seriously considering a rebel, i fly a sling fuel and love the heavy bar pressure wahts the rebel like? Also anyone here that used to ride fuels? How how you found the rebel compared to a fuel? Cheers

Love my 14 and 9 but have now gone through 4 cambattens without even punishing the kite(s). The ones I have pulled out are deformed and I have noticed more than one hairline crack on a single batten. It's like they start to stiffen up, deform, and then snap...I roll my Rebels up with slightly-deflated struts and put in extended bag so batten deformation is not due to folding. I have read that some people are using 2mm fibreglass rods and shrinkwrap (copy 06 cambattens), has anyone found anything else that works... that you can buy in bulk?

Buschy the noodle battens are easier to break if they become deformed if you see them deformed take them out and put them in a phone book to straighten out. The kinks in them can make weakspots if there is impact. These type of battens are just things that you will be replacing every now and again try some wipper snipper cord and sleeve them or something...it seems to do the trick :-)

Regarding the 2 hard battens in the tips...they shouldn't break at all. Replacing these bits would be no big drama.

Anyone know how to self land the Rebel? Self launch no problem but landing ????

Cheerz Guy

I self land same way I self launch.. using 5th line, to land bring kite to side of wind window then slowly pull in the fifth line as you walk into the direction of the middle of the window so you end up having the kite floating on 5th line. it self rotates as you control the amount of line your pulling in to the speed your walking into the middle of the wind window... self launching its just the opposite way but pretty much the same idea, better than the drift method or sand on wing tip method imho.

Just be carefull when handling lines.. were they are... ie around your leg or wrapping any line(s) around your hand(s) try to keep them downwind.

g'day sports
just come across this thread - got an order of 3 rebels on the way 7m, 10m & 14m. Had enough of snapped bridles and useless pulleys!
gotta say what a great forum and thread here - nice and positive and useful - been surfing everywhere and most forums are full of argumentative a*&*%holes
anyways over here in blighty where about to start out summer yeeha!
Jsu wanted to ask you re the above self land/ launch - could you be more specific about self launch on the 5th? I'm used to bow drift method but don't want to start wearing my LE down like I did with the last kites. Also on the self land with 5th - the kite is uopside down and your walking up the 5th to it? Or can you get it to land LE down in safe mode on the 5th??
Cheers from oop north!!

Welcome dude, good choice of kites if I don’t say so myself

Let me know how your 7 meter reb travels ... interested in that model for next season

I turn my kite upside down holding onto the 5th line I then walk back towards the bar - the kite will fly (flagging though) a little then settle the further back I go, once at the bar I clip in the fifth to my leash, grab my bar - hook chicken loop in (although can just hold the chicken loop and leave unhooked) - and proceed to walk to one side of the window at the same time letting out some 5th line (because obviously its longer then the bar) the kite will start to kick up into the launch position the more I move it so its into the side of the wind window.

The more often you do this launch method the more smoother it becomes - the worse wind I have done this in is about 26 knot winds blowing off a cliff land base gusty frontal crap and felt comfortable..

Good to at least do it a few times even if it’s not your preferred method because it’s also how you water relaunch without fail only you have to swim to the side instead!

brilliant - thanks dude. kites arriving next week.
have a great winter. I'll let you know about the 7m

I fly a rebel 14....often self launch and land on my fav beach. I use a lanyard with a caribenha attached. I loop the lanyard around a sign on the beach and hook my chicken loop into the caribenha. I walk to the kite and stand it up on it wing tip at the side of the wind window. It just sits there while i walk back to the bar .I hook up the 5th line then hook in to the chicken loop i then back up a little this take the weight of the carienha and then I unclip the caribenha, grab the bar an fly the kite up. I reverse the process to land but I loop the bottom line around the mirco hook before unhooking from the kite to ensure it fly up.
If I didn't have a pole to use I would probibly make something up that I could put in the sand and use I seems that i need to have the lanyard at about waist height on the pole.
I have seen Kurt use a tree on the same beach instad of the pole .....this a very easy way to go.

I was thinking of a 10m Rhino to complete my quiver I weigh 95kg
Has anyone tried the 07 10m rhino??

I fly a rebel 14....often self launch and land on my fav beach. I use a lanyard with a caribenha attached. I loop the lanyard around a sign on the beach and hook my chicken loop into the caribenha. I walk to the kite and stand it up on it wing tip at the side of the wind window. It just sits there while i walk back to the bar .I hook up the 5th line then hook in to the chicken loop i then back up a little this take the weight of the carienha and then I unclip the caribenha, grab the bar an fly the kite up. I reverse the process to land but I loop the bottom line around the mirco hook before unhooking from the kite to ensure it fly up.
If I didn't have a pole to use I would probibly make something up that I could put in the sand and use I seems that i need to have the lanyard at about waist height on the pole.
I have seen Kurt use a tree on the same beach instad of the pole .....this a very easy way to go.

I was thinking of a 10m Rhino to complete my quiver I weigh 95kg
Has anyone tried the 07 10m rhino??

I was told the rebel and rhino kites are very different to fly so you may come to hate the rebel and love the rhino or just hate the rhino - I guess if you like the 14 meter rebels flying characteristics then a ten meter rebel might be more pleased to fly. Then again it all depends on how pedantic you are with kites

You know what they say…. Try before you buy!

Anyway I am going off info I was given by the shop when I was considering getting a 12 meter rhino and riding a 10 meter rebel – so in the end bought the 14 meter rebel.

cwamit

I have just bought a 14m rebel and have only had the chance of flying it once in 12-15knots. Could you let me know how you have your 14m set up - where you attatch your back lines? which colour you have the lines set up green?, Yellow? and which knot you have the lines attatched to the bar? You feedback would be greatly appreciated.

