hello all, am new to this forum..has anyone tried the gladiator??am really clueless and there are no reviews that i know regarding this. am about to get one and on the way and am relying on how robby radis the co-designer says about it so is mermanwindsurfing.uk..i met robby at a awt event, what can i say he's good and fast but that's him and am me not so fast but getting there! a clue would be nice...cheers

send firiebob an email hes got one and loves it

thanks mucho troppo

Just sent an email John, cheers

If anyone else is interested, I love my Gladiator

Hey John, I just found out I got a 2sec avg max of 30.19 Knots out of my 100L Gladiator on Monday in rough open water at Yorkey's Beach

hey firebob, sent you an email regarding your personal review...looks like am gonna have fun with this one. got a reply from marty l. and he suggests the 115 but i decided on the 95 for our conditions. as soon as it arrives will test too speed on gps if i can break your 3o..just kiddin'

Yeh I'd go the 95 also

More than 30 will be easy with right sail on the right day

thanks guys, i think that was a concise honest to goodness not hyped-up review and will keep you posted what i think about it..just waiting for a typhoon to swing past our area and enhance the southwest monsoon winds...

hi firebob just got the k95 looks damn fast for a freeride board! too bad the company forgot the vent plug and footstraps, hoping they would mail it as soon...been sailing with a friend using the isonic 87 and for a guy that is "not" proficient in some aspects of sailing has been ripping and we're having a little bit more effort to catch up with him..regards

Hi JP,

Just noticed your post, what a bummer it wasn't all there, you must be busting to get it wet.

Send me an email when you've had a couple of runs and let me know how you find it.
I'd like to know how it compares in your conditions, to the isonic your friend has, which is a speed slalom I believe ?

Cheers,
Bob.

hi bob, yep it sits without the straps and vent plug. as a whole the monsoon season is at it's worst i don't know with you guys in queensland?(QLD)? this is weirdest weather since the last..not much typhoons and the usual southwesterlies. but i feel the tradewinds which are due by oct. will come back with a vengeance. we grow sugarcanes here and it should be wet this time of the year and gusty winds at least. even the guys in the capital city Manila are complaining. the isonic 87 is a slalom board but we have been telling him to put in more board time irregardles of the conditions, that's probably why he's gotten faster.
i know it depends on your style of sailing but with so many footstrap placements do you put your frontstraps at the widest point. i was just planning to put it a little bit inboard for more control...regards

I have mine widest, more control for speed like a slalom board, inboard for manouvers like a wave board ?
Wide will give more leverage on the fin at speed.

Anyone else can jump in if they want

what board are you riding on your i.d. pic? looks like you are holding on to a 7.5sq. sail?

Old photo up on Tinaroo Dam.

Sail is a NP 7M V8, lasted 12 months

Board was a F2 Ride, repainted after new mast track, lasted 18 months

v8 i think was one of the best freerace sails made by np, i still have one and trying to take good care of..a friend offering a really cheap f2sx medium 105ltrs. with tecto fins and a maui fin brand new all for 700us..would this be the same board or would yours be the freeride one..?

V8 was OK, just didn't last long.

The F2 was a Freeride from many moons ago.

that's cool bob..i've always wanted a windsurfer to get a pic of myself for posterity but if he or she isn't one, most likely it's not a good action photo...will try to upload photos on my personal data

quote:

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Originally posted by jp747

hi bob, yep it sits without the straps and vent plug. as a whole the monsoon season is at it's worst i don't know with you guys in queensland?(QLD)? this is weirdest weather since the last..not much typhoons and the usual southwesterlies. but i feel the tradewinds which are due by oct. will come back with a vengeance. we grow sugarcanes here and it should be wet this time of the year and gusty winds at least. even the guys in the capital city Manila are complaining. the isonic 87 is a slalom board but we have been telling him to put in more board time irregardles of the conditions, that's probably why he's gotten faster.
i know it depends on your style of sailing but with so many footstrap placements do you put your frontstraps at the widest point. i was just planning to put it a little bit inboard for more control...regards

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Hay Bob he should have purchased a new JP Prolike mine.
They come with foot straps and vent plugs.
Bawhawhawhawhaw.
Mineral

yikes mineral! the owner of kinetic apologized for the inconvenience but mistakes are not forgiven when you're in need of it when the wind is in force..am trying to pull of the straps from the other boards and stick it for the meanwhile..how's the jp pro? i have a german friend who uses jp boards for rentals and his only complaint was it's easy to nick and scratch. is that true for yours as well? regards

jp747, The board is the latest 2008 model, only used it a few times, and no, so far so good, no scratches that are a result of my Kamikaze approach. One small mark on tail area from another out of control board’s fin
So far so good with it. One thing that had me in right up front, was the first time I used it, the foot straps (no pun intended) right place on board for my stancemy feet just slipped in as I came up on the plane
And easy to use, just feels right first go. Not that I am well experienced with it and the size (110lt and me 88kg's)
Turns with the slightest foot pressure on the rail so it will go the direction I want to play in.
Wasn’t actually having a go your new Gladiator, and from what I hear they are a great board. I was trying to get Firiebob to bite, but he didn’t take the bait

his eyes are going on him he probably didnt see the bait.

quote:

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Originally posted by Troppo

his eyes are going on him he probably didnt see the bait.

