Rider: Weight: 80kg, Level (intermediate - advanced)
Style: Surf, Freestyle
Weather: 15-20 knots
Build Quality: 9/10
Satisfaction: 7/10
Disclosure: (amateur rider)

My Comments:
I really like this kite as a general all round kite but find that it's turning ability can be slow in the surf, especially when you need to whip in around to rip a turn off the top.

I still have the factory default settings and wonder if anyone can advise what settings I could use to make it turn faster?
Does the bar pressure setting on the turning lines have much effect?

Cheers

You didn't say what size the kite is? But yes the lighter bar pressure setting will also be faster turning. What size bar are you riding it on? I have found the Cat to be quite a quick kite.

Shorten your steering lines under the floaters of your bar. One knot will do for most of the riders. Catalyst is a relatively quick kite.

In decent winds a short back line and minus setting at the kite gives you more potent and faster turning kite, in low winds this setting gives you a back stalling crap kite, nearly every session on my ozones has me swapping around my settings, they are there for a reason use them to the conditions

The 2013 Cats are very fast.

Obviously I have no idea if this is the case for you but for a lot of people who want their kites to turn faster (other than massive race kites) they are often using too large a kite, often with the bar out a ways, so that the kite is sitting closer to the edge of the window and therefore slower to initiate turning and has further to go to get across the window.

Conversely, the right sized kite when flown skilfully will spend more of the time deeper in the window and further sheeted in so that it will have maximum responsiveness and minimum distance to travel. I use my 12m Catalyst on a 45cm bar and it's plenty fast.

If there's one factor more than any other that slows down people's progression I reckon it's this one. Learning to get maximum effective power out of a given sized kite will let you improve every other aspect of your kiting too, in any style, and especially anything that involves unhooking.

Also, I ran all my 2013 Cats on the shortest knot on the rear lines. However, this has nothing to do with turning speed unless you're using too big a kite because the bar is set up so you can't sheet it in enough.

Rear line length adjustment (under the floats at the bar on Ozones) is only about trimming the relative lengths of front and back lines so that the bar is in a comfortable position within its throw range for riding in the kite's appropriate wind range.

Thanks for all of the advice. It's a 10m Cat with the factory bar. I also have a 12m Reo which is much more nimble than the Cat. I'll try changing the bar pressure lines tho as a first option as I think it may over sheet if I use the bar knots.

Cheers.

I had the same issue with my 8m Cat a few years ago. Turned soooo slow (for what I wanted anyway). To the point after 2 sessions I was about to head back to the shop to get rid of it. Then a mate at the beach had a go and also said it was slow. I also did not change factory settings and the only change I made was where the lines attached to the kite. Moved the the back lines to the end if the wing tip and bingo, it was a good kite after all!!

get a 10 reo if you like the 12 reo.