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Lite info och test på Nova och Crossbow
The Revolution Will Be Televised
Every so often something happens that turns a sport on its head and changes the face of it forever. With the release of two completely new kites from Cabrinha and Takoon are we about to see kitesurfing go through a similar change?
The idea of flatter shaped kites has been around for a while; they are an obvious solution to the traditional arc designs that have an increased drag over a flatter foil shape. Yet the rigidity of the inflatable design has kept it on top of other kites in terms of performance and it has been widely accepted as the best solution for riding on the water for sometime now. Unsuccessful attempts have been made to create flat inflatable kites in the past, but for sometime designers have been trying to create something that actually works. Bruno Legainoux, the father of the first leading edge inflatable kite, has a patent on the flat shaped inflatable. Nicholas Caillou, Takoon’s kite designer has been developing the idea for the last three years and at the Paris Boat Show Takoon launched the Nova. The hype died down pretty quick though as the designers at Takoon weren’t entirely happy with the safety aspects of the kite and they went back to the drawing board. Whisperings coming from the Cabrinha camp in Maui hinted at a new kite that had totally de-power and was perfect for use in the waves, but it was kept very hush hush until last month. On the 21st of July the wait was over and the Takoon Nova was launched to the industry at the Imperial Hotel in Hythe, following a chat with the designers and a detailed look at the new concept the party moved on to Minnis Bay in Birchington to actually ride the kite. Less than a week later the industry met again at the Sandbanks Hotel in Poole for the unveiling of the much discussed Cabrinha Crossbow, once again a chat from the Brand Manager Chris Martin and a video demonstration from Pete Cabrinha in Maui went before we were all given the chance to use the kites. By the time you read this kites from both Takoon and Cabrinha will be arriving in warehouses and heading out to shops around the country. Pre orders have already been taken and much hype has been made about the new designs, especially around the Crossbow. Brand Managers have been working tirelessly to ensure as many people get to ride the kites as possible up and down the beaches and here at the magazine we have logged a fair few hours flying time on both designs at various locations in a variety of wind conditions. This is a key point, you can’t just pick these kites up and fly them as you would your standard classic kite, they are both very different and at first you may not feel at home with them. The designers and the companies bringing them to us recommend you have at least a couple of sessions before making a decision or judgement. Read on to find out exactly what we thought, good and bad about both kites. After our test reports you will find in depth interviews with both Pete Cabrinha and Nicholas Caillou from Takoon to help you understand just what has gone in to bringing the Revolution to you the rider.
So is it a Revolution as we know it? Are classic shapes now obsolete? Do you need to sell all your old kit and indeed anything else you can lay your hands on?
The Kite
Crossbow
When you lay the Crossbow out the first thing you will notice is the bridle system that is attached to the leading edge. Its fairly simple in its design and it only attaches at the front of the kite, certainly not something to put a die-hard inflatable rider off. The struts have a full union to the leading edge and all have non-return valves of the ball variety. The actual plan layout of the kite is very swept back with a deep concave curve along the trailing edge. Another interesting point to note is the Glory Hole. It’s a hole in the canopy that has a neoprene cover with a slit in it. What’s that for I hear you ask? It allows the rider to pump the kite up in the safe position on the beach, just attach your pump lay the kite down on the beach and pump it up. It is a little fiddly to put the valve in without losing too much air but once mastered it’s a kind of neat thing to have. The usual high standard of materials has been used and the Crossbow has the Cabrinha feel of quality all over it. There is reinforcement in all the right places and the Crossbow looks like it will stand the test of time.Nova
At first impressions the Nova looks very similar out of the bag to the Crossbow, there is a bridle system on the leading edge, which has a little less bridling going on making it subtly simpler system. And the Nova features a curved leading edge giving it a similar looking plan shape. On closer inspection though the Nova doesn’t have the concave trailing edge, the leech is almost straight in comparison. The other major difference is the one pump system on the Nova, something that will be seen on all 2006 kites from Takoon. Anyone who has tried a one-pump kite from Slingshot or Naish will appreciate just how convenient and easy it makes rigging up. It’s a welcome feature on the Nova and naturally the system, if punctured, will only lose pressure in that punctured strut, so if you do spring a leak you will still make it back to the beach. Takoon kites have always been famous for being very light, the Nova however is not a light kite and has been very well built. Perhaps as they see you only owning one kite they have beefed up the design all round to ensure its still in one piece at the end of the season. We must admit to crash testing it into a car (even the best of us have accidents) and it came up smelling of roses, with no damage to the canopy just a snapped line!The Bar
