85kg
intermediate
all styles

Ive being riding a REV for the past 2 seasons and i want to push more freestyle so i was wondering what you all though about switching to a FUEL.

I hear all the time that there the only way to go when it comes to unhooking, handle passes,ect.

I am doing some unhooked stuff now but i find the REV pulls really hard while unhooked which sometimes makes it difficult.

Would i advance quicker on a FUEL or not???

I do plan on trying one out but just wanted ur opinion.

Thanks Guys

do it. lol shouldnt of even been a question. kites like revs and alot of hybridy bowy sle kites pull weird in that when your pretty lit up or over powered and you unhook you just start accellerating uncontrollably where as on the fuel the level of pull would stay consistant with that of it hooked in so its a smooth transition between the two

I moved from Revs / Bandits onto Fuels and it hugely improved my progression. A friend of mine just moved over from the Royal Eras (bow) to Naish Torches (C) and his unhooked riding and kiteloops have progessed a lot since the move.
I am selling my 09 Fuels (11m and 7m) at a steal as I bought new 2010 gear. PM me if you're interested.

Depend on whether you are into freestyle or waves or both.

Purely freestsyle then depanding on butdget, you can have the following options.
Big kite 13m or 11m, small kite 9m or 7m.

13m 9m is the combo for me and I am 86kg but then I also have a 6RPM for the really windy days as the bridle system on it is really good. Flies like a fuel stearring wise but has more of a wind range. Reality is that you won't be unhooking much on your 6m anyway.

The other way you can extend the range of your 9m is to have a set of lines which are 20m instead of the standard length. This does 2 things to your 9m, it reduces the initial power generation as the kite has less window to travel through. It flies (Appears to) fly faster, but that is because the kite is so much closer to you.

Shorter lines extend the wind range of your kite but you still get benefit of bigger kite for freestyle and not having to increase your quiver.

For waves 11m fuel so you can freestyle and then 8m RPM as they are really good freestyle kites but great cross over for waves.

Purely waves new octane or last year Rev 2.

My two cents about slingshot option as the post was about fuels. There are other brands out there, but Fuel is the premium freestyle kite and with the newer ones you can get away with two. Everyone at my beach does.

These new C kites (torch/fuel) is where the interest is at for a rider who has 2-3 seasons under their belt. With the fuel (2009-2010- pretty much the same canopy) the guys who demo mine say the same comments.

1) This kite has a lot of depower.
2) I cant believe how well it handles gusts
3) I can hardly feel the difference between being hooked/unhooked compared to my..............
4) Jesus these kites have grunt. I thought C kites have no lowend.
5) Wow it is so stable it the air.
6) I love the way you can edge a little harder to blow off power rather than relying on the depower in the bar, this kite will help me improve.

Not sponsored or affiliated with slingshot.

2) Fuel and Torch are the best C kites in the market

Fantastic kites!

Note 1: you are sacrificing the easy water relaunch of your current kite for more performance ability.

Not sure I fully agree. Having moved from bows/hybrids to Cs I was surprised at how easy they are to relaunch.

Note 2: C kites have a smaller wind range.

Agree - BUT they are not hugely different. You can still get away with a two kite quiver and have a pretty big windrange.

Go the fuel. they have been awesome kites for years. Good too see a few people having a crack.

I went from Fuels to Revs to RPM now back to Fuels. For me, I found unhooking on the Rev difficult after coming off fuels but the Rev is really not designed for unhooking. The RPM is a great kite and you really can set it up like Fuel or more like a Rev due to the numerous setting options but has the relaunch of the Rev. The RPM is a great kite for unhooking when set like a Fuel (but it still isn't a fuel) and this could be the option for you. Still (for me), after coming back to a Fuel after the Rev and RPM was like catching up with an old mate and couldn't see myself going back to a bridled kite.

As everyone else suggests try a demo of the RPM and Fuel if you get the chance.

Cheers

Thanks guys you have helped out heaps

Im demoing a torch next week but am finding it really hard to get a fuel to take for a test ride.

Also i was thinking of getting a 9m fuel/torch but cant really afford to get an 11m as well.

The 9 will be fine in 18-25 which is what is is most of the time here hey???

Thanks again

didnt bother reading everyones responses so if i repeat what u said tough diddums.

