I'm looking hard at these kites again and realizing that I've been seeing reviews of this kite since January of 2011 ... 18 months ago.

Anything in the works for the next generation? When do we see 2013 models from Ozone ... this fall? Hate to snag a kite and see the new one show up a month later.

Tony

Ozones usually in September maybe a bit earlier in Europe, for more info check flyozone.com or ask your local stockist

here's a thought..

Contact your local Ozone dealer.. They will be able to fulfill your request.

Was flying my little 6m reo today in a polar blasting 30 knots of SE coldness. Awesome little kite. great in the waves. Not much lift however!.

yo plummet what setting have you got it on under the bar floats

factory. haven't touched them.

Yo plummet you can get more grunt from the reo if you slide the floats up, and move your pigtail settings down the knots towards the bar, its noticeablly different but you still won't be boosting big

To kiter63 if you want a new reo hang off a bit till the new gear is released by ozone, I've heard the reo at the very least will recieve some changes, although for the likes of ourselves we may not notice,

Thanks Cauncy,

US distributor says the following :

"There won't be a new model on the REO till mid or late 2013, they might change color or panel layout, but construction and design won't change."

Seems to be different from what you're hearing.
Would Ozone really have 2.5yrs (or more) between releases?
Guess I'll hang on for the 2013 releases and see what happens.

Tony

While I'm just a local team rider and don't have access to the Ozone inner sanctum, I can offer a bit of info on the Ozone release schedule.

My understanding is that rather than enslave themselves to an annual release cycle, they work on the kites that they most want to improve, focusing the R&D so that the changes are thoroughly tested and then integrated through all sizes of a given model.

The upside is obvious: precision kites that are tuned to perfection.

Whether or not a given kiter prefers that to a more clockwork annual release schedule that may lack any real changes, or include changes that haven't been adequately tested, is a matter for individual choice.

In my case I'm very glad to have Torrin and Rob tweak the C4s to perfection before I get them rather than let me find out about any gaps in the process after the fact. If it means an extra month or two I think it's time well spent. In the case of the Edges, they're still dominating the race scene despite being slightly over 18 months since their release, and this is surely the discipline where incremental changes are most noticable. The kite was so far ahead when it came out, the others are just catching up. Word on the street is that the new Edge will be next model released by Ozone.

I've spent very little time on the REOs but from what I hear, they're as rave-worthy now as they were on their initial release, which was mid 2011. I believe the early reviews were of prototypes.

Happy Flying!!

Have you heard what they are trying to actually tweak on the C4 djodjo?

Hi Eppo, I don't know what plans there are for the C4, I'm just a gushing local team rider.

I don't even know what changes I'd suggest, but that was true of the 2011s too, yet, lo-and-behold, the 2012s were better in ways that until I experienced them, would not have occurred to me as possible or desirable to improve. Now, while I'm a hack kiter, I did used to be a professional windsurfer and heavily involved in R+D, assessing small refinements as well as radical conceptual shifts, so I'd like to think I have a feel for these things. I only mention this because I was genuinely surprised at the improvements that the guys managed for the current models - they are seriously pushing the design envelope.

However, one game changer for 2013 is the addition of Jake Kelsick, and, wait for it ... Sir Rowdy himself, to the Ozone team.

www.seabreeze.com.au/News/Kitesurfing/Wakestyle-boys-join-team-Ozone_6117164.aspx

Who knows what input they'll have, but I suspect that the C4 will again take a significant step up.

Incidentally, is the "dj od jo" spelling that you use now and then a reference to my oddness, or simply a mis-reading of dj dojo?

And do I take it that you're seriously considering the move to the 4-line simplicity and aerodynamic brilliance of my favourite kite?

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cauncy said...

Yo plummet you can get more grunt from the reo if you slide the floats up, and move your pigtail settings down the knots towards the bar, its noticeablly different but you still won't be boosting big

i'll just leave it as is. my little 6 is my storm kite. i like how it flys.. .. .. .. . . I'm more interested in gust muching than boosting in those silly winds. .
if i want to boost then i'll jump on my c4 or my edge!.

As far as the spelling of your name goes that is just my usual typing prowess coming into play.

Yes it is in the mix and right at the top of the list at the moment. To stay with north Vegas or to go to the C4 is the decision to be made. 4 th , 5 th line doesn't matter to me, it's the performance. Now thAt I have a good feel for the Vegas I think when I redemo the C4 I will have a much better idea of what I'm looking for.

Going from the rebel to demoing the the C4 and Vegas, the Vegas obviously had a closer feel to the rebel. Also didn't want to buy a new bar, so the decision was made. But dam darren insisted I demo the C4 as well and that had given me a lot to consider.

as far as improvement go , I will start with the Vegas and say they need to reduce bar pressure a little and give it better potential for boosting. It still boosts high but lacks float unless you loop. The C4 boosted better in terms of float.

So djdojo, if it was possible what would you want to improve on the C4? A that is probably what the designing would be considering I would suspect.

