Eleveight FS

Eleveight – in case you hadn’t heard – arrived on the scene this year with a complete range of kiteboards. With an experienced team behind the brand they know what they’re doing and have ticked all of the boxes for 99% of the kiteboarding public. Here we were testing one of their four kites, the FS which is targeted at the freestyle end of the market and for more experienced riders. It is a five strut kite for maximum stability and has a relatively high Aspect Ratio designed to maximize slack line for freestyle trickery. First impressions are that the build quality is excellent, with Teijin Technoforce and with well-placed reinforcements.

Once up in the air, the Eleveight FS is stable and sits at the zenith with very little fluttering in the canopy. The trailing edge stays in shape, due to the way the panels are sewn at an angle. This will also stop that veining effect as this section of the kite is under more load. The FS has short bridles and the kite is very responsive. Bar pressure is light to medium and we found that the bigger kites were particularly agile. The FS does require more rider input than the ‘all round’ RS, but once you have adjusted to the fact that this is not a plug and play kite, you can start to explore its performance characteristics.

Through the window the FS is fast and playful and then the kite really comes alive when it comes to boosting, where it is an absolute rocketship… It pulls you off the water and sends you soaring to new heights. Like the RS, it’s fast for its size which means you can get some amazing whip in the kite and you can leave it late to redirect or to throw some big loops. During the loops the FS holds its shape and really catches you on the up-stroke, and with no deformity in the kite you have confidence that you are in safe hands. We also put the FS through its paces with some unhooked tricks, and the kite has been designed to slack line and give you the maximum amount of pop to throw down any unhooked freestyle tricks.

In a sentence: The FS is an impressive new kite from Eleveight – it has all of the qualities you need to perform in the world of freestyle, but is also a relatively easy kite to fly so would be a great option for ‘aspiring’ freestylers.