Learning unhooked on anything but a C is just plain hard work. You progress quicker on a C, less dangles or dragging as they depower totally and for longer once you pop unlike SLE's which power up again pretty quickly.
I like the 06 yarga, their cheap and work great.
I learnt on a 2002 fuel, then went to a 2004 fuel, 2005 fuel, then went to a North rebel 2008 and 2009 model. All this talk about the C kites has made me teary eyed. C's are great kites I can remember having some awesome battles with the wind on my Fuel 05 15 mtre when it was blowing 20+ knots. Trying to hold that edge and getting great airs.
When riding a C kite in big winds you need to tame the beast through hard core edging and determination. Living on the edge with a C is the bomb. I miss the C. The bow kites getting boring.
Fuels are great. Check the buy/sell - a few there.... 
Over the years had 9, 11, 13 & 15m. First fuels I owned were 2003.
Sounds like a fuel would suit what you r after.
depends on your weight... other thing is i dont depower my kites when i unhook as i dont like the feel they have with trim pulled in... and the times i rode it it was either 17ish average 20ish average or 25-27 average but this is also for the HIFI COMP 2010 which has a **** ton of power compared to the 09s i think.
A mate of mine rides the hifi 09s and when i was on my 08 catapult 8m maxing he was still holding his 9m down as well as i was holding mine but he has about 10kg or so on me im guessing
the windrange im stating there is basically for unhooked wakestyle too and was riding in chopy swell with a strong sweep so it was hard to judge the actual useable range of it.
on my 08 9m i rode that until about 25/26 then went up to my 7 (still with no depower pulled in on either) but then i only weighed 70ish.
