Ozone C4

[naishdude]

Bogocom,

as Ozone is a brand that never stops developping, and trying to improve their product, the natural result of that is that they make progress, this does not mean that your ( mine too) 2009 sports are no good kites anymore.

I give you both of my experiences, I came from flysurferkites , where I started with, not the easiest way as you can imagine.

I got an Ozone instinct sport 2008 in my hands.....after flying it , I knew this was the kite, sold my FS and purchased a range of instinct sport 2008...at the end of the season, my son had the 2008 range, then the 2009 season came and as my son is a PR/ Teamrider for Ozone in the place were we live, he got the 2009 sport+, where Ozone again progresssed from 5line kite to 4 lines

All in all a pretty good kite, the only comment Ozone got from the people who were into freestyle and used to the 2008 kites, was that the kite's turningspeed was not as fast as the 2008...you could if you changed your habitual technique, make it move fast but it kept a lot of power in the turn.

The 2009 though was a very good kite for a lot of other levels that were not directly in waveriding and or freestyle, bit for freeriders it was/is a great kite!!!

That is my opinion, it was park and ride, you always felt were it was, and a lot of users progressed very fast due to the stability and ease of use, you wanted to start to jump, what a nice kite, soft and if you improved lots of power

This kite will be and still be your kite,

but now the C4, the C4 is a healthy progression, from the feedback Ozone got from their users...and it brings all the good things from the 2008 back into the goodies the 2009 had, this combination pushed them back to a more C shape kite, which has a huge turn-ability , with lots of depower, easy starting off the water, and easy controle....but not the bad charateristics of the regular C kite!!

I am shure that if you would take a C4 with your habit to the sport+ that it would take you 1/2 hour to get used to the fast turning, but would feel very comftable with it afterwards.
No it is not exactly your 2009 bit you will still recognise the Ozone feeling.

If Ozone or any other brand would have stopped improving their product, we would still be flying pretty dangerous toys, where you needed to be pretty muscular and not being afraid...be happy with the progress and if you are happy with your 2009, you will be happy this season and next season, but if you want to change , you do not have to worry about the ozone feeling!

And if freestyle is not youre thing, they have the Catalist( replaces the light) for freeride and the Edge for race and old school jumping/hangtime
Don't worry be happy [/color
Please correct me if you think I am wrong I just gave my idea on your "problem"
Frank

[Hannay]

What is wrong with the 2009 Ozone Sports that they are being discontinued. When any company or brand discontinues a line they do so knowing they are potentially alienating a substantial portion of their customer base so I am curious to know the reasons behind this decision. I am concerned why after such a major change to the Sport line in 2009 the Sport is being abandoned altogether?

At the time that I bought my 3 Sports I did a lot of research on Ozone's "new ground-breaking 2009 direction". I watched all of the extensive designer videos produced by Ozone explaining the rationale and thinking behind the extensive changes to Ozone's line-up last year; which I might add did an excellent job of making me believe Ozone's modified 09 direction was in no way made on a whim but through "careful consideration and planning" and I guess I mistakenly believed I could invest in three 09 Sports with the knowledge that I could look forward to future purchases of continuously advanced Sports?

I am only two years into kiting and I don't know if its the forums or the kite media but when I hear C kite my gut reaction says NO that's not as safe even though I know I don't know why.

Really surprised by this move and would be interested to know more. It sounds like the C4 is a wonderful kite to experienced people who can compare it to that old C kite they used to ride, but what about customers like me relatively new to the sport that bought a full line of Ozone foils for the snow and then a full quiver of Sports for the water because what I believed what you told me about what you were doing in 2009?

Hi, the C4 is by no means a difficult kite to ride, it is very very easy and it is not a crazy C kite from the golden years. It is a super simple kite with huge depower and great performance. If you like the way your SPorts ride now, you will love the C4.

It is a continuation of the Ozone line, still got 4 lines and it has the same safety as your Sport, Ozone have just refined the whole bar package.

Please dont think that you have made an error in choosing the Sport, you still have a lot of riding in the kite.

Ozone have changed the name of the Light after 3 years but still make a 3 strut kite, the Catalyst. It doesnt mean to say that the 3 years of the Light (or the sport) dont mean anything.

I hope you have fun with the Sport and enjoy it as much as enjoyed mine.
Take care out there, Iain

[droffats]

I'm trying to quantify "huge depower" as has been posted here.

If you drop the bar, regardless of where the kite is in the wind window, does it drop out of the sky? Figure the kite is in "powered" conditions and the trim straps are set to full power.

