Advice for buying 1st Foil Kite

[tanre]

Hi all, Im thinking of buying a foil kite, but have no clue where to start. Was hoping some of you could educate me a bit. Im an advanced rider who enjoys jumping 25ft plus. I weigh about 190lb and looking to get rid of my 15M LEI for light wind and exchange it for a foil. 1st question: If I’m looking to boost and float…what size as compared to my 15M LEI in a foil would I need? I fly Core XRs. Looking to be used in winds around 12-18kts. I usually can hold down 1-2 sizes larger than what is being normally used for the day.

Second question. If Boosting and floating are the important factors, any suggestions for the brand and foil type? Ive heard that Flysurfers are the go to, but others have said this:

“Just as an aside, the Flysurfer kites have always had overly complicated bridles and a poor depower system.

High end paragliders are going to 2 and 3 line (2 or 3 rows of bridle lines). The kites I used were 2-3 line kites 10 years ago. Flysurfer still use complicated, multi-row bridle systems.

In recent years several paraglider manufacturers have brought out single skin, light weight wings. They're light and simple and the performance is greatly reduced compared to a fully functional double-skin wing. I would be pleasantly surprised if the Flysurfer Peak offered more than basic performance compared to a double skin wing.”

Thanks fort the help.

[Regis-de-giens]

you should forget single skin kite for jumps : they have very poor hangtime (like strutless LEI).
The briddle system is almost the same on every recent foil kite with 4 rows of briddles as Flysurfer most often does for years. Do not worry, this "complication" is the same for 3 or 4 rows.

Race kites with high Aspect ratio like sonic, R1, diablo, Elf , ect ... have wonderful hangtime but are more tricky to handle and less stable for a foilkite beginner. Medium/high AR freeride kites like chrono v2, speed5, navy are generally more accessible and easy to learn, still with excellent jumps abilities for high old school jumps (far higher than Most LEI). Medium AR kites like Pulsion (mine) is very adapted to high jumps but a bit less hang time, but also with unbeatable easiness to learn on , and very good stability even is gusty winds.

[grigorib]

Hi all, Im thinking of buying a foil kite, but have no clue where to start. Was hoping some of you could educate me a bit. Im an advanced rider who enjoys jumping 25ft plus. I weigh about 190lb and looking to get rid of my 15M LEI for light wind and exchange it for a foil. 1st question: If I’m looking to boost and float…what size as compared to my 15M LEI in a foil would I need? I fly Core XRs. Looking to be used in winds around 12-18kts. I usually can hold down 1-2 sizes larger than what is being normally used for the day.

You'll need a 15m size foil to go from your 15m XR (one of the best LW kites probably)

Second question. If Boosting and floating are the important factors, any suggestions for the brand and foil type? Ive heard that Flysurfers are the go to, but others have said this:

“Just as an aside, the Flysurfer kites have always had overly complicated bridles and a poor depower system.

All foils have complicated bridle system and all of the modern foils depower great. Expect soft bar pressure just like your XR

High end paragliders are going to 2 and 3 line (2 or 3 rows of bridle lines). The kites I used were 2-3 line kites 10 years ago. Flysurfer still use complicated, multi-row bridle systems.

Flysurfer had its original Speed4 8/10 kites with A/B/Z rows only. It looks simpler to me and I like it but might be eating up some kite efficiency.

In recent years several paraglider manufacturers have brought out single skin, light weight wings. They're light and simple and the performance is greatly reduced compared to a fully functional double-skin wing. I would be pleasantly surprised if the Flysurfer Peak offered more than basic performance compared to a double skin wing.”

I static flew 9m Peak in 2 knots of wind. Probably in less wind that I would take my Revolution kite out. I wouldn't have been able to ride it on water though in that wind. Looping a Peak is total waste of time and effort though - too much flutter killing all the energy. Superlight kite, flies in very little wind, not a boosting machine at all.

Overall - you'd like the Sonic but you'd be disappointed overall. Your XR is a gem, ride it

[sedluk]

I really like the Flysurfer 15m Speed 5 and it is very easy to fly. There is no getting around all of the bridle lines and they are intimidating at first. Over time you will be able to get the thing in a ball on the beach and back to untangled without much effort.

I would not expect any more power from the 15m over other kites of similar size.

The flying is smooth and very predictable. It can be a little difficult to describe to someone who has not flown one. I fly both LEI and foil kites. When you are crusing along, my LEI takes more input at first to get it to respond. It feels heavy like it has a lot of momentum and seems to want drop head first into the water or head up to 12. The Speed 5 just wants to fly and is happy to make small courses changes with little input.

