Liquid Force Wow 2017

Liquid Force’s first Wow was a solid arrival onto the wave scene for the brand – it did all that you would expect from a three strut wave kite, but it also seemed to borrow some of the best points from the Envy (and to a degree the Solo) to have a little bit extra as well. It was a big hit, so when it came to revisiting it the team at LF were keen to improve the kite but without losing anything that had made it a popular option for waveriders. They spent a lot of time looking at different options for the kite but – when it came down to it – they decided that evolution not revolution was the order of the day, so that distinctive skinny LE leads the charge and the profile remains pretty true to V1 of the Wow.

The canopy cloth is the exclusive triple Ripstop cloth developed in conjunction with Challenge Sailcoth and feels significantly lighter than other Ripstop cloths. Liquid Force say it and they mean it: pump the Wow up hard. The kite can take it and will fly better if it’s rock solid. There is Liquid Force’s Max Flow inflation system (just don’t forget the adapter…) and the Wow flies on the all new Mission Control system. This has been completely reengineered for 2017 and is looking great. There’s a new QR, a below the bar swivel and a new clam cleat system as well as a splash of color. It’s a great bar that doesn’t do anything new, but does do everything well…

On the water and the first thing to note with the Wow is its weight – it is a very light kite and this is immediately evident when you get it in the air. Low end and responsiveness are excellent and you can sheet and go with a smooth but assertive power delivery – as with the rest of the Liquid Force range it is a kite that has as much power as you want from it, but equally you can turn it off quickly. For crossshore waveriding the Wow behaves like this is what it was born to do; it sits perfectly at 45 degrees and is happy to drift down the line whether you are going top to bottom or racing around a section – there is no unnecessary pull and when you need some power you can just sheet in and it’s ready to go. For onshore conditions the turning arc is smooth and nicely tuned. We did experience a little bit of flutter when the wind picked up and we wouldn’t recommend riding the Wow overpowered, but aside from that, it turns well and places itself nicely in the window and performs really nicely in ‘less than prime’ conditions.

In a sentence: Some nice refinements, a great new bar, and all round a very impressive wave kite – particularly for classic days…