Gaastra Jekyll Tested

Due to some mutual friends I have had the opportunity to steal some of the new Gaastra Jeckyll kites to test ride for the last 4 weeks! I though I had better write a review due to the interest in these kites in the local area, let me start by saying im not a pro rider and I don’t have any affiliation with importers. I may be a pimp but im not pimping this kite! I usually ride a Waroo so I may use that as a comparison from time to time. I ride a surfboard without straps, 134 and 139 twin tips. read on as i have posted plenty of pics at the bottom of the review. I guess ill start from the first impressions and work my way up to the kite; the bag the Jeckyll comes in is not the average kite backpack it seems Gaastra have opted for a different approach with a kind of over the shoulder type of bag. This is not uncomfortable to carry just different to what im used too. The bag has a pyschodellic style print on it which can make some beach goers look twice at you when you pull it out of the boot. There is plenty of room inside for pump, bar and lines and a few other things you might want to throw in (water and some muesli bars are good ) The bar and lines come nicely packaged in a reusable bag (nice), I like this a lot as it helps keep things tidy, there is nothing worse than having lines come off the bar and end up in a mess of tangles. The bar itself is very simple; the first thing I noticed was the bar ends were slightly out of place. They just seem like the only part of the whole kite Gaastra have skimped on, they work and do the job but aesthetically they let the bar down by being too plain and boring. Moving on to the chicken loop Gaastra have made a neat unit but incorporating a push safety on one side, this uses a spring return to hold it in place. I haven’t had to use it but on the beach when I tested I found it easy to activate and I didn’t need to think about how it went back together, with some practice it could be re assembled with one hand. They have also got a swiveling chicken dick on the chicken loop so it is very easy for riders who want to unhook to simply move the chicken dick out of the way, no more butchering! Through the centre of the chicken loop runs one of the safety options, you can attach your safety leash to this but if you do release the safety on the chicken loop you will only get as much depower as letting go of the bar. Gaatsra offer two other options, attachment via the ring above the depower strap (this drops the kite from the sky with no power) or a fifth line add on. Moving further up there is an adjustable stopper ball, I don’t use these and to tell the truth I don’t really like them. I was worried that this may slide down and restrict the sheeting but to this day it hasn’t caused me any grief. Above this is the depower strap, this is a simple affair that is nothing ground breaking, it works and stays out of the way when fully depowered. The final touch on the lines is the kook proofing so when you’re rushing it is easier not to screw up the lines. And finally to the kite itself! Upon un rolling the kite (mmm fresh material!) it is easy to see Gaastra have put a lot of effort into trying to get back into the top end of the kite market. The leading edge and struts are what seems to be a very Very strong sturdy fabric, there are scuff pads in all the places plus more that you could imagine would need it. The lightweight material that the canopy is made of seems similar to similar to most other kites, still no sign of stretching or any other nasty side effects from giving it hell. This kite is definitely built to handle almost any abuse you can throw at it, after a lot of self launching and landings there is no tell tale signs of wear. Even though the kite feels strong it does not seem to weigh any more than usual. Gaastra advertise this to be a bow style kite but it does not have the curved trailing edge that defines a bow kite, I would class it as an SLE. There is small bridle arrangement that attaches to the front lines and no pulleys. That’s right! No pulleys to worry about, typically when I rig up my usual kite I run the pulleys up and down the bridle a few times to make sure they are running and get any sand out that may be stuck, this is useless as I dump them back in the sand again! There are two separate attachments for the rear lines; the one closest to the trailing edge is apparently for faster turning with slightly higher bar pressure than the front attachment. The Jeckyll has a single point inflation system; having never had anything like this I have to say pumping up is awesome! There is a deflation point towards one wingtip that needs to be plugged up so it is easy to unroll ¾ of one side and then pump away, this unrolls the kite and inflates it in one easy step; once the pump is removed there are the clamps for each strut to seal it off if there is any a problem with one going down. While pumping up is a joy, packing up takes a little longer as it is seems the clamp on the hose from strut to leading edge still restricts the flow a little bit; the air needs to be pushed out of each strut which will take a few more minutes if you want to fold the kite back up to the original small package. Upon launching the kite I felt it was very stable with a nice pressure on the bar, letting go of the bar made the kite hover for a few moments and then drift down to the side of the window and crash softly without any power. There is tonnes of depower! There is some soft flapping when depowered but nothing excessive There could probably be a few more knots on the rear line attachments, I think one between the last and second last would be perfect. The Jeckyll flies fast through the window and turns in a tight arc, nothing like my Waroo which tends to pivot and then take a new direction. Self launching and landing are relatively easy, im still new to this and one gusty day the kite did get away from me but I did find it easier than with the Warooo. So enough of this jibber jabber, “What’s it fly like?” you ask. I have flown these kites in a mixture of everything since I have got my grubby little hands on them; light, strong, gusty, consistent, flat water and surf. The feeling of the kite is different from one with pulleys on the bridle; it is a very direct feel that took me a whole session to get used to. I was a little skeptical about no pulleys on the bridle and how the Jeckyll would handle the gusts; surprisingly it works well. It does not soak up the gusts as smooth as a kite with the pulleys but at the same time it is not an unpleasant yanking that you will get from some kites. The kite has a very large power zone, some kites I have flown are on or off with sheeting and very easy to choke! The Jeckyll is more like the sail on a boat; there is not a small sweet spot that it likes to fly in, it will fly and turn well sheeted in any position. I still have problems in light wind choking the Waroo but the Jeckyll seemed to feel more natural to fly in the light stuff, im really impressed with the low end compared to the Waroo (I was happy with the Waroo till I rode this in light stuff). The next point is something which im not really experienced enough to comment on; jumps. Im not a big jumper or even a good jumper but the jumps I have done with the Jeckyll are nice and floaty, getting height is something I have to practice and im starting to feel more at ease trying it with the kite being so stable. This is by far the easiest kite I have flown to go upwind on, it just surges to the front of the window and drags you upwind. I can make so much ground on one tack now it is ridiculous! Once on the water the bar pressure is a little more than the Waroo but not what I would call heavy by a long shot, I can feel where the kite is better and find im not having to keep looking where it is. When I first crashed the kite I did have a little trouble with the re launch and to this day I have not worked out why?? Ever since I have been trying to duplicate the situation and have not been able to. I wouldn’t call the relaunching effortless but it’s not hard at all, pull one line and it comes out of the water fairly fast! after flying the kite for a while i have mucked around with the rear line attachment points and moved the lines to the rear setting, this makes the kite turn very fast and there is not very much increase in the bar pressure! Overall Im not going to lie I like this kite a lot! I have had so much fun on it and I will be looking to buy one as soon as they become available (maybe some chep demo's?!). In the short time I have had it I feel my riding has improved out of sight, the stableness and range it has is amazing and gives me the balls to try new things and not worry about what is going to happen so much. I now find myself taking off downwind just to be able to make it back because I can! It is very rewarding to feel this at ease with your equipment. Since riding the Jeckyll I have got back on the Waroo and do not like it at all anymore, the sad thing is I wasn’t even in the market for a new kite and was more than happy with the performance of what I already owned (dam you Gaastra!) Sorry for the length but once I started it all just came out! Thanks to David from “Gybe sports” for the loan of these kites, while I still have these if im at your spot and you would like a go just hit me up. http://www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6117 http://www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6118 http://www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6119 http://www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6120 http://www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6121 http://www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6122 http://www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6123 http://www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6124 http://www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6125 http://www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6126 http://www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6127 http://www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6128 http://www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6129