KT Wing Air

[Tsawwassen]

Just picked up 2 new wings, looking sweet!
Thanks to Jesse and the Dirty Mermaid team!
Feel really light in the hands and well balanced. Lots of pumping power and look well built. They come with a nice leash and harness line too. Stoked, can't wait to get them on the water.

[bwd]

Sweet! How do the handles feel? That might be the only thing holding me back. I really like the rigid Cabrinha handles.

[Tsawwassen]

Sweet! How do the handles feel? That might be the only thing holding me back. I really like the rigid Cabrinha handles.

That might be the only thing I'm not sure about. They feel good but seem a little close to the strut, hands might rub when slogging, I'll post again once I get them on the water. I love the big leading edge and strut.

[smartang]

Good first wing. Lots of room to move your hands. Long front handle will be nice for tacks. But the handles are probably too long for precise pumping. It should feel stiff enough for the first bit, but from my experience those large panels will bag out quick if your ride powered up in high winds. Which might never be an issue for a beginner or downwinders. I've learned the hard way to make sure you really prefer a new wing or foil when switching brands. Demo, demo, demo.

[winddoctor]

I quite like the handles. The Cabrinhas are maybe the most comfy but the KTs work very well and I never had any issues with knuckle-rubbing on the strut when I tried one. I HATE having knuckle rub. The front handle extends close to the leading edge, so stink bug starts are easier as are tacks. Should be good in cold weather for grip too! They're super light feeling and well balanced in the air. I think KT was successfully able to test other wings and bring out an excellent V1 without making the same mistakes (soft frame, backwinding, flutter, etc). I tried an earlier 5m proto that feels nothing like the new wings; they feel really sorted. The flag out handle is perfectly positioned and sized so the wing won't pitch down or or lock/flop around your grip. These details really matter. Even the valves are easy to operate with frozen fingers.I seem to be in the minority, but I really like Y handles. They're not necessary but ripping upwind with them or having a powerful wrist position for jumping is nice. Pretty cool to watch the development of wings happen so quickly.

[AJSpencer]

Tsawwassen: just curious why you're moving away from the Slick. Why you leaving me all alone with the Slicks?

[Tsawwassen]

I never had any issues with knuckle-rubbing on the strut when I tried one. I HATE having knuckle rub.

That's good to hear! Hopefully tomorrow I can give them a test flight.

Tsawwassen: just curious why you're moving away from the Slick. Why you leaving me all alone with the Slicks?

A few reasons. I think the main thing is I learnt on an Airush 5M which handles very differently to the Slick. I really struggle when switching down from the 5M Airush to the 3.5 Slick. I think the KT is similar to the Airush but I'm hoping it will be an improvement. There were things I really liked about the Slick but I want to see how these feel.

[smartang]

Need to demo wings against something like a Strike V2 (max lift) and OR Glide A (max speed) or Unit dlab (speed plus rigid handles). The price is right on the kt, which would allow some to take more risks vs a 3k aluula wing. Or at least focus on protecting the 6k board and foil through the shore break.

[BigD]

Hey Tsawwassen, those look great. The industry is moving very quickly with their R&D. Apparently everyone in Maui is moving towards a more efficient shape, here is a leaked image from Ho'okipa of the latest technology: I hear tweezer and ULR have pre-ordered

images.jpeg (10.28 KiB) Viewed 2963 times

see you at Jericho today!

Nice to see everyone stoked and getting toys in order for summer

[bwd]

Tried a 4m KT Wing Air today (thanks Winddoc).

- Wind was 15-20kt, 2 ft chop with some small rideable swell.
- 60L Armstrong FG
- 1125 HA, 85cm mast, 50cm fuse, 195 tail
- 145 lbs (target weight 210 lbs)

What I liked:
- it's very light
- handles are good and I could get used to them. I fumbled a bit with the flat front one a few times. I still prefer the semi rigid Cabrinha handles, but that's what I'm used to.
- liked the center handle and it's good for sailing one handed and waving to friends.
- flagged out this wing is perfectly balanced. It just hovers in the air and seems to have slight upward lift. The front handle is nice and big. I'm sure an Aluula wing would flag out the same, but these are probably half the price.
- lots of power for a 4m and had no problem with it in 15-20kts. Way more power then my Mantis but maybe it's stretched a bit.
- cool hydrophobic coating on the canopy and the water just beads off

Didn't love:
- no windows. I'm just used to them and felt a bit claustrophobic without them. I'm sure I could get used to lifting the wing. The weight savings are definitely a plus.
- not quite sold on the handles yet but I'm sure I'd get used to them

I'd be happy with a quiver of these. Since the 4m had so much power I'd think I'd only use a 5m in under 15kts. Kinda wish they made a 4.5.

[Tsawwassen]

Tried a 4m KT Wing Air today (thanks Winddoc).

Sweet! Thanks for the review Dave.

Didn't love:
- no windows.

I thought about this as well. I find myself always lifting and checking around anyways, hopefully I didn't miss them too much.
Hoping to try mine tomorrow or Monday!

[winddoctor]

I rode both the fresh 5m and 4m today. Very stoked and agree with Dave's assessment, though the handles are close enough to what I'm already familiar with that they feel fine. These wings are so balanced and are beautiful to tack and flag out. Doesn't hurt that they look great too

[Tsawwassen]

Maiden voyage on the 5.0 KT Wing Air this morning. Like both Winddoc and Dave, I'm stoked! Actually really liked the handles, the loop handles on my Airush crush my hands and have given me a bit of tendonitis, which was one reason I wanted to go with the boom on the Slick, but these feel like the best of both! The long thin handle is easy to move your hand around, it slides forward and back nicely, it's easy to flip your grip and the centre loop is nicely balanced for one handed riding! I didn't miss the windows and riding flagged out was a dream! When you pump in light wind it feels like it creates forward drive giving you board speed, not sure if you guys felt that or not? Almost made my first heel side tack today, it felt much easier with this wing. Can't wait to try the 3.5!

[tweezer]

Hey Tsawwassen, those look great. The industry is moving very quickly with their R&D. Apparently everyone in Maui is moving towards a more efficient shape, here is a leaked image from Ho'okipa of the latest technology: I hear tweezer and ULR have pre-ordered

images.jpeg

see you at Jericho today!

Nice to see everyone stoked and getting toys in order for summer

I found some gear that looked similar to that Maui gear in my garage. Hmmm, I thought, maybe I could adapt these. Unrolled one and couldn't figure out how to pump it up. After 30 mins, I gave up and rolled it up again. Have to wait for the pre-orders to arrive I guess.

[redbaron]

So far I have been super happy with KT Wings. Lots of positive feed back.

Looks like tomorrow (May 23) We will be headed to Victoria. If any wants to demo a wing, we plan to be at Ross Bay in the afternoon. We also just received the new KT Wing Drifter and Goya Airbolts. I will have the all new 72L on demo as well as the 90L and the 120L Goya Air bolt.

We look forward to seeing you all.