Well, after taking one for a demo, (thanks to Mark from KiteRite in Geelong!) I was a fan, having demo'd Waroo's, SB2's, Boxer SLE's and Flexi Atoms, ranging from 10m on the SB2 to 14 on the Rebel and Atom.
It arrived last week! So, out of the bag it's lookin pretty sweet, got the grey/blue and orange leading edge color. Spare cam battens in the bag too! Dual flow pump which is a novelty compared to my old one!
Checked the graphs, wind is blowing a gusty 18 to 25knts, so off I go, pretty damn amped at this point!
Pumped, lines connected, checked the safety stuff and off up-wind I go, like nothing before.
When comparing this to my OLD kite - a Naish Aero2 12 - I was on the water holding edge and heading upwind, at one point I thought 'Hey it's a bit gusty out here' as I slide my bar a little further out, then a little way in again.... "If I was on my 12 I'd be eating it, and not holding edge at all with this wind!"
So I didn't even have to touch the 'iron heart cleat system' but just had to use it at some point for peace of mind - I mean hey it's a new kite and I wanna play with everything on it!
Ok anyway enough of my shyte, here's one damn stoked kiter looking for the next breeze!
Oh, just so you know, I'm around 85kg, riding a home made board - it's 142cm x 42cm with bugger all rocker (I have loaded a pic of it from a while back in my profile) - just HAVE to get a new 'real' board at some point, maybe a 125 or somehting.
Later.
Good on you its always great to hear the stoke, no matter what brand.
Bit of a difference between an aero and a rebel eh?
Have fun...
very jelous.
I am currently thinking of upgrding myself and have been looking at the rebel, warroo and boxer sle. Would be interested to know what you paid for your 14m
LOVED my Rebel 14 until last Friday afternoon when it hit the water hard and canopy ripped in half from almost the centre of the trailing edge, right up along the centre strut to the leading edge. Now it's in the hospital and it doesn't look like I will have it back until at least the the weekend 
Good news is that it's really windy this week and my 9 (Rebel) will do just fine 
Was a little surprised the 14 did what it did, but then as I said before it hit the water VERY hard. Was only 7 months old, ouch 
Bugger Buschy, do you think that the same tear may have happened regardless of the kite? Looking at my Rebel, the construction seems pretty tough, so I just wonder if it's a weak point or if it really was a fair old slam into the water?
Sharmat, the 14 was $1900 for me. Have demoed the 06' Waroo and the Boxer SLE, the waroo was really easy to fly, but a little tricky when it came to launching yourself out of the water... not sure what the 07's are like tho. The Boxer was good also, pretty bloody heavy on the arms, but I'm sure after a few months of flying you'd get used to it! Love the 5th Element on the Rebel, being able to stack and let go of the bar, to then be able to pull it back in, power-up and off you go again is pretty awesome.
Later.
Difficult to say. Plan on comparing the construction of the trailing edge to a few other kites at our local spot when I get a chance. I've been very happy with North to date, have owned a few other North kites before the Rebel. No major problems. It was a decent slam. Kite hit the water powered right up and almost perfectly horizontal, leading edge down.
Despite what happened I think I would still buy another one. Have had an opportunity to fly quite a few different 07 kites and haven't found anything yet that I like better than my Rebel(s). It would be nice if someone sent up a 12m 07 Rhino for a few of us to demo!
quote:
Originally posted by BoDiddly
Bugger Buschy, do you think that the same tear may have happened regardless of the kite? Looking at my Rebel, the construction seems pretty tough, so I just wonder if it's a weak point or if it really was a fair old slam into the water?
Hey, here's a good video from the same site Omega posted previously on how to re-launch from the 5th line... www.brackleshamboardriders.co.uk/index.php?main_page=page&id=14&chapter=0
Cheers!
Hoping to get out on the weekend.... meant to be some wind around..
Bodiddy, you bought the 14 meter rebel like I yeah? Do you find it totally flags out on the 5th line or there is still back line tension? I find my fifth line doesn’t take 100 percent tension as I would prefer it too. There are no adjustments I can make to fix it either. So just wandering if it’s just that size or something else. My 10 meter rebels bar which 5th line works fine on the 10 so tried it on the 14 to see if there was any diff and there wasn’t.. seems to me that the red line on the 5th located at the bar is too short and were the red fifth connects to the blue pigtail the blue pigtail needs to be shortened by a foot so that bar can ride up further.
