Royal Era 14m

[jim]

I am thinking of replacing my 06 contra 14 m and Daryl at extreme is recommending a 14 m era. Pros/cons?

[bigairal]

great low end, fast kite for its size..light bar pressure...good luck

[BigR]

have you tried the new 08' 14m Contra?


super powerfull kite and turns fast fast fast, jumps and goes upwind great too

totally much better improved than the 06'

[Erick]

I'm doing the same move. I liked the Era a lot because of its amazing low end, speed also goes upwind extremly well. My friends Roy and Bob have them i've been able to fly them several times.

I haven't flown the new Contra yet so I can't make a comparisson but I'm sure the Era is more affordable.

[jim]

How does the era self launch? I kite from a boat alot and am used to hooking the chicken loop to a shackle on the boat, placing the kite on its wingtip and it will sit there until it is launched. Trent has a 10 m era and said it will not sit stable like that and shot upwards when he tried it.

Also, how is it to relaunch? I am not looking for cabrinha easy but I don't want ridiculous either.
By the way Al I made it home in 4 hours from islamorada.

[bigairal]

How does the era self launch? I kite from a boat alot and am used to hooking the chicken loop to a shackle on the boat, placing the kite on its wingtip and it will sit there until it is launched. Trent has a 10 m era and said it will not sit stable like that and shot upwards when he tried it.

Also, how is it to relaunch? I am not looking for cabrinha easy but I don't want ridiculous either.
By the way Al I made it home in 4 hours from islamorada.

you made excellent time. you can demo my kite if you want. dont really know how it will sit on its wing tip off the boat.

[jim]

Havent tried the 08 contra but i'm sure its really nice. I like my 06 contra but I wouldn't mind spending less $ for a similar kite. I would love to demo yours Al maybe this weekend if there's wind?

[Sam]

if you want to try an 08 contra ive got an 08 14 meter. just let me know its been a great lightwind kite and at least in my opinion is a bitbetter than the 06. definatly a bit faster and smoother. durability seems improved too.

[jim]

Thanks Sam I would like to try it.

[bryanleighty]

definitely take advantage of demo'ing some kites before your purchase..

i know that Paul Fox was out at Backside last week and he asked me to stay around (i was leaving) to give him a launch.. he stated that he didnt like to self lauch his Royal 14.. not sure of the reasons.. but i know that my Waroo 13 2008 self launches and lands with absolute ease.

possible that the royal might not be the right choice if you do a lot of self launching..


good luck man!

[BigR]

One thing also, The Royal flies pretty differently than the Contra. Not good or bad, just different.
When I tried the 14m Royal, I noticed that it had zero, no bar pressure whatsoever. which is a different steering from the contra's direct bar pressure

[inferno]

im pretty happy with my 15m 08 waroo, very stable for self lauching/landing

[jim]

I have a 15 m 07 waroo-it does not have the low end power of my 14 contra nor the high end. I am looking for a kite that can be self launched from a boat or beach on its wingtip, great low end , good range and faster turning than than my 06 contra. I dont mind the bar pressure of my 06 contra . Need to find out more about the royal and contra.

[inferno]

out of curiousity, have you tried laying your 15 waroo ontop of your 14m contra, im curious how the sizing is, those contras always look huge....

[BigR]

The contra's run a touch bigger for their size, the 12m is more like a 13 or 14m and the 14m contra is more like a 15 or 16m . But the amazing part is that they also have better top end range as well

[jim]

Raul-how much faster is the turning speed of the new contra? Thats one thing I really want in my new kite. I use my 14 06 contra 95% of the time in the wind we get here so the new kite I want to be similar in terms of versatility. I assume the contra sits beautifully on its wingtip for self launch. My 06 I am selling while it still will hold some value but I really like that kite.

[inferno]

how quickly you chime in Raul :)

btw, the 08 15m waroo is way faster then the 07, its atleast as fast as the 07 13m, maybe a tad more depending on what setting you use...