My back (steering) lines are at the furthest pigtail setting on the kite, as that makes it turn faster - I think that’s standard out of bag setting for the 14 meter. I haven’t adjusted my color settings on the bar I got with the 14 meter but the 10 meter bar I have it on middle color (yellow) - used both bars on the 14 meter and found I like the 14 meter normal bar setup (which is red) more.

The fifth line red section that connects to the blue 5th line section above the bar I have it on middle knot but am told to get some more power you can open the canopy more using the end knot on the red line - shop setting is middle knot. Going to try this next time I use the kite.

The backlines at the bar I have left as is - second knot - main concern is to make sure the kite doesn’t flare when you sheet fully in. I tried the third knot closest to the bar and found it flared but some people on a 14 meter have stated otherwise.

Unlike the ten meter I didn’t have to adjust the fifth lines length by adding a knot at the centre line connection point pigtail - this is the two short (1 foot long) centre lines that are connected to the kite - are you confused yet? - It is not the middle fifth line Y section on the kite.

If you read my other post I have some issues with my 5th line not taking up all the tension - although this isn’t to do with settings or performance of the kite when flying but more when the kite is being flagged.


Hope the rambling was of some help!

Just had a joyus morning on my 9m rebel at leighton.
It such a great kite, superior to the 12 IMO
Fast through the window, good grunt, great range, just such a fluid kite.

Thanks for the info cwamit.

I will wait for some wind so I can play around. Looking good for next weekend here in the far north.

quote:

---

Originally posted by poor relative

Just had a joyus morning on my 9m rebel at leighton.
It such a great kite, superior to the 12 IMO
Fast through the window, good grunt, great range, just such a fluid kite.

---

no no no..I heard the 12 is better than the 9… So this must mean the 10 is perfect!

just received my new 7m, 10m & 14m rebels!! I got a (rhino) green 10m?? Thought it was going to be sh!te but actually looks good with gold lettering. Had a dry land play but gusty
couple Q's:
1. when launching on 5th do you tie down the CL? or just leave bar in the sand and simply walk the 5th? Same for landing? I can drift launch but really want to get a hang of the 5th as it's far less wear on the kite. The kite seemed to fly alot upside down?!

2. does adjusting the depower cleat setting actually still give you the same amount of depower but over a shorter/longer distance??

3. should the 5th always be quite slack when flying the kite? notice someone said about getting more/less power by using the 5th - so you can adjust it?

Thanks guys!!

Hi pike,


Question 1. lay down the bar and run it up to the stopper on the fifth line before you flip the kite to walk back down holding the fifth.

Alternatively you can throw some sand on your board or in your bag and then hook the fifth up to that then turn kite upside down this stops the kite flying upside down and allows you to walk back not in-between the lines as you don’t need to hold the 5th - bit too tedious for me and besides you might as well place the kite at the side of the wind window upright and use the chicken loop on the sand bag/board with bar de-powered if your starting to use sand to hold things down..

If you don’t use the sand down method and instead walk the 5th - the kite will fly after you turn it upside down and walk back towards the bar but as you go back to the bar it will eventually just sit and rest on its back. Leash the 5th, hook into the chicken loop (remember to hold the fifth line tension) and walk to the side of the wind window slowly feeding out the 5th line and pulling in the bar at the top steering lines coaxing the kite to lay up on its side.

Question 2. I found adjusting my cleat color setting didn’t affect de-power it just affected the bar throw, your better though to use the cleat and adjust your steering lines at the knot - faster and easier to tweak at the beach.

Question 3. I usually ride with some slack in the 5th line – If the 5th is too tight it effects the kites de-power, from what I been told were the red line section of the 5th connects to the blue section there are three knots, by using the furthest knot from the bar you "might" open up the canopy more to increase wind range - haven’t tried it but shop rider told me this.

perfect, thanks cwamit!
just had my first fly in a field with the 14m ooooh beeeoootiful kite, still turned nice in extreme low wind.
can't wait for the water!

Just had my first proper play on the 14m and 10m what a sweeeeeeet kite, so much power, fast turning, loveley stopper ball which you can push through...I could go on but actually had one problem;
after landing a back roll, felt a tug which from exprience with bust bridles on my old waroos meant a bust line. looked up - it was the 5th???
Got to the beach and managd to land it to find the knot attacvhment from bridle to 5th line had exploded and ripped off (part of it was still on the larks head??).
Thing is there is supposed to be tension on this part of the bridle - anyone else had this?
anyways, I adjusted the 5th mid line pigtail to a knot closer to the kite to essentially make the 5th a little longer. Went out on the 10m and seemed fine.
Am ordering another line from North but does anyone know how long the Y stem is for that part of the 5th bridle for a 14m Rebel??
Thanks for any response at all guys

Sounds similar to the issue Cwamit was having?

try posting on kiteforum.com
a dud called dwight seems to be north knowall/advisor

yeh thanks guys - I've pm'd dwight

I have set up my 14 with the 5th slightly slack It has been like this since December and I have used and abused this kite alot since then.The only fault I have had is the leading edge cam baton pockets wearing through. I have replaced the origonal 4mm white ones with 5mm Nylon 6 this creates the same shape but does not break or get bent out of shape as the originals did.Cwamit I have set up my turning lines on the back setting and fly on the red colour.I fly with the front lines on the second knot most of the time. The kite is a bit twitchy if you use the 1st knot in anything over 20 knots.