[mr moon]

Ozone Chrono 15m V2 = best foil kite ever. Predictable, light, fast turning for its size, great hangtime, tips don't fold... a different planet!
PS. I'm a private user, no affiliation with theis brand at all!

[Robsw6]

I have never used a foil kite before - but have a 15m Chrono 2 & love it.

If you have the cash, get a chrono 2 lightweight, as if you drop it in the water it is supposed not to sink as easily.

[jakemoore]

I would stick with a major brand like Flysurfer or Ozone and strongly consider buying the kite new. Used foil kites can be great but they can be stretched out and bargain brands seem to frequently send out problem kites. Hate to have your first foil kite end up being a dog and develop an unfair prejudice.

The bridle is a reality for any foil kite. Learning to avoid tangles is a matter of discipline. Bridles also stretch and shrink resulting in a need to tune the kite with time. Flysurfer does a better job designing the mixer for easier tuning and also publishing line plans so you have a fighting chance of getting back to good flying. Speed 4 8 and 10 with the 3 gallery bridles are awesome kites but not so much for low wind. Because of that I would recommend Speed 5 to a new foil kiter or a big Lotus if you can find a discount.

If you don't mind flying the kite a bit to get power and are willing to ride an efficient larger board I would consider a 13 as a funner kite to fly. Right now Speed 4 lotus 10 is the biggest kite I want to fly at 190 pounds.

If you want to be powered lit up all the time, consider a 15 or even 18. Should be able to fly easily until you will be stoked with a 10-12 tube kite.

[Regis-de-giens]

I static flew 9m Peak in 2 knots of wind. Probably in less wind that I would take my Revolution kite out. I wouldn't have been able to ride it on water though in that wind. Looping a Peak is total waste of time and effort though - too much flutter killing all the energy. Superlight kite, flies in very little wind, not a boosting machine at all.

I owned a peak and used it for snowkiting. I can promise you that the Pulsion light cloth (1.9Kg for 15m2 which approx correspond to the FS peak) flies in zenith in same wind than peak and even less wind when worked in the window because better glide and without fluttering.
The 9 persons I know having one (Including 1 first foil kite) are delighted with it , among which a kite teacher bought its third Pulsion for its kite lessons with beginners, with +40 % lessons frequence improvement thank to the gain in low end compared to its previous foilkites or LEI he used for the trainings.


Then for the low end limit to ride it will be a matter of rider weight and Hydrofoil size. I am a private user as well without any affiliation (liking also my Airush One LEI singe strutt for winds above 12) and paid all my kites.

I would also vote for a 15m for your weight. Chrono2 or Navy 2 would also be a good choice IMO if you want to stick to big brands, while speed5 or Sonic v1 are too heavy in my opinion to compfortably ride under less wind than your current LEI.

[Adventure Logs]

Since you say you can hold down a lot of weight and like boosting/gliding, I would recommend an 18. My sonic 1 18m has been one of my all time favorite foil kites(havn't tried the S2 18m yet). But since this would be your first kite, Id recommend getting the Speed 5 18m. Almost the same performance as the Sonic but with easier use. On top of all of this, they have the best warranty out there. "The 12-Month Free-Repair Warranty protects you in the event of damage to your kite or bar during the first year of ownership – an exclusive extra service benefit for you!"

I don't think any other brand out there gives this kind of warranty and since you're from the states, I can personally say Ted at Flysurfer USA had FANTASTIC customer service. A huge reason why I've stuck with the brand.

[Matteo V]

Ozone Chrono 15m V2 = best foil kite ever. Predictable, light, fast turning for its size, great hangtime, tips don't fold... a different planet!
PS. I'm a private user, no affiliation with theis brand at all!

I second that but I have heard the Sonic 2 is slightly better. That said, I would still go for a Chrono 2.

And as a warning, NOT ALL MODERN FOIL KITES ARE GOOD! Do not buy an Ozone Summit (V1). It will send you back to your inflatables. Every company makes crappy designs some time. Ozone makes the best for almost all users (Chrono 2) and the worst for any user (Summit 1).

HQ had a good start to the Matrixx series, but then they dummed down the kite in the next version. They did that with the Montana series too - Good kites in mid versions, then beginner kites with the same name later.

The Chrono 1 was sweet but twitchy, the Chrono 2 was sweeter and no twitchy - should have had a different name so people would not confuse the two kites.

Personally, I would still stick with inflatables on the water. I used foils on the water for a while, but now I really want 100% chance of relaunch after 10 minutes of .5knot winds and me sitting in the water. Only inflatables guarentee me that. On the snow, foils are the only way to go if you snowkite enough to justify having them.