Utah Windriders Association

I have three Caution Mayhem kites and bars. I'm looking at a NEW 2007 Caution Answer 2 kite. It's a 19m Kite without bar or lines for $280. Any thoughts as to whether this is a decent monster kite for light wind?

Also, is $110 an OK price for (600 lb) 25 meter lines (set of four)

Thanks! Chris

Hey Chris,

Sounds like the PT is coming along. What are you planning on doing that you would need a 19m kite? If you're trying to squeeze out a little extra low end, you'd be better off putting your money into a lightwind board. Although i'm sure Kenny will disagree with me, i'm a firm believer that the law of diminishing returns kicks in above a 14-15m or so kite. Your 14 should get you going on water in 14mph or so wind, a little lower if you have a big board. The 19m might get you another 1-2mph lower end, but good luck relaunching it when it hits the water, and if the wind is 10-12mph, any lull will have it on the water. The only advantage i see would be winter kiting if there were 3'+ of fresh with wind around 15mph, the 19m would probably get you thru it when the 14m might not.

You should be able to get a set of lines for around $90-$100.

I agree with Jason. 19M is usually just too big a kite to deal with. 14M Mayhem is where I draw the line. Like Jason said...."believer that the law of diminishing returns kicks in above a 14-15m or so kite. Your 14 should get you going on water in 14mph or so wind, a little lower if you have a big board."

Some people go to about 16M for light wind but 19M is tooooo big for water kiting in my opinion. A large directional board will be a better addition for light wind. Even a regular surfboard, strapless, anywhere from 6-6 to 9-0 longboard. IMHO Whit Guild Hoping for NW wind at UL tomorrow, Monday.

Your 16m Naish is as big as you need. It has 5 lines and it is Segma. say no more.

Too big for water. I agree it is better to have the big board. Last week i flew my 17m liquid force down at ULLB with a 130 board. i rode great but i did crash the kite and it took a good 10 to 15 min to get it back up.(no thanks to you Capt. Don.... just kidding) it is just a beast to fly and have to worry about relaunch in water.

on the other hand... this kite is great for snow kiting when it is super light. i can be the only guy riding becasue i have the kite that can harness the wind. it is still a beast but it is alot easier to keep that tension in the lines on snow.

nuff said

alex

Hi Chris,

A good friend of mine in Fort Walton Beach loves his '07 19m Caution Answer for a light wind kite. His other kite is a 12m Caution. He weighs about 165 and is a pretty good, relatively experienced rider. He's an Answer fan and is trying to get sponsored by them, so he's more than a little biased. There were two of those 19m kites at the kite beach in FWB so I got to see them in action frequently. Here's what I think about them (for what it's worth). Caution made the leading edge of the kites too thin- in a attempt to increase the efficiency and speed of the kite. Great idea in general, but it didn't work too well on the huge 19m. Best did a bit better with their Cuben fiber stiffened leading edge design. The Answer 19 is a jellyfish, pure and simple, they couldn't stiffen it enough to make the thin leading edge work-even pumped up really hard. Comments made by others here about relaunching it are very true for this kite, once it gets wet, if you don't have close to 15mph wind, it's going to be really tough to relaunch. AND... if you have 15mph - you don't need a kite that big. Mark does really well on it - because he doesn't hardly ever put it down on the water. He is able to ride and stay upwind on it when most others can't, but in minimal winds, my feeling is most of us aren't having all that much fun anyway.

For me- my big kite is an '08 17m Cabrinha Contra 3. It is a truck- VERY high bar pressure and slow to respond/turn, but with a fat leading edge it has enough stiffness to relaunch as well as most kites do in light wind- which is to say- not real well. I've got mixed emotions about the kite after a full year of riding it, probably 50-75 sessions (the winds tend to be pretty light in panhandle Florida in the summer). I weigh about 200-210 (dammit) so I need a bigger kite than most guys, but as I've progressed as a rider, I'm often able to ride a smaller kite (currently my next smaller kite is a 14m LF Havoc), which because I can turn it better (and thus generate more apparent wind) is a LOT more fun than the Contra. Wow, long run on sentence there... On the flip side, I can ride and stay upwind at about 10-11 mph on my Contra and my big plank/Door type board (140x48cm), so for just cruising in lighter winds- it's OK. Generally, I think my next light kite will be a 15-16m, and like another poster said, use a bigger board or a directional/surf board with some float for real light days.

Bottom line- From what I've seen and tried, the Contra 17m is the best of the light wind kites (downside- like many Cabrinhas- if you let it overfly and Hindenburg, it tends to invert more than some other large kites I've seen). The 19m Answer - IF you get it really cheap, AND you pump it up really hard, AND you don't drop it in the water- might be OK, but other than keeping you from getting skunked completely, it might not be something you end up enjoying very much. BTW- how much do you weigh, Chris? If less than 180 or so, I'd probably avoid it regardless.

But, hey- that's my two cents, take it for what it's worth, and good luck!

-Dave

Hey Dave,

I totally appreciate the comments. LE construction was something that I had not even considered. I top out at 170 pounds max, and can get down to 160 if I pay attention. It seemed like a cheap way to add to my Caution quiver, but I may just and up using my buddy's 6'8" surfboard with my 14m kite instead. I'm also recovering from a broken ankle and 4 totally torn ankle ligaments, so, smaller kite and no straps on a big board seems to make sense.