Compare HQ Hydra with HQ Rush III Pro

by Dan
(Port Orange, FL, USA)

Thanks for the fantastic review of trainer kites. I am curious about your thoughts concerning the HQ Hydra. It is purported to be a water launchable version of the Rush III Pro but are there any other differences such as flight characteristics? I also wonder about the difference in size between the 300 series (2.8m vs 2.6m) while the 350 series are the same size.

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Compare HQ Hydra with HQ Rush III Pro

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Mar 31, 2010

Rush Vs. Hydra
by: Glen - KiteboardingEvolution.com

Hi Dan,

Thanks for the question.

The Hydra basically is just a water re-launchable version of the Rush, and the differences other than that are small.

There are a few differences in the actual measurements of the kite, but overall they don't amount to a noticable difference. I.E - the Hydra 300 and 350 have a flat aspect ratio (AR) of 3.5, while the Rush 300 and 350 have a flat AR of 3.4 and 3.6 respectively. Kites with different aspect ratios do have different flying characteristics (higher AR kites are faster turning, lower AR kites are slower turning).

But, the truth is that a difference of 0.1 in aspect ratio is definitely not noticeable.

For the different sizes, the Rush 300 is 2 cm wider than the Hydra 300. This is probably where the extra area is added, and is also why the aspect ratio of the kite is a little bit lower. Again though, the difference is quite small and is not noticable when flying the kite (when comparing the two to each other). In terms of kite sizes, .2 m2 is not much.

When actually flying the kites, I don't notice any differences (you notice more changes in the wind, etc...)

The only difference of note between these two kites is that the Hydra is a closed cell foil. It doesn't make the kite fly any differently, but it does make the kite a touch more fragile. A closed cell foil is more likely to be damaged if crashed hard on land than an open cell. Because the air is sealed in the kite, it has fewer chances to escape when crashed and is more likely to build up pressure and damage the kite.

That said, I have seen a Hydra take a lot of abuse and not show any wear. These kites are designed to take some real beatings, so it takes a lot to wear them down (to date, none of my Rush or Hydra kites have been damaged - even after using them for the Trainer Kite Reviews...and they took a lot of beatings then, trust me!)

So, to sum up:

1. There are no noticeable performance differences between the Rush and Hydra. External factors like wind gusts are more noticeable.

2. Between the two, the Hydra is the more fragile, but it is still incredibly durable. Get one if you want to use it on water (which is very fun), but just don't beat it to death on land (although, it still can stand up to it, it's not made of glass).

Hope this helps! If not, feel free to send me an email using the contact form on the site and I'd be glad to answer... Better yet, post them below!

Thanks,

Glen
KiteboardingEvolution.com

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Mar 31, 2010
Rating

Submitted by: Glen - KiteboardingEvolution.com

Title

Comment
Hi Dan, Thanks for the question. The Hydra basically is just a water re-launchable version of the Rush, and the differences other than that are small. There are a few differences in the actual measurements of the kite, but overall they don't amount to a noticable difference. I.E - the Hydra 300 and 350 have a flat aspect ratio (AR) of 3.5, while the Rush 300 and 350 have a flat AR of 3.4 and 3.6 respectively. Kites with different aspect ratios do have different flying characteristics (higher AR kites are faster turning, lower AR kites are slower turning). But, the truth is that a difference of 0.1 in aspect ratio is definitely not noticeable. For the different sizes, the Rush 300 is 2 cm wider than the Hydra 300. This is probably where the extra area is added, and is also why the aspect ratio of the kite is a little bit lower. Again though, the difference is quite small and is not noticable when flying the kite (when comparing the two to each other). In terms of kite sizes, .2 m2 is not much. When actually flying the kites, I don't notice any differences (you notice more changes in the wind, etc...) The only difference of note between these two kites is that the Hydra is a closed cell foil. It doesn't make the kite fly any differently, but it does make the kite a touch more fragile. A closed cell foil is more likely to be damaged if crashed hard on land than an open cell. Because the air is sealed in the kite, it has fewer chances to escape when crashed and is more likely to build up pressure and damage the kite. That said, I have seen a Hydra take a lot of abuse and not show any wear. These kites are designed to take some real beatings, so it takes a lot to wear them down (to date, none of my Rush or Hydra kites have been damaged - even after using them for the Trainer Kite Reviews...and they took a lot of beatings then, trust me!) So, to sum up: 1. There are no noticeable performance differences between the Rush and Hydra. External factors like wind gusts are more noticeable. 2. Between the two, the Hydra is the more fragile, but it is still incredibly durable. Get one if you want to use it on water (which is very fun), but just don't beat it to death on land (although, it still can stand up to it, it's not made of glass). Hope this helps! If not, feel free to send me an email using the contact form on the site and I'd be glad to answer... Better yet, post them below! Thanks, Glen KiteboardingEvolution.com

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Jun 16, 2010

awesome comparision
by: tena

thank's so much for this article it helped me a lot. Good job guys!

best regards

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