2012 Best Kahoona V4 Kite Review

2012 Best Kahoona 11.5m V4 Plus Kite Staff Review


2012 Best Kahoona V4 Plus kiteI woke up at 4:45am this morning and headed to Ferrysburg for a quick dawn patrol before work.  I was happy to see the wind at 20 mph from the south for the first time in what feels like a month. I grabbed the 11.5m Best Kahoona and my Cabrinha Custom with Ronix Wakeboots for wakestyle, and I also took the Cabrinha Drifter 11m and my surfboard knowing that waves were a possibility.

As I walked down to the beach, I realized the wind was too sideshore to produce any waves for kite surfing. The placement of the struts and boxy shape of the kite gives it a unique look. I ran out the lines after changing the factory settings to slow down the kite and add bar pressure for wakestyle riding. I first realized the simplicity behind the bridles when hooking up my lines. The wing tips have a short direct line to the steering lines. The centerlines hook on a small one pulley bridle. As always when flying a new kite, I double checked the depower and safety system to make sure it was functioning correctly. Even though I have long arms, I could see how a person with shorter arms would love the easy to reach depower strap. It was always easy to reach the depower line as it falls within reach naturally.

I rolled the kite over and self-launched the kite at the edge of the window with ease and felt a good amount of power in the kite so I strapped on my board and took off. I noticed the kite was stable in the sky and handled the 20 mph wind quite well. Even though I had slowed the kite down, it turned quickly with a hard pull when needed. After a few quick tacks while the first light filled the sky, I felt comfortable enough with the kite to go after my usual tricks. The Kahoona has a surprising amount of pop when you unhook which allows you plenty of time to complete your maneuver. It took me a couple tries to figure out the best way to hook back in on this system. With a small loop, chicken finger, and leash hookup, there is little room for error. I found that it is easiest to suicide the leash above the chickenloop to make more space to hook in (not recommended for beginners). After I felt out the kite with my usual backroll and railey variations I felt comfortable enough to go for some new stuff. After taking some hard falls on a back to wrapped and back to blind I was feeling it, but this kite allowed me to get closer than before so that was encouraging. After mowing it for a while, I landed a sketchy back to blind and was loving the time this kite afforded me. With all that falling I was re-launching the kite quite often and it always shot right up without much effort which was great!

Coming into the shop later to work I couldn't help but grin after a great session with coworkers, sore ribs and all.

Reviewer: Tucker Vantol
Age: 25
Weight: 175 lbs.
Skill: Intermediate
Style: wakestyle, strapless surf

2012 Best Kahoona V4 Rider Review

by Steve Lee

2012 Best Kahoona V4 kiteFirst off, I have to say I've ridden just about every kite out there. I've been on BEST kites (all models) for about 5 months and I am really stoked on the brand and the direction they are going. You need to forget everything you've thought about BEST in the past. They have done a great job with the 2012 line and the build quality is as good as any other brand on the market.

Honestly, I originally wasn't very excited to have this kite in my quiver. However, it has been one of my favorite kites to ride. Why? Versatility, range, and relaunch. It's just fun and easy to use. The Kahoona does everything well, and I can take it out and only need one kite for everything... freeride, waves, and wakestyle. If you're looking for a 2-kite quiver, then this is your kite. A 13.5m and 9.5m will get you riding on 90% of the days we have in Michigan. As for relaunch, there isn't another kite I've flown that will relaunch any faster. Just pull one line and it's up. Nobody wants to sit in the cold MI water trying to relaunch their kite while giving Aaron "two-line" Johnson a chance to spray you in the face. :-)

Performance-wise, I'd say this kite is on the lower end of the scale. It's great for waves and jumping, but the steering is on the slow side. It's a pretty grunty kite and flies big for its size. I'd compare it to the Cabrinha Switchblade. You can unhook on this kite, but like all flat kites, you have to adjust the trim a lot to get it dialed in. You can land tricks to blind or wrapped no problem on it, but past this point it will start to hinder your progression... I'd go for the TS or GP if you are at this level. I don't like doing kiteloops, but they can be done on the smaller sizes.

As for the bar, the pull-pull style depower works well. Easy to reach and grab. 100% flag comes down to the chicken loop. For suicide riding, it works good to clip to this line and then the chicken loop.

2012 Kahoona V4 Summary

Pros:
- Large wind range
- Quick relaunch
- Great low end

Cons:
- Slower turning (comparable to Switchblade)
- Small valve for inflate

In summary, it's a sweet all-around kite. Great for beginners to intermediate. Advanced riders should lean towards to TS or GP... although a lot of team riders prefer the Kahoona in the waves. If you see me on the beach, come say hey. I'll gladly share some stoke and let you ride my kites.

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