The Zephyr (Ozone’s new light wind kite)

[Pump me up]

I sell and use both kites.
If we could just ignore the trolling from both sides of the pro and anti PMU camp (both arguments are equally silly IMO) and stay on topic.
The thread is about useable fun wind range, not an obsessive compulsive disorder!

For me at 75kgs the results are using either of these two mid range light wind boards
Underground 2010 Stella 1.44x46
Cabrinha Prodigy 1.47 x 43

Zephyr - 10 knots staying upwind and having fun (+30M lines will get another couple of knots)
Flysurfer SP2 or 3 Special edition 7-8 knots staying upwind and having fun

This is in conditions with no currents, no pressure gradients.

Cost difference in kites, substantial, Zephyr wins in my opinion.
Ease of use, maintenance, turning speed and relaunch, and self rescue ability Zephyr wins on all counts.
Absolute bottom end ability, Flysurfer wins absolutely.

Absolute bottom end = Fun, not in my opinion.

I agree 100% with kitepower, particularly with regard to the wind ranges. Note that some of the "old" 20m inflatables (eg North Rhino and Waroo) had similar bottom ends to the Flysurfer SP2 or 3 ram airs, but were superior in terms of turning speed, safety, and stability in gusty conditions. For more info on the superiority of the old 20m inflatables, check out some of "BigKahuna's" threads.

Kitepower probably doesn't want to get into a dialogue about the claims made by Flysurfer about "staying upwind in 5 knots", but I'd be interested to get his opinion on the the 5 knots claim.

PMU

[Kamikuza]

No comment on the "continually-evolving-to-avoid-losing" dilemma with your 5-knot challenge then, Pumpy? Oh dear that must have been quite embarrassing ...

[FredBGG]

Zephyr - 10 knots staying upwind and having fun (+30M lines will get another couple of knots)
Flysurfer SP2 or 3 Special edition 7-8 knots staying upwind and having fun

This is in conditions with no currents, no pressure gradients.

Cost difference in kites, substantial, Zephyr wins in my opinion.
Ease of use, maintenance, turning speed and relaunch, and self rescue ability Zephyr wins on all counts.
Absolute bottom end ability, Flysurfer wins absolutely.

Absolute bottom end = Fun, not in my opinion.

I dissagree as far as maintenance goes. All you ned to maintain on a Speed is the pullie lines.
Just requires undoing a couple of larksheads, even if you have to change the pullies.
Tunning the speed just involves moving four little steel rings.
Can't compare that to the nightmare of hunting down a slow leak in te bladder of a 17m kite, or changing the bladder.

Self rescue is also not such a clear issue either.
It is really quite easy to poll up a Speed into a sausage and swim in, especially easy with a floaty surfboard.
True self rescue with an inflato does have the advantage of floatation, but it the wind turns offshore
or is sufficiently side offshore you don't stand a chance.
Relying on the floatation of a kite for safety is not a good idea. There are life vests for that.
Your off track as far as relaunch goes too. At 10mph the flysurfers are way easier to relaunch.
I repeatedly see much better kiters than me have trouble relaunching LEIs f all kinds, especially in the surf.
Just looking at the demo videos of relaunching. The Zephyr video in Sardinia show a relaunch with the Zephyr where the rider was even standing and in perfectly flat water and it took a long time. Any waves or whitewater durring tat time would have killed the relaunch.

Here is a Pulse 2 12m realunch in moderate wind (see no whitecaps)

[kiteforumtv]http://www.kiteforum.tv/video/Flysurfer ... aunch.html[/kiteforumtv]

[naishdude]

I think you guys should open another FS thread...

We are only discussing or giving reviews about the zephyr...others start little FS OZONE wars here, and this was not what the trhead was about...it simply was about Ozone zephyr not anything else...
Pfueeeeww... have a joint calm down and just enjoy kiting whether it is with a FS or a Zeph..

let's stay with the zeph??, is that possible??

[Gster]

Totally Agree......all those doubters form Miami and Hawaii, go and start a new thread FFS !!

Blow my Zephyr up in 1 mph of wind today......it really deflected the wind off me as I ate lunch on the beach....didn't cause any trouble to anyone and no-one was rippin anywhere.

