Gorge Tested Cabrinha Crossbow

[knyfe]

Andy,

THNX for you short but open minded review. This sounds really interesting. I was so disappointed in trying the Hellfish. This makes hope. I will try it.

K

[skysalr]

I am a bit confused about the talk on the Crossbow. I've heard a lot of talk about it, went to the Cabrinha site and read every word written about it (Monday morning) and then actually saw one at 3rd on Monday afternoon. This was a day I chose to ride my 12 Rhino5 and got myself pretty overpowered (I am closer to 200#). Contrary to what others are saying, I do not recall seeing any 14m kites out that day and would have been pretty surprised. I did see Jeff Kafka launch what looked like a 30 footer on his green RRD and someone do something similar later on some North, but I didn't see the Crossbow more than 5-8 feet off the water in the same winds and timeframe. Granted, a 220# rider on a 9m kite is saying something, but I would love to see someone in Sonny's weight range (someone who normally rides a 10 or 12 in that type of condition on the kite. Maybe Scott would be a good compromise. Anyway, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of these - they do look pretty neat. I watched Andy have some difficulties with the kite when he first got the handoff and it looked like the kite inverts/reverts more easily than a standard inflatable. It also looked like the tips drop a bit too easily, which is standard for a paraglider in gusting conditions but I don't know too much about foil-like kites. What I found most interesting about the kite was that it appears to fly at different speeds depending on where it is in the window, unlike say the Slingshots that appear (I haven't ridden one) to fly at a very consistent speed. I wonder what that feels like.

Jack

[teddy]

Can anyone tell me what kind of combination to use when bying a crossbow?. im about 190lbs. 16 and a 12 or is that an overlap? now i use a combination of 17 and a 12. in my conditions i never used a kite below 10. Can anyone tell me how this kite is for going upwind? - how it sits in the window..?

[andyandmarlys]

From what I gather.... a 12 and 16 would be a good combo for you... The 12 should power down effectively to match a 10m and the 16 should power up to more than match a 17. I am not the expert on this though.. Maybe Steve would know better...

As for upwind, Kent and I both agree is was average.... We didn't experience any super fantanstic or poor upwind abilities. Kent felt his nitro went upwind better... I felt like it went upwind similar to my Rhino... but beter than a Fuel.

It seems to sit a bit lower in the window than a Nitro or Rhino.... Maybe more like a fuel...

Can anyone tell me what kind of combination to use when bying a crossbow?. im about 190lbs. 16 and a 12 or is that an overlap? now i use a combination of 17 and a 12. in my conditions i never used a kite below 10. Can anyone tell me how this kite is for going upwind? - how it sits in the window..?

[OliverG]

So it tends to exhibit some characteristics that would normally be associated with a mid-aspect kite? It seems you and Kent felt that the Rhino and Nitro went upwind better, which is by virtue of design makes sense as high-aspect kites typically rock for jetting upwind. It's hard to get the whole piece of a pie in a kite as far as low-end, high-end range, boosting, turning speed, safety and upwindability. Great kites that suit a broad range of riders in a broad range of conditions are super, but there's always a trade-off. How does this kite compare in that sense? Do you still get your cake and eat it too? For example, where would you place it amongst the Element, Co2 and Nitro?

[andyandmarlys]

On one hand, it seemed to me to be able to go upwind average... but compated to my conventional 10m I rode immediately thereafter, it blazed upwind.. If you keep in in perspective... it is a 9m kite... I should have been on a 12 or 14 that day.. Had I been on the 12m, maybe I would have depowered it a bit, and found that it went upwind like a bat out of hell.... but there was no 12m to test... so for now, I know the kite goes upwind at least average... Who knows if I ride a larger size....

I was thinking about this... with this kite, when everyone is riding 12's, you should also take out the 12m Crossbow... You can depower it so that it is as powered as everyone else's 12... but then if the wind drops, you can fully power it up and keep riding while everyone pumps up thier 15's and 16's....

As per a comparison to the Element, CO2 and Nitro... I do not have that much experience with any of them.... I have been on the Element and thought it had good low end....and I have been on the Nitro and noticed it goes upwind well.

For what it is worth.. I rode today starting at about 6:30 in Alameda on the Contra 19.5 with the new Slingshot Glide..... I rode .75 miles upwind from my home to the normal launch.... goofed off a bit and then rode home... The Alameda sensor never registered an average windspeed of above 8...

[kitewind]

Hi everyone,
I am so used to ride sheetout to the stopper knot on the chicken loop to do tricks. I just wonder on the Crossbow if u let go both hands it seems to activate the overide system and the kite will just depower. May be I am wrong about this. Please Adcive.

[dewey]

Ollie I don't get it. On the general forum index the poster is Experienced1, but on the post it's kitewind(Guest). What's up??

[OliverG]

kitewind responded to the post. The original poster is Experienced1, Steve Gunn, the Cabrinha rep. Make sense?

[dewey]

No on the forum index the person who responded to the post was Experienced1, but when I checked it was kitewind. Just like when I checked now it was you as the person who responed.