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G,Day Troppo, Either that, or he is letting us suffer in silence
Maybe he is working a tad more and hasn't seen the bait

mornin' mineral i knew no pun was intended..a lot of jp board users north of our place but with all of them friends we meet once a year i just never had the chance to borrow and really test it..cool graphics and outline though..for some reason i go down the beach at a mistral center and try out his new flow boards and the other classics like the screamer and they never fail to amaze me..i guess bob's busy breaking 35?!?

Mineral you Old B*stard, you can't bait me, I'm onto you

Was actually working, true, rushed home on my pushie and then went out to a Paul Kelly show.

No wind here
Going bush next week camping

Jp, hurry up and get that board wet Mate, waiting for feedback

believe me firebob, if i only went with two friends to an island an hr. away it would have been fun but i had a lot of errands to do and tried to squeeze in the p.m. .so! the guys went and i got a sms message that it was "just" 18kts.min..it irked me so much that even at 14kts. i'd take it closer to home just to test it..and so i did..the wind was supposedly strong according to a text message from a local fisherman..little did i know it was squalls passing by..i rigged at twice the speed of sound just to get into the water as soon as the board was bout to plane the last freakin' squall had it's last breath and just suddenly shifted offshore like on que to tease me and never got to get into the straps..damn i thought (isle be baaack!)

Ha, the joys of windsurfing

Hey jp747, do you sail down near Matabunkay or the Bitangus area?
Is there a hire place over there now, used to be only Boracay where you could hire gear.
Is Manny still the Kinetic importer, I used to sail with him up at Lake Caliraya.
Frustrating back then because I would drive 31/2 hours each way and sometimes get 10 - 12 knots, about 1 Knot less than I needed.
Good spot though.

g'day paul am south of luzon island some 500kms. in the island of negros, city of bacolod looks like a foot if you look at a map..i do know friends from batangas(seaside loacality)they do have gear for rent but it's gusty where they sail during the tradewinds but for sure the opposite during this time. matabunkay i think is a resort..yep manny still distributes kinetic, i'll let him know you asked..in our place there's only 6 of us that sail and sam a brit i met in boracay who comes in once in awhile. we're lucky here that it only takes 20mins. to get to a spot either wind direction. with all our combined equipment we'd be glad to lend you unless your like 150kls. regards jp

so t'was 2nd time to test the k95 i rigged a 6.7 and the wind was at roughly 15kts..as i was about to get my back foot on the straps..whapaak! the top cap strap of the sail snapped and accordioned the whole thing, was lucky i was still at neck deep water and was glad a local motorized outrigger saw the whole thing and the guys circled me to check if i needed help but waved them off with thanks..well there's gonna be another day..

3rd day to test the glad k95 and finally with no schlogging and mishaps! wind was however gusty from like 10-22kts. up and down the wind i guess the squalls were interfering..rigged a 6.6 and on the footstraps, i found it awkward at first but then got used to it since am used to a little bit inward even on dedicated slalom boards..jibes on a dime and if you commit wonderful exit without slowing down..it behaves like between a freeride and a pure slalom but i can't say that for now since i have to try sail sizes and conditions but nonetheless a wonderfull board..2nd jibe and up to speed and hit 28.5kts i guess it was redemption for the first two...

4th and 5th try to test k95 after many days of heavy rain..rigged a 6.0 since squalls were just on the horizon..i still use the 34cm fin since i opted to tell kinetic to send a longer one for the other board, however will be getting a mfc 32 as soon. anyways, after yesterdays leg cramps on same board with a 6.3 i figure i loosened up a bit after a tiring one hr..i was all alone and kinda made the locals plowing the seabed as a sort of buoy to judge all angles of runs..i did better the speed compared to yesterday..a series of squalls were now coming close that i had to call it a day after roughly 45mins..as i trudged up the cliff with board and sail talked to the locals and they too had to seek cover since it was so 'madlos' our dialect term for windy and waves were hampering their thing but they all had a smile and so did i..