Fred....were you out on the water, or were you just talking about kitesurfing?

[fernmanus]

We are only discussing or giving reviews about the zephyr...others start little FS OZONE wars here, and this was not what the trhead was about...it simply was about Ozone zephyr not anything else...
Pfueeeeww... have a joint calm down and just enjoy kiting whether it is with a FS or a Zeph..

let's stay with the zeph??, is that possible??

No, unfortunately, the FS riders out there always take the bait when PMU expresses his opinion. So many light wind threads have been hijacked by the "foils suck, no they don't" topic. So my message once again to all of you foil loving kiters, just ignore PMU.

[Kamikuza]

Actually, my position is one of "Kites are cool, PMU sucks"

[FredBGG]

Totally Agree......all those doubters form Miami and Hawaii, go and start a new thread FFS !!

Blow my Zephyr up in 1 mph of wind today......it really deflected the wind off me as I ate lunch on the beach....didn't cause any trouble to anyone and no-one was rippin anywhere.

Fred....were you out on the water, or were you just talking about kitesurfing?

Sorry you did not get to ride.... ( no sarcasm ).

Rode Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was so so.... did an experiment with a kite. Made it fast as hell for a 15m, but a bit to unstable.
Saturday night in the garage working on a Race Board prototype and some new fins for my strapless Lost Speed Demo II 6'4" surfboard.
Sunday I rode testing the new fins on the surfboard. They are bloody great. Anyway rode for about 5 hours... first one out and last to come in. Some nice head high surf. Just before I had to go and land a couple of Dolphins came along and fooled around in the surf along side me. They stuck around for about 10 minutes.
After the session I bumped into a friend who just got back from a winter of snow kiting..... we babbled on for an hour in the car. He tried an Ozone c4 and raved about it.

[naishdude]

Totally Agree......all those doubters form Miami and Hawaii, go and start a new thread FFS !!

Blow my Zephyr up in 1 mph of wind today......it really deflected the wind off me as I ate lunch on the beach....didn't cause any trouble to anyone and no-one was rippin anywhere.

Fred....were you out on the water, or were you just talking about kitesurfing?

Sorry you did not get to ride.... ( no sarcasm ).

Rode Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was so so.... did an experiment with a kite. Made it fast as hell for a 15m, but a bit to unstable.
Saturday night in the garage working on a Race Board prototype and some new fins for my strapless Lost Speed Demo II 6'4" surfboard.
Sunday I rode testing the new fins on the surfboard. They are bloody great. Anyway rode for about 5 hours... first one out and last to come in. Some nice head high surf. Just before I had to go and land a couple of Dolphins came along and fooled around in the surf along side me. They stuck around for about 10 minutes.
After the session I bumped into a friend who just got back from a winter of snow kiting..... we babbled on for an hour in the car. He tried an Ozone c4 and raved about it.

?????????? I thought this was about an OZONE ZEPHYR kite....or has my English gone so bad that I do not see your point

[FredBGG]

Totally Agree......all those doubters form Miami and Hawaii, go and start a new thread FFS !!

Blow my Zephyr up in 1 mph of wind today......it really deflected the wind off me as I ate lunch on the beach....didn't cause any trouble to anyone and no-one was rippin anywhere.

Fred....were you out on the water, or were you just talking about kitesurfing?

Sorry you did not get to ride.... ( no sarcasm ).

Rode Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was so so.... did an experiment with a kite. Made it fast as hell for a 15m, but a bit to unstable.
Saturday night in the garage working on a Race Board prototype and some new fins for my strapless Lost Speed Demo II 6'4" surfboard.
Sunday I rode testing the new fins on the surfboard. They are bloody great. Anyway rode for about 5 hours... first one out and last to come in. Some nice head high surf. Just before I had to go and land a couple of Dolphins came along and fooled around in the surf along side me. They stuck around for about 10 minutes.
After the session I bumped into a friend who just got back from a winter of snow kiting..... we babbled on for an hour in the car. He tried an Ozone c4 and raved about it.

?????????? I thought this was about an OZONE ZEPHYR kite....or has my English gone so bad that I do not see your point

Then maybe you should change your alias...??? NAISHdude?