What would I improve on the C4? I really don't know. As my riding gradually improves I keep learning more about what this kite can do, and that I'm nowhere near pushing its limits.

That's where I suspect the elite riders who are at the leading edge of the sport will be able to imagine and refine performance capabilities that mere mortals simply wouldn't think of.

Once that sort of advance is achieved then we mere mortals may notice it and appreciate it, without ever having previously perceived the possibility for improvement.

Whatever improvements may be made, I believe the brief for the C4 will stay the same: freestyle, wakestyle and freeride performance that is both accessible to intermediates and satisfying for pros.

yo plummet, you said not much lift on your post , does this mean your happy with it or youd like more,the settings below the floats are there for you to play around with , its your choice mate, if you dont try youll never know

yo eppo have you any tips on the vegas relaunch, as a local has swapped to them from the rebel, and he reckons they are hardwork to get back up any tips and ill pass it on cheers

Honestly cauncy can't say, only had it int he water once on a real strong day and it moved the the edge of the window and relaunched. So sorry man can't help. Don't drop my mites much anymore, then again I don't go as hard as I use to. The Vegas does drift surprisingly well infact it's a damn hoot in the surf. So even when I've flown totall at it and it looked like it would stall down into the water, slight twist of the body to tenson the lines a little, depower and up she came.

Hey Cauncy,

I'm not sure why you'd want to get more lift out of the 6m Reo as it is a dedicated wave kite and the last thing I want is lift when I am on a surfboard strapped or unstrapped.

cheers eppo yeh maybe technique, ive seen him a few times dropping it in the drink and having a battle to get it back off the water ,even in good winds, hes been doing loops and looping transitions so naturally its gonna end up in the water more, but hes loving the kite much more techy than the rebel, cheers

yo slack , its just a suggestion if you want more power or lift, as a dedicated wave kite , how do you get through the big stuff , more power and lift is a vital ingredient, but in the correct proportions, i fly ozones and have had the reo as a demo wicked little kite , i loved it , but i wanted a bit more balls from it and moving the settings gave it more , people can do what they want mate it was purely a suggestion, if wasnt to be tampered with they wouldnt put the line setting there cheers

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cauncy said...

cheers eppo yeh maybe technique, ive seen him a few times dropping it in the drink and having a battle to get it back off the water ,even in good winds, hes been doing loops and looping transitions so naturally its gonna end up in the water more, but hes loving the kite much more techy than the rebel, cheers

Yeh it is more technical and does loop like a dream. I would say it has the edge over the C4 in that regards, more forgiving. The relaunch thing is weird. I do remember pulling on the front lines now which kind of lifted it a little up Andover the water which alloed it to move the to edge of the window.

Your right i should at least try the different settings. . . . . . . .

On the lift factor and rear line lengths for the REO:

I've only flown the 10m, once, and that on a twintip, but still I was boosting at least 6, maybe 8metres, so there's some lift there.

The REO and C4 are at opposite ends of the Ozone spectrum in terms of sheeting input; for a given movement of the bar the REO will have a large change in angle of attack (and therefore lift) while the C4 will have the least change of all the Ozone kites (which gives it a bigger freestyle unhooking range).

So, on the 6m you can probably shorten the rear lines a knot, get more grunt, and still have the kite practically luffing with the bar all the way out. However, I'm 6'3" and can easily reach and use the full throw range and this is not the case for some shorter riders.

I recommend trying new settings in moderate conditions and at the least you'll be sure to learn something about trim, stall limits and how you can get the most from your toys.

Had an absolutely insane session on the 6m reo yesterday. Conditions it was built for wind was 25-40 knots but hoffered mainly 30-35. waves the size of a bus. .. . . .
Reo loved it and made the session easy peasy. In the 35+ gusts i even managed a few boosts.

yo plummet did you give the settings a go , by the sounds of it you had enough blow,

No it was a crazy day. I'll wait for a 25-30 knot day to try the different settings. It was an amusing solo launch too. not enoug beach for a teathered launch so i had to wait for white wash to receed, set the kite and run like ferk to get it in the air before it got wiped out by the next wave.

So... launching and landing several times adjusting settings was off the cards.

Well I decided not to wait. A demo was not going to happen so I now have a 10m. Needs the winds to cooperate and a trip to the coast.

They should make a 9m edge with the word "BOOOST" written across the canopy in massive letters. I would buy two straight away.

EDIT: They should change the name of the Edge to Booost or even Paraboostacopter or something.

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wishy said...

They should make a 9m edge with the word "BOOOST" written across the canopy in massive letters. I would buy two straight away.

EDIT: They should change the name of the Edge to Booost or even Paraboostacopter or something.

they can do that for you wishy

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kiter63 said...

Well I decided not to wait. A demo was not going to happen so I now have a 10m. Needs the winds to cooperate and a trip to the coast.

Hey, thats the same colour as my 10 Reo...
Copycat.