Anyhow does your fifth work like it’s meant too and totally flags the kite? It’s important for me to have my fifth line work as its intended because I self launch with it and self land with it as I have solo sessions often.
Hey Cwamit,
The 5th works a treat for me, 100% de-power, wondering if, when you activate the QR, when does the bar stop? do you have a stopper ball at where the 5th line from the bar meets the 5th line as such? it may be stopping somewhere lower due to a twist or something? hard to tell without actually seeing it! Is it possible that the lines set-up for the 10m have a shorter 5th line that a 14, and that's the set-up you were given for the 14?
Had another session yesterday in the arvo sea breeze for about 2 hours, what a blast, really progressing my jumps to toeside and gaining control over landing 6ft or so jumps, just have to remember to keep an eye on where the kite is and send it forward again to keep the momentum! board speed! board speed!
Hope you sort your issue out cwamit... Are you able to move the stopper ball up the line a little more? ... keep us posted!...
Later.
Ta Bo for the feedback... looks like I got the wrong bar or something. Its not line twists or stopper ball at wrong place...both the 14 meter and 10 meter bars that came with the kites have the same result.
I would say the red section of the fifth line needs to be at least another 30 cm longer for further bar travel. But to lengthen it would mean to shorten another section of the fifth – I think…
The kites great for sure. My kite skills have really progressed since swapping from my other kites. 14 is a tad to slow for in the waves. That’s ok just an excuse to fill in the gap next year with a 12 meter rhino
Time to call my shop I guess to see what they can do... not good for the kite to be stressing the leading edge every time I try to flag out the kite on the fifth.
Anyhow does your fifth work like it’s meant too and totally flags the kite? It’s important for me to have my fifth line work as its intended because I self launch with it and self land with it as I have solo sessions often.
Hey Cwamit, I have a 12m Rebel and I find that the 5th line totally flags kite, even in 25kt winds. It just sits upside down floating 2-3 above surface. I self land by gently flying kite to side of window and when tip just touches beach, I open Ironheart and it either rolls onto back or parks itself nose down on sand. I then unhook and carefully walk up 5th line to kite. Safest kite I've ever had!!
5th should totally flag the kite out, if it doesnt then something is wrong. With 5 line kies always check that the lines are not overly twisted up as this could possibly tie itself up on release. This will occur either out of the bag if the 5th is wound up on itself, or after lots of moves in one direction and then not straighting the lines out before each session.
If you are self landing or have time to relase safety (in otherwords not in emergency release) give the 5th a little tug and check the kite LE dips down and feels like the 5th is free, good check before controlled releases.
Dazza
Need to send it back to shop... they are looking into it... I can say even if it turns out to be a dodgy manufactured kite (must of been late friday afternoon when they measured everything)... it still fly's fine. Just doesn’t flag out onto the 5th like it should... oh well
Watch this space
Next update, was down at Aspendale on Sunday (23 April) Ended up with a free hour in the last part of the day, I rekon for where I was it was blowing an average of 13 knots, gusting to say 16 at the best of times, (graphs show that Frankston got nothing more than 11 knots, and the Fawkner beacon says that it got to a max of 18knots and St.Kilda 15 Knots, so whatever you get out of that...
Bit of a bugger as I knew that the wind up at St.Kilda, but the time taken to drive there would have meant less time on the water!
This was the first time I have had to work the sh!t out of the kite to keep moving, bit of a challenge to keep up wind, but I was still impressed by the power I was able to squeeze out of the kite, even at such a low wind speed...
Enjoyed the starboard tacks as I was able to play in the swell, landed a nice olie to frontside transition - but couldn't ride it out as the wind dropped off again! and was able to also attempt a backroll! - now that was funny, barely got 1/4 of the way round before the kite fell out of the sky and I had to call it a day!
Meant to be some wind around tomorrow so here's hoping for a good day on the water!
P.s: Not sure if anyone else has had this happen to them, and I'd be interested to hear if you have... That night after being in the water at Aspendale, I went home, the Fiancé and I had the same stuff for dinner, and yet, at about 2:30AM I woke up to an axing headache, sweatting like a mutant and a gut that felt like it would be better out than in, had to speak to god on the white telephone for a while, and felt better after that, headache hung around for most of yesterday, Anyone else had something like that happen to them? the partner was fine through all this by the way, so I rekon food wasn't a part of it?!
