Hi Munta,
I agree with Slack that the 3m difference will be too great for only a 10kg body weight difference. The C4 is an easy kite to fly but you wont get the most out of the kite unless you are a decent kite flyer.
Beginner and intermediate kiters tend to rely on brute power when riding, ie they want a kite that pulls when they pull the bar in, and stops when they let the bar out. A C4 has a bigger wind range than most kites but it takes a more articulate kite flyer to work the bottom end by advanced board skills as well as precise flying skills.
An advanced rider will also be able to squeeze a fair bit more out of the top end. An average kite will have a 12 knot wind range. A good kite will have a 15-16 knot wind range. An amazing kite like C4 or Edge will have a wind range closer to 20 knots in the hands of a skilled pilot.
A 2m difference between you and your girlfriend like 12 and 10m will be doable, but ideally a 12/11 would be perfect with her skills and your weight difference. If she were a bit more experienced, the 12/10 would be perfect. 12/9 would be the perfect sizes for you, but she'll struggle with power until you are mid powered up.
Just my 2c worth.
DM
Fair point about the average wind Charl, I don't think "gusting x " helps people who are not locals. Were we kite, we often get fronts coming through which can last for 10 to 15 minutes and can result in being caught out in winds that are much higher than the average for the day or even hour. That is what i refer to when using the term "gusting to". On occasions guys have had to just let their kites go because you just cannot hold the kite during these events and then 10mins later its back on again.
And you may even have a point regarding the punch the wind is carrying. I know that when we get an Easterly its pretty gutless here and you seem to get more out of a north easter than a south easter. No idea why but it just seem to be the case. Please note I am not condoning in any way shape or form kiting over powered. Your comments are all valid. I don't mind being overpowered and it probibly is a poor choice as my recent arse kicking confirmed, I don't throw crap at people who are more sensible than I am, and i never recomend it to anyone. Live and let live I reckon. On the flip side I do however get a good idea of the max ranges the kites I fly and when doing a review I thought it would be useful info. You often see people asking what is the max range or the min for a certain weight. I have certainly changed my opinion of the 2011 Ozone edges and revised the top end down considerably (wondering if I should maybe have got a 9m). I am really looking foward to fly my 11m in more resonable 20 to 25 knot conditions i think it is gonna be awesome.
Rusty
ok so got a chance to get on the 11m. Got out on saturday in about 25 knots and felt reasonable comfortable. Wasn't going to put it up as i thought i'd be way overpowered but these kites do have a high end. Nice floaty boosts although still perfecting the timing.
Also got out today in about 14-19 knots and had a very average session. At times i felt well powered and at times I really struggled (To be honest, the wind was a bit average). I felt like i had gone back to basics really. I tried signing the kite like a mad man, then i tried signing it as smooth and consistant as possible searching for the power. I tried signing and then parking it without oversheeting the kite, and also tried all the diffent settings. I really felt like a noob on this kite, a very frustrating day in all. Just couldn't get that pull unless the wind really kicked in say 18knots ish maybe. If i had been on my 10m Switchblade I reckon I would've been fine for the majority.
Also the chicken loop swivel was giving me the ****s! I really don't like how it locks into the bar once you unhook. Most the time I would unhook the CL would not be locked in, and then at the last minute as I'm going for my trick it would suddenly lock in. It felt as if something just snapped on the bar which is not a good feeling.
One of my most frustrating days really. Can't decide if it was my lack of skill (too dependant on switchblades 'Pull in and go'), poor wind or very average low end of the kite???
Hey eeeZeee,
I'm far from the expert on C4s but like you, recently switched from switchys.
I'm a fraction heavier than you and ride a much more power hungry board (cab custom) and I reckon the 12m C4 has more bottom end than my 2008 12m SB3.
Not more grunt, but more bottom end because it will pull from further forward in the window and so I can ride my board a bit flatter (less drag) and still stay upwind.
You have to be really delicate on the bar compared to switchies for sure (and I've ridden all model switchies from 2008 to 2011) but this subtlety will be rewarded!
75kg on a laluz with an 11m C4 you should get going at least as early as me on 12m C4 and a custom. Keep at it, try different board trims (heel to toe and back to front foot).
Others with more hours on the C4 can probably be more helpful. Darren?
Re unhooking, are you pulling the bar in at a significant angle (twist-wise) to your spreader bar? If so that may make the CL swivel less able to engage in the bar.
