Disclosure: (team rider )


The Crew at SOS got delivery of there new Religions about 6 weeks ago but the 11.5 m took a little longer to arrive so I delayed the review until I got my hands on all 3: the 7m, 9m and 11.5m.

I'm absolutely in love with these new kites .

Firstly for those of you who didnt try the Mk 1, it was a revolutionary kite for ultra quick turning and a fairly low power when thrown across the window which meant superb control at all times when wave riding. It could be looped with very little power and positioned anywhere in the window in an instant. It had its detractors too, mainly does who felt it lacked grunt, boost and drive, it was definitely not a jumping kite, and its lacked bottom end size for size. The bigger kites felt slow and heavy and still lacked power. The 7m was howver a real benchmark and just the best 7 ever and could still easily be thrown around the waves when the winds starting hitting 30kts.

This year the team at RRD say they have redesinged the whole range size by size. The changes are less or none at all in the smallest sizes. The bigger kites are changed they say to be more responsive and more powerful and better upwind.

This is certainly born out by my experience. The first thing I noticed when I took out the 9m was the steady power dragging me upwind and was now able to pace upwind machines like the North rebel. The kite also has more power in the turns and absolutely screeches around the corners. The turn is just as quick but more powered and less pivotal than before and it accelerates instantly across the window without stall. Whereas before the old 9m would suffice to get you upwind it lacked dynamism in the waves until the wind was solid 20kts by which time you were thinking 7m anyway. Now the 9m is fun in any wind you can stay upwind in.

This years kites all have more progressive back line pressure and are much harder to stall if you oversheet. In many ways this takes the best features of a freestyle kite like the RRD Obsession [fast through the air with a boosty ride] but with better turning. This now a kite which you can jump with but not really a ''blast you into orbit rocket launcher'' like an obsession. The power is now smooth and progressive as you sheet in and you need to adjust the front line length to wind strength giving it a wider useable range. Last years had no guts in the bar at all and stalled easily if oversheeted. They back stall less now in lulls and drift back beautifully when your heading towrds the kite. The kite turns off the top with a very positive powered snap with more of a C kite feel , where the whole canopy twists around the corner. Just as fast as last year but more gutsy in the turns You can now absolutely crank down the bar too and i love being able to yank a few more Gs into my turn with my hand on the bar while ridng hooked, and it just responds faster and faster with loads of feel for position.

Initially I found I could easily overcook the bottom turn used to the lower power delivery in last years kite but have amazed myself with the airs i can now boost off the lip with extra power as the kite turns behind the wave. It is hard to summarise kite feel but put it this way, whereas last year i would be always looking forward to those 7m days this year now I honestly feel 7 and 9 feel equally good.

The 7m too has the characteristics of the 9m just faster and is an absolute whip in the waves. You can place that kite anyplace, anytime, anywhere, almost as soon as you have thought of it. Bottom end is bit better than last years and I am still to feel a top end limit because we havent really had any 30kt + seabreezes yet this year with el Nina and 25c water temps. We had one 30kt day and it was just loads of fun.

The 11.5m should really be a light wind machine as its the kite you ask for when everyone else is standing on the beach. Last year it definitely wasnt any good in light winds, but this year it feel like a totally different machine. I have been out absolutely cranking upwind in about 12kts on my 6"3 STRETCH when Seabreeze has not had a green arrow anywhere to be seen, AND I was still cranking bottom turns and boosting aerials on the waves, the kite having not just bottom end but having actually better turning speed and dynamic drive than last years. It turns like most 8ms but competes with any other 12 for power.

When the Religion first came out it was the first of its kind in a a way an ultra fast turning 3 strut wave kite. Cabrinha and Ozone have launched similar products since then ad it no longer stands alone, but if you have been feeling jaded and uninspired by another session on your Rebel or Switchblade my advice is demo one of these and tell me if that doesn't put the fire back in your belly!

Oh yeah finally the construction is right up there with the very best. The beefed up for wave use'' Dacron reinforced panels have some pretty fancy stitched in graphics this year and less overlapping makes the kite a little lighter and and it does look sensational. I absolutely hammered my old Religions for 2 seasons and the flying characteristics and panel shapes seesmed exactly the same at the end as when i pumped them up for the first time, not my experience with previous kites with all teijin cloth panels. I can only think that the extra reinforcement not only protects the panels from tearing in the waves but also from been stretched. All the bridal attachment points are well reinforced and I had no mechanical failures with last years. The Rekigion 1's valves and one pumpsystem worked day in and day out for nearly 2 years and this new Religion should be no different. This is a kite which would last most riders several seasons.

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niall barrett said...

11.5m - It turns like most 8ms but competes with any other 12 for power.

So it turns faster than the 9m Religion or does the 9m turn like a 5m?

I actually thought we had buried the "turns like a kite -2m and has the power of a kite +2m" statement.

Slack you do of course make a good point and kites always turn better in small sizes and religions are no different. They just turn faster than everything , size for size.

