tested sun 30 dec scabs, wa
ssw seabreeze, gusty ++ to 30kn (as per seabreeze/bom)

17m lines
quad surfboard strapped, some ok waves


GOOD
very nice bag
bar and lines all a1, kook proof connectors
construction looks a1 too
octopus system works a treat
easy self launch, sand on edge
that lovely naish torch like bar feel.silky smooth
tons of depower, never touched the depower strap
super tight turns, very responsive (also could be 17m lines) - super fun in the waves
didnt feel overly flighty but was fast
trucked up wind like nothing else
very stable in the gusts
floated back nicely if undercut on the waves
wouldnt over fly when overhead, stood on beach with kite at 12 in gusty wind - very steady even when powered up

NOT SO GOOD
jelly fished alot - was gusty ++ but seemed to flex alot at the angles of the sigma shape, in and out - airframe didnt seem to have anywhere near the rigidity of my rebels, didnt seem to effect performance but abit disconcerting to look at, widening and compressing,was pumped as hard as i could get it
even when turning the kite over felt quite bendy - whether this comes an issue i dont know, naish say reinforced at the joints

going to try it on north 5th element and see if that helps with 5th line being tensioned,

BAD
nothing to report as yet

OVERALL
super responsive smooth kite ideal for the surf i reckon
jumping - ?? who cares - not me anyway,
trucks up wind plenty of depower and turns on a dime
wobbly but trying a couple of tripcks to sort that out

up dated report tomorrow as forecast looks good again

85kg, 6 years kiting
other kites ridden
rebels 7 10
fuels 13 9
octane 10
best waroo 7
best yarga 9 11 13
wipika hydro 13

jelly fished alot > you really need to pump up the sigma kites quite (really hard) then they work

cheers marco

it would be 5th line dependant just like the torch, youl need tension on it to fly properly, the torch did the same, lost grunt and flew like arse with a slack 5th line

There are a couple of attachment points on my Alliance 12m fifth line. In the manual it says to use the second knot whilst the front lines are bedding in, then use the regular attachment point (longest one) after that.

Having played around with the fifth line tension i can say that if the fifth line is too loose it will wobble around and jellyfish a bit, on the other hand if the fifth line is too tight it loses power (as it should).
Whilst flying it if you look at where the front lines and shift (fifth) line go their separate ways you should be able to see the shift lines stopper at it's limit and therefore properly tensioned when the kite has got a bit of power.

I have the 12m Alliance and was wondering whether it would be possible to fly the kite with 4 lines only as I am worried about the 5th line getting wrapped around the canopy in the waves. My 5th line seems to be a abit slack when I am flying the kite anyway so it should not make a big difference. Any thoughts?

Select to expand quote

fjordfiend said...

I have the 12m Alliance and was wondering whether it would be possible to fly the kite with 4 lines only as I am worried about the 5th line getting wrapped around the canopy in the waves. My 5th line seems to be a abit slack when I am flying the kite anyway so it should not make a big difference. Any thoughts?

How many sessions have you had it out for?
The fifth line will be slightly slack for the first couple of sessions till the front lines bed in properly; thats why in the manual Naish tell you to use it with the fifth line on the second attachment point for a few sessions.

As for flying it as a 4 line... personally i wouldn't, but i guess give it a shot and see if you like it. The Alliance is meant to be a 5-line kite; if you wanted a 4 line perhaps your better off selling it and getting a Helix or Cult.