Peak4 vs UFO

[drsurf]

Have a quiver of Peak4's 3/4/5/6/8/11m and bought the UFO 5m. Sadly the UFO doesn't come close to recreating the Peak4 feel. I wanted to foil in overhead waves and figured I would give it a try because Peaks have their limits too. The UFO feels slow compared to the Peaks, has WAY too much pull when looping and doesn't drift anywhere near as good. I've only used it once in pretty powered up conditions but I think my Best Cabo 5m is a better kite. It's a pretty light kite (I have the v2) and I should give the UFO a test in lighter wind but being spoiled by that Peak feel, it's hard to pump anything up these days. Crazy what those stringed up napkins can do.

Unfortunately after using only Peak4 kites with surf foils, everything else just doesn't feel as good

After 5 months of foiling on a Peak4 this season I went out on a 9m LEI surf kite and surfboard when the shore break waves were too big to get through with a foil. I was shocked how heavy and sluggish an LEI kite was and also how much more work to get upwind on the surfboard compared to a foil. Big waves were fun though.

If you've used a Peak4 on a surf foil it will spoil you

[airsail]

From the Peak thread, don’t go out further than you can swim, mistakes happen.

[Bennis123]

This was more or less the answers I was expecting :p

Maybe keeping the smallest sizes in peak4 is a good idea, and then use the larger UFOs for flat water and light wind to learn tacks and 360s where more lift is helpful.

[PhantomFreckle]

I I have a 4m peak and it feels perfect at 20knots on the foil and would like to get a comparison with what size UFO that would be ?

[airsail]

I I have a 4m peak and it feels perfect at 20knots on the foil and would like to get a comparison with what size UFO that would be ?

Closest would be the 5mtr UFO, which comes with relaunch ability but not quite as good drift.

[purdyd]

I I have a 4m peak and it feels perfect at 20knots on the foil and would like to get a comparison with what size UFO that would be ?

At 20 knots I’d be really solid on my 4m ufo and probably thinking 3m ufo.

But obviously there are many factors involved here.

[grigorib]

I’d be on 5m UFO and 730 cm² wing in 20 knots. If I grab 1200 cm² wing I should be able to ride the 4m, but it’d rather be riding faster in good wind.

[merl]

One aspect of Peaks which I appreciate is the ability to launch them in an area with a significant wind shadow. When landing in such spots there is even a risk that the kite will fall from the sky, but if it does, it comes down very softly (as long as there are no bushes or trees). I cannot see this working well with an LEI, even a very light one.

[Jyoder]

One aspect of Peaks which I appreciate is the ability to launch them in an area with a significant wind shadow. When landing in such spots there is even a risk that the kite will fall from the sky, but if it does, it comes down very softly (as long as there are no bushes or trees). I cannot see this working well with an LEI, even a very light one.

Of course every spot is different, but I often hot launch small LEIs in wind shadow using pull on center lines to get kite off the ground and into the wind. Not much different than Peak but of course with Peak it is probably a bit easier to do this.

[Peter_Frank]

One aspect of Peaks which I appreciate is the ability to launch them in an area with a significant wind shadow. When landing in such spots there is even a risk that the kite will fall from the sky, but if it does, it comes down very softly (as long as there are no bushes or trees). I cannot see this working well with an LEI, even a very light one.

Of course every spot is different, but I often hot launch small LEIs in wind shadow using pull on center lines to get kite off the ground and into the wind. Not much different than Peak but of course with Peak it is probably a bit easier to do this.

Hmmm, no don't agree.

Peaks (or Hybrids) are in a league of their own in this respect, even compared to the smallest LEIs, no comparison in my experience.

Got a 3.5 m2 LEI but never use it now, nor my "big" 5 m2 LEI, history

As precisely what merl wrote is so spot on and literally a game changer for me, possible to launch in conditions (between things and huge wind shadows) you would never consider with a small LEI
And land also in this.
It opens up a whole new world of easy and safer launches (or landings but also easy with a LEI)..

Peter