My point was that whereas last year turning speed seemed to have been made at the cost of power this year there has been a considerable increase in power without any apparent scarifice to turning speed. This obviously means that you can pull the smaller sizes out at lower wind strengths and user a faster kite consequently.

I would stand by statement that there are 8m on the market that will turn slower than a Religion 11.5. Naturally these kites are not designed primarily for dynamic turning but for other features like depower control and gust stability. Though kites vary widely in power I dont think there is an 8m on the market that would generate the same power and bottom end as this 11.5. Having said that a 12 Crossbow or Rebel would be way more powerful than this 11.5 but turn like a Zeppelin and those who have those kites do admit they are too slow to really use successfully in waves. Wave rider place a premium on responsiveness because it directly affects the speed at which they turn back at the wave. This becomes the limiting factor ultimately and no one kids themselves that they have a 16m wave kite. I think the 11.5 does hit the spot when it comes to fusing these elements for light wind riding.

The other thing to consider is the different type of turning. Pivoting is the quickest way to make a kite turn but this is done when the kite is stalled and no power is generated. This means that the kite can take more time to accelerate out of the turn and come across the window. A dynamic turn is really exemplified by C kites that take an arc through the turn which is more exciting as power is generated rather than lost [what i have called dynamic]. Bridal kites can be adjusted the achieve the optimum balance of the 2 types of turn.

I ended up getting the 7m & 9m religion a couple of months ago very happy with these kites. I had a demo of the reo and was pretty happy with that two, it was very similar to the religion quick, light and drift well great for WA conditions.
The construction of the religion is what made my desicion!
Has anyone rided religion unhooked in waves?

How dose the religion recover after hit by a wave?

some modern quick kite have a smaller diameter leading edge which dose not hold the bow shape after hit by white water, some times will lay flat on the water long after wave pased and make relunch difficult.

Dose the religion 2 goes back to bow shape easy after losing shape in the white water?

religion mk II vs ozone reo ???

I have an opportunity on a RRD Religion 7m 2011 but I can't demo it.
Does anybody has an idea about its bottom end for a 48Kg rider (on F-One fish 5'2")? Thanks.

2011 Religion is a great kite and little different to the 2012. 48kgs you say... that is seriously light. You should be going on the 7m in 15kts and fully powered in 18kts and topping out at 23kts so you prob need a 5 too. I'm 90kgs and the 7m is full power in 25kts and I am still in control in 30+

Thanks for the clear answer Nial. Yep it's mostly for a light weight person, but I plan to use it s well.

gday niall,well i understand your point about the feel of your larger kite being equal to that of a smaller kite.i just got a 7 and 10 religion and the 10 feel like your only riding a 8mtr.i changed from a rebel after riding it for a few years and the differance is huge.big thanks to the lads at s.o.s for sending the kites over to vic for me .you guys need to come over and bring afew of these kites with you for the rest of the crew to demo .awesome kites.... cheers gazza

Hi guys, last year's Religion did not jump at all but how is this year's version?

I am talking about doing strapless 360 with grabs etc. not like expecting it to be a boosting machine but some jumpability would be good.

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omg said...

Hi guys, last year's Religion did not jump at all but how is this year's version?

I am talking about doing strapless 360 with grabs etc. not like expecting it to be a boosting machine but some jumpability would be good.

Also, could Niall or someone comment on the bar pressure and upwind performance of the 9 and 10.

Thanks

gday hunter,firstly i have just picked up the 7/10 religion.Had 2 sessions with the 10.The bar pressure is very light.Please note i can only compare this to my old north rebel.But i feel that i could kite all day with this.Going up wind is no problem.Its not as good as the rebel but it does get you there.One of the best features is how well it drifts down wind.Were my old rebel would start to back stall this kite just sits there perfectly.The kite turns very fast but also wont pull you out of the wind window.The depower set up is very simple and effective.all up im luvin it so far and cant wait for a session on my 7.have seen this size kite in action and would have to be the fastest turn kite on the market.hope this helps...

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truster said...

religion mk II vs ozone reo ???

I'm interested in this comparison as well ... can not seem to find either of these kites for demo.

Tony

you can read unbiased reviews on these kites done by non team profesional riders on kiteworld . com , very informative with all the likes and dislikes

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cauncy said...

you can read unbiased reviews on these kites done by non team profesional riders on kiteworld . com , very informative with all the likes and dislikes

I assume you mean kiteworldmag . com ? I agree the reviews out there seem good. I do see reviews on the Reo but nothing on the Religion. I'm in Cape Hatteras this week and these kites do not exist in the shops ... I don't get it.

Gday all,just a quick update.I have had afew sessions on the 7 religion.Can honestly say that this kite is awesome.Have dropped it in the surf acouple of times and cant believe how easy the re-launch is.Very fast turning and again the depower set up works a treat.Kited for about three hours with it and the legs got sore before the arms,mainly again to the low bar pressure.Havent found a fault with it in the surf.Money well spent.cheers all .