North Kiteboarding Dyno 18m 2011
Reviews / Kites
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At A Glance
The new North Dyno is the answer to those light wind prayers, in more ways than one. Buy a Dyno and it’s guaranteed to blow a hooley for the next few weeks and your mates will thank you for it! Equally become the proud owner of one of these and the term “no wind” simply won’t exist. The Dyno range has been designed purely for racing, they are lightweight powerful kites available currently in 18m and 16m sizes, for the sponsored racers out there 13m kites are available and there will also be a 10m in due course. For punters this no doubt means that in 2012 you could also own a complete quiver of Dyno’s. For the moment though you’ll have to make do with the 18m and 16m kites. Everything on the kites has been stripped down to save weight, there is no Dacron leading edge, instead a heavier grade TechnoForce D2 material has been used. There are a few wear patches, but reinforcement is not what the Dyno is about. No one pump either to save weight, in fact less is more with this kite! The only exception to this is the 7 struts which they have used to ensure the canopy stays rigid in the lightest of airs. It can be flown on 4 or 5 lines and features a bridle on the leading edge. It’s best flown on long lines, we’d recommend getting the 31m line set to go with this kite.
On the Water
Getting the Dyno out of the bag you can’t help but notice the lightweight construction, kind of makes you really, really want to look after it! Pumping the 18m up is an effort in itself, as is moving it around the beach. In times when the average kite size has shrunk over the years it was strange to be holding onto such a beast! Once you launch it though, in winds so light people refuse to believe it will fly, it all makes sense. Launching 14m Fuse for instance in light winds requires a serious amount of pilot skill to keep the kite in the air and stop it from dropping out of the sky. You need to constantly move it and fly it in order to stop the lines from going slack under the weight of the kite. Launching the 18m in 6 knots of wind is a totally different experience however. It sits rock solid in the window, even in the lightest of breezes and delivers a solid pull that will surprise many. Once you put your race board on your feet you’ll be amazed at the effects. We recorded an average speed of 18 knots over an hour long session in just 6 knots of wind. Top speed was 22knots! This kite is insane, once you get going and get some apparent wind moving over the frame it just doesn’t want to stop! Obviously it isn’t the most nimble kite around the window, but it is no slouch, and once a turn has been initiated it will accelerate across the window with speed. The downside to all this is that with such an impressive low end, the kite quickly gets overpowered. 15 knots and you won’t want to be holding on to this! You’ll be running for cover complaining it’s too windy, or perhaps just rigging your 14m… Upwind ability is, as you would expect from a race thoroughbred, excellent!
For
Impressive engineering to create something so efficient, amazing low end wind capabilities. Thoroughbred race machine.
Against
Small range limits it’s use to just the lightest of airs. Make sure you are confident the wind isn’t going to suddenly increase mid session as the kite is a real handful when overpowered.
Overall
Despite being lightweight, it still utilises the excellent construction techniques that North have become famous for. It’s the ultimate race machine, designed to get you out on the water when everyone else is sat on the beach.
This review was in Issue 27 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit North 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!
