Ozone Frenzy 9.5M & 7.3M

Both me and a friend got ex-demo Frenzy 9.5m '03 kites after having seen a guy flying one on Fraisethorpe beach near Bridlington. It looked to make boarding a lot easier due to the sheer power and controllability of the thing.

Got the chance to fly my own 9.5 '03 sie-by-side with a 7.3 '04 when I met up with a guy I contacted throught the Flexifoil forum when visiting relatives in the South of England over the Easter holiday.

He had not flown his Frenzy as it was brand new and was wanting a little help with the kite as he had never flown on a bar before and definitely not a kite with depower. Now I'm no expert on Frenzies having only about 2-3 hours total flying time myself but I had gone through the learning curve requierd for this type of kite and was willing to help him out. It also gave me a chance to see how the '04 Frenzies compared with the '03 Frenzies (size differences apart).

The wind was not too strong (about 8-12 mph) so it was ideal for a bit of Frenzy practice. The 9.5 '03 Frenzy is very powerful once the wind hits about 10mph and the kite, despite it's size, turns about the same as Blade III 4.9 (I know because a friend has flown his at the side of my 9.5 Frenzy and they turn about the same) so it is pretty nimble for such a large kite.

It is stable except when the wind is very disturbed and is very forgiving of pilot error. If the wing tips do fold in the kite recovers to it's full powered shape quite slowly so doesn't suddenly produce a huge burst of power (like the Blades tend to do).

Now the Frenzy 7.3 04 was a different beast altogether. It was much, much quicker both in a straight line and in the turns. In fact it was damned quick in the turns for a 7.3m kite. However, the 7.3 '04 kite was much more aggressive than the 9.5 '03 and the power came on much quicker.

This caught me out a couple of times and I got overpowered once while on the board in winds only about 12mph. The power of the 7.3 '04 kite was only slightly less than the 9.5 '03 kite in the 12mph winds we were flying in. With higher wind speeds I could see the gap in power widening in favour of the 9.5 '03.

The 7.3 '04 was very difficult to get moving with on the board as the wing tips kept folding in (touching together!) as soon as I started moving. This is propbably my fault as a bit of a beginner to boarding and this characteristic is well known and reported on other kite forums and sites.

The 9.5 '03 was much more forgiving of my hamfisted boarding style and got me going easier without the huge wing tip luffing of the '04 kite. It turned out that both me and the guy who owned the 7.3 '04 preferred the characteristics of the '03 kite. I could really understand a more experienced flyer liking the more agressive '04 kite though.

I think it was down to us both being relatively new to the Frenzies.

To sum up the '03 Frenzy seems like a huge, stable, and forgiving kite. The '04 Frenzy is altogether quicker, more agressive and less forgiving. The '04 seemed closer to the Blade III in it's ability to suddenly hit the flyer with huge ammounts of power.

Being the wimp I am, I could see it being a lot easier to get into trouble with the '04 kite compared to the '03 kite. Some of the differences in the kites may be down to the different sizes but I think this would only make a slight difference.

The diffierent characteristics of the kite were more down to the changes in design than the sizes. If anyone is thinking of getting a Frenzy (either a new '04 model or a used '03 model) don't dismiss the '03 model out of hand. If you are less of a mad, bad kite dude who is really pushing the envelope all the time the '03 may just be your cup of tea.

For all the mad boarding teenages with no fear, then the '04 model may be better for you. Me, an old boarn-again teenager who doesn't want to kill myself prefers the '03 kite.

Maybe I'm just getting too old for this kite boarding lark?

By : Graham Smith