CrazyFly Sculp 9m 2015
Reviews / Kites
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At A Glance
The Sculp has been in the line up for a few years now at CrazyFly, they bill it as “One World, One Kite”. It’s firmly aimed at the all round rider looking for a great kite that can perform whatever their style. It’s a light three-strut design with wide wingtips. The plan shape is “delta” with a flat arc to make it user friendly and easy to relaunch. The wide wingtips keep the kite agile in the air and the deep profile generates lots of power.
CrazyFly have ditched the pulley on the bridle this year and are instead utilising a low friction O-ring, these are much more durable and provide a more direct feeling in the air. The one-pump valves are also new; they are now manufactured in Europe and use the best materials available. In addition to that a new turbo inflate valve has been added, we’re big fans of this as it makes pumping the kite up much easier and faster.
The Bar
The Sick bar is one of our favourites, and it has been improved for 2015! It is one of the best bars on the market and it’s 100% made in Europe. The one-piece carbon bar is solid, lightweight and incredibly comfortable to use. The bar is simple, clean and safe, yet delivers a high standard of performance. A new trim cleat has been added this year, it is smaller and easier to use. In addition a PU tube had been placed over the depower line to eliminate any wear. The push-away chicken loop mechanism has been tweaked. Each chicken loop is tested at the factory under load before it is released onto the market. It’s easy to use and also very simple to re-engage too. The Dyneema lines themselves are top quality and made in Germany. Size options for the bar are 40cm, 45cm, 50cm and 55cm.
In The Air
The Sculp is a very easy to fly kite, you instantly feel at home with it in the air. It has a stable nature to it that will inspire confidence in riders of all abilities. There is a deep draft to the Sculp this develops lots of low-end power. The 9m with its flat arc and deep profile generating plenty of grunt when you need it. Depower is good and the kite is very responsive on a short throw at the bar offering lots of control. The bar pressure is medium, we never felt fatigue in the arms when we were flying the kite and always had good feedback as to where it was in the sky.
The kite sits a little further back in the window than some kites, this makes it stable and predictable with a smooth power delivery. Upwind is good, especially in lighter airs where the extra power helps to get you going early. The Sculp really impressed us as a fun freeride kite, jumping and kite looping were great fun and there was a solid pull off the water when you sent the kite back through the window. The flat arc of the kite offers plenty of hangtime in the air and it’s easy to fly nature had us boosting high floaty jumps with ease.
Overall
The Sculp is well suited to beginners and intermediates alike, it packs a lot of performance in when you really start to use it aggressively. It’s great unhooked too. If you are looking for a freeride kite that can do freestyle and waves as well, then the Sculp is a good option. With lots of low down power it will suit larger riders too who are looking for small kite maneuverability with big kite power.
Videos
This review was in Issue 47 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit CrazyFlyRelated
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!
