Description

The North Rebel 2010 is the definitive free-ride kite.

From flat-water freedom to tearing the bag out of any size surf, the 2010 North Rebel is the all-terrain freeride / wave kite of your dreams.

 

Smooth, lively and responsive steering, even when de-powered, makes it the ideal kite for surfing and a blast to ride in any conditions.

The loaded 5th line design, in addition to providing safety, gives the Rebel its short and aggressive power stroke that is up to 30% shorter than bridled kites.

 

This means huge range and top-end comfort on those super windy days and the ability to instantly turn the power off and on at will as you link your turns down the line.

North's new “floating” centre strut further enhances the direct de-power by allowing the canopy to easily luff as well as providing rock-solid stability in strong winds.

 

The new back-line “V” attachment distributes the load of the back-lines on the kite for a solid bar feel and, together with the new bungee system, eliminates any line snags during re-launch.

 

The North 2010 Rebel’s unique steering sensitivity and smoothness have also been improved by implementing a straight segment in the leading edge for an ultra clean, flutter-free canopy near the tips that keeps you connected and in-tune to the kite’s every movement.

 

Strut Configuration >

One of the reasons North liked the four-strut configuration of previous Rebels was that eliminating the centre strut permitted the broad centre section of the Rebel to luff completely when the kite was depowered. This gave better power and depower – more of a “pop”, more of a crisp and quick on-off in the canopy power – when pulling in on the bar or letting out.

 

At the same time, this more complete ability to luff in the center of the canopy gave all sizes a smoother, less draggy feel. North were determined to keep both the good depower and crisp feeling in the 2010 Rebel, but thought that staying with a four-strut design, while fine for most riders, was too close to the edge for some.

 

The answer was to move the quarter struts slightly farther from the centre – thus enlarging the luffable center area of the canopy and to place a straight strut in the centre position.

 

The new 2010 North Rebel shows that the tip and quarter struts provide providing good profile stability while the straight centre strut adds enormous stability to the leading edge tube without robbing us of the large luffable area.

Combining the wider luffable centre area of the canopy with the extra leading edge support from the fifth strut gave North, in short, the best of both four and five strut worlds.

 

Overall Geometry >
The change in geometry that is shared by all 2010 North Rebels is the reduction from three segements to just one segment in the span between tip and quarter struts. This is an idea North have tested and revisited over the years, but only now have hit upon the right way to do it.

 

From testing, and from observing some other kites on the water, North knew that having too few segments through the centre part of the kite – the part that has the most curve in the arc – has undesirable effects on canopy profile shape. Therefore, North knew they didn’t want to use single-segment geometry through the middle of the kite. However, nearer the tips, where the arc of the kite is normally not so curved and where flat canopy profiles are desirable because of their resistance to fluttering and flapping, the single segment approach makes sense.

The result of this use of single-segment geometry gives canopy tips that are cleaner, less draggy and nearly flutter-free.

The other change in overall geometry can be found in sizes 9 to 12. In those sizes we carried over the geometry found in Rebel sizes 14 and 16. The result is a crisper feel, better depower and greater resistance to overflying and nose-diving in those sizes.

This simple yet high performing kite can be used with any 5th line control bar providing the depower line is more than 45cm long.

 

Profile >

Since North were looking for softer, less aggressive- feeling small kites, they reasoned that flatter profiles, which “pop” less when sheeted in, might be the way to go. This is exactly how it turned out.

 

A 7 percent reduction in profile depth at the centre of the canopy gave a softer feel, and a further reduction of about 8 percent gave an even softer feel. Interestingly, this overall 15 percent reduction in profile depth did not result in less low end power.

 

Line Attachments >

Most obvious is the change to a “V” attachment for the back pigtail. This has two benefits: (1) it permits a better, cleaner relaunch bungee design, and (2) it gives a more solid bar feel when the bar is pulled in for maximum
power.

One side benefit of the new relaunch bungee design is that the back pigtail “V” and back flying lines are less likely to snag on the tip of the leading edge.

The other line change is in nose line attachment. Testing showed that the new North Rebel 2010 with its extra rib and consequent greater structural stability needed less structure from the nose line. This was evident from the fact that smoothness and responsiveness to turning inputs improved
with nose line attachments closer to centre.

 

Cam Battens >

CamBattens give the kite two key advantages: Lower drag at normal angles of attack and better profile stability at low angles of attack!

 

At normal angles of attack, the CamBattens keep the shape smooth and stable along the front part of the canopy.

 

Aerodynamic theory tells us that this is the most important part of the profile for generating power with low drag.

 

As you let the bar out to de-power, the wind tries to collapse the front part of the canopy and push the kite back.

 

CamBattens resist this by keeping a full, stable shape near the leading edge, allowing the kite to fly at lower angles of attack for more depower.

 

Combine the CamBattens with Trim Tips, the new tip geometry lets the kite tilt even farther, and de-power to the maximum.

 

All of this gives the North Rebel 2010 a very direct feel on the bar, better low end performance due to reduced drag, and a much wider wind range. On the water you will notice that the wind just seems a lot smoother, with less holes and gusts.

 

Construction >
In 2009 North implemented several construction changes in their school kites – the kites that get the hardest, most unremitting beating of any.

