I've been thinking about picking up some inflatables with the idea to eventually get out on the water, but initially for use as a snowkite.

the 2010 Naish charger is available new (complete) for some pretty reasonable prices and I was wondering if anyone here has any time on one?

I've found some reviews on the web, almost all positive, but thought I would check in here.

I'm quite comfortable with depowers but this would be my first tube, and what I learn with (eventually) on the water... how does the size of delta kites in general compare (power wise) to an equivalent foil.... meaning is a 9m open cell foil the same as a 9m delta inflato?? I would think not, but I have no idea.

What do you all think??

Hey

I've never flown the Naish charger but heard good things about it. Mainly easy relaunch and a good wind range. I know Naish quality is top notch.
An open cell foil will have more power than the same sized inflatable. A 9 meter open cell will probably be around a 12 meter inflatable.

John

Hmmm, I'm not so sure... The quality of the kite is bound to be top notch, but I've heard the opposite about the water relaunch. People have told me they're impossible to get back into the air, and the weird shape of the kite just makes it collapse in on itself instead of making it rigid in the water. Wait for someone who has actually flown one to chime in... :dunno:

Charger is Sigma-based design? I've never seen one relaunch and there are 3 guys who use Cult's here ... they do, however, fly upside very well.

Hey

No, the Charger is a Delta shaped kite.

John

Delta's are supposed to be almost-automatic relaunch aren't they? The Fone delta kites I've seen have a nasty habit of stalling then rolling back into the power zone and relaunching with a YOINK though ... otherwise, they're good.

I took an 11m Fone out in 20knots plus last year and felt a bit overpowered in my inexperience ... now, I'd be loving it!

Foils (bridled) will always have more effective projected area than LEIs so sizes don't really translate IMHO.

Personally, I don't like the Naish bars but that's just me ... Cabrinha have a great system, as does North. I broke the Fone CL body, or rather it broke, so that put me off them.

Oh, so it is a delta kite? That makes things better. I thought it was a Sigma series. Would have Googled it, but I had to go. Modern delta shaped kites are awesome. I say go for it... but, try before you buy.

I thought it was Sigma too ...

From what I gather the charger is replacing the cult as their all terrain kite, and the cult was a sigma. The charger does have some slight angularity but nothing like the cult, it is indeed considered a delta. From what I've read relaunch is not a problem with the charger, in fact somebody said it was too easy, almost automatic.

Kami, I've heard deltas on the whole have a tendency, in strong gusty winds, to stall slightly with a sudden power surge when the sink into the window a bit.

As much as I'd love to try before I buy it's not really an option in this area. As for prices, a complete RTF kite is 7m/$625; 9m/$690; 11m/$750; 13m/$800

Obviously pretty tempting....

It's on the beach that it's a big problem ... bloody tumbleweeds rolling through the window ...
Wow, great prices! Those 2010 kites?

Yeah, those prices are for brand new 2010 kites. They're at departmentofgoods.com if anybody is interested, I've seen them show up on steep and cheap (which is a deal of the moment site run by backcountry/dept of goods) for even less money, but those deals generally last 20 mins or so and I haven't managed to catch it yet.

if you're over 190# the 13m is gonna give alot of range . deep chord on this one gonna be quick turning alot like SS RPM.

with sweep tips the relaunch is just a roll over away minimal bar input.

the 11m would be ideal at about 170 -/+ 10. esp. for water

Just grabbed the 9m on steep and cheap for $530 complete, probably be the small side of the quiver but probably a good high wind snow kite. Couldn't pass up on the price.

A few minutes left on the deal if people ate interested.

Thats a good deal.
Let us know how it flies when you try it.

John

Will do, looking forward to testing it out.

Same deal is back up on SAC - www.steepandcheap.com for the next 25 minutes.

and obviously, I'm not affiliated....

Got the 9m in the mail the other day, inflated it in my basement and looks like a sweet kite. Construction is top notch, very nice package for $500. Unfortunately the snow conditions around here have tanked with the the warm stretch we've had so I haven't been able to get it in the air, hopefully soon.

I've been watching S&C for bigger sizes and I managed to pick up the 13m complete for $600 last night, so I'm pretty happy with that deal. Gotta keep an eye out for the 11m and I'll end up with a quiver brand new 2010 kites for about $1700, and since I'll have 3 bar sets, I can probably sell one and recoup some of that cost, don't really need 3....not bad to get started on the water....

