CORE Kiteboarding Section 4 6m 2022
Reviews / Kites
62,313
At A Glance
The Section 4 is the pure wave kite on offer from CORE; this kite is for riders that live and breathe wave riding! It's not a free ride, all-around, or big air kite; it is a wave warrior, and it's a fierce one!
In its 4th edition, CORE has incorporated its latest materials technology. For the canopy, the Section 4 features CoreTex 2, a triple ripstop material that is a bit lighter than the previous version of CoreTex, with a coating that offers more stability, stiffness, and durability.
In the leading edge and struts, you'll find ExoTex, which is an ultra-rigid dacron material that can hold a whole lot of pressure, even in an airframe that has a fairly small diameter. The struts in the Section 4 use an even lighter version of ExoTex, aptly named ExoTex Light, which should make for some snappy handling.
The Section 4 has a 3-strut design with a bridle with 3 pulleys, which should translate to a well-balanced kite in the sky. They also offer three different trim settings on the wing tips, called Onshore, Offshore, and Allround. Adjusting these settings will change where the kite sits in the window so you can best optimise your session to match the specific conditions.
Sizes: 4m, 5m, 6m, 7m, 8m, 9m, 10m, 11m, 12m, 13.5m
In The Air
We tested the 6m Section 4 in smallish 3 ft swell, and it was a blast! We rode this one back-to-back with the Nexus, and while the Nexus is definitely more user-friendly and all-around, requiring less input from the rider, the Section outperforms it significantly when it comes to handling in the waves.
The kite is stable in the sky and doesn't require an unusual amount of input to keep flying. You can easily dump power when you want to, especially when you're in the middle of a bottom turn and getting ready to line up the next hack off the top.
The turning speed is super-fast, especially in the small size that we tested, exactly what a wave rider needs when using the kite to create power on demand. It loops tight, helpful for building some extra speed to get to the next section.
The Section 4 wants to fly, so you don't have to worry about it taking a dive into the drink when you're concentrating on getting your next critical hit on the wave. But, were you to drop it in the water, its relaunch is second to none. In a wave environment, speed of relaunch is a must!
Overall
The Section 4 is, without doubt, an advanced wave kite. This kite is for the rider that wants to ride waves and only waves, and it performs brilliantly. It is super responsive, has loads of depower, drifts nicely, and turns quickly. If you've been playing around in the waves and looking for a kite that won't hold back your wave progression, take a close look at the CORE Section 4.
Videos
This review was in Issue 98 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit CORE KiteboardingRelated
By Crystal Veness
Editor at IKSURFMAG, Crystal Veness hails from Canada but is based in South Africa. When she isn't busy kitesurfing or reporting on the latest industry news for the mag, she is kicking back somewhere at a windy kite beach or working on creative media projects.
