My missus is getting into kiting. She is 52kg, has mastered my trainer kite and is booked in for professional lessons. She has a harness and i am looking for a kite to buy her. I am also looking for a winter storm kite for surf and freestyle. Due to this I would like to get a 5m or 6m RPM, Park, or C4.

In my opinion all of these kites have lots of depower and have great safety systems, but im concerned that they might be too fast at turning to learn on and might not be stable enough at the beginning.

Is it really that necessary to have to get two 5-6m kites and have any girls out there learnt on any of these kites?

Yo maybe throw the catalyst into the mix ,Awsome to learn on very good in the surf ,I've had my 8 out in gusty 40 plus conditions, just may lack a bit for serious freestyle,all small kites will turn quick , but if she can handle the speed of the trainer then shell be fine,ozone have slowed the turning of the c4 in the smaller sizes for 2012.

Kite Boarding Perth teach on 6m parks

I have only flown the C4 once out of those kites and I'm just not sure I'd consider it a beginners kite. It requires a delicate interplay of board edging and kite flying to dial it in. Especially in gusty conditions. But for you it would be great.

But look for dodjo on the the forum as he would know the best answer to this regarding the C4 his description to me before my demo was close to perfect. NickT would also be a goo dslurce of info on this kite.

Also call darren at aks he has spent many hours on the C4.

The rpm is high,y rated as well, but again for beginners I just don't know.

The park is well known for its stability. Eating gusts I don't know.

I also agree with the above you should consider the catalyst. Again talk the catalyst flyers via email ( email cauncy) and get more detail, without unwanted disruptions on the open forum.

Yeh hard one, one for your misses to learn and for you as winter kite.

Anyone else been in the same boat??

Katie P rides the Parks, plus has a 6m I think and rides em damn well I might add!

Re C4 - there's a little grom 11 y/o riding a 6 or 7m down here at St Kilda, throwing unhooked s bends to boot - so anything is possible!

Thanks guys. If local kite schools run Catalysts and Parks then thats good enough for me. Fingers crossed the wind gods get fired up next thurs and i can take a few test flights.

The C4 I would say has pretty good relaunch, but in light winds in the hands of a newbie might be frustrating for them as there are better kites for this. Also it takes a bit of flying ability to get the most out of them.
I tossed up the same idea for my wife, but went catalyst option ( my winter wave kites)

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LiveToFly said...

Is it really that necessary to have to get two 5-6m kites and have any girls out there learnt on any of these kites?

Split the difference and buy a 5.5m kite. ^^^
lol.

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NickT said...

The C4 I would say has pretty good relaunch, but in light winds in the hands of a newbie might be frustrating for them as there are better kites for this. Also it takes a bit of flying ability to get the most out of them.
I tossed up the same idea for my wife, but went catalyst option ( my winter wave kites)

Cheers for that Nick, i was trying to advise a mate of mine who wants to get a kite a learn on - principally surf but where we are some freeride is needed, will go the catalyst 2011. TA

I have the same issue. But I decided to book my girlfriend to lessons first, so that she learn of a newbie kite (probably switchblade) and THEN consider buying a kite for her, probably from 2010 on the second hand market.

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lebaz said...

I have the same issue. But I decided to book my girlfriend to lessons first, so that she learn of a newbie kite (probably switchblade) and THEN consider buying a kite for her, probably from 2010 on the second hand market.

Good move, you have just saved your relationship!

if YOU want to fly in the winter fronts then the RPM fits the bill
yet to find the top end of my 6 even in the heavy'st squalls

My missus loves my 7 park. I don't mind it either. 25 knots and up and it comes alive. 2012 model is a lot more stable than 2011.

Its one I sell and I have no personal experience of the other 2 but imo I would seriously consider the RPM purely because it has the two ride settings built in.
On the free-ride its hands down as good and user friendly as any 4 line. Shift up to the wake-style setting and it feels every bit like a 'C'.
Considering you are looking for a dual purpose kite which needs to satisfy 2 people of different skill levels I would suggest it absolutely fits the bill.
We dont have small one on demo at the moment but considering all my instructors & my PA all ride the RPM (by independent choice) I'm sure I could organise a demo for you.

