it means that when flying it for the first few sessions i got blisters on my fingers, and now i can kite for as long as i want and not even notice it. Still more than my Instinct, but far far less than before. As for the other promises about 'choice of pros, most wind range, etc etc' well i haven't become Hadlow overnight thats for sure, but i'm certainly enjoying my kiting more in the last few sessions than i had previously! Have just started pulling (and landing!) backrolls and a few attempted front rolls that i haven't been able to land (yet!). The ballistic session at Altona was a great chance to check out the depower available on this kite. Most guys were rigging 8-10m kites, but a few were out with 12's but were looking a little sheepish and over-powered. I tend to not mind riding a bit overpowered and actually prefer it, so decided to rig up and head out. Ended up riding with about 5-6 inches of depower pulled in on the smart-loop which results in ~2.5 inches of slack on the rear lines. Either way, it was perfect! I even tested the relaunch in ballistic winds for you lot (!!), which i'm happy to report is as easy as ever... although it does tend to whip round and out of the water rather quickly which did catch me off-guard (suuuupermaan!). The not-so-ballistic session was at St Kilda only last night (23/01/08) and whilst the wind reports were saying ~15-17 knots... it certainly felt a LOT less than that to me. Perhaps i was just too used to riding in nuking conditions, but i just wasn't able to get my groove on. I'm pretty sure i had also picked up my bad habit of riding with the bar half in again which i MUST SNAP OUT OF!!! None the less, after attempting a couple of little boosts and a couple of failed backrolls i decided to come in and check on my mate who was having leaky LE issues. Went for one last run out and back... and as always i pushed it a bit too hard, overflew the kite past 12 o'clock with the bar pulled in and she hindenberged right down! I'm thinking this might be the kook on the bar still as i tended to also get the same thing happen with my Instinct (and all the other kites i've flown) in low winds. None the less, it crashed down LE to water, then rolled back over itself, through the lines... 'F$#K!' Ah well, it's swimming time. Released the kite to the shift line (5th line) and it just hovered there about a metre above the water as i started to swim in. I decided i'd haul the kite in and sail back into the beach so drew in the shift line, grabbed the LE and tried to sail back into the beach. I learnt one thing; and that's that i need more practice with self rescue's as whilst i'm sure if i needed to i could've brought the tips together to come back in, but this time it just seemed like an impossibility. Anyway, eventually got back into the beach after much swearing and paddling. Undid the lines and went home. A big thanks to the guy on the Flexifoil Atom? (i think?!) that came and checked to make sure i was ok. I reeeeally do appreciate it as if i was in trouble i would've been grateful. I did thank him kindly and explain the situation, so alls well that ends well. All in all, it's a fantastic kite! Really stable in the sky and despite having less depower than the Instinct it REALLY soaks up gusts. It's also let me know that despite all my kiting experience i still have a fair bit to learn about kite control and not overflying past 12 o'clock. I'm gonna have a shot at unhooking again next session as long as the winds are decent, but from my little run unhooked i'm quite pleased with how controllable and refined the kite feels. Would i keep my Instinct instead of this kite? Hell no! Before i moved the attachment points i was having second thoughts... but now no way i'd give it up. Cheers all! Pining for a down winder. Quote
JKS Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 Put your cash into Naish ...... oh yeah:D Quote
koma Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Posted January 23, 2008 Put your cash into Naish ...... oh yeah:D Well oddly enough my first kite was a Naish, and i loooove this kite! That whole thing about the Naish 'grunt', well it's giving me the confidence to push much harder and go further than i felt capable of on the Ozone. Why else would the thought, 'hey i wonder if i can pull of a front roll' pop into my head whilst the wind was cranking ~30 knots?! Who cares what it is... im enjoying kiting more than i ever have! Now bring on the 20kn + winds!!! Quote
Dark_oman Posted January 26, 2008 Report Posted January 26, 2008 nice review, I reckon I might have a test fly of an allience after reading this ps I recon I must have seen you at st kilda on 22nd, orange'n'blue sigmas kinda stand out, nice back rolls man! Quote
koma Posted January 26, 2008 Author Report Posted January 26, 2008 nice review, I reckon I might have a test fly of an allience after reading this ps I recon I must have seen you at st kilda on 22nd, orange'n'blue sigmas kinda stand out, nice back rolls man! Teehee. Just wait till you can stick a Mobe 7 then you'll be it and a bit. BTW, you lose cos the winds gonna be cranking tomorrow and you won't be there. Quote
kuzo Posted May 7, 2009 Report Posted May 7, 2009 Hi! I got my alliance last year and now im making the first steps in the water. I have a problem with the kite in light wind conditions - if i don't wave it from side to side it tends to fall down( wind speed arround 5-6m/s). When the wind is stronger than 6m/s it flyes very nicley. So I would like to ask is there a way to give the kite more power( i think) ??? some adjustments i could do so it doesnt happen so often? Thanks. Hope some one still reads this and will reply cheers Quote
Jason Posted May 7, 2009 Report Posted May 7, 2009 Hi Kuzo, You need to look at a couple of things. First is the kite tuning- At the bar you will need to shorten the steering lines by adjusting them to the knot closest to the bar. Second is the way you fly the kite- Yes in Very light wind you may have to fly the kite around a little bit but most of the time the kite should sit there if you hold the bar in a little bit. Also try putting the kite at 10-11 or 1-2 instead of directly above your head. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.