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Sizes Available: 2.5, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17m
Sizes Tested: 8, 10, 12, 15, 17m

Slingshot Says:

Introducing an all-NEW paranormal shape from Tony Logosz, the Ghost V1. Designed from the ground up to be light, simple, and insanely fun to fly, the Ghost is one of the most exciting new kites in our range. It’s an out of this world all around kite that has just one strut for incredible handling and steering precision for beginners, experts, and foilers alike. If you are looking for a lightweight ultra-simple kite to take your riding, foiling, or kite tricks to the next level, the Ghost is your friendly companion. The first size run for the Ghost will span from 2.5 all the way to a 17. It’s Compact Swept C-shape design and segmented swept wingtip make water relaunch immediate and its wind range infinite.

Visit for more info: https://www.slingshotsports.com/Ghost-V1

Our Testers Say:

“Light bar pressure, good range, medium drift and fairly fast turning with a really round leading edge that makes it easy to turn even in the larger sizes.” // Matt Kargl

“This thing is a powerhouse, the 8m pulls like a 9.5m and offers less depower at the end of the bar stroke. The canopy was impressively tight with zero flutter while depowered.” // Dray Murray

“Lightweight feather of a kite, goes where you want it, predictable and stable, floats with you and ideal for the foil crowd.” // Dan Lerer

Meet Our Testers

TKB Says:

This is the first year for the Ghost with a different approach to the single strut class of kites with a noticeably low aspect canopy, robust split-strut and leading edge with sweptback wingtips. The Ghost features a large diameter bayonet-style inflation valve that requires no nozzle on the end of your standard pump hose for a quick and easy pump up. When it comes time to deflate, there’s a standard dump valve that allows you to quickly deflate the kite without unthreading the bayonet valve. The Ghost comes with a single setting fixed bridle that doesn’t require any pulleys for changing the angle of attack. The front bridles end in loops and the wingtip pigtails end in knots. The wingtip offers a single attachment point to cut down on weight and makes for a truly set it and forget it, no fuss tuning kite. The wingtip uses dacron sparingly and the trailing edge also features dacron.

Testers commented across the board on the Ghost’s impressive pulling power and quick turning for a given size. Testers noted that you can get away with riding a size smaller because the kite has so much pull. The Ghost offers a nice linear power delivery that is both predictable and very usable to get you back upwind. The bar pressure was reported light to medium and the turning arc as super tight and pivotal because of the lower aspect and round leading edge airframe. The turning feels quick but not unpredictable; foilboarders will feel super comfortable pin-wheeling downloops on the Ghost with confidence and control. Of all the single strut kites, the Ghost’s construction still feels quite bulletproof and durable, and testers reported this model has being one of the most solid canopies with very little flutter. The Ghost never catches you off guard with most kiter’s having solid feedback and a sense for kite placement at all times. When it comes to boosting you can get much more lift out of the Rally GT and more specifically the Raptor, but the Ghost can be fun for small to medium-sized jumps with good handling, stability and drift. The relaunch was super easy with the rounded and sweptback leading edge, with minimal bar input to get the kite to flip and find itself back in the air. Testers were excited to try this kite and generally found the Ghost to be a fascinating approach to the single strut market with sights on the progression level foilboarder as well as the beginner and casual freeride kiter that values ultra stability, sheet-and-go power and reliability.

 

Our Slingshot kites came with both the Compstick Guardian or Compstick Sentinel control bars. Both of these bars are fixed length bars that are available in three sizes: 17” width with 20m lines, a 20” width with 23m lines (3m ext), and a 23” width with 27m lines.

The Compstick Sentinel features above the bar power tuning with single centerline safety depower, a spectra sheeting/throw line with sliding stopper, adjustable length throw, a tuning cleat power system with a toggle that uses a magnet to control excess tuning slack and a low V. The inside lines end in knots and the outside lines end in loops. The Sentinel offers a sturdy quick release that integrates a below the bar hand swivel which also doubles as a quick-release guard. The quick-release handle locks in the open position and resetting is fairly straightforward; simply place the end of the loop back into position and then depress a stainless steel tab that frees the release handle and locks the quick release back together. The Compstick is the only bar in our test that featured dual outside line OS handles with no adjustment for outside line length. The bar ends offer bungees for keeping the lines clean and the floats are separate from the bar ends. While testers liked the smaller diameter grip and raised volcano next to the insert which helps avoid pinched fingers, they also noted the grip was fairly dense with thin rubber ridges running along the handle that made for a very aggressive yet solid grip. The left side of the bar and the floats are a red color for very clear and obvious color-coding that is unmistakable.

The Compstick Guardian features single centerline safety depower, a spectra sheeting/throw line, a low V, a sliding stopper and below the bar cleat tuning integrated into the push away quick release. There’s no travel guard or below the bar hand swivel but the quick release is compact and keeps a large amount of throw travel within reach of the rider. This bar uses Slingshot’s existing Guardian quick-release system which puts the kite’s tuning below the bar, which allows surfers to increase the amount of throw/sheeting while still being able to reach the tuning of the kite. Testers who are not used to below the bar sheeting often find it’s difficult to get the leverage to operate the cleat, but with the proper technique (place the cleat on the side of your favored arm and sheet out while adjusting) this is a fairly easy and functional design for performance kitesurfers. The bar design and other rigging are the same as the Compstick Sentinel (see above). If the advantages of below the bar tuning systems are lost on you, then check out the Compstick Sentinel.

Visit for more info on the bars: www.slingshotsports.com/slingshot-kite/slingshot-kite-bars


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