Alright, Greenleader is a bow kite (cabrihna) lover for one. He also thinks a Fuel isn't a C kite (its a hybrid in his opinion) LOL
Bow kites have more range, C kites have less range but more snappy power in that range due to how a C kite turns. C kites are far better for kiteloops. C kites have a lighter bar pressure and for me thats a plus cuz i ride with my fingers when hooked in and always have my hands close together.
When the first SS Octance C shape kite came out I rode a 16m one up to 20ish knots then switched to my 12m - for 20+. Ive had the 12m out in a 38knot gusty day also Im 75kg - So 11m in 36knots yeah its do able but not the best fun.

Right now I got my eye on Fuels and C4's

They're two very different types of "Cs". A bridled-C (C4) to a 4-line direct connection C (Fuel).
Try a Hadlow, Fuel, Torch, Vegas, C4 & Hifi Comp and pick which ever your in tune with. Each has it's own characteristics which some people love and some people can't get along with. I (still!!!) haven't flown a C4 or Hifi Comp but i can comment on the rest of them...

Hadlow '08 & '09 - awesome relentless power which rewards you with more pop the faster you ride. Fast turning. Very little different hooked or unhooked so you know exactly what your going to get when you unhook. Not much depower in the bar throw (4/6 line mode, no '11 pulley), need to edge and it'll shoot to the edge of the window fairly willingly.
Fuel '05,'07 & '09 - grunty power and quite aggressive to rip you off the water. Not quite as fast as the Hadlow in turning. Not quite as much depower as the Torch/Vegas.
Torch '07,'09 & '10 - powerful but less aggressive. A bit 'smoother' in it's delivery compared to Hadlow/Fuel. Reasonable bar depower throw. Same turning speed as Fuel but slightly different power delivery in the loops. Good all-round high-depower C.
Vegas '08,'09 & '10 - similar style to Torch but different power delivery again. Likes to accelerate to generate power, but different feel to the other three.

Of all of the above four, the Torch came the most naturally to me... hence why i ride them. The Hadlow was the most exhilarating. The Fuel was good but a little less well-mannered compared to the Torch. Regardless of how many times i try a Vegas, I just can't get into tune with it.

Definitely ditch your bows and move onto something more aggressive. The C's reward your effort and aggressive riding, and will keep you smiling even when you get spanked. That said, last time i copped a proper spanking was on an '05 11m Fuel in 25kn... everything else just gives you a gentle slap on the cheek and tells you to stop being a naughty boy...

KnutH said...

PsYLoR said...
C kites have a lighter bar pressure

Really?

I'd say that's a bit of a strange statement to make.
Some C's can have light bar pressure, but to say that all do would be not true.
I know that Naish increased the bar pressure on the 2011 Torch over the '09/10 model, which has caused atleast one person i know to swap to different kites.

Bigwavedave said...

sir ROWDY said...

My superior intelligence for all things kite related tells me no one is right thus far.

So far this is the only correct statement.



11m in 36 knots???

must be a miss print . should read 168 kg 11m in 36 kn

You know kiting is gay when - C kites have "mistique"...
p.s. (Also I think you mean mystique?)

Oops mysspelling

'Mystique' sounds more exiting than 'log flogging'.

^^^ I'm gonna take a stab and say they are talking about the bar pressure required to turn the kite when unhooked? Seems pretty obvious to me.
This is also partly what I was referring to earlier when I said light bar pressure is part the reason why some people suck more than normal.
Light bar pressure = no rider feedback.
Light bar pressure also usually = super fast turning kite.

Thanks for the input fella's. Interesting opinions coming from all sides.

Had a session the other day, and I was one of the last riders to come in after the wind slowly died off. It's sessions like these that tell me I shouldn't convert to C's and sacrifice the wind range. After all, it's all about time on the water. However, come to think of it, I wasn't all that powered so there was no point in unhooking...

When i watch riders on the net like dre, kelsick, keahi and others, I don't see why I should make the change. Keahi rips massive loops on his switchy's and dre passes the bar so smooth (however it is dre!). Guys still go large, throw massive tricks, have great wind range, relaunch etc etc... Thoughts like these make me think what's the point. Anyway, I will demo some c's once i start landing blind judges. I've given myself before the end of the year, so will decide then.

keep the discussion coming...

For me ...

C = unhooked riding
Bow/ hybrid = freeride

if your focus is going to be unhooked tricks a c kite will serve you better.

If you want a kite that will do everything well but not really excel in wakestlye a bow/ hybrid may be better.... Different strokes for different folks

I ride have both Fuels and switchblades.... the kites have a completely different feel, I ride my 8m switchy more than the fuels ..... But that's me .... I'm 33 and the flick spinny unhooked riding is not my primary focus.

There is a lot of misinformation in some of the above posts, and FAR too much emphasis on kite performance..... When there should be FAR more emphasis on rider ability.

Have a look at some of the older kite movies, the moves they were pulling and the gear they were riding,

It's 90% rider ability and 10% gear

@DaveWave:
Of course the angle of the apparent wind changes with board speed, but I wouldn't be surprised if many ppl didn't know this.


But you can determine whether a kite tends to sit more forward or back in the wind window by defining the board speed s0=0, if that makes any sense

Of course the reality is more complex if you want to be picky, e.g. induced drag is different for different kites, so the upwind angle at board speed x+1 doesn't change the same amount for every kite.

@dafunk
I reckon you're just taking the p!ss eh?
Yes you can edge a kite further to the side of the wind window, which works best with any c-kite, resulting in some absolutely massive top end..