Hi Big eezee,
All new kites front lines will stretch a couple of inches after a few weeks, or less if kitelooping a lot. The way to get your lines back in trim is to lengthen the back lines. No kites like to be oversheeted or stalled.
C4's especially like to be given some breathing room, so let the back lines go out to the last knots. You can simulate this also by trimming the kites down a couple of inches, you'll get the same effect.
Give it a go.
DM
try keeping the "guide" on the swivel roughly horizontal. it will sit wherever you twist it to manually and stay there even as you loop the kite or do rotations yourself (that's why you have to unspin the front lines manually). then also have the bar roughly horizontal as you sheet in to unhook and it should be sweet on both tacks.
i know you're an experienced kiter, but i wonder if kiting with the bar parallel to the leading edge (rather than roughly horizontal) is a throwback to a "steering-wheel" approach that some people unconsciously adopt when they first attempt to steer a kite? it doesn't impede progress as a beginner, so long as you also learn to steer by pulling either side of the bar towards you too, but it may be getting in the way now.
Personally i just take the manual swively thing off - provides no use really, just roll or loop the other direction to untwist frontlines. Does anyone sit there untwisting there lines with there thumb and forefinger after they loop? you would only compromise the flag-out with half a dozen odd spins in the same direction. make sure your line lengths are matched up again as you gain a few extra inches of throw.
I would prefer the slingshot bar with the automatic unwtisting spinning system, but can't have it all it seems.
Has to be 12/9, it would be silly to go 12/11 or 12/10 or any other combo or 1-2 sqM, because Munta would only gain a couple of knots top end from such a small drop in sail size, over his max on a 12M.
I kited on a 12M yesterday, I'm 75 kg and I was lit in the gusts that came through at around 25 knots, a 9M would have been nice from that wind speed up to 30+ and thats what Munta is looking for a 2 kite quiver that he can share with the GF.
If they had a larger light wind board they would have the perfect setup to share the buzz at minimal cost.
ok got a chance to give it a good demo.
quick summary.
Bottom end is not the best. Don't think it has the same bottom end as my 10m switchblade. Really didn't get going until maybe 17-18knots.
Awesome top end. Great unhooking range. Great boosts once you get it dialled. Can direct the kite from really low in the window. Nice and floaty.
Unhooked it's quite nice. Hate the direct connection swivel -serves no purpose! Ended up puuting the leash around the centre line above the chicken loop.
Overall it is a sick kite as most people have described. Not really grunty but still has the power there once the wind gets going. Biggest downfall is low end. In my honest opinion, the low end is non existent. I really hated this kite and wasn't even going to fly it today but it was the only suitable size to put up. Wind came in good and strong and my opinion completely changed.
Now, do i stick with the 11m and the sucky low end, or do i get the 12m and loose looping ability and turning speed??
thinking 11m and 9m. DOn't want to be underpowered on an 8m
Wasn't this year's C4 supposed to have more low end than last year's?
It's all trade-offs...
If they made the profile deeper/gruntier, you will have sacrifices in top end, upwind, and likely jumping as well. The kite will be slower through the window, catch you less good in loops etc.
Bottom end is great, but you gotta be aware of the downsides.
I don't want to hijack the thread, but if you want to consider an alternative..
The Blade Prime is a more or less similar design to the C4, some advances freestylers have flown it back to back with the C4 and liked it equally as much or better.
I have flown a Prime myself, and it's a grunty beast if that's what you are after. Plus, it's lighter on the wallet 
No worries, I understood, but just don't see the issue with the tab that aligns the chicken loop, heaps of bars have that feature and they all misalign a bit and then pop in. Its just a pop/click sensation nothing bad happens, but when it does pop in which is most of the time because it would be lined up when you unhook and will just stay put. Make sure you trim the front lines a few cms first if you are riding unhooked, this way it will really minimise the misalignment that seems to annoy you.
You could cut it off, but I would not recommend it, the tab makes it much easier to hook back in when it does work. Having my leash clip between the bar and the top of the c-loop would annoy me more, so I just ride with my leash on the suicide ring most of the time.
11M/8M is the best spread, if you hang on to the 11M until at least 25, the 8M will be working well by then, I'm only 75kg and found that at around 35-40 knots the 8m was quite a handful, so the 9M would be way too much in those winds.
i have just purchased an 11 and 8m c4 combo. Has any one got an opinion on which of the two bridle settings is better?