Crossbow
Cabrinha have always engineered impressive bar systems, last years Tap Out, once they got it right, was by far one of the best bits of bar design we had seen. The Crossbow is no different. Cabrinha have used a pulley bar system, not only to aid turning but also to give you a 2:1 depower ratio. What this means is that moving the bar six inches away from you effectively depower the kite 12 inches. So when the kite is fully depowered the bar is still within reach. There is a 7kilo stopper ball you can rest the bar on and it’s fully adjustable to the rider, so you can set it where you want on the chicken loop. There is also a release system on the chicken loop should you want to ditch your kite completely. What the rider must remember though is that if they aren’t wearing a handle pass leash then the chicken loop is there leash to a depowered kite. The chicken loop has a handle pass leash attachment as standard and an optional extra will be a Powerlock System. Which may prove invaluable but more on that later. All the pulleys are of a high quality but time in the market place will prove if they are up to the task, although the fact that dinghy sailors have been using them for ages in sandy and salty and conditions should go someway to demonstrate that they should stand the test of time. The sheeting is a little space age and at first sight a few of the riders we had test the kites looked at it and wondered what on earth it was. It works very well and is kept out of the way of your hands when you are riding without being out of reach.Nova
Unlike the initial similarities with the kites the Nova bar system is about as far removed from the Cabrinha as you can get. Riders will immediately feel familiar with what looks at first sight like a standard 4 line bar set up. On closer inspection you will notice it has a double chicken loop, one through the bar and the other floating outside it. The normal chicken loop that goes through the bar is the active depower loop, in other words it’s the one the bar slides up and down to trim the kite whilst you are riding. The second floating line attaches to the trim adjuster and keeps it within easy reach at all times. The trim adjuster itself is a very simple webbing loop affair. More experienced riders will find the chicken loop really small for un hooking, OK it is possible to do it but its so much easier to hook in and out of a big loop than it is a small one. Takoon have said they will look into providing different sized loops. The other major difference between the bars is that without the pulley system the bar on the Nova ends up nearly 2 metres away from the rider when you let go of the bar to activate the depower, It is then retrieved by pulling in on the chicken loop to bring the bar back to the rider. There is a Velcro stopper to prevent this happening but once again it is designed to release under a very small load of 7 kilos.The Safety Aspect
Unless you have been living in a hole of late you will be fully aware of the added safety features of these designs, full depower and easy re-launch. Both these kites have one thing in mind and that’s safety.Nova
After speaking to the designers at Takoon it became very clear that safety was a top priority. They have designed the kite with one thing in mind, not performance but complete depower. A kite that when you let go of the bar will fall out of the sky with no power in 12mph but also no power in 30mph. The kites certainly do this. One thing I would argue is that so will a 5th line system. But and it’s a big BUT, on a 5th line system you have to activate a release or unhook in order to activate the 5th line. On the Nova you simply let go of the bar and the kite will fall out of the sky. What is good about this is that it’s a natural reaction in beginners when it all goes wrong just to let go. This usually means they are then out of control with no idea where their safety is whilst getting dragged behind a powered kite. So the idea of just letting go of the bar is a good one and it works. The downside to this and it will be a downside is that the rider can’t let go of the bar without ditching the kite. Intermediate riders will do a rotation, spin the bar as they would normally and then watch the kite fall from the sky. Until you ride it you won’t believe how often you let go of the bar! When you come in to the beach and pick up your board, when you swap you board in your hands when walking around the beach. When you have just been nailed by a raley and need to pull your baggies up. Every time you let go of the bar it will disappear up the chicken loop 2 meters and the kite will just drop out of the window. With technique you will overcome this, but be very aware of it at first, especially if you are standing around near a road, we learnt the hard way. So a central design feature, which is brilliant for beginners and intermediates, becomes a pain in the ass for the more experienced rider. With time you will get over it but just be warned. The kite can be recovered before you crash it by climbing up the chicken loop but you need some swift reactions to catch it before it hits the deck.Crossbow
