Slingshot Rally 9m 2012
Reviews / Kites
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At A Glance
Last year the Rally really took the market by storm for Slingshot, it was their first venture into the Delta concept and they came out with what they called the Delta Open C format. The kite used C kite elements from the Fuel and RPM fused with the Delta concept to create a new beast entirely for the brand. This year the 2012 Rally has undergone some tweaking with the bridle and profile but remains largely unchanged in terms of a major overhaul. And why not, the kite was very well received by riders last year. Previously sizing was on the even numbers but 2012 sees the popular 9m size make a welcome entrance. In terms of what’s new the bridle positioning has been tweaked to better spread the load on the leading edge, the panel layout around the spilt strut has changed and the profiling on each kite has been adjusted to improve the low end.
The Bar
The Comp Stick Bar has been tweaked for 2012 with a different colour for each size and a different grip design. The chicken loop is the same as last year and features a push away release system that seems to be becoming ever more standard. Floats, O’shit handles it is all here, perhaps the most interesting feature is the Surefire Spinner, one of the few attempts at keeping your lines from untwisting that we have seen to actually work. Hats off to the engineers on that one. The safety is a front line depower system that allows the kite to flag out on the front line. It is made in such a way that the kite should still be easy to relaunch after a release. The front lines are 800lbs breaking strain too which is double that of most bars, this should ensure you never snap a front line.
On the Water
The low end on the 9m is very good, something the designers were looking to improve and they have certainly achieved it. You’d still need a 12m in the quiver as opposed to perhaps choosing the 10m and having that as your big kite coupled with a surfboard. Last years kite was great fun when the wind picked up and this year it is no different. Powered up it really comes alive and flies around the window with direct precision and plenty of power. The kite feels a lot more stable although it is still susceptible to user input. Let go of the bar and the kite will just sit overhead, but it only takes a small amount of input to get it racing round the window. The speed of the kite accelerates the longer you engage the bar, it’s something to be aware of as you can use it to your great advantage, but it can also catch you out if you don’t pay attention. Jumping with the 2012 Rally is great fun; the big floaty airs that we enjoyed on last years kite are still there and the hangtime is impressive. The speed of the kite lends itself to waveriding too and the stability helps in this area as well. The kite has a great “hang” ability when you are chasing it down the line and seems to sit in the air rather than fall out of the sky.
For
Moderate tweaks on last years excellent design means the Rally is improved for 2012, great build quality and a good bar set up add to the package.
Against
No real complaints, we love the safety system and the lively flying characteristics.
Overall
Fun, fast, well-made and great fun to fly the Rally improves it’s game over last years version but remains close enough to still be excellent!
This review was in Issue 29 of IKSURFMAG.
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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!
