Could anyone who has ridden the 2011 ozone C4 and Catalyst kites give me some feedback on which is more suited to jumping and also for messing around in small surf on a twin tip. I have read some comments about these kites and some refer to boosting and others refer to jumping, am I right to assume these mean the same thing. I am wanting a kite that turns quick and jumps well, any suggestions. Thanks.

Hi Graf

We've got a quiver of each, they are both quite amazing kites and we far prefer them to anything else we've tried. They will both boost/jump high, turn quick and are great for wave riding.

I'd choose the C4 for riding a twin tip or strapped surfboard, big jumps, quick smooth kite loops, powered moves or unhooked riding. It tends to float you across the water with a smooth feel and plenty if punch for tricks.

I'd choose the Catalyst for unstrapped wave riding, smooth controlled jumps, exceptional depower or as an outstanding allrounder. It tends to allow your board to follow the water surface with a smooth responsive feel. If you're new to kitesurfing this would be the better choice.

Hope this helps

Nath

I would define boost as how quickly (violently?) the kite pulls you into the air after sending it back through the wind window and edging the board hard against the pull. The more boost, the higher you jump. The C4 has a lot of boost. I think it is because of how the kite generates power through the turns but it is probably more technical than that. The Catalyst doesn’t have as much boost, but it still send’s you high. The trade off for having less boost is the Cat remains more stable through the jump and gives longer hang time resulting in softer landings. By ‘stable’ I mean it is less responsive to the same bar inputs. The Cat has a 'low bar pressure' setting that will probably make it more responsive, but I haven't tried it yet. This is my opinion from 5-6 sessions on the 2011 Catalyst and one on the C4.

I use the Catalyst for messing around in the surf with a twin tip and it is great for that because you don't really have to think too much about flying the kite. One of the reasons I went for the Catalyst is because it is more relaxing to fly, which is where I am at with my kiting.