One example of these, admittedly subtle, construction changes is the Fusion 10 strut-LE joint. Without going into too much detail, North can simply say that this method of attaching strut to the leading edge is more precise, repeatable and robust than any they have used in the past.

Now that this joint has a year of hard use by schools and riders, North feel confident putting it on all their 1010 models, starting with the Rebel.

 

Another change can be found in the chord wise (front to back) seams of the canopy. Where these in the past have been more of a “butt” type of seam they are now the stronger and smoother overlap seam. The improvement can quickly be seen in a canopy that is more wrinkle-free than in the past.

North 04/05/06/07/08/09 5th Element Control Bars can be used but upgrading to the Iron Heart Chicken Loop is recommended.

 

Key Features:

• Perfect for Freeride / Wave Riding
• Loaded 5th Line Concept
• Short and Direct depower stroke
• Floating centre strut
• V-backline system with integrated relaunch bungees
• All sizes have greater structural stability and a more solid feel
• All sizes have lower drag, less flutter and better depower
• All sizes have stronger, more repeatable construction
• Small sizes are softer and more forgiving
• Middle sizes crisper in feel and more stable in the air
• Large sizes are crisper in feel
• Direct and fast following steering commands, even completely depowered
• Low drag design

**Prices shown are kite only - includes bag and pump**

 

North Rebel 2010 Kiteboarding Video:

 

 

North Kiteboarding Trust Bar 5th Element Control Bar Features:

 

 

 

	* A Harness is required to fly this kite - click for harnesses >>
	* You can learn how-to setup and fly water relaunchable kites using the Kiteboarding Progression DVD - click for info >>

Wind Range

Model	Projected Area (sq m)	Aspect Ratio	Wind Range (knots)	Skill Level
5.0	3.3	5.0	20-40	Beg / Exp
6.0	4.0	5.0	19-38	Beg / Exp
7.0	4.6	5.0	17-36	Beg / Exp
8.0	5.3	5.0	16-34	Beg / Exp
9.0	5.5	5.0	15-32	Beg / Exp
10.0	6.1	5.0	14-30	Beg / Exp
11.0	6.7	5.0	13-29	Beg / Exp
12.0	7.3	5.0	12-27	Beg / Exp
14.0	8.5	5.0	11-23	Beg / Exp
16.0	9.7	5.0	10-21	Beg / Exp

 

 

Download Product / Instruction Manual (PDF) >>

You can purchase spares for this item here >>

Depower Control Bar

Riders of all levels, from pros to newcomers, will all gain substantial advantages from the new North Trust Bar 5th Element system.   Safety - perform all moves with safety leash Water Start - without swimming Performance - increased performance due to wider wind range   The 5th Element will come already set up so there are no hassles on your first day and it doesn’t take any more effort to wind up or unwind them, and you don’t feel anything else but better performance when flying them.   All kites can be flown with the same bar, just the short line attached in the middle of the leading edge has to be adjusted to the different kite sizes. Instructions will be attached to all bars or upgrades.

Safety: The 5th Element line set permits anyone, from novice to pro, to easily and conveniently use a kite leash. The leash can be short and inconspicuous, or it can be a long handle-pass leash like the pros use. In either case, releasing the chickenloop quick-release while leashed-in causes the kite to depower immediately and totally and with no line tangles.   Whether you ride unhooked, spin, try a water relaunch for the first time or practice a handle pass, all maneuvers, including the latest tricks, can now be performed with the safety leash of the 5th Element. As soon as you pull the Quick Release or let go of the bar it slips up the safety line. The kite is then completely depowered and comes down without twisting the lines. One additional benefit of the 5th Element is that it makes dragging upwind to reach a lost board much easier.

Waterstart: When the kite is on the water after you crashed or let go of the bar, the 5th Element system allows you to relaunch without swimming a) Keeping tension on the middle line, reload the chickeloop if necessary, and hook in if you want. b) To get started again, use the middle line to pull the bar toward you. c) If you pull the back lines simultaneously, the kite will slowly come off the water. d) The harder you pull on the side of the bar, the faster and lower the kite will start in. e)If you only pull gently, the kite will move as usual to the edge of the wind window for relaunch. f) No unsafe pulls or drags. No more swimming!

Performance: The 5th Element stabilizes the kite’s arc and thus clearly increases performance. Enhanced profile stiffness brings considerable advantages in depowered situations and increases the kite’s wind range. As a result, the kite flies closer to the wind window and responds more directly to steering impulses.   While arc-shaped inflatable kites have a marvellous simplicity, they also have a tendency to change shape as the wind increases and decreases and as load goes from front lines to back lines or vice versa. While it's possible to control such unstable tendencies in conventional four-line kites, such control comes at a cost: more drag.   The 5th Element line set offers a low-drag solution to maintaining kite shape stability, thereby permitting higher performance in every respect. 5th Element-equipped kites have greater high end, greater range, and quicker turning.   Because of the better high end they also have better lift, which makes for higher jumps. Because low end power is in no way reduced by the 5th Element line set, such kites also have excellent hang time.

 

Download Product / Instruction Manual (PDF) >>

You can purchase spares for this item here >>

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