OzBungy wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2019 8:10 am
mar menor wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2019 6:33 pm
... once it reaches 20kts will be on a surfboard ...
Why would you do that?
Foiling yesterday in waves on the Hyperlink 9. It started at 12-13 knots and then went up to 16g20. There was plenty of room to take more power with the HL, but I prefer to downsize as soon as I can rather than waiting until I need to. Under most circumstances I would have gone with the smaller kite and continued on the hydrofoil. It was near sunset, so instead I kept the kite in the air and pulled out the surfboard. Amazing session! After a year of almost exclusively strapless hydrofoil, I was quite amazed how much my surfboard riding progressed.
I would get the 9 hyperlink. Get the tube kite you want to ride in the surf and it will be fine to ride it on the foil.
As stated more lift from a 12 is nice to practice tacks and jibes but is not needed unless you want to spend a lot of time in very light winds. I have a bigger kite but fly it very little.
The smallish one struts I have flown are very nice for waves and good winds on a surfboard, but I did not get to try the Alpha yet. Less weight, better drift. The 3 strut wave kites are also popular on the foils in medium winds. I don't think you could go wrong.