I bought this on-line from a non-kiter.
It was just sitting on the shelf in his art shop.
He did not know anything about it.
It is solid orange without any markings anywhere.
There are 3 vents in the center on each cell, 2 internal straps in vicinity of the LE and 1 close to the TE.
No adjusters on the straps.
There is one inflation zipper in the center towards the TE and one right on the TE.
LE is 662cm and sticks (looks like carbon fibre, one pc, measuring 104.5cm tip to tip.
There is one line connection at LE and two connections at TE
I think could be Bomba 13m but not sure ?.

I'm curious now, and your pics did not post.....

no markings, hmmmmmm? Sounds interesting!

Solid colours like that are usually prototypes?

There was a Bomba Proto on Fleebay about a week or 2 ago. Is this it?

Looks S-arc like to me?

I found it on ikitesurf.com

looks like the one I was bidding on on fleabay......

it was listed as a bomba proto....

flyjump had turned me on to it and had said it was a bomba proto.......

it never met his reserve on the fleabay......

it looked in great condition.....

the pic in the bottom corner of your post is identical to the one in my fleabay you didn't win folder..... I think it is the same kite......

so how does it fly????

I really like my 17m Bomba......

yeah, its interesting. the guy had it listed as a bomba proto on fleabay. I read a little bit about the SLarc recently. I'm wondering if it is one of those.

I think it stands for single line arc. hopefully its a bomba proto, because I think that'd be more useful then an single line kite

md, thats def a bomba proto, I have it in a teal 13 mtr, super score, unlike alot of the other arcs this one will produce good power in light wind , is easy to inflate and launch,relaunches like a dream and when the wind kicks to over 15 I can hover fully depowered.

I've compared the ebay pic and the ikitesurf pic and yes they do look the same :puzzled:
This dude must have had more than one, because I got mine and one on ebay shows it had sold for $255+shipping.
I paid way less than that, bar that came with it is Cabrinha with a clip on eye for depower line..
Lines look brand new (thick, good quality colored), chicken loop, trim strap (both exactly like Zero7 bar) and safety leash also looks brand new.

I'll take it out this weekend to see if it flies OK and if it was worth the $180.
If not, I just bought a bar and got lots of ripstop fabric for free

Quote:

Originally posted by Feyd ................

Feyd are you trying to say something ?

That bottom right image in your collage is the picture from the ebay listing. Someone put it back up for sale already?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/230690124600?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:I...

hrmm that is interesting.. wonder if someone swiped a pict? not know anyone that would dig up a pict on web and use it for thier own purposes.. :saint:

It is definetely a Bomba proto 13m !!
Took it out last Sunday.
I forgot how great and stable these kites were !!
I also took my other two small PLs for a comparison; F1200 and CH10 (with center strap mod) here are my observations:
All 3 were flown on the same bar (65cm) and 25m lines with long depower travel, wind ~14knts with gusts to maybe 19knts, 92kg beginner/intermediate rider.

Compared was the launch and landing (1), inflated and underinflated (2), stability (3), gusts handling (4), downwind drift (5), power development (6), turn speed (7) depower (8)

Bomba 13m:
1- easy up and easy down
2- can take-off with almost fully deflated kite with some rear line tension juggling
3- like a floating rock :-)
4- what gusts !?, almost didn't notice any, and they were gusts
5- just opens up a bit and floats downwind, talking about easy to fly kite
6- very smooth
7- medium to slow
8- around 60-80%

F1200:
1- surprisingly not as hard as I thought it would be (never flown F-arc before)
2- needs to be at least 1/2 inflated, more to avoid bow-ties
3- very stable, I would say it was more stable than Bomba
4- excellent, you feel it on the bar and just work the bar a bit to compensate
5- requires attention of back line tension so it does not bow-ties
6- fast but smooth
7- medium to fast
8- around 50-75%

Ch10 (middle strap tip adjusters mod)
1- relatively easy
2- 3/4 to full inflation needed for hassle free take-off (no more tip clapping after the strap mod, loosened the straps and clapping again)
3- as stable as a bow kite of the same size, not anywhere stable as the other two
4- OK but really requires attention, as it will overfly and then inverts
5- poor, really hard to deal with, inversion prone
6- explosive, not good for beginner (at least this size)
7- super fast (for a twinskin)
8- 100%

Conclusions:
Bomba winner all the way, it is a superb learning kite with some room for advancement.
F1200, for 10year old design it is still a really good kite
Ch10, worst stability of all 3, needs cleaner wind and needs to be flow fast, not recommended for anyone with less than 20-30h flying time on full size kite.
(heck I found Ovando 11m more stable than CH10, I still hate it but I understand its potential and will keep it when skills improve to match its level of performance)

So it looks like over the years of development PL looses their user friendliness for performance to satisfy advanced riders, detering beginners from the brand.