I know a couple of guys who've learned on C4s, so it's possible, especially if she's ambitious. Turning speed is quickish, but not crazy, and again, if she starts on a C4 she'll get used to it.

Still, for her the 6m Catalyst would be ideal, and for gust absorption and storm surf action you'd love it too, but if you really want to do freestyle in that much wind (I'm assuming you're heavier than her) then the C4 is the go-to kite.

For me, I'm not interested in unhooking in anything much above 25 knots, but I still appreciate the stability and responsiveness of the C4s whether or not I'm unhooking.

The C4s have great top end, so I'd go the 7m rather than the 5m. In the Cats, the 6m is the obvious size. Demo, demo, demo! Enjoy!

I would go with the ozones for the simple fact that whilst all three kites are great kites....
If you learn to use a C4 from the get go, figure out how it works, what gets it ticking, you'll be a better kite flyer than most at the end of the day.

and if u cant decide on the kites...look to the bars, cant say ive ridden a park, but the slingshot bar is terrible, rough on the hands, depower is a nuissance.
Ozone bar fits nicely in your hands... nice and soft (something your girl might appreciate after a big session) simplicity in all areas on the bar....but will still cop a beating
Naish Bar might be ok, like i said ive never ridden a naish

C4 vs Catalyst, both great kites....but i think u get a lot more bang for your $$$
out of a C4, i switched from a catalyst to a C4 for this exact reason. Catalyst can only take u so far if u decide to focus on freestyle/wakestyle riding, great in the surf and just freeriding....
The C4 will do it all!! Good in the surf and on the flat freestyle, unhooked whatever u like.

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puppetonastring said...

Its one I sell and I have no personal experience of the other 2 but imo I would seriously consider the RPM purely because it has the two ride settings built in.
On the free-ride its hands down as good and user friendly as any 4 line. Shift up to the wake-style setting and it feels every bit like a 'C'.
Considering you are looking for a dual purpose kite which needs to satisfy 2 people of different skill levels I would suggest it absolutely fits the bill.
We dont have small one on demo at the moment but considering all my instructors & my PA all ride the RPM (by independent choice) I'm sure I could organise a demo for you.

Dude the C4 has had these settings since the release of the C4

I have tried the Park 9m in about 20kts and absolutely loved the park.

The Park is a super stable kite for beginners and pops out of the water ready to re-launch when you want it. It can be a real Park and Ride kind of kite when put on that setting which makes it really forgiving for beginners.

When the weather gets big, crank the setting to the performance side and the park turns on a dime, boost, de-powers and handles gusts well too.

If it was my money, I would be buying a Park as this would suit beginners right through to the point at which you would be wanting a Torch!

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Berg K1t3r said...

I would go with the ozones for the simple fact that whilst all three kites are great kites....
If you learn to use a C4 from the get go, figure out how it works, what gets it ticking, you'll be a better kite flyer than most at the end of the day.

and if u cant decide on the kites...look to the bars, cant say ive ridden a park, but the slingshot bar is terrible, rough on the hands, depower is a nuissance.
Ozone bar fits nicely in your hands... nice and soft (something your girl might appreciate after a big session) simplicity in all areas on the bar....but will still cop a beating
Naish Bar might be ok, like i said ive never ridden a naish

C4 vs Catalyst, both great kites....but i think u get a lot more bang for your $$$
out of a C4, i switched from a catalyst to a C4 for this exact reason. Catalyst can only take u so far if u decide to focus on freestyle/wakestyle riding, great in the surf and just freeriding....
The C4 will do it all!! Good in the surf and on the flat freestyle, unhooked whatever u like.







Hey ozone riders, was helping a mate out with his new Reo today. Am I missing something, but when you have the leash attached, does the bottom swivel turn untwist the lines without looping over the safety leash?? Please excuse my ignorance was only a quick look.

You can only untwist the front lines if hooked to the suicide ring, otherwise the leash will twist.

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NickT said...

You can only untwist the front lines if hooked to the suicide ring, otherwise the leash will twist.

