hey new to kiting and just after some advice on a kite, im 65kg, got myself a 12m ozone catalyst 2014 and have found a second hand 8m 2014 catalyst for a reasonable price, would an 8m be a good second kite to go with my 12m or should i hold out till i can find a 9m as i understand 3m between kites is ideal

Thanks in advance for any help!

An 8m kite should be fine for you, I'm 85kgs and only have a 15m 10m and 8m (hardly use the 8m). You'll probably get more use out of it then a 9m and have a bigger wind range.

I have a 12m 2013 catalyst and an 8m 2013 catalyst, and i am 76kgs. i find them to be a good combination 90% of the time, in my experience there is a slight gap in wind range between the 2. some days it is that little bit to windy for the 12, but just not windy enough to hit the sweet spot on the 8. i managed to overcome this by have 2 boards, a 136 and a 141, i jump on the 141 when i find iam just not hitting that sweet spot (keep in mind the 141 is a pretty big board so it gives me a fair bit of bottom end on both kites). By all means the 8 and 12 combo works fine, i have an old 10m naish but never use it because the 8 and 12 do me fine, it is just those very few annoying days that the wind is just in that range were it is not ideal for either kite.

so in my opinion either combo will work well. If you want an overall LARGER wind range from your kit then go the 8-12 combo, if you want slightly less top end in the wind range with a better overlap of power in the middle (wont have those annoying days like me) then go th 9-12 combo Please some of you more seasoned kites feel free to correct me, this is just my opinion from using this combo last season.

Cheers Max

Hi There, I ride Cats and I would go for a 9m.

The zone you miss out on a bit with the gap from 12m to 8m is perfect 10m weather, in my opinion the real sweet spot for our sport (not so windy it's scary, but windy enough to have plenty of speed and power for all sorts of jumps).

12 to 9 is a perfect gap, and at your weight I'd add a 7m as you get more confident in windier conditions.

Of course that's in a perfect world. If budget is a factor 12-8 will get you out in a big range of conditions and is a manageable gap.

Agree with DJDOJO

Yeah I agree with 12/9/7 combo for your weight.

I own a Reo 12m, and a Cat in 10m & 8m. Weigh 77kgs. The 8m is good for low 20's to up to low 30 knot gusts which is what we've had plenty of in Sydney this winter. I wouldn't want to be out on my 10 in that. Eventually I will be looking to replace my 12m with a 14 for light wind days when the 12 just doesnt cut it.

So you being 10kgs lighter I would suggest going 1m down from me.

65kg is the first important bit of info
but where do you kite?

NW Wa or SE Qld? two different wind conditions

Got me how anyone can recommend kite size without average or general winds,

Thanks heaps for all the info everyone this gives me a pretty good idea for what i need, going to do a bit more research on the conditions where il be kitting mostly so i can get the most use out of my smallest kite as il probably just stick to two kites for this year,

@poida, im actually in nz so il be kiting around lake taupo and tauranga mostly so il have do to some study on the wind conditions to see whether an 8 or 9m would be best for me, have come across a nice second hand 8m catalyst but dont wana rush out and get it then wish id got a 9 haha,

Cheers again everyone!

To be honest there's not a great deal of difference in 1m. 3/4 knots at either end of the spectrum.

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Phoney said...
To be honest there's not a great deal of difference in 1m. 3/4 knots at either end of the spectrum.

Sorry but the are plenty of times I've kited and wish I've had 1 mtr more or one meter less. But only matters in the higher wind speeds,at the lower end you can handle an extra few Mtrs,

at 20 knots I would have thought you would be honkin on an 8, but depends on your board etc. at 25 knots you will be fully lit bro. a 6/9/12 would be ideal, but 8/12 is also fine a 9/12 combo might just limit the windier days, if you get windier days there
a lot depends on your weight, a lot of people will be jealous when you are honkin around on light wind days on your 12, but at 65kg you will be getting overpowered a lot sooner than others until your technique improves.

ended up getting the 8m hopefully should be a good setup with the 8 and 12 for this summer! Cheers again for the info everyone! so much helpful info on this forum stoked on finding this site!