Gidday
I am looking for my next kite at the mo i have got a naish aero2 14m and would like to get into the high aspect stuff. i was thinking of a x2,x3 or slingshot fuel. has anyone got any advice for me on which kit to get next and what size. i was thinking of a 18m. any help would be great.
cheers

my advice is to call me right now on 027 226 3203 whereupon i will enable you to be set up with a 2002 17m slingy fuel which will satisfy all your high aspect requirements and give you hours of boosting pleasure.

she's blue and has had one careful lady owner for the past 12 months - still a pearler if y'know what i mean'n'all.

let's make like a couple of turkeys and talk about it...

Slingshot Fuel looks lower aspect ratio than Aero2?

quite similar to the aero 2 i reckon but significantly stronger construction and faster turning and better upwind penetration i've found.

Where Shaan says "stronger", think heavier, and then take note of the Slingsnot luff and fall phenomenon out on the water this summer... 'cause surely that couldn't be the fault of the guys flying them?

Like all LEI kites they need to be flown in decent wind. If the kite keeps falling out of the sky then the wind isn't the best quality and hence you ain't missing out on much anyway. I'd far rather have a slightly heavier kite that is strong and robust than a feather weight that falls to bits.

High aspect is dead... it died with the board off buggery. Those who keep up with overseas trends will know that most Naish team riders are now riding their 'beginner' kite.... is the x3 such a lemon?

that's a big call about slingys luffing and falling out of the sky last summer - not something i've seen a hell of a lot and i've been watching at least one of them quite closely from a distance of 30m for many days. i certainly can't remember the last time i luffed my kite, especially now i'm looping it at every opportunity during transitions which were the only time there was real potential for a stall. even then, a far more common characteristic of the slingshot is to back out of the sky, allowing a quick restart with line tension.

this is due (i think) to the fact that they seem very balanced and don't collapse over their leading edge like many other brands i've witnessed and flown. if there is actually a weight difference i would suggest it is almost insignificant and has been addressed this year by slingshot coming out with what could possibly be the lightest kite on the market.

as Mark T pointed out, flying any kite in light, patchy wind is certainly a recipe for luffing and like flying in nuclear, gusty, electrically charged storm cells - should be avoided by every sane kiteboarder.

light flueky wind is not something we will have to deal with in Auckland today... looks like 35 to 45knots!! yay for small kites.

Yay for windsurfing I say. Days like today are a constant reminder that windsurfing will never die. Interesting to hear that Low AR is back in fashion. I really like the first AERO, that's a nice kite. People are raving over the boxer at the moment. High AR kites are very unforgiving and you have to use them in good conditions... gusty stuff.... forget it. I guess you could have a 12m X10 in your quiver for those real sweet days that Shakespear Bay dishes out but if it's not pumpin or if it's really nukin I prefer a more forgiving kite.