Ta nick,

that's crap, oh well one of the first flaws I've seen with the bar.

Yes probably the one of the only flaws with the ozone bar...another is the pull safety on the chicken loop....i think it will be changed to a push away safety with the 2013 bar, they might remedy the line untwisting thing also....but dont see it as a big problem as i ride suicide 99% percent of the time, on flat and in the surf. only takes a second to untwist them..

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eppo said...

NickT said...

You can only untwist the front lines if hooked to the suicide ring, otherwise the leash will twist.

Ta nick,

that's crap, oh well one of the first flaws I've seen with the bar.

So Berg, when you attach to the metal ring (suicide) and lets say you accidently let go off the bar when unhooking - excuse my ignorance...what happens!!

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Berg K1t3r said...

Yes probably the one of the only flaws with the ozone bar...another is the pull safety on the chicken loop....i think it will be changed to a push away safety with the 2013 bar, they might remedy the line untwisting thing also....but dont see it as a big problem as i ride suicide 99% percent of the time, on flat and in the surf. only takes a second to untwist them..

eppo said...

NickT said...

You can only untwist the front lines if hooked to the suicide ring, otherwise the leash will twist.

Ta nick,

that's crap, oh well one of the first flaws I've seen with the bar.

So-called suicide setting on Ozone bars simply means, like all suicide settings, that the bar travels to the top of the depower line and the kite is tethered by the chicken loop. If the sh!t really hits the fan you release fully by pinging your leash.

Depending on your trim, riding "suicide" will give you practically no power on the REO and Catalyst and a bit on the Edge and C4 when you let the bar go. It's the same amount of power as when you let the bar go when you're hooked in, just the chicken loop is at the end of your leash, not on your harness hook.

If you leash to the flagging line and let go the bar when unhooked, or unhook accidentally, then the kite will flag to one front line. It's recoverable from there on the water if you know what you're doing, as there's a stopper to keep the bar from going too far up the lines, but it takes a while.

I launch and land with my leash on the flagging line but on the water I'm always "suicide." Anyone who's doing rotations of self or kite (unless involuntary) would be riding suicide anyway, surely? In which case a manual unspin is very easy.

Thanks for that I see now.

Will be riding suicide from now on then...

So riding suicide and you accidently let go of the bar unhooked, surely there is an advantage in that you only have to reach the distance of your leash, rather than (what happened last night). work you way up the line...am I right here Djodjo.

^^^^ Yes, that's it.

Launching and landing (especially if I'm solo) I want to be able to flag my kite instantly but not release fully - hence using the flagging line.

The only other time I'd want to flag but not release the kite would be if I dropped it and was getting worked in waves a ways offshore (hypothetical for me at this point anyway) and I wanted the kite to survive but not blow/wash away.

yep just grab the leash pull the chicken loop back to u and hook back in and away u go again :) much better than having to reset your safety and sometimes your lines if they get tangled on flag....(does happen with every kite on flagout from time to time), everytime u let go of the bar unhooked or if it accidently comes off etc...

Suicide ring = kite almost fully depowered....but easily retrievable
Flag line = kills kite power completely, should only be used if your in it up your neckhole, landing, or maybe if your learning....

Note! the two little allen key bolts on either side of the suicide ring holding it in place, NEED! to be checked before every session....as with all parts/lines when setting up...
Reason - hadnt checked mine for a good 2 months maybe more, crashed an unhooked trick pretty hard. One side bolt of the suicide ring had wound itself almost all the way in, and when i let go of the bar, the kite/leash ripped the suicide ring out....so i was left with my leash with the suicide ring still hooked on but the kite and bar went for 500mtr dash straight downwind across the sand flats until it hit a bump and the lines tangled it up....no damage was done i just went back put the ring back in made sure bolts were in correct spots and continued my session.
just something to keep an eye on

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eppo said...

Thanks for that I see now.

Will be riding suicide from now on then...

So riding suicide and you accidently let go of the bar unhooked, surely there is an advantage in that you only have to reach the distance of your leash, rather than (what happened last night). work you way up the line...am I right here Djodjo.