sonic vs chrono v2?

[coleman]

looking for insight into how these two kites may differ....i'm looking for a small foil to cover the 15-25 range but can handle gusts a bit higher, to be used for foiling.

currently have a 10m sp4 lotus which is good for 5-20 for me with the foil....

am considering the chrono v2 7m and sonic 6m or 9m.....flysurfer lists sonic as an 8.5 actually and seems to have high range 8-27kts.....

mainly used on inland gusty lakes so stability is important.

[fogmeister]

dont know about the chrono but would suggest the speed5 for high winds (18 kts and above).......launching a sonic in high winds can be a nightmare if not done right and even then it is very hairy!!!......and you arnt gaining anything in those winds.........much better to have the stability of the speed 5.

[foilholio]

Are you happy on the 10 lotus? Unless you are looking for absolute speed I wouldn't be switching to a higher AR kite in higher winds. The sonic 9 is going to be very close to your lotus 10. Why not just get the lotus 6? or even an inflatable, the new BRM clouds have just been released. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euQKcy8RFOM

[coleman]

i am looking for more speed and apparent wind actually. love that feeling on the foil....i'm thinking that the 7m chrono would be pretty sweet in 20-25 kts. i already have an 8m edge which makes me wonder how much of a leap in performance it will be....i find the 10m speed to be a noticeable leap from the 11m edge.

i hear the v2 chrono is very user friendly. wonder what its like to launch/land in 20+?

[foilholio]

If your going for full performance I would wait for the sonic 6 meter viewtopic.php?f=197&t=2391655. Flysurfer is obviously taking their time to get it just right, not too unstable not too slow, so it should be good. Race foils trollop other kites in performance. Small fast foils do offer the best feeling for being able to fly them fast and build power. Their wind ranges are untouched. I can use my psycho4-6 in 15 to 50knots, though I really enjoy 20 to 35 which is about it's sweet spot for me.

[coleman]

how sketchy is launching a small race foil do you think?

[foilholio]

Really depends on the wind. If your talking upper range 35to40+ it can be a bit concerning. I usually still hot launch up to 40, a side launch can feel more comfortable. Backstalling and keeping it on the ground till it is holding it's shape, i.e. inflated helps immensely. Kites collapsing/opening in 40 knots will have you wondering if your going to die on land, on water not a huge issue. I recommend using a fifth line on a 6m or high wind foils. It detracts a bit from performance , but makes landing in any wind and dicey situations a breeze. Hopefully flysurfer offers it as addon, standard would be nice on the 6m. As general advice I use backstall and full depower a lot, in between is the nasty bit when in trouble.

[coleman]

Prob wouldn't be using this kite in 35-40. I'd be on an lei in that kind of wind.

Looking more for the 15-25 and 25+kind of wind we get. Lulls to 18-20 gusts to 25-30

[foilholio]

It'll be very tame up to 25-30knots. below 20 like a baby.

[davesails7]

I haven't tried the chrono v2, but I've got sonic 9,11,15 sonics and an 8m edge.

If you're looking for that crazy fast apparent wind feeling, the 11m or 15m sonic is the way to go. It gets you going crazy fast on very little wind when the water is still nice and flat. Going 25 kts in 10 kts of wind is a blast.

When you get to the smaller sizes though, the race foil kite doesn't have nearly as much of an advantage over the inflatables. Even moreso if its gusty.

Then you're also limited by the water getting choppy. I go faster in 13 kts on my 11m than in 20 kts on my 9m.

Also, gusts to 25 are rough on a hydrofoil with the 9m sonic. Was out just the other day in gusts to 25 kts and I was barely holding on. I'd say 15-20 is the sweet spot.

The race foil kites in <15 kts absolutely blow the inflatables away, but in heavier winds I could go either way.