Vapor vs. Yak GT

To start with I'd like to thank Rian and Rich of East Coast Kite Sports for sending the 3.2 vapor home with us after Wildwood so we could really test it out.

I thought this would be an easier test than it was. 2 kites, 2 riders, how hard could it be to see which really performed better? Well after 6 hours buggying in 17-25mph winds on these two kites I'm still not sure.

To start with I checked out the vapor indoors to compare quality and see how it differed in construction to the GT. Both are very well built kites with subtle differences. A race kite is a race kite afterall and the differences are minor but it's interesting to see how each company approached the challenge at hand differently. Overall both are very high quality and where one lacked in one area the other lacked somewhere else. Anything negative though is really superficial and both of these kites are well made machines. Lets get on to the testing

We lucked out with it being 3m weather. Cross shore so we had a nice downwind run in one direction. Dan and I went back and forth with these two kites hour after hour. We'd make several runs, swap kites, and make several more runs. Dan was able to get a top speed in the low 50's and I was in the high 40's. Dan's years of experience on Jojo RM's shows how it's more driver than anything else as he would get by me regardless of whether he was on the Yak or Vapor. 90% of my time is on Blade IV's which doesn't help you when you move to race kites. Blades don't deflate, luff, bowtie, invert, etc etc. You have to stay on top of these kites but they definately reward you with fantastic speed.

We both noticed that the Vapor seemed to have a smoother power stroke. The gusts/lulls didn't seem to bother it quite as much as the Yak. The Yak seemed punchier and if your not quick to rein it in it will overshoot the window. Dan's first launch on the yak provided us with a fantastic flying display. Luckily neither Dan nor the Yak was hurt. Although the Vapor could overshoot the window as well there seemed to be an extra second to save it before it overshot. Interestingly although the vapor seemed more stable in flight the Yak could shake off tip wraps etc more easily before it hit the ground where as the vapor seemed doomed once it was twisted. These incidents were few and minor but it was interesting to note how the vapor, although seemingly more stable was actually worse getting out of a wrap while the less stable yak would come out more easily. In addition the Yak would sit on the ground reasonably well behaved. The vapor didn't like the ground at all. Too much brake and the kite will flutter up on the back lines. Too little brake and the kite will launch. The difference between the two states is an inch at best. But hey,,,,these are high aspect kites meant to be flown not staked out. Leave them staked out and they won't be for long,,, at least in the winds we we're in.

So what's the bottom line? Well, although I though there might be a clear winner I don't think there is. Each kite is equally as fast. Like anything else though they both have their little quirks and tendancies and you need to fly them extensively to get in tune with them and get the most out of them. Race kites aren't for everyone. They're tempermental and quirky. That being said nothing on the beach was as fast today

So if you have a need for speed and are willing to take the time to learn how to fly them go ahead and buy a Vapor or GT. You won't be able to stop smiling from the speed

Hopefully Dan will post his comments as well BR. Was an awesome day on the beach:wee:

See comments above! Glad you guys got to really give it a go! you two fit the bill for testing them for sure. Very nice write up Can't wait to put more time in on the Vapor myself!

Nice review! I imagine the kites fly very differently over the size range. I've flown the 6/8/14 GT and the 5/8/16 vapor but haven't flown a 2/3/4 yet. Can't wait for better weather and stronger

I too have to thank the guys from East Coast Kite Sports for there loan of the Peter Lynn 3.2m Vapor and thank Dean for letting me fly his 3.2m Yak Gt. I have a curious nature and always like to try different kites and see what they have to offer, but that is not the primary reason for my interest in the kites. I have flown Jojo rms for many years and know them well. I enjoy a synergy with them and truly like how they fly, however they are getting old and tired and I need to figure out witch kite series to start replacing them with. It seamed that the natural thing to do would be to gather some similarly sized kites (~3m for us) and fly them and see how they perform and find witch one I liked the best.

I have to let you know that I have a prejudice for fixed bridle kites that are highly maneuverable, go upwind well, that do not have a lot of “grunt” and get their power from speed. Sound like a race kite to me. My preference for high maneuverability also means that I want a highly efficient kite (high power for a given size) so that I can fly a smaller kite and still get the power I want and have the maximum maneuverability. I am not a park and ride kind of guy and like to actively fly the kite while buggying. Also, I really don’t like big slow turning kites and light wind days. I prefer high wind days and these have always been the best for me. Fortunately, our beach often gets relatively clean winds and many high wind days.

