CORE Section 4

At TheKiteMag, we’ve always been huge admirers of the CORE Section, the last V3 being what we’d describe as a close-to-perfect wave specimen, smooth and extremely versatile – a classically lined three-strut affair with relatively clean angled wingtips, but with a modified profile from the rest of the CORE range with the maximum camber pushed further back to furnish it with improved leeward tendencies for obvious wave-related reasons.

Technical changes for the fourth version are visually subtle, but in practice quite comprehensive, including a complete revision of the canopy material to CoreTex 2.0. This is slightly lighter, has improved UV coating and tear resistance, as well as pretty much eliminating flutter in the top end which was quite noticeable whilst testing in Cape Town. The airframe is made from mixed materials with the low stretch ExoTex forming the leading edge and the more flexible ExoTex Light making up the struts; this gives the kite a feel of solidity and enough airframe twist to make it extremely nimble. The short bridle system remains, which for a wave kite is a great design decision, minimizing the chances of bridle wrap and keeping the steering reactive. The sliders are a proprietary stainless pulley which won’t eat away at your bridle lines.

The wingtips have had a shave this year, which enhances steering reactivity and aerodynamics, as airflow bleeds off the tips. The CTS tuning point on the leading edge provide some customization for different wave vs. wind angle situations and are nice and quick to change in the field. It’s interesting to feel what an effect on the Section’s behavior they have for what’s visibly such a small change in geometry. Fixtures and fittings include the now well-proven proprietary one-pump system with a super low effort Speed Valve 2.0 inflate valve and nifty plastic deflation pringle, which tucks away in a little sleeve for safekeeping. A lightweight Kevlar type material that CORE have coined Grintex covers all leading edge segment joins, protecting these areas from scuffing when self-launching.

In the air, you’ll immediately notice some more perky handling over the previous version – the kite will now loop on a sixpence, which we found extremely useful in some chunky fast shorebreak in Cape Town. What the kite retains in spades is its ability to stay in the power and climb in the most ridiculous situations – it’s a veritable acrobat. You never seem to be able to get it to overfly even when particularly negligent with kite control. When running down a big section to make a turn or avoid a close out, we were super impressed at how simple it was to modulate power without much bar stroke employed. In onshore conditions where you need to keep one step ahead of your turn with the kite, it rips across the window in a controlled manner with very little flutter depowered, even when in the top of its wind range. The bar feeling and handling gives you a high level of accuracy without having to look at the kite to reassure yourself, thus allowing you full concentration on your wave positioning.

The now nippier Section 4 remains at the crest of wave offerings available, and is a kite you will instantly tune into, with its effortlessly balanced characteristics giving you the confidence to push your wave game into bigger and more technical surf situations. The biggest indicator of a successful wave kite is its ability to get you in the correct place on the wave at the correct time without having to wrestle the kite, and the Section 4 does that without so much as breaking a sweat.