Thanks,
Droffats

[Hannay]

I'm trying to quantify "huge depower" as has been posted here.

If you drop the bar, regardless of where the kite is in the wind window, does it drop out of the sky? Figure the kite is in "powered" conditions and the trim straps are set to full power.

Thanks,
Droffats

Hi, no the kite doesnt drop out of the sky, it is not 100% depower. It has more depower than the Sport 2009 but still remains with power when the bar is dropped.

For a C shaped kite, the depower is huge. Does that make sense? It has the depower and relaunch abilities of a hybrid kite but the shape and performance of a C. It is lighter on the bar than an old school C.

If you can get your hands on one, try it.

Iain

[TimS]

Hi all,

I am looking for a new kite and the Ozone C4 just makes me so curious !
The kite i'm flying now is a North Evo 2009 10m and is a great low-end kite, but what about the C4 ?

I'm wondering what size i need (my weight is 70kg's) the 10 or 11m ? I just like the smaller sized kites because of the turning speed (i find the North Evo 10m a little slow) , and i want to be able to go on the water with 14/15 knots.

Hope you can tell me something about the low-end of the C4


Greetings from Holland.

Tim

[Hannay]

HI Tim, I would go up a size to get the est of the low end from the C4, it has a C shape so physically there is less surface area to the wind, but it is so fast and powerful that it generates a lot of power by moving the kite. I am 85 kilos and am happy with my 13m in 12 plus knots. Any less and I am on the Zephyr.

We saw Murphy riding his 15m on the snow at the Snowkite masters and everyone said that it was bloody quick and powerful for a 15m.

Size wise for you I would go for the 11m, it is so fast anyway you wont worry. I can turn the 11m unhooked with one hand on the bar, light and fast, and ...nice...

Have fun, if you need a test of a kite then write me a PM and I will put you in touch with the new Dutch Ozone distributor.

Cheers Iain

[TimS]

Thank you Hannay for the quick response.

I've already contacted the new distributor, and i'm hoping that the C4 is available in a few weeks at my local shop.

How long can i hold the 11m , 25-30 knots ?
I have a 7m North evo that i can use with 20 knots, maybe later i'll exchange it with a small C4

[Hannay]

Hi pal. how long can you hold an 11m in 30 knots? Hmmm... there are limits! I know some of my rider si nSpain who are 75 or 80 kilos who hold the 9m easy in 35 knots and have fun but 70 kilos and 11m in 30 knots, get a 7

Cheers and have fun, Iain

[Loopit]

Some background information:
I’ve been riding bows, sle’s and in the last 2 years C kites because most of my focus is on unhooking . I want my kite to have a constant power without being to grunty.
I want it to slack when I pop. Lots of depower is not important to me as it makes the kite lose its power when turning etc.
I’ve been very picky choosing my next kite as I liked the one I had (Vegas 08).
I got a chance to try the C4. When I first saw it I saw the bridles and I wasn’t even interested in trying it. Then I saw some more pictures of it and the shape looked really sweet so I gave it a shot.

As soon as I got it I realized that Ozone had built this one with care. The material feels expensive and even the pump is nr.1 on the beach. A lot of spare parts comes with the kite.
The bar has to be one of the best on the market. It has 4 lines so no hassle with a 5 line. The centerline has a plastic coating, finally I don’t have to get ropeburns in between my fingers. It has a spinner down by the chickenloop with which you can unspin your lines in a few seconds whilst the kite is flying and it’s just so handy. The grip is nice for your hands.
It feels like it’s IKEA who have made it (expression of mine when things are made to work in reality)

The kite is superstable once parked above you and when it’s in the water relaunches as soon as you pull a steering line.

It’s similar to a C kite but not the same. You can feel it when it turns. It has such a constant pull without being to grunty. Gains speed really fast and even do I don’t jump often, I was lifted like never before with this one.

The bar comes in one size. Which I thought was a bit big for my 7m. So I cut down my bar.

In my opinion Ozone has succeeded in making a kite that acts like a C with the constant pull throughout your riding, giving you the slack you need when passing the bar.
But it also have some advantages of a normal C. Like more depower and bigger windrange. I’ve also noticed that I was speeding upwind like never before.

Here's a movie we made
http://www.vimeo.com/9609864

Viktor

[bluerocketboy]

hey viktor, just wondered what u thought of the sizing, at the moment i ride 12 and 8 meter lightxc's, will probably replace the 12 with a c4, do u reckon, 11,12 or 13? i use it from about 15 to 23 knots, cheers. sweet vid too