flysurfer Sonic FR available

[renaudbarbier]

hello guys,

The new flysurfer Race kites are coming out! we have some of the first ones with us in the next days!

http://www.thekitefoil.com/#!online-sto ... y=12087152

I tested 2 months ago the prototype kite (15m2) and that was really great!

Will give some reviews after next week end once we ride the production kites.


renaud

[renaudbarbier]

as promised, here is my feedback on the new Flysurfer Sonic FR.

I tested the kite today with my arrow foil fitted with the course racing wing. wind was about 8-9 knots then dropped to 5-6knts.
I switched several times between my Elf joker 5 11m2 and the sonic 11m2 to compare.

Here is my first session feedback:
- the bridles on FS seems smoother to the touch. good quality feel
- the lines are thin on the FS but the back lines were not as thin as my elf ones (actually if I am not mistaken the bar I tried had both front and back lines similar).
- the bar system is really nice and smooth on the FS. it did not had the long double pulley system I have on the elf so can't say if it will come with it later on but definitely the FS bar is better overall.
- in the air, both kite inflates quite fast, the FS took more time to get the tips pressurized but it did not closed like the Chrono does (what I dislike so much about it). just need to keep the bar pulled.
- once inflated and flying the flysurfer feels more stable than the Elf. it does not fly as much above and rather goes above and then self stabilize and come back to a safe position. when the wind when really low I appreciated a lot the stability of the FS
- The Elf feels more rigid in the air, the FS "pump" a bit more, I mean when pulling on the bar, the FS flaps like birds wings which give it some dynamics and power. not sure if I prefer this behavior or not... Though it is clearly useful it feels strange when you are used to the Elf very stiff structure.
- the aspect ratio of the FS is surely higher.
- on the water I honestly did not felt so much performance difference which is quite a good sign as the elf is a very high performance kite! both kites feel very well downwind and offer extreme upwind angles. Actually, I would have to take my GPS and compare traces to see if there is any difference.
- I did not dropped the FS so can't talk yet about it's relaunch and time it can stay in the water.

So to conclude, A very good performance kite, better then a chrono for sure, very close to the elf with an edge on the stability aspect.
One thing I did not liked is the black color and 11m2 as the smallest size but I am sure this will change over time!

[Atte]

Here is another nice review of the sonic, not hydrofoil related.

http://www.foilzone.com/phpbb3/viewtopi ... =1&t=18038

[cglazier]

The new Flysurfers did very respectably in the La Ventana Gold Cup so they must have good performance.

I hate to pick on a small point but.... I will happily buy a red, green, blue, yellow, or pink kite but I will NOT buy a black or grey one (I actually owned a Flysurfer speed black/gold 19m and hated the colour). I live where it is often cloudy and overcast and I want a bright colour in the sky. So Flysurfer, please note why you lose at least one possible customer. I know colour is trivial but I can get a nicer looking product from Ozone, Elf or F-One so why not.

Just my opinion on a very small matter. (and no disrespect to anyone who actually likes black)

CG

...
Does anyone think this would look better if the kites were black?

gold-cup-opener-600x400.jpg (48.59 KiB) Viewed 4882 times

[renaudbarbier]

The new Flysurfers did very respectably in the La Ventana Gold Cup so they must have good performance.

I hate to pick on a small point but.... I will happily buy a red, green, blue, yellow, or pink kite but I will NOT buy a black or grey one (I actually owned a Flysurfer speed black/gold 19m and hated the colour). I live where it is often cloudy and overcast and I want a bright colour in the sky. So Flysurfer, please note why you lose at least one possible customer. I know colour is trivial but I can get a nicer looking product from Ozone, Elf or F-One so why not.

Just my opinion on a very small matter. (and no disrespect to anyone who actually likes black)

CG

...
Does anyone think this would look better if the kites were black?

gold-cup-opener-600x400.jpg

I think they look cool in black but I would have very much liked to see it in multicolor!

[lander]

I believe if the Sonic had won in La Ventana, nobody will mention the color . But it is tested against the Chrono1 and Elf Joker5. The big quetion is how it will compare with R1 and Joker6 ? Will be interesting to follow.

[DrLightWind]

@ cglazier, I agree.

They lost another one, I'm not going to buy that sh!t dark color in Florida's heat
Even lighter colors creating condensation on the grass.
Where is the common sense and possibility for optional colors

DrLW

[jakemoore]

Does Flysurfer still do custom colors?

I think the kite looks sweet with the colored window in black. But I do like the idea of bright colored kites also for safety.

[Mindaugas666]

I love black, reminds me of Johnny Cash..

[Peter_Frank]

I also dislike black

Nevertheless, I got an almost black 9m2, that with hydrofoil is by far my most used kite (with wavekitesurfing it was the 7m2 that was worn out the fastest), and I somehow think it is beatiful.

Having said that, I am more into the classic old "german" colors (as we call them) with neon screaming bright colours, because of the safety and that others can spot that there is somebody else out there

PF