1. common mistake people make when unhooking is trimming/depowering their kites, you will actually find the kite is more controllable unhooked at full power as it doesnt try to race forward in the window as much as it does when you pull a bit of trim in (referring to bridal kites)

2. your wind range for "unhooked freestyle" would probably be bigger on a C kite if you know how to edge effectively as u can unhook more over powered on a C and still be in control than a bow due to the above mentioned racy forwardy thingo that bows do.

3. dont make the mistake of buying a naish seagull kite, only time their team riders are on them is for photo shoots and promos, ur much better off on a torch fuel hifi comp or otherwise.

4. i actually agree with dave, fuel straight out takes a dump on the torch performance wise, construction wise and one pump wise (<-lol)

I just picked up a couple of old 2005 model Fuel's (11 & 15m) and i've been grinning like a 3 year old with a double scoop icecream on a hot summers day ever since!
I don't ride them everyday, but when the conditions are right they're silly fun to ride.

Just suggesting that perhaps everyone doesn't need to go buy the 2010's to get the c-kite buzz. I picked up those two kites for less than id usually pay for a second hand board! Check out the buy & sell... there's heaps of them on there.

koma said...

I just picked up a couple of old 2005 model Fuel's (11 & 15m) and i've been grinning like a 3 year old with a double scoop icecream on a hot summers day ever since!
I don't ride them everyday, but when the conditions are right they're silly fun to ride.

Just suggesting that perhaps everyone doesn't need to go buy the 2010's to get the c-kite buzz. I picked up those two kites for less than id usually pay for a second hand board! Check out the buy & sell... there's heaps of them on there.

I did the same thing........ ended up getting two 05/06 fuels cheap....... and as koma said I dont ride them all the time, but they are great when the conditions are perfect.... I could not recommend them as a one kite quiver but for wakestyle and loops when the wind is constant they are great...... they are not so great when it is gusty or you are riding in the surf.

Chris33 said...

Hey vadalas, consider a Naish 2010 Cult (I'm not sponsored, have a deal or any other alliance to create bias, 10 years kiting).
They are insane kites and fly really well un-hooked - I don't normally bother much with un-hooking but these kites are easy to fly unhooked - check out the technology - mainly the 'linear power band'=flies well regardless of state of depower, 'geo-tech'=clever canopy tension=stable flight and the sigma shape=easy relaunch and further stability. Check out Naish website.
They're all-terrain, super fun kites with a massive range. Not super grunty (big low end) but that supports the lighter touch. Amongst the best if not the best quality.
Get you hands on a demo, best to score winds circa 16-18k (to test-unhooking, not too strong), pump it up hard and go nuts.

i wouldn't push the cult to far for a intermediate rider the cult is for beginners to intermediate when i was riding this kite the depower is soo good nothing can happen to you when u fly the cult (unless u make it do something out of your skill level) there is no grunt on this kite whatsoever and most people like a grunty kite because that gives them the rush not many intermediates - pros ride non-grunty kites. Un-hooking would also be a breeze on this kite since its super stable and non-grunty kite but again people would prefer to do a trick more powered, bigger and higher and with a grunty kite you will be able to do all your tricks bigger than on a cult

BMAN said...

What about the Liquid force Hi fi comp?

Which has the best range out of these 3 ...torch, fuel and hifi comps?


Cheers

Yes, I would love to know this as well...

jumpindave said...

Don't buy a C kite if you are only 2-3 seasons in. They are far to dangerous and sporadic for general use, I have seen one to many kiter think they are ready to tame the beast and end up hitting a wall, physically and mentally speaking.

completely disagree... did kitesurfing become the hardest sport in existence since i learnt on 02 03 c kites? i was 14 when i flew my first LEI 11m Aero and im still alive? i admit i learnt ages ago just didnt get into the sport until i was alot older.. but anyway this anti c kite and c kite is dangerous crap is wayyyyyy offfff... if anything i feel more comfortable on them due to their predictability.

BMAN said...

What about the Liquid force Hi fi comp?

Which has the best range out of these 3 ...torch, fuel and hifi comps?


Cheers

im not too sure about the fuel and torch this year but judging from older fuels n torches i think all three will be very very close range wise..

ive used the hifi comp 2010 9m in 16 knots and could go upwind in boots and generate enough speed to pop and ive used it unhooked in 22 23 knots too pretty comfortably.. most i had the 9 out in was a 34 knot squall where i had my arse handed to me but i was set on full power and the average speed before squall hit was 25ish and i was comfortable then until the squal just came in and hammered me.

i think the 9m hifi comp has a unhooked useable range of about 17 - 23 and probably max hooked in around 30ish depending on ur skills