Caution! of Santa Cruz, California have now released their 6th generation kite dubbed the 'Spitfire'. With a strong reputation for durability and manufactured by legendary Ezzy Sails, the new Spitfire is stronger, lighter, faster and smarter. Outstanding in the waves, Caution kites are easy to use, reliable all round performers. Also new for 2004 is the Redline Twintip board already proving its superiority on the waves....
The 2004 Caution Spitfire kites are already proving to be very popular after demo outings at recent events. More refined then ever with superior build quality. The Spitfires are crisp, responsive and accurate to fly providing a sharp turning ability with a solid and predictable feel. Designed to be the ultimate wave riding kites these characteristics also make Caution kites truly great all rounders that will bring out the best in anyones ability.
Also new from Caution are a couple of hard carving boards built to the highest specs and sporting an ultra tuff Durasurf base layup.
CHECK OUT CAUTION KITES & BOARDS TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
http://www.cautionkites.com/downloads/s ... hsheet.pdf
http://www.cautionkites.com/downloads/r ... hsheet.pdf
http://www.cautionkites.com/downloads/r ... hsheet.pdf
VIEW CAUTION KITES REVIEWS:
CAUTION!KITES SPITFIRE 12:
Firstly - this was not my own kite and i didnt really inspect the kite nor did i rig it for a matter of fact so these areas i cannot really comment on. Secondly the wind was light (i weight 65kg so can go in marginal winds with smallish kites)
The kite felt great from the launch to the its zenith when i launched it. already i can feel the lift as it climbs. the kite sits quite far up in the zenith and just parks there comfortably despite the gusty and light conditions.
In the water i was amazed at the board speed this kite generated. I was cruising around effortlesly below the kite and even through the gusts the pull was steady wherever the kite parked in the window. The kite itself is very fairly quick - not quite as quick as the feul or rhino4 but still quick enough for some decent wave riding.
The kites seemed to lift really well and was effortless in jumping and required no technique - you just have to swing and fly! The jumps were impressive but not quite as high as the cabrinha 2003 blacktip i was testing at the same time.
The bar itself i found was really nice and rather conveniantly adjusted to my exact arm-length.
relaunching - i splashed the wingtip which was as close i can come to relaunching so no comment availiable
durability - im told the stitching is close to north's high standards but didnt have a look
All in all the kite feels good and is good. If your looking for an easy cruiser that still allows you to boost nicely then this is not a kite to overlook if you can bare with the colour scheme (but thats personal preference and performance is what we are after (isnt it ?...))
Ok, I have just spent 3 hours on the 12m Caution Spitfire in winds ranging from 13kts at the outset and building to 22kts around 40 minutes into the session. The sea was choppy with around 1ft swell. And I was using a 135 x 38 Khulu twintip.
Firstly though, let me state upfront that I distribute Caution kites and so my opinion could be considered as biased.
In order to temper this though, I have limited my comments to comparisons between the 2003 Caution and the Spitfire 04 tested. So any concerns about hype hopefully are addressed in this manner.
Physical changes
There are a number of easy to spot physical changes to the new model including the following;
LE is more segmented
LE and ribs have a narrower diameter
Dacron reinforcing strip along LE to canopy seam
Integrated LE/wing tip (no battens)
Pump leash
Larger bore LE valves (easier inflation)
Rescue handles on wingtip
Switch proof front and rear line attachment points
Higher aspect ratio vs 03
Revised graphics
Unfortunately the new bars were not available with this kite, but will be supplied with stock orders, which should be available in a couple of weeks.
The overall visual impression is good, with the same bullet proof build quality as always, but the finished product certainly looks more complete than previous and is certainly on par with other leading brands.
The reduced diameter LE is easy to inflate and took 50 strokes with the supplied pump to inflate to rock solid. (yeah, I actually counted )
Flight
The first thing that I noticed was the cleaner look of the entire wing. The canopy seems tighter and looks better in the air, for whatever thats worth.
I was concerned that the really neat feel of last years kites may have been lost or compromised with the new ones, but I am stoked to say that it has been retained for sure.
The kite feels really solid in the air. Last years kites felt really stable, but this one feels even more so and really inspires confidence from the outset. The wind was quite gusty at times and the kite just sat rock steady in the air with no sign of shake, rattle or roll.
The wind was a little onshore and I took a few runs under the kite in the small surf with no indication of luffing at all.