The Crossbow works in exactly the same way except the 2:1 Pulley bar means that to completely depower the kite you just have to push the bar away from you. Past the stopper ball and that’s it the kite is plummeting towards the ground powerless. This does leave you a little more in control if you do let go of the bar, as it will be just in front of your face and easy to grab and put the kite back where you want it without losing it in the drink. The downside apart from the bar pressure which we will talk about in a little bit is that the kite doesn’t seem to depower as much as the Nova, it does drop out the sky but it feels a little powered and twitchy on the beach. But we felt that the added control gained by keeping the bar close to the rider was worth it. Essentially if you accidentally depower the Crossbow you can very easily get it back under control again. OK you can get the Nova back under control BUT you have to climb up the chicken loop 2 meters before you can get to the bar and steer the kite. If we had accidentally dropped the Crossbow at Goring I don’t think it would have hit the road, as we would have been able to get to the bar in time and bring it back under control.Aside from the small complaints though both kites do exactly what they say on the tin, instant depower and complete depower right across the wind range. This safety feature will be the main reason people will go for these new designs and in our opinion they both work, its just the Crossbow is easier to get back under control should you accidentally let go of the bar whilst pulling your pants up or taking the twists out of the lines.
Re-Launching
The added bonus of the shape of these kites and the way they work means that without any bullets leech lines or 5th lines they re-launch really easily. We aren’t about to discuss the merits of both because in all honesty they both work on the same principle and there really is nothing between them in the reliance. The kites will re-launch simply by pulling on a back line, only about an armful of pull is needed, less if it’s windy. It is a skill, much like Recon and 5th lines are and indeed standard 4 lines. But its an easy skill to master and it works well. A top tip we got from Kevin Bunton from Takoon was to let the kite roll over onto its back just a little to help it off the water. Ieee???n one of our guest testers and a foil expert found that they will also reverse launch by pulling on both the back lines. Its something you have to try to fully understand but you can see from the pictures that it works and they both re-launch off the water really easily once the technique is cracked. This gives the rider added confidence and also makes the kites suitable for land or snow use, it could be the end of the foil as we know it. Certainly if you ride on the water and the land then these kites will eliminate the need for a foil as well as an inflatable. Although at the end of the day they are still full of air so don’t crash them into anything hard and sharp.Re-Launching Problems
Ok in a perfect world the kites will end up dead downwind and upside down and you will be able to re-launch them as described above. We did however encounter some problems with the Crossbow when re-launching and it doesn’t land favourably. The Crossbow has a tendency to land in the safety position, as you would lay it on the beach every now and then. When it does this we found it nearly impossible to get it to turn around, pulling armfuls of line in on one side or the other didn’t help it turn round. In the end another rider had to come and flip the kite over to get it off the water. We also found that the kite would some times flip inside out and we had one occasion where the bridle system wrapped around the wing tips and the thing just hovered upside down 20 feet off the ground until we let go of the bar and pulled one line to get it down on the water again. At this point the only course of action was to pack down and head back to the beach to sort the mess out. Remember when we talked about the plan shape of the kite and the swept back wingtips, Takoon told us they did away with this shape as this was a problem they sometimes encountered. Opting for a straight trailing edge rather than concave meant the bridle couldn’t get tangled. As yet we haven’t had the Nova foul up on us, but that’s not to say it won’t. We just might not have crashed it in all the right places.So with the basics covered the question you have all been waiting for is what are they like to fly? Well take it from us and everyone we have spoken to they are very different from a classic kite. You will need at least a couple of sessions on the water before you can make a qualified judgement and ideally in some different conditions as well as they do perform differently as the wind picks up.
