Best Kiteboarding Capo 7m 2013
Reviews / Kites
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At A Glance
The Cabo is a new kite from Best Kiteboarding for this year, aimed at the wave riders out there it is being used by their ever-growing pro wave team to great effect on the KSP World Tour. It comes built to the exacting standards we have become accustomed to with Best in the last few years. One of the main features is the tough build quality, Best knew this kite would be pounded by the waves when it gets crashed, so it features the Double Core RS Canopy material, Canopy Framing Technology and 3D Kevlar Airframe construction. The kite itself is a three-strut design with a medium aspect ratio; the profile is quite C-Shaped in its arc, dominated by the wide wingtips. One-Pump comes as standard and there is a micro bridle with a single pulley on each side that features an easy to replace section of line should it ever wear considerably.
The Bar
The Redline Performance Bar V3 controls the Cabo and this year it has had even more improvements made to it. In fact every moulded part of the bar has been re-engineered. It features the “Sacrificial Insert System” this is a Derlin insert, which offers lower friction over a standard insert. This means the insert goes before the depower line enabling you to just swap it out without having to re-thread any lines! Simple, but effective, especially if you have ever had to actually change a depower line - it can be a real pain in the ass! The Redline Safety system is the heart of the bar combined with the Pro Cuff Release meaning you can ditch the kite with ease in a hurry and know it will be easy to reconnect should you need to. With no moving parts to get jammed it works really well no matter how badly you treat it!
In the Air
The Cabo feels very light in your hands, the bar pressure has purposely been set to a minimum so you don’t feel too much input from the bar when you are on the wave. This allows you to concentrate on riding the wave and not worry too much about the kite pulling you off balance in the gusts. In cross offshore conditions the kite drifts effortlessly down the line, floating really well and you can just park it and put your turns in on the face. When the wind is cross-onshore the wide tips allow the kite to turn very quickly and the thin leading edge allows it to accelerate through the window at quite a speed. This means you can really manoeuvre the kite to get the most power out of it for each section of the wave. The Cabo isn’t just a one trick pony though, it works well as a freeride kite, the fast turning speed allowing it to boost with the rest of them, plus it behaves well unhooked. Obviously it’s allegiances lie firmly in the wave camp, but don’t let that put you off if your riding is a little more varied…
Overall
A great wave kite, unifying good drift, fast turning speed and light bar pressure allowing you to concentrate on riding the waves and not flying the kite.
Videos
This review was in Issue 36 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit Best KiteboardingRelated
By Rou Chater
Rou has been kiting since the sports inception and has been working as an editor and tester for magazines since 2004. He started IKSURFMAG with his brother in 2006 and has tested hundreds of different kites and travelled all over the world to kitesurf. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things kite and is just as passionate about the sport today as he was when he first started!
