today I flown my 1st Ozone 2012 REO 12 meter kite on 12 knots winds. I am impressed how smooth it is and quick to input. Anyone out there with issues with the 2012 REO kites?

Yes yes yes I do want a super fast kite!... fast in turning and fast across the window. just super fast.

If your kiting a storm with house sizes slabs then fast is good. Slow is bad!.

On a side not I also want sloooooooooow.... very slooooooooow kites also. Luckily I have a mix from SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW to FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAST.

It may not be silly for you and your style - maybe it works well, but it ain't my cup of tea and I think my kite skills are solid enough.

On the flip side - we're just about to have a new season and a new bunch of rookies hitting the beach and the last thing we need is them thinking that they want a kite that will loop every time their pinky finger twitches.

At the risk of repeating myself - I'd suggest going with the recommended length Ozone bar on all Ozone kites or perhaps a size smaller on some (e.g. the 8m Cat is very fast on the 50cm bar - 45 would be plenty for it). Learning to position your kite deep in the window and keep some load on your lines when you need to turn it quickly will increase its potential turning speed far more than a bigger bar, and will do so in a way that keeps it safer and more fun for learning rotations etc.

I wish all my kites turned the speed of a 12m, even for waves... no one can learn anything decent on a warp speed kite.

Yes. Why would I want a fast kite for waves??? The faster it turns the more chance you're going to crash it when you are doing a big turn or air, especially if you actually un-hook.

And stay still the rest of the time

"Funny topic - because .... Im talking to wave riders all day everyday and there are 2 distinct groups.

Some like a really fast kite that moves wherever they want it to - all the time & anytime they ask it. Id label this breed a "wave kite". Great for playing with waves.

The other school is the exact opposite. They want a slower moving, more stable kite that is always there for them but unlikely to fly all over the place when they are working the wave with their board and dont even want a kite in the mix. Id label this kite a "surf kite". Great for riding waves."

-puppetonastring (www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/Review/What-is-the-best-kite-for-wave-riding/)

I'm with you Plummet, fast is the go, if all my kites were as fast as my 5.5m I would be very happy, if you are worried about crashing your kite "man up" !:-)

^^^^ nice one! good explanation

djdojo said..

It may not be silly for you and your style - maybe it works well, but it ain't my cup of tea and I think my kite skills are solid enough.

On the flip side - we're just about to have a new season and a new bunch of rookies hitting the beach and the last thing we need is them thinking that they want a kite that will loop every time their pinky finger twitches.

At the risk of repeating myself - I'd suggest going with the recommended length Ozone bar on all Ozone kites or perhaps a size smaller on some (e.g. the 8m Cat is very fast on the 50cm bar - 45 would be plenty for it). Learning to position your kite deep in the window and keep some load on your lines when you need to turn it quickly will increase its potential turning speed far more than a bigger bar, and will do so in a way that keeps it safer and more fun for learning rotations etc.

waaah waaah wah, won't somebody think of the children

I'm with you plummet my 6 is crazy fast and I love it so is my 7 if I'd been on a slow assed kite Saturday it would of turned a crazy storm close out session into a nightmare ,even though my kites are fast they are stable as and drift like a dream so I'd take that any day over sloooooow and stodgy.

Do you mean a different kite suits different riding styles?
NO WAY!!!!!
I think you guys may have cracked it wide open

Plummet said..

The thing is. You can turn a fast kite into a slow kite by flying one handed with your hand in the middle of the bar. Let the bar out fully and you have super docile kite.

You can't make a slow kite fast!

I'm sorry but that's one of the silliest things I've heard... You most definitely can't make a fast kite slow. (Especially if you are into un-hooking or riding the kite how it's supposed to be tuned.)



@ Big eeeZeeee, the truth is the reason I think most people really want a super fast kite for waves is so they can swing it around easier to fix mistakes in sloppy wave riding. People who want a super fast kite are generally hooked-in riders who enjoy getting whipped down the line at warp speed, I can't think of any Park and ride type riders who would like a warp speed kite. Park and ride type waveriders generally want a slower kite because they aren't moving their kite much while riding anyway, merely letting it drift with them down the line. The faster the kite becomes the more they have to worry about adjusting it back into the right position, taking away from cocentrating on the right position to be in on the wave (which is fairly important when you are riding this style).

Now I'm not saying that anyone should ride in a particular manner, or that you're want for a particular speed of kite isn't valid (because it is), I'm merely giving some explanation as to why I think people like these things.

p.s. This situation is much the same as hooked-in freestyle Vs "Wakestyle"... and to be honest it pains me to see that brands cater to the least progressive direction almost all of the time. I'm yet to see another extreme sport where product design and development is almost 99% directed at the average joe.

I think you're forgetting what slack rear lines mostly do... de-power the kite. Thus your theory is highly flawed if you want to actually be able to use the thing in any type of high performance manner.

So how is it that you think I am "wrong" exactly? I can't really work that out.

Yes, the slower (or heavier bar pressure) setting will slow the kite down a bit, but once again it sacrifices performance and handling characteristics, as changing those settings is a design after-thought. Designing a kite to turn slower in the first instance creates a far better product for someone who wants that.

I'm not saying some people don't want faster kites, as I know lots of people do, I'm merely saying the majority of products are designed around what the average joe wants and not the professional rider - and to me that seems backwards in comparison to most board sports.