From: OX
Location: FL (USA)
14 Screamer Review
10-18 knts max 177lbs (83kg). 144 w/ bindings. Kiting for almost 10 years.
The past 2 yrs a 12 was my biggest kite. If it wasn't windy enough for it I didn't want to go out. The downside I suppose was it had to 15+ for me to go out on bindings and stay up wind after throwing tricks. Yeah, I could roll around on the surfboard in the Florida surf, but for flat water with power I needed 15 or more.
This year I decided to go back to a 14 as my light wind kite and I'm so glad I did. Right out of the bag the black, red and white colors look top notch- still not as cool as the all black 10, but a solid looking kite none the less.
The one pump connections -have a cool 90 degree bend nozzle so the connecting tube doesn't have to bend and kink to get to the strut.
I really like the small bridle.- Unless your kite was under inflated and a wing tip forced itself through somehow, I don't think the tips could flip inside the bridle at all since they're so small.
It reminds me so much of a C kite with the flight characteristics - I sometimes think about putting a fifth line on it just to see how it would do with one. It doesn't need it, but sometimes I really blow up catching a heel edge or something and taking the extra few seconds to gather myself before dealing with the kite is nice.
Relaunch - Every time I put it in the water it was on it's edge ready for me to launch. I've had to relaunch it when it's facing down quite a few times to, but it's so easy, just pull in two or so feet of one steering line it reverses itself into the launch position. But what's even better is that you can roll it on its back like the old days of relaunching and it won't flip and tumble down the way. I've ridden so many kites (especially bows) that once you flip it on its back it keeps wanting to tumble or you cant get the wingtip to grab air and it just keeps sliding around on the water. Anyway the Screamer sits on its back no problem - another reason that I think it could ride with a 5th line if I wanted.
The kite is so solid in the air. It turns nice, clean, and steady. Nothing is flapping about in the air like other kites I've had in the past.
Our bay waters will start to chop up and white cap right around 13knts. What was so fun was the fact that I was riding powered in side-on wind with the water at minimal chop. If I waited to ride another day on my 12 I would have been in chop city - or if I rode it that day I would have been going down wind and walking the walk of shame just to do a few tricks.
On the 14 Screamer I was popping two or three small tricks per tack followed by a bigger trick at the end of the tack - all the while staying upwind no problem. All my friends were doing the same tricks wise, but couldn't stay upwind and would have to do two or three tacks with no tricks just to get to our starting point.
All and all I'm super stoked to have a 14 back in my quiver. The 14 Screamer is ridiculously fun!
