Best Kiteboarding Waroo 11m 2008
Reviews / Kites
55,300
At A Glance
Last year the Waroo was one of the most popular kites on the market, the competitive price point coupled with impressive performance characteristics made it the weapon of choice for a lot of riders around the globe. Thankfully if something isn’t broke you shouldn’t fix it and that is the case here with the new Waroo. It isn’t a revamp, it never needed to be, but important parts of the kite have been tweaked in an effort to improve performance. The kite features the same VP2 bridle seen on the Nemesis which allows the kite to depower much more effectively without having to have a 2:1 bar system. It also increases the stability of the kite helping to create a very rigid airframe. The Waroo 08 also has the same 3 attachment points for the rear lines on the wingtip, allowing the rider total freedom over how the kite rides and feels. Kevlar reinforcements on the elbows of the leading edge help to protect it while you are self-launching and landing. The last thing to mention is that the kite doesn’t have one pump; the Waroo is a price point kite for Best and they want to keep it competitive.
In the Air
The Waroo does an awful lot of things very well; it is a very good kite for the money that you will have to part with to own one. The improved bridle really helps with the control that you have over the power of the kite, just small movements are needed to lose the power in gusts. Yet with the direct rear line attachment the kite still steers in a very direct and responsive manner. Upwind is good, and the kite is easy to get going with a fair amount of grunt at the bottom of its power range. Jumping is easy on the Waroo, and the airtime is impressive with big long floaty jumps the kite really generates some lift. It really is just a very simple kite to fly, just hook in and go within minutes you will feel at home. Riding unhooked with the Waroo is very impressive; the kite is very stable and stays solid in the window throughout your moves. Powerful kiteloops and downloops are especially satisfying on the Waroo. Perhaps not as stable as the Nemesis the Waroo is still a great kite at a great price.
For
Low cost, good all round performance, impressive freestyle capabilities.
Against
Not as stable as the Nemesis, but at a very competitive price…
Overall
An impressive kite for 08, riders of the 07 Waroo will be pleased with the improvements, anyone who hasn’t tried one before should give it a go.
This review was in Issue 6 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!
