04 Apr What’s NEW with the UFO V2 vs the UFO V1.1 Kiteboarding Kite
The UFO V1 was the first no strut foiling specific kite brought to market by a major brand. Slingshot released the UFO just after the start of Covid-19 with no idea how the pandemic would affect such a new breed of kite but after two years it is evident that this kite was long overdue.
Fred Hope, Slingshot team rider and now lead tester talks about the newest UFO V2 and what is different from the UFO V1.1.
Almost every kite foiler that I let try my UFO comes back not wanting to give it back. The most common remarks include “the kite just sits there when you push the bar out,” “the relaunch is crazy,” and “this kite is so responsive that I can focus on my foiling instead of my kite flying.”
The UFO brought about a new era of foiling that did not make compromises. The kite is fast, stable, structured, light, and nimble. It’s a toy on the water that wants to be flown however you ride, whether that’s fast and hiked over like me, or slower and upright like those bigger front wings prefer to be ridden. Diehards have switched to the UFO from the kite they never thought they’d leave, and I am one of those diehards. The SST was my bread and butter, it did everything I thought I wanted while foiling. If you asked me in 2019 whether I would ever ride another kite on foil, I would have looked at you and laughed. This was until I rode the first UFO prototype in early 2020 and since then I have not foiled with anything else. Don’t get me wrong, the SST is still great for foiling, but the UFO is on a whole other level.
Here are the main differences between the UFO V1.1 and the UFO V2.
The first version of the UFO came with a D1 canopy, the classic Cuzin bridle line, and Slingshots DP 175 leading edge material. The V1.1 then had a canopy change to D2. This D2 was more stretch resistant and lasted longer. As everyone knows here at Slingshot, testing never stops, and we were still finding ways to make the lightest kite on the market even lighter. Canopy material had to stay the same, but the leading edge felt heavy, and the bridle lines were overbuilt.
The leading-edge material was switched out for DLE 140, a material that is 25% lighter than the DP 175 of the V1 and V1.1 UFOs. After the leading edge, we looked at the bridle. The heavy overbuilt lines were switched out for a new line called Liros DC Pro 401 that is 25% thinner. Thinner means less drag and lighter means more range while foiling. Both benefits combined to create the UFO V2. The lightest kite just got lighter. The fastest kite just got faster. If you’re looking to take your foiling to the next step, or if you’re happy where you are, the UFO is for you.
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