I am planning on buying a 10m kite next to the 8m Reo (2014) I have. In doubt between a Reo and a Catalyst. A Reo might seem an obvious choice, but the 10m will get more tt time(~30%), smaller waves and upwind performance gets a bit more important, which might make the Catalyst a better choice. I would like to hear your thoughts.

Also, the low end becomes important. If the low end of a Reo is better than that of a Catalyst the overlap might become too big. So how does the low end of these kites compare?

Any advice appreciated

Tim

Yeah man, good thoughts on a split quiver. If your a dedicated wave man on a sb always riding down the line then stick with the reo.

If not then cat or even edge. It depends on your enthusiasm for upwind and jumpability V Down the line wave performance in the lighter side.

The more upwind/jump ability the worse down the line driftability you get. Regardless of what the pimps will tell you this is the case. Its a trade off.

I'm currently in a similar predicament for my 10m size. In my instance i'm considering 10m north dice or 10m edge. I really love to boost, But i also enjoy the waves. I think half the time i would prefer an edge and the other half a dice.

PS I've ruled out a catalyst because there is not local demo option for me.

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Plummet said...

The more upwind/jump ability the worse down the line driftability you get. Regardless of what the pimps will tell you this is the case. Its a trade off.

Plz explain

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gcdave said...

Plummet said...

The more upwind/jump ability the worse down the line driftability you get. Regardless of what the pimps will tell you this is the case. Its a trade off.

Plz explain

I'm convinced its a function for projected aspect ratio. There's 2 ends of the spectrum.

Upwind/jump ability/most power per sq mtr.......................................fast turning/downwind drifting/most depower at bar.
long thin kites short fat kites.

The higher the projected aspect ratio the better upwind and the better jumping ability but you sacrifice downwind and fast turning. You simply can't have both. Sure you can fit a kite somewhere in the middle that's ok at both. But you can't do both things great. It simply isn't possible. It is the reason why you don't see wave kites wining course races or race kites in wave competitions.

Sure there's a tone more factors involved than just projected aspect ratio. But I think that is the most critical factor.

My personal thought is to run really high aspect for your light wind kite when upwind and efficient jumping ability is critical then slowly morph down the spectrum until you smallest kite lowest aspect kite. Then you have good depower/fast turning/drifting for the insane days which usually are big surf days also.

Thanks for the replies, but unfortunately it has not helped me yet in my decision .

I guess the most important question is how a 10 m catalyst would match to an 8 m Reo in terms of wind range, can anybody comment on that?

Tim

Hi Tim

The Cat 10M will overlap quite a bit with the 8M Reo. The 2014 Cat has good bottom end, and would get me going on a TT (76kg) from around 15/16 knots and would top out around 25-28knots. The 8 Reo on a surfboard strapless will get me going from around 18-20 knots to around 30-32 knots.
If you are experienced, you could do better with a 12 Cat?

Sorry man. I got off topic.

I'm a believer of 2m gaps if you can afford it. What are the other kites you have?

my quiver is 15m speed 3, 13m edge, 10m c4, 8m cat, 6m reo.

Sure there's huge overlaps. But that's what makes it so good. you can select the right kite for the conditions.

You should also consider what your most used size will be and build a quiver around that.

For me thats a 10m. I will always build my quiver around the 10m size.

A 12m/8m combo will give you a good range but you will have an overpowered/underpowered situation in the sweet 10m winds.

I say consider 2m gaps 12,10,8,6 if you can afford it.
or next best choice 3m gaps 12,9,6

+1 what terrymctool said, your overlap if you switch from surfboard ( assuming its a lightish wind one, not the likes of a Converse) to TT will be a bit big,

If you are just comparing both kites with a TT then In my experience the 10 would work well, but if you Switch to a surfboard then you will have a biggish overlap. If there was an 11m CAt I would say use that.

The Cat does have a fair bit more power when in wind range and is a stunning kite! Tested both 12m cat and Reo and when swapping between them you would swear the wind went up 5 knots when on the Cat.

the 7 Reo is sweet as a pie, get that and a 10m Cat, I know not the answer you want either........ sorry.

Thanks for the replies, convinced now that the 10 catalyst would be a good choice. But still in doubt , now between a 10 and a 12. Guess I will have to flip a coin. Thanks for all the advice!