Later!
Bring the Wind.
quote:
Originally posted by coyilOriginally posted by omega
Hey Buschy
Despite not having a rhino to Demo, check out thishttp://www.northkites.co.uk/Kens%20Rhino.pdf
Some interesting commentary (completely unbiased im sure) on the rhino.
Having a 14m rebel and seeing my guys getting out on 12m and ripping it up, they are a very tempting purchase
Gidday Mark, we were right, you were Omega all along, the red quote gave you away, have fun in Cairns.
hah, guess again Coyil...there are other ppl out there on 14m rebels!
quote:
Originally posted by BoDiddly
Hey Cwamit,
Any news on your kite?
Next update....
As we are all going a little wind-less nutty, I was hanging for a fly, forecast was for around 18knots, and thought hey, let's try and catch that.
Got to the location, wind was around 12knots - and didn't really move much from there.... managed to get a few lines out, no up wind anything really, just a ride out, then back in and a little walk back.
Wind started to drop off even more, and there wasn't much point on even getting on the board anymore, hands were getting sore from working the crap out of the kite to generate what little power there was...
What I did get to play with tho, was looping it! worked out how much space I need for a down-loop, and even how much needed for a simple kite loop, was pretty damn stoked with being able to play with this, as I'm really keen on trying out some downloop transitions!
Anyway will leave you to it.
Here's hoping for some wind!
]Yep, I agree with Omega, coyil must be wrong, Omega is obviously a scout leader or christian brother, who else talks about my "guys". 
Kite pimps will they ever go away?????
Each to his own, shame Bo didnt try a GK before the big spend, ah now im a kite pimp
Must be no wind down our way huh, everyone else feel free to jump on board.
Check the size of my font !!!!!! yehaa
sorry surfer62, there was a typo. It was supposed to read
"my gays"
hope this clears up any confusion
Not interested in a GK, but anyway....
Next Update!
Took the rebel out in the most powered conditions I have flown it in yet.... yes, if I had a 10 then one would have put that up, but when you only have one kite you make do eh!
According to the graph, wind was gusting to about 27knots, and sitting around 25knots, so I was pretty lit, at 2 points I had the kite fully depowered and was getting pulled off my edge!
With the wind being so gusty it made for an interesting fly, kite was stable in the sky, and happy to just sit there and ride out the big gusts at 12, playing more and more with transitions and just some basic air, hoping to get some rotation in there at some stage, the wind was a little to crazy this session to try anything stupid!
At around 2:30 in the arvo it started picking up to the point it would no longer have been save on the water, hit the QR, 100% de-power to 5th line, packed up and called it a day!
Second board is near completion, so looking forward to getting that out and giving it a go!
Forecast for the rest of the week is AWESOME!
Hey BoDiddly I ride a 14 rebel also, weigh in at around the 95 mark, I have had my rebel out in 28 plus but i find that any gusts tend to pull you off your edge. While the jumping is fun the planning is a bit to full on. I have just picked up a 10m rhino for the big days .... I see you mentioned earlier that you were thinking of a 12m rhino
The good oil is that the 12 will pull like yor 14 and for under 80kg riders the 9 is a good choice for the big wind days. Hence my 10m. Just got some new Underground boards also so am hanging for some wind I have the flx 38 and flx 48 so combined with the 14m rebel and the 10 rhino I think I have got most conditions covered. Bring on th next season. ( on the side .... I am as wrapped with my Rebel as you are )
Nice one Rusty!
Have been speaking to a few ppl who say that a 10m Rhino would be the go! And yeah I think the big gusts were around the 28+ mark, and I was getting pulled off my edge, least I know the max wind range now eh!
Your boards will be a treat too! do they have a bit of concave? managed to borrow a board with concave on it and was pretty impressed in how it felt - but then that's also compared to a backyard board job, which can't be the smoothest ride out there!
The 38 has a double concave, was riding a FLX42 but it got stolen along with a heap of other gear o the I replaced it witha 07 flx38 main reason for this choice is so I don't get so overpowered on the 14. The other board FLX48 is for light wind riding Its huge! flat bottom straight rail will only take a moderate fart to get going on the 14 but will allow me to ride the rhino in lighter winds for some variation.
