Review of the 2003 Fuel from Italiaŭs Kite Mag

December 17, 2002 - www.white-reef.com

For 2003 Slingshot presents a revised and improved version of last year's Fuel. The new version is obviously very well made, Slingshot themselves say "bomb proof": taped seams, multi-panel construction and a lot of reinforcement in the points that can be subject to more severe stress. All the bladders have external anti wear reinforcement: in gel and Kevlar on the outers and in Dacron for the main bladder. Less obvious but just as important, is the Dacron paneling/rip-stop protection along the entire length of the leading edge. Last but not least, the tips each have 5 layers, the bladders are all reinforced and the use of innovative and exclusive materials such as rip-stop polyester or mark stop makes the kite very resistant and strong. The leading edge inspection flap has been made more practical, with a Velcro seal, which also leaves a cleaner aerodynamic profile.

The wing comes in a very well-finished bag, the comments on last year's bag must've hit home and the boys from Slingshot have certainly got it right this time: now the bag lets you easily carry the kite even with the struts inflated and has a separate pocket for the control bar. The pump that comes with the kite has a healthy capacity and is customized with the Slingshot colors and a column of sympathetic aliens, while the carbon 65 cm bar (complete with 13 mm spectra de-power) is color coded white/red, as are the rigid pre-stretched spectra lines (30 m: 7+23) of reduced diameter for less drag and coated with polymer resin. The Fuel is Slingshot's high performance, 4-line kite for expert and advanced kiters, but it is designed to be easy to use, flying in a way that also makes it suitable for intermediate kiters. This is because the kite doesn't have an excessively high aspect ratio (AR 5.4), giving the impression that Slingshot wanted to improve the performance of the wing without going over-the-top with the AR, making the kite as easy-to-use and re-launch as possible. In fact the most significant changes can be found in the tips, supported by carbon battens. The overall rigidity of the leading edge means the kite flies more open and faster at the edge of the window.

The bladders of the new Fuels have a smaller diameter this year, making the wing faster to blow up than last year, while the Custom Fuel Injector trimming on the tips gives you a wide range of choice to adjust how fast the kite turns, flies and how much lift you want in any wind conditions. The opinion of Jimmy Mazzanti, Slingshot team rider With the wind conditions at the lower limit (9/12 knots) the 17m Fuel pulls nicely and is very easy to handle, while remaining extremely stable and producing constant power. On the water you don't need to sine the kite that much because it produces all the power you need for transitions and maneuvers. Despite the fact that I was using the kite in light wind, the wing was very fast at the edge of the window, much faster then I would have expected for a kite of this size.

Re-launching can be difficult with bigger kites but the new Fuel gets full marks in this field: just swimming a few strokes towards the kite got it on its back and then getting it to the edge of the window and re-launching was no problem. One afternoon I had the chance to try the kite out with wind ranging from 13 to 17 knots and I couldn't wait to see how the Fuel would behave in these conditions on the standard Custom Fuel Injector settings. The wing accelerated in every gust, flying to the edge of the window progressively as the wind picked up, while the de-power let me govern the power easily with a very fluid feeling at the bar, not at all nervous. In the air, inverting and powering up the kite will literally rip you off the water and you'll stay up for longer than you're used too as well, so long in fact that it's a good idea to make sure you've got a lot of empty water downwind! The excellent stability lets you concentrate on the maneuvers without having to worry about where the kite is, which makes learning new moves easy.

All in all, the 17m Fuel is a high performance kite with a finish and a strong construction that really makes it stand out from the crowd. It gives you all the power and flight stability you need for incredible jumps. I would say the range of use for a kiter of around 75 kg goes from 8 to 18 knots. Ideal for advanced and expert riders, though I'd say that if you take the time to get used to the kite, it can also be used by someone at an intermediate level.

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