Meet the re-designed 2007 Answer, the highest performing wave kite on the market. In 2007 the Caution Team set out to create an incredibly stable wing while maintaining the turning speed and performance of the 2006 Answer. In addition to an improved profile shape, the 2007 Answer also features the NEW Single Turbo Inflation System, a revamped ergonomic carbon control bar, refined canopy sizing, and the ultimate safety system. The 2007 Answer is a testament to Caution’s ability to design and manufacture industry’s lightest weight materials into a kite with Caution’s legendary durability.
The 2007 Answer is a versatile shape that is a hand’s down performance wave kite which also stands out on flat water riding with freestyle moves. The 2007 design achieves a tight-pivoting turn radius and solid speed when both steering and crossing the window. Carrying over from 2006, we have maintained our short length bridal for easy and straightforward rigging, and tangle free relaunch in the waves. The 2007 Answer maintains its exceptionally quick relaunch characteristics, making it easy for riders to get their kite out of the water before the next set wave rolls through. The Answer kites never required pulleys on the control bar to compensate for poor kite performance and as a result the bar gives the rider precision connection to the kite. This setup gives the rider a very direct feeling over the control of the kite, and gives the rider precise feedback about the status of the kite.
This year the control bar has been redesigned to provide for ergonomic feel, with additional improvements in weight and safety systems. When it comes to bar design we try to pair simplicity with pure function. We have watched other bars in the industry gain complexity and weight, despite the fact that the bar needs to be lightweight and responsive in order to help rather than interfere with your riding. The new safety system is a push away handle at the base of the trim loop that is lightweight and exceptionally functional. The release incorporates the correct amount of resistance to allow release when needed but gives sufficient resistance to protect against accidental release.
When last years Answer rolled out Caution got a lot of compliments on its outstanding performance characteristics, but there was one consistent complaint which came from beginner riders: the kite needed more stability because it kept falling out of the sky. That put Caution in a tough position for 2007: Make a kite that beginners would love and that our core group of wave kiters would hate, or make another high performance kite that thrives among advanced kiters. After a lot of prototyping and testing we found the balance in the 2007 Answer. A kite with the performance experienced wave kiters want and the stability that beginners and intermediate riders need.
The 2007 Answer has been popular on the west coast and we are getting some great feedback. Our riders are telling us that the kites are remarkably more stable, and that you can leave these kites directly overhead with little bar input and they will maintain their position without stalling. We are hearing that the kites have the same quick steering characteristics, as fast as last year, and are similar in speed across the window. Riders have raved about a smoother throttle range, saying that the kite has a more gradual power band.
In addition, our team riders rave about the Answer’s characteristics for freestyle riding. The new profile delivers explosive boosting power and provides plenty of hang time for old school freestyle moves. We made significant improvements to the 2007 Answer’s unhooked performance, with most of our team riders choosing the Answer for both flat and sent handle passes, and unhooked kite loops. Subtle changes in the sheeting angle have made unhooked riding much easier compared to last year’s design.
The answer also has a dirty little secret: it’s little known weapon when it comes to course racing and boarder-cross competitions. For those individuals that take their equipment performance more seriously, the Answer holds the World Kitesurfing Speed Record. On January 14, 2007, Tilmann Heinig reached a maximum speed of 52.9 knots in Westerhever, Germany. Caution Congratulates Tilmann for his hard work and equipment testing and we are excited to see more speed competitions this year.