Of all PL gear I have flown personally, Charger10 is my least enjoyable kite (own one for 2 years now), followed by Synergy12m (except for 19m)
My favorites (PL gear) so far; B-13 (flown 13 and 17), V1-16 (flown 13, 16, 19) and V2-19 (16, 19), although S840/1120 and G13 were ok too.

How are the latest PL prototypes ? any hope for us beginners ?

My comments are predominantly directed towards land base kiting in areas with sketchy, shifty and gusty winds, local soccer fields, farm fields, grass meadows and inland frozen lakes, etc.
Water based kiting is different animal altogether.

Excellent write up. Great insight into ARCs. Thanks.

Quote:

Originally posted by mdpminc Of all PL gear I have flown personally, Charger10 is my least enjoyable kite (own one for 2 years now), followed by Synergy12m (except for 19m)

I had a 12m Synergy and liked it in the buggy but would need 25mph at least on the water and could probably handle it up to 40 mph. I liked the fast turning speed it had but it was still straightline stable while running down the beach. I'm curious what you didn't like about the 12 Syn. Tridude was taken aback by the turning speed, and said the other day it is still one of the fastest turning kites he's ever flown.

Very nice write-up and detailed testing! I toyed more than a few times with buying that 13m bomba when it was on ebay..

Nice write up Marek - thanks - you didn't include how you felt your Scorpion fit into it for you

Excellent write up! Should be a template for kite reviews in general.

Interesting you're impressions of the F-Arc as well as the Bomba. It really makes me want to get a hold of a Vortex and see how that flies.

The F-arc becomes a little less user friendly in higher winds and she lacks the depow range of Arcs built within the last 10yrs. But it is a phenomenal kite. I thought the Phantom would fly like the F-Arc with a broader depow range but that has not been the case. Yes the Phantom has the depow but it is severly lacking in the power dept. I prefer the F-Arc.

The Phantom 2 on the other hand is a damn nice wing. I think that a lot of what you dislike about the Charger will be relieved in the P2. There are some pix from the other day on my blog. You can see the 15m CH and P2 in the air for comparison.

http://hardwaterkiter.blogspot.com/2011/11/201112-snowkite-s...

Again, great write up.

BTW did you stitch down the "dog ears" on your F-Arc?

Firstly thank you all for positive comments and praise.
These comments are biased to the variables of the day's weather, wind and pilot skills (or lack there of.... lol)
I am sorry now that I did not bring V2-19, Sc16 and the OV13 as it would have been even more interesting comparison adding larger sizes and the tube to the mix.
Perhaps next time, with inter city wind I wasn't even sure if I would fly at all that day (S to SSW wind, GPS location 43°30'0.07"N, 80°28'30.02"W)

- re: Syn12, yes it is a great straight line and fast turning kite as long as you have clean wind, mine was mostly flown in gusty winter inland winds, so like Charger it needs a cleaner wind otherwise is bouncing and twitching all over the place and was prone to inversion.

- re: Sc16: Scorpion is like V2-16 with a turbocharger and with better upwind, I am getting more comfortable with its power so it will get used more this winter.

Quote:

Originally posted by Feyd BTW did you stitch down the "dog ears" on your F-Arc?

Can you elaborate on that Feyd or what should I look for ?

nicely done, maybe toss that in the kite review section too.

Sorry, the wing tip panels. The flappy bits.

I know some stitch them down and I just heard that some people removed the fabric from the straps. Both result in less backstall which I have to say I have had very little backstall witn mine.

But the flappy action in the turns is kind of annoying. Not so much that I would'nt ride it but it's noticeable.

I did some static flying on the Phantom 2 again yesterday. Punchy winds 10-25mph. Had the 6m and the 12m out and they were AWESOME. You really learn to appreciate a kite's depow range when static flying.