[BigR]

new contra is alot faster turning than the previous version, the royal prolly turns faster still tho'. I might like the royal if I was a lightweight kiter

[inferno]

it's alot faster turning than the previous version, the royal prolly turns faster still tho'. I might like the royal if I was a lightweight kiter

i agree, its nto quite as quick as the royal, but i kinda feel like the waroo has a slightly more solid pull for wake style... buts thats just me, i could be wrong :)

[pdfox]

You can't beat the low end on the 14M Era. The high end is very good as well. I don't like to self launch because of the rear line bridle which has been changed on the 2007+ model. Backside is also pretty sketchy for a self launch in my opinion. I like a nice clear beach with a lot of clean sand. You are welcome to demo the Era if you see me out with it.
Paul

[jim]

I found a great deal on a contra 3 with a bar 1199$ Went with it.

[bigairal]

i am sure you cant go wrong with that kite, also i notice cabrinha kites relaunch very well.

[JoshTaylor]

you guys overrate waroos ha... no offense.

good choice with the contra 3

haven't flown the era though.

[bryanleighty]

you guys overrate waroos

you saying there are better kites out there???


hehehehe....


let the sh*t slinging begin!!!!!
:)

[sparkyman]

Cabrinhas' have one pump, Royal as well. 14 era has little bar pressue and turns very fast for a large kite. Contras' have more bar pressure. If you are used to that then Contra. Nothing relaunches as easy as a Cabrinha......Nothing

[eclipsedave]

you guys overrate waroos ha... no offense.

good choice with the contra 3

haven't flown the era though. Has anybody flown the 14 thruster? The problem with the thruster is you can jump over other kites

[jim]

I am selling my 06 contra 14 complete with bar in good condition cheap if anyone knows someone interested.

[t_twotone]

Hey Brian,

I just bought a Waroo 13. Do you have any tips on launching, landing and tuneing? I weigh 220 and mainly cruise and jump. This is my first bow kite.

[t_twotone]

Whoops, sorry I spelled your name wrong.

[Skyway Scott]

Funny Stuff. Eclipse is definitely the new "Best" in terms of pimping. :)

[Steve-O]

Hey Jim,

Make sure you get some feedback on here about the comparison of the new Contra vs. the old. We didn't move alot of Contras this year due to the high price tag....however, they just went on closeout. You can pick one up for 1299 new.

I personally have not had the oportunity to check out the Contra line this year, so some feedback would be cool. Glad Cabrinha put some durability into the kite. The 06 was definately an issue IMO.

[eclipsedave]

Dont worry scott when you see the new FT kites you will just say why Eclipse? LOL

[Skyway Scott]

I don't worry about anything to due with kiting. :)

[bryanleighty]

Hey Brian,

I just bought a Waroo 13. Do you have any tips on launching, landing and tuneing? I weigh 220 and mainly cruise and jump. This is my first bow kite.

one of the main reasons ive stuck with waroo's is their out-of-the-bag simplicity.. really.. you just need to ensure the lines on your bar are setup w/ exact same lengths when tuned to full power (bar all the way in, depower strap set to full power).. and you should be set..

i typically use the 3rd knot up on the outsidle lines (middle selection) and set the back bridles to A-B .. again.. middle selection..

for me this works perfect.

also.. i vary it only by tuning my bar so that my lines are even when the bar is pushed out about 6 to 8 inches.. this gives me a bit of oversheeting options to really crank out as much power as possible when the winds lighten up..

launching/landing.. simple as any kite can be.. really nothing to add.. very easy to use the CL-loop self launch and land method.. also if you use a 2008 bar w/ a front line ring you can self land with your eyes closed (please dont really do this)..

i assume the same stuff applies to most all new SLE kites out there .

[Tom Stock]

you guys overrate waroos ha... no offense.

good choice with the contra 3

haven't flown the era though.

Considering I ride my 2008 9m in everything from 13 to 30 on the same size board Billy rides I don' think so. :D