I then also took a few runs straight at the kite (kite held low) using the waves to force the lines to go slack and it was still super stable with no tendency to fall out of the sky.
The 12m Spitfire turns a even quicker than last years model but as with last year, you always know where the kite is without having to look, and it has not lost power in the turns as a result of this increase..
Speed through the air is vastly increased over last year and its possible to really crank up the board speed without getting over powered or feeling out of control. My entire session was at much faster pace than would have been possible on the 2003 model.
Having said that, it seemed just as easy to chug along railed hard against the kite held low to the water, so either style is quite possible with the Spitfire.
Although there is a still lot of pop for no whip moves, some of this from last year has been traded off for increased lift and glide in the jumps.
Its pretty subjective at this stage, but I would say that the jumps do feel higher and floatier than on the 03 and I certainly had problems timing landings etc in the beginning as would reasonably be expected with a new kite. This was probably due to the increased board speed going ito jumps.
Combined with this is and most likely as a result of the increased lift is a significant improvement in upwind ability over the 03.
The wind range seems pretty similar to last year with perhaps an additional knot or two on the bottom end. Two other riders tested the 12's out later in the afternoon as the wind died (16m Aero battling) and were very surprised by the low end and the upwind ability in low wind speeds.
At the peak of the wind, I was de-powered on the strap but still had some reserve on the c-loop. I would GUESS the top end to be around 25 kts or so, but it may be more as I get used to the kite.
I did slam the kite into the water at one point and so can say for sure that water re-launch is a walk in the park.
Overall
There is no one specific standout thing that can be pointed to on the kite as being THE change for 04, but considered as a whole, the package looks great and is a definite improvement over the 2003 and particularly when considered together with Cautions awesome build quality and durability, must be a worthwhile candidate for an upgrade of your most used sizes.
Having flown the 12m, I cant wait to get my hands on the bigger sizes
Hi i have the 8,12,16 and 20 spitfires and have been on them since jan this year the 8 m is is a great high wind kite i have been on it up to 37kts its not that fast for a 8m kite so you can through it around in 30kts and not get spanked! it also has great hang for a small kite.
The 12m is a great jumping kite heeps of hang,fast and great for loops its turning circle is not as tight as a co2 or fuel wich makes for real mans loops!
The 16m turns verry fast for its size light on the bar heaps of grunt and float, jumps are not as high as some but alround one of the best 16s on the market and i make a point of trying every kite i can.
The 20m for a big kite this baby turns quite well probely as fast as a 16mx2 sits rock solid in the sky and has all the grunt you need for light wind days. it can also be looped.
Hope the helps, if you get a chance try one or all .
kombibob
I got this email from the guy in the picture a week or so after he picked up his Caution 2004 spitfires. He's been riding since '99 and has a huge amount of experience with different kit, oh, and he does go off!
"Hey Sean, rode the 16 yesterday and I love it!!! that kite is amazing. I am so pleased with it!
Very quick and very stable. I was really chucking that thing about
yesterday and it was doing everything I wanted it to. Sweeeet!! It feel so
light and responsive in the way it handles its like using a 12m! It cuts
further round the window too so I know it will jump better than last years
15.. I had some real nice floaty air last night and it was pretty marginal,
it didn't luff once and it was terribly gusty. It's so solid and well
behaved. Just the perfect kite to make the best of gusty old Daymer.
I really love these kites, no matter how good everyone keeps telling me North, Naish, slingshot or even Globerider are. I tried all that shit and I am telling you, Caution kites are definately better.
I this year I have got 100% the kites I want (if the 10 and 16 are to go by) Just perfect for my riding style. Now I am learning new stuff again, It's great!"
When someone who really knows what time it is gets so stoked with kit it is always a good sign.
Try one.
CAUTION would like to officially announce the addition of Teiva Joyeux and young Maui sensation Garfield King to the Caution Crue. They will be joining forces with big wave specialist Dylan Grafmyre and young Maui favorite Jared Carlson. Look for big things from these guys soon!
CAUTION KITES TEAM RIDERS:
Dave Broome
Bruce Eliashof
Brendan Richards
Dana Pinto
Poul Schiebel
Peter Schiebel
Chris Gutzeit
Dylan Grafmyre
Brian Hicks
Jeff Burton
Cess Van Oosterum
Jared Carlson
Rob Schraber
Top Hat
Teiva Joyeux
Tom Sykes
Garfield King
Adam Denny
Welcome to the Caution Family!!
www.CAUTIONKITES.com
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