Has anybody tried these out in Australia yet? I'm interested in hearing about the Thruster 8m vs the Nano 6m. The conditions here at the moment have reached the low 20knts and gusting into the high 20s. Sloppy, choppy waves at the moment.
I have seen a few guys out but do not know what sizes they are using as only see them in the distance.
Especially want to know what low end could be expected with the Thruster 8m and Nano 6m as was hoping it may overlap with the highend of the Thruster 16m. 75-80kgish
130m TT Skywalker and still have my Airush Square 2 which is 150cm I think.
The Thruster will fly as early as any other kite in the market, but gosh, quality has improved so much in the 08 range. It is a kite that you only need to try once and will go 'wow', with top quality and reinforcement.
G'day Skiddz, no this was a few days ago I think, just looking at at instant on the Darwin Airport wind speeds. Monday morning was 21knts with gusts up to 27knts for one reading.
The last couple of days have been less according to the airport.
I saw a couple of kites out 2-3 evenings ago, must have launched from Nightcliff, i guess it is better for the current wind direction which is onsure at Cas.
One of the days I saw a guy out on a foil, not sure what it was though.
Yea Nightcliffe is the go in the Westerlies, but watch out for the rocks in the area were you launch and land. The airport in Darwin is in a giant natural wind tunnel, so the readings there are always alot more than the wind is at the kiting beaches.
Probably the most accurate readings would be from Charles Point. www.bom.gov.au/products/IDD60901/IDD60901.99510.shtml
From Saturday to Tuesday, there was lots of wind, but its died down now for who knows how long.
Looking at Sburlo's description of his size and boards.
the 8m may well work from just above 20kts to at least 40kts, skill Dependant.
the 16m from 10kts to about 20kts.
pretty much not much room for overlap. but a 12m may fit the bill in between.
two words
Nano 9
Its neat........ so can i keep it a little longer....thursday is nukin here!!
Just talking to some of the guys down here, they highly recommend not getting anything over a 14m kite, because its just too slow. Much better off with a light wind board vs a massive kite.
Thanks for the advice Felix, I was initially considering the 14m but it is mainly light wind here, the Thruster 16 is suppose to be fast for its size. I have seen guys out in Rebel 16m and even bigger kites so I will follow suit.
Sburlo,
Had my first fly on the Thruster 08 16m yesterday and it is the BOMB (fantastic) for it's size, I was thinking that it would be slow. It though has quick turns and is very manageable power.
The 08 Thruster 16 is almost as fast as my 07 12 Thruster. Winds at the end were dying and at times was only about 10kts. I was predominantly the only one out.
What a fantastic kite! Can't wait to get the 12 Thruster 08 when it gets here.
A few others had a go on the 16 also and commented on how fast the kite was with manageable power. Great build and attention to detail.
The bar is really neat with a new Quick release that is very easy to use. I would have preferred the chicken bone (which is removable) to be a little longer. Everything else is fantastic
Hurrah!
I had Altona all to myself Saturday Arvo on our 16m Thruster and had sweet cruisy session. It still does the Truster jump thing like the 07's where you boost then travel along at the same altitude for a while which certainly helps for setting up controlled landings(low tide at Altona requires controlled landings).
However i would not say it was as fast as the 07 12m Thruster, not even close.
Maybe in the same wind strength the gap might close.
But it does feel as easy to maneuver as many 14's.
Guys around 100kg would love this kite, they could have something as fun to use as those skinny runts who would be normally out on 12-14m kites, usually leaving bigger guys stuck with slug big kites and Titanic size boards.