Nova
In the air the Nova feels very powerful, although it’s a 12m it really is similar to a very grunty 14m. On the light wind days that we rode them we were cruising around whilst others were on 16m kites and having a ball, it’s a very strange feeling to be powered in such light airs. But I don’t think the claims of 9 mph are true, it really has to be blowing at least 12-14mph for an 85-kilo rider to be comfortable on a board of 130cm. One way to increase the wind range would be to buy a surfboard that way you really could probably ditch the big kites. The other thing about the Nova in light airs is that as the kite is fully sheeted in it sits a little further back in the window and I don’t feel it goes upwind as well as a 14m or 16m classic kite. However as the wind picks up and you start to fly the kite with it depowered the kite really comes into its own and you will notice the upwind performance change dramatically. Buy the time you are fully depowered it will sit right at the front of the window and pull you upwind like a train.Crossbow
Again in light airs the Crossbow feels like a 14m kite and in some respects its very similar to the Nova, we were happy in 12-14mph of wind but did feel that the Crossbow seemed a little faster through the air, this meant you could really work it and get the apparent wind moving over the foil and generate plenty of power, but really just a subtle difference to the Nova. Upwind the Crossbow felt a little better in lighter airs, but it was still hampered by the fully sheeted in kite sitting further back in the window and making it hard to get upwind. I really don’t feel these kites offer more performance in lighter airs upwind over a conventional design. But once the wind picks up and you start to depower the Crossbow will hammer into the window and take you upwind. What you have to remember though is that while they might not set the world alight in really light winds they are still a 12m kite.Range and Gust Control
It has to be said the range on these kites is very impressive, maybe not as impressive as the manufacturers would have you believe but far superior to anything currently on the market. We wouldn’t recommend turning up at a beach on a howling day with the wind blowing over 25knots and rigging up thinking you kite will save you if it picks up to 35, it might not. But if you are out and it picks up from 15 to 25 then you will have no worries. If it went from 20 to 30 we felt we would still be comfortable. But just be careful and get used to the ability of these designs slowly rather than just trusting the manufacturers print. With some time you will be fully aware of how much you and your Nova or Crossbow will be able to handle. The other great thing about these kites is the gust control. Gusty winds used to be a nightmare, but they really are a dream with these new designs. With all that range you can just change the angle of attack and handle it when the wind comes through, then sheet back in when it drops. In stronger winds the kites certainly handle a little differently, the windier it gets the more responsive they become, unlike a conventional kite which lacks response as the back lines become slack. By changing the angle of attack of the foil you get to keep the back lines taught and keep total control over the kite. You have to take them out in some really gusty conditions to believe just how good they are. The ride just feels so much smother on these new designs compared to the classic kites.Turn Rate and Handling
Nova
We were very surprised by the handling of the Nova, not having a pulley bar we expected it to be fairly slow in the air, at least compared to the Crossbow. But the Nova is pretty quick in the turn perhaps a little slower than the Crossbow but not by much at all. The Nova secret is easy to see when you look at where the rear lines are set on the kite. The lines sit right at the back of the trailing edge, maybe 2 feet further back than the Crossbow, the back lines move along a pulley but when you fly the kites side by side the Nova is noticeably more efficiently rigged. The effect is dramatic and certainly easy to see. The Nova also has very very light bar pressure, riders of Takoon kites will notice its even lighter than the Wook or the Scoop which are both known for the light bar pressure. This means the rider can enjoy hours on the water without getting tired and although it feels a little strange at first it definitely helps and you could ride around on the Takoon all day without getting too pumped up. You won’t jump on the Nova and rip straight away, it takes a couple of sessions to get it really dialled in but after some time you will find it easy to do all your usual tricks.Crossbow
We have mentioned the pulley bar already and whilst it helps the kite turn on its axis in a very impressive way it also gives the Crossbow its major disadvantage. Everyone who rode the kite commented on one thing in particular and that is the bar pressure. Whilst the bar looks well finished and feels solid in your hands as soon as you attach the kite to it all those pulleys make for some really heavy bar pressure. And by heavy we don’t mean like a Slingshot or normal classic kite with heavy bar pressure, the Crossbow really pulls. One rider commented it was like riding around un-hooked all the time. Riders who are out regularly will quickly get used to it and become man mountains, perhaps the weekend warriors will tire a little easier though and it could mean less time on the water. We noticed the back lines sit very far forward on the leading edge and wondered if somehow they could have moved them back to help the kite turn quicker and then somehow slackened of the bar pressure a little. The bar pressure aside though the Cabrinha has a real sporty feel to it. Straight out of the bag it’s easier to get going than the Takoon and feels more familiar in the hands. You will get it sussed out pretty quickly. In the turns it is lightening fast and instead of steering around the tips it rotates around its central axis. This feels strange at first but means you can really crank the kite when you want to and have heaps of power at your fingertips. The intermediate and advanced riders out there will enjoy the performance and quickly get the most out of the kite.Jumping
