Untitled - KiteLife

.We got our first look at the muchrumoredNorth Shore Radical whileattendingthe AKA Nationals this pastfall at Seaside, Oregon .There are a number of innovationsat work on the North Shorewhich we've not seen offered beforeon production kites . Most apparentof these is the adjustable outhaulline on the bridle . Our test modelprovided us with 10 settings tceither shorten or lengthen the distancethat the bridle clip lies in relationto the spine .The effect of changing the bridleouthaul line can dramatically effectthe performance of a stunt kite . Onesetting might enhance the kite'sturning ability, another emphasizestraight line flight, and so on .Two of these positions are convenientlymarked in red or blackfor reference in the owner's manual .High and low bridle clip settings aremarked in like fashion . While onlyfour of the combined positions areexplained in the manual (ie . red-red,red-black, etc .), the correspondingchanges in the North Shore's flightcharacteristics point the way for theenterprising flyer to gain those attributesthat he may be after .As a further modification, the NorthShore comes equipped with twospine spars : one Easton carbonaluminumfor light breezes (2-12 MPHaccording to the manual), the othera stiff wound graphite for heavierwinds (12-20 MPH) .The adjustable outhaul line, with it ;ability to alter performance, makesit extremely difficult to assess theNorth Shore's basic flyability . For thatreason, we flew the kite principallyfrom the factory's pre-set marks . AlthoughTOL's instruction manual recommended100-150 lb . test line, webegan our tests with 100' of 80 lb .Spectra and had no problems .Those pilots who have had theirhands on any TOL product will findmany similarities . Even though thesparring is quite light, the North Shorecan be a fistful . There's a lot of sailarea up there! Even in light (3-6 MPH)breezes, the similarity in feel to theTeam Hawaiian was palpable . ThereMODEL : NORTH SHORE RADICALFABRIC WEIGHT : .75 oz ripstop nylonFRAMING MATERIALS: carbon aluminum (Easton)WIND RANGE : 2-20 MPHCONFIGURATION : delta-type (100 inch wingspan)SKILL LEVEL : intermediate/advancedMFGR'S SUGGESTED RETAIL : $250 .00MANUFACTURER : TOP OF THE LINE KITESis a kinship in the deliberateness oftracking and turning . Perhaps themost appealing of the North Shore'sattributes is this solidness .The kite was able to hover with itsnose into the wind at the very edgeof the window for practically anyamount of time . At the median settings,the North Shore evidenced anamount of understeer on downwindturns . We could correct the difficultyby adjusting the outhaul lines but notwithout altering some other aspectof the kite's performance . Interestingly,the understeer did not comeinto play in square or angular turnswhere the North Shore's marks werewell above average .The North Shore's sail, althoughstandoffs are employed, is still cutwith a generous amount of billow .The sail, in theory, is allowed to fill asincreasing winds dictate, moving upand down a small amount of leewayon the end of the standoff while stillpresenting a three-dimensional surfaceto the wind . The effect producedis a slowing of the kite . Reactiontimes are slower than some butabsolutely predictable . There arethose who will view this as a limitation. In fact, where a precision performanceis required, excessivespeed can be anything but an ally .Like the Hawaiian, the North Shore'spotential as a precise flyer is excellent.In the landing-relaunch department, the North Shore got high marksAgain, the outhaul adjustment cancome into play with its ability to emphasizeparticular performance features.On the factory settings, thekite has excellent 'floating" ability .We were able to perform this nose upslide at virtually any point in our testsand, on a couple of occasions, managedto slip the North Shore acrossthe entire window .Workmanship on the North Shore isgenerally good . Windward facingseamsare flat-felled and the trailingedge is double stitched . Our testmodel had some problems with theT-fitting which necessitated theregluing of the ferruling sleeve thatsits under the fitting . Our kite was aprototype model . Subsequentchecks with TOL assured us that theproblem had been rectified on productionkites . We'd also like to seethe retaining vinyl on the spine moveddown slightly to further retard themovement of the T-fitting in crashes .An overview of the North Shorepresents us with quite a group ofnew ideas! The kite is adjustable to adegree that is quite new to the general . While eral it kite is true worldthat thekite can be changed to emphasizedifferent aspects of performance, itmust also be stated that an emphasisof one aspect will often produce acorresponding de-emphasis of another. We liked the factory settingsbest .There are obvious similarities betweenthe North Shore and other TOLkites, notably the Team Hawaiian .Yet, it is different enough bothin design and performance capabilitiesto take its rightful place in theconsiderable Top Of The Line arsenal!CB/SB