For our comparison we wanted to gather 5-6 different kites, but we ended up with just 2. I think that this worked out for the best, since I had a difficult deciding which kite I liked better with just 2, let alone many more. We did not have the best winds for the test we flew from about 11-3::



The winds were up and down and sometimes gusty. They were off shore and slowly shifted from SW to W. Our beach runs North-South, so the winds moved from a great test direction with fast downwind runs and a good test of upwind capability to one that was merely good. (The fastest runs were set earlier in the day) Consecutive runs on the same kite would bring different results, making it hard to truly make accurate comparisons. If we had strong smooth onshore consistent winds for the test we would have been able to see what the top end of the kites were and would have been able to compare them more easily. We didn’t get that, but the gusty winds did allow us to see how they dealt those winds.

I got to fly the Vapor on Saturday at Wildwood, but the direction was strait down the beach, and the winds were quite low for it size. I had fun buggying with it, but I had to really work the kite and was still underpowered. I liked the kite and was amazed at how stable it was for a race kite. It turned precisely and always wanted to stay inflated. Once I discovered that it liked brake turns, it produced some nice power surges on kite loops. I was left with a desire to give it a go with more wind.

I got the chance today, with enough wind to let it stretch it legs. Of course the kite made more power and I could go faster, and the kite remained very stable. It has nice smooth power delivery and dealt with the gust quite well. The first few runs it felt like the kite had to much brake and the trailing edge had a pucker. I kept letting more and more brake out till the pucker went away. Went for a run with it and it felt quicker, but the kite kept overflying the window and collapsing in the gusts. This may be the fair weather setting for the kite, but it wasn’t working well in the wind we had. I took the brakes in a 1/2'” and the stability returned, and did not touch it for the rest of the day.

After a few runs I traded the Vapor with Dean for the Yak GT, we kept trading back and forth all day. It then became apparent that the Vapor did not want sit on the ground with some brake like the Yak did. This was not a big problem for me, I fly with a harness and when I land it I can look at the kite and make small adjustments to the handle and have it sit fine. It was a big problem for Dean, he flys hot wired and has to look away from the kite and hold some brake while he attaches a pulley and wilchard, by the time he looks back the kite has been bouncing around and picked up tip wraps and sometimes even a bow tie. With both these kite bow ties and tip wraps aren’t big deals; they shake out quite easily, sometimes even in the air unlike my Jojos that often require a trip to the kite to untangle them.

I launched the Yak for the first time; I brought it up slowly with the brakes on a little of the center of the power zone. After it was a little more that half way up I released the brakes and was in for a surprise. The kite accelerated to the zenith and picked me up a bit and dropped me downwind quite a ways. My ankle and heal are still sore from it, this kite flys differently that the Vapor. The Yaks power comes on very quickly, but can stop quickly too; king of a jerky power delivery . In the winds we had it is more challenging kite to fly and requires more attention and constant control adjustments to keep the kite were you want it to be. I had to be more attentive to gusts and apply brakes faster that on the Vapor to keep it from overflying the window. The kite wants to wander and I had more difficulty with down turn tacks and kite loops that with the Vapor.

Both kites really are great and I can’t decide which I like better. I set my top speed with the Yak, but I am sure that the Vapor was not far behind, and it was probably just better wind on the Yaks run that set the top speed. I struggled with the Yak at times, but I am sure I would get better at flying it with some more time on it. I feel that the Yak accelerated quicker. I think that in clean wind the Yak would be a little faster, but this is only a guess and I would like to compare them to know for sure. The Vapor was much easier for me to fly and I think it goes up wind a little better than the Yak and deals with gusty wind better. I did not fly a Jojo today to compare it to, but if I did, I am sure that I would have noticed a large performance gap between it and these modern 2 generation newer race kites. I am sure I would be happy with either as replacement for my Jojos, but would like to try a few other brands before I have to decide.


If you are interested in a race kite, you will have the same problem deciding that I have, but either one would be a great choice. It is very rewarding to fly a race kite well, and you get a rush with the speed that comes along with it. Again, thanks to the guys from East Coast Kite Sports for the chance to demo the Vapor, and to Dean for the Yak Gt; especially since I am now known as a kite killer.

Oh man,,,,,,,,,,,now he's gonna be drooling all over the place til he gets to try one