In light winds when these kites are at the limit of their wind range they don’t boost too well, but that’s only to be expected. You don’t go out underpowered on your 18m and have the best hang time session of you life. Both kites require some serious technique to get the most air out of them and when the wind is howling then there is some serious potential there. With the kites fully sheeted out in overpowered conditions you can sheet them in on takeoff and make the most of the 14m effective surface area. They don’t seem to go any higher than a classic kite and at first you won’t get any where near your normal altitude as the timing needs to be rehearsed and mastered. But what they do give you is some serious float; they seem to glide better than a classic kite and will certainly put a smile on your face.Wave Riding
It’s been a little flat of late around the UK not to mention windless, our trip to Iceland was too windy (sods law) so we haven’t been able to get them out in a serious swell. Other riders have been lucky though and we have spoken to them and it would seem that by depowering the kite you can truly surf the waves and just leave the kite hovering downwind of you. The depower works so there is no reason for us to believe this isn’t the case. The reports we have had back range from amazing to fantastic so we don’t think you will be disappointed.What sort of rider?
The Nova has been designed around safety and this is there primary directive, the fact that the performance is there as well is just a real added bonus. A rank beginner could jump on the Nova and fly it but they would need of course to have had some instruction on how to use it. The very simple eject system of letting go of the bar will appeal to lots of riders but the fact that you can’t let go of the bar without losing control of the kite will perhaps put off the more advanced rider.
The Crossbow however has come from a much more performance-orientated stable, it isn’t a kite for beginners and not everyone will appreciate the heavy bar pressure. But the more experienced riders will enjoy the performance potential of the kite. Definitely a kite for the intermediate to advanced rider out there. Further punctuated that by October Cabrinha will have a new kite for the beginners called a Switch Blade that will fill the gap for the novice riders out there.
Overall Performance.
For us the Cabrinha had the edge over the Nova in terms of outright performance, it felt that little bit more eager to attack the window held just a little more speed through the air. But the bar pressure will be an issue for some and that’s where the Takoon takes the lead a little, although its lacking somewhat in outright ability it does feel so much easier on the arms and once mastered you will get a lot out of it. It was really surprising to find that two kites that look so similar out of the bag, yet have major differences on closer inspection, could be so close together once in the air. We were really expecting the Takoon to turn that much slower than the Crossbow, but with those lines right on the wingtips it really isn’t that far behind.
For and Against
Nova
Buy it because its safe as houses re-launches easily and has some impressive ability in the air. The light bar pressure will appeal to everyone once you get use to it. But the loss of control when you let go of the bar is a downside. Its not a major issue and with technique you won’t notice it, but it is a little annoying at first.Crossbow
Buy it because it has all the performance you will need, is fast to turn and eager to head up wind. That bar pressure though will not be to everyone’s liking. If you do get one then just cancel you gym membership and watch yourself transform into Arnie.Conclusion
So is this the revolution we have been waiting for? Possibly, whilst these kites offer some amazing safety features there are is a little issue with each of them that needs to be addressed before we can say that kitesurfing has changed forever for the better. But you will see these designs becoming more popular over the next few years. The advantages certainly outweigh the disadvantages and the idea of having just one or two kites in a quiver will appeal to most. The versatility of the designs is a major factor, a 12m kite that will cover the range of a 14m to a 9m. A kite that will handle gusts like nothing seen before, a kite that is safer than anything on the market with simple and complete de-power. The easy re-launch means they can be used on land snow and water. Straight out of the bag though these kites will take some getting used to. You won’t pump one up and find you can ride upwind any better, go faster or jump higher than you could yesterday, but given a few sessions you will start to get the most out of them. If you’re a novice to intermediate then go with the Takoon, if you’re intermediate to expert then go for a Crossbow, but remember that bar pressure and be prepared to look buff.