Good score! Right place at the right time

Really great scores on quiver-building. Can't wait to get some reports from your time on the water with them.

Got some fresh snow in the Northeast so I ventured out for a quick ride this afternoon. The wind was a bit dicey, 12-14 with some crazy gusts....would have been a good day for the 13m but it's still in route, so I inflated the 9m and was able to fly it static, wasn't enough power to ride (the snow was very sticky as well). This is my first go with inflatables so bear that in mind when I describe it the comparison is to the foils I've been flying all along, not other LEI's etc....

So, the package: The bag is a bit simple, basically a canvas draw sack with shoulder straps. It has a built in pocket for the pump, but I've found it to be more suited to the bar, too small to get the pump in and out easily. It's got mesh sides for ventilation. It has draw straps on both sides to compress the kite for storage, but they have enough slack to hold the pump easily. The package includes everything you need including a pump, leash, repair kit, sticker, and some things that I'm not quite sure the purpose of, I'll figure it out eventually....

The Bar - which AFAIK is the same bar across the Naish lineup, and is unchanged for 2011 - is fantastic. It's well thought out and CLEAN - super simple. Depower trim is below the bar and quite effective. The bar has a long throw but includes a stopper ball that is adjustable on the fly. The frontline safety is routed through bar to keep the whole system very organized. The safety release is very robust and easy to use. I tested it out today, as I like to do with all unfamiliar kites, and it releases with reasonable effort and is easy to reset, even with thick gloves on. The padding on the bar is comfortable and nicely contoured.

The kite itself is nice quality. Good construction and plenty of reinforcement and bolstering in high stress areas. There are some apparent cost cutting measures, some OK, others a bit questionable. The first is that this is not a one-pump kite, and honestly that's OK with me, takes an extra 2 minutes to inflate the struts individually, I knew this when I bought it and honestly it's not a complaint, just noting it. Any bladder repairs down the road should be a cinch. The next thing, not so good. The valves on the stuts and LE are not one-way valves, which makes it frustrating to plug it without loosing air. It's not a huge on the LE, but the struts go from firm to limp with one woosh....it's a pain to pinch off the valves and plug them, maybe not on the beach, but when it's 12 degrees out with sub zero wind chill, and you can't do it with gloves on, that's a different story. Anyway, I'm sure I'll get better at it with practice, but it seems a little busch league to have 2 way valves where pressure is so critical. Oh well, my only complaint so far...

Once I did get the kite inflated, launch was simple. First up was an assisted launch, easy as pie. Kite is stable and powerful (not that much today, but I see the potential....I was well below the sweet spot for wind for a 9m). Turning is fast, so much faster than 9m foils, at least the ones I've flown. Kite is fast across the window as well, easy to loop and generate power. Got some little boosts in the stronger gusts, they were controlled and smooth, nice float. The kite handled the gusts like nothing I've flown before (remember that's only foils....) the combination of huge amounts of depower, and a structure that doesn't taco the way a foil does, I think I'm in love....

The wind died a couple of times to the point where I couldn't keep the kite in the air, and relaunch was a piece of cake and a slice of pie at the same time. It sits leading edge down, a little bar input and it scootches to the middle edge of the window and sits waiting on the tip, little more input and up it goes, wow, basically automatic. This was all with just bar input, no extra pulling on the leaders....very cool.

Well, that's a long review for a static flight, but I'm very impressed with the kite, especially for what they cost me! The bar alone is worth the price of admission. These kites should serve me well for learning on the water.

Very happy with my purchase. All I need to do now is snag an 11m.

Nice good score there!
I'm thinking that the Naish bar would be a pretty good replacement for just about any kite ... so simple and clean - the only thing that makes me wonder is the under the bar depower - what do you do with all the extra rope flapping around?

Same thing you do with above the bar depower - you let it flap around.

Not if you have Recoil :D

I think naish has the best bar on the market ive been riding them for 3 years now. The most depower you really put on is about 8-10 inches so that not to bad for flapping around. As for the charger its a great kite. Personaly i ride helix's and now the park, but i have about 10 days on the charger. The relaunch is automatic, you let go of the bar and the kite goes to the edge of the window, grab the bar and it will launch. I found the the kite rides a bit small. the 12m has the power of an 11m kite. But you can work it pretty good. Its a great surf kite.