The next few months will be interesting and the revolution will be televised, riders up and down the country will be making there own minds up and making purchases pretty soon and with all the hype surrounding these designs we will know pretty quickly if they live up to it or not. -
22 Svar
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Någon som skrev nått om en mening per inlägg?
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Svar till:
Någon som skrev nått om en mening per inlägg?
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Kanske för mycket info för dig att läsa eller?
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huh sammanfatta bowkite bra eller anus?
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Fy fan.
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Svar till:
huh sammanfatta bowkite bra eller anus?
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Bra!!
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Vadå ”lite” info???
Inte en människa som orkar läsa allt det där jhu. Har du gjort det så kan du väl sammanfatta det hela lite kortare? -
Ja precis det är fan otroligt mycket text.
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tja
Det står att dom inte håller riktigt allt vad tillverkarna lovar men det är inte långt bort.
Crossbowens feta bomtryck nämns samt att Novan har inte detsamma.
Windrangen är mycket bra men den är inte ”oändlig”
Dom hanterar byar på ett bra sätt.
Relaunchen kan strula ibland, på båda märkena, men överlag funkar den bra.
Det som dom har gemensamt och egentligen är byggda för är säkerhet!
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det går att hoppa satan med dom, rätt gött häng med assaå
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Ja det är gött
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Provade Novan i fredags. Sjukt imponerad av egenskaperna. Grym upwind (stor skillnad mot vanlig kite), jättelätt att relauncha (bara dra i en lina – hur den än ligger).Sjuukt säker – släpp bara bommen så fungerar det som en femte lina, MEN ingen femte lina som trasslar, bara en extra depowertamp.
Sen hoppas jag att man kan trimma om bommen lite, för jag tyckte att den hamnade långt ifrån mig när jag använde ”lock”-grejen. Plus att man får nog köra den ett par gånger innan man lär sig hoppa o trixa på bästa sätt, den känns lite annorlunda. -
Svar till:
Provade Novan i fredags. Sjukt imponerad av egenskaperna. Grym upwind (stor skillnad mot vanlig kite), jättelätt att relauncha (bara dra i en lina – hur den än ligger).Sjuukt säker – släpp bara bommen så fungerar det som en femte lina, MEN ingen femte lina som trasslar, bara en extra depowertamp.
Sen hoppas jag att man kan trimma om bommen lite, för jag tyckte att den hamnade långt ifrån mig när jag använde ”lock”-grejen. Plus att man får nog köra den ett par gånger innan man lär sig hoppa o trixa på bästa sätt, den känns lite annorlunda.[/ QUOTE ]
Hej Anna det låter riktigt lovande, ska bli roligt att prova den.
MVH//Marcel
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hmm ja va inte lika imponerad. . tyckte inte alls det va så bra upwind som det sägs.. bra va den men inte super. . tyckte den va ostabil också va den inte det anna?.. hmm ja bommen va feltrimmad måste få testa när den är rätt det va sjukt svårt att åka med den så..
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Jag prova med. Är lite kluven om vad jag tyckte. Det var väldigt lite barpresure och det är ju bra. Sen var den mycket lättre att styra än jag trodde. Hade hört att den var seg och styra. Men den var lätt. Igar poblem heller med uppvind egenskaperna. Men den kändes så annorlunda. Det kan ju vara att man inte är van och så.
Håller dock med ludde att den kände instabil. Annars har jag inte kört tillräckligt för att bedömma den. Men kul och prova. -
ostabil? hur menar du då? Jag har ju bara provat den en gång så är absolut ingen expert, men jag tror på konceptet. Tyckte det kändes stabilt i bom och så iallafall, ngn har ju sagt att crossbow-bommen var lite sladdrig, men den här kändes som en vanlig. Kommer kanske inte själv att köra den förrän det finns en bom som går att ställa om så att den passar en själv helt perfekt(det kanske redan går, ska fråga ngn som kört den mer) Vill dessutom prova uppföljaren till Skoop, dvs Air som jag får i nästa vecka innan jag säger mer.
Men jag tror att Novan passar den som vill köra säkert och kul och kanske bara har ekonomi/lust att köpa en kite.
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