extend the low end; single skin, cloud, foil kite?

[BigSky]

I have extensive experience with Flysurfer Peak 4, Flysurfer Soul and several iterations of Clouds starting with the C2 and into the D's. I consider myself an advanced intermediate and foil exclusively now for 4 years. The answer is more about what you like to do. I love a kite that has exceptional drift. I loved the Clouds but got tired of carrying a pump. I sold most of them. If you like cruising fast the Soul is a great option. For me, I love the Peak 4. The are so easy to deal with for launching and landing (I'm almost entirely solo). You can hot launch them with safety anywhere. They are awesome, cheap and incredible for travel. I can pack my foil board, mast and wing, wetsuit, harness and 4 kites/bars in a check-in bag that weights 38 pounds! The Peak4 drift is insane and they only go into the water if the wind totally dies or you try to put them into the water. The easiest and safest kite I've ever used for solo launching and landing is the Peak4 by far. The souls have incredible water relaunch (Clouds too once you learn the method) but I still prefer the Peak4.

If I were more into speed and getting upwind the Soul is awesome. Put it this way: I bought a 6m, 10m and 15m Soul last year and sold all my D's. Then discovered the Peak 4. I started with the 5m Peak4 and solo launched in some insanely tight spots. I now have a 3m, 4m, 5m, 8m and 11m Peak4. I haven't used the Soul in over a year and I don't miss the Clouds. If you can lay the Peak4 kite out (on rocks, sand, pebbles, whatever, and undo your lines walking into the water, even swimming, launching is a breeze. You can always dump in into the water near shore in high winds but I've only done that a few times. They dry out in 2 seconds.

If I was exclusively drift launching the Peak 4's aren't good. I've had to swim a few times but I also had to swim with the Clouds. The Peak4 suck to self rescue as they sink and getting the water out is a challenge. Still worth using them and I kite all winter in the Boston area. Despite others that downplay the 8m and 11m Peak 4's I've used them. They are awesome and have allowed me to get on the water in very light winds. I bought the Soul's because I thought they could be good for both foil and TT (they are but I never do). The Peak 4 won't be good for TT. I wish I didn't buy the Souls now but I can't allow myself to sell them. Hope this helps.

[kiteykitekite]

I am glad I am not the only one that thinks pumps and pumping is shit.

[BigSky]

Yes. Can I call you KKK for short? For travel pumps take up a ton of space and, btw, if the pump is damaged your trip might be ruined.

[drsurf]

Hi vakiter.

Try a Flysurfer Peak4 8m single skin kite. No other kite will stay in the air in light winds as well as the Peak4 and no kite is as easy and safe to launch in difficult situations. You can go larger than 8m but it sounds like the right size for your situation and is a good size to start with.
And the price is very affordable

You can hot launch a Peak4 in places you never would with another kite but if you need to drift launch the Peak4 that can be done as well. One of my customers regularly drift launches his Peak4 as he has no other option.
You can take a look at this video from Armin which shows how to drift launch a Peak4 in light winds

[Peter_Frank]

To the OP vakiter, I think we need some more information about your spot.

If you can only driftlaunch, or tetherlaunch (with kite out in the water?) I assume you got no land to start from at all, and maybe deep water instantly.

Can you stand on the bottom in the water, or too deep?

As if a full drift launch, you are also drifting in the water, and then it gets REALLY tricky with some kites, well, in fact with most kites when down in lower one digit winds.

How is the typical wind direction?

It can not be fully onshore, if you are able to tetherlaunch with your current 12 m2 and 30 meter lines.

Peter

[Foil]

Hi vakiter.

Try a Flysurfer Peak4 8m single skin kite. No other kite will stay in the air in light winds as well as the Peak4 and no kite is as easy and safe to launch in difficult situations. You can go larger than 8m but it sounds like the right size for your situation and is a good size to start with.
And the price is very affordable

You can hot launch a Peak4 in places you never would with another kite but if you need to drift launch the Peak4 that can be done as well. One of my customers regularly drift launches his Peak4 as he has no other option.
You can take a look at this video from Armin which shows how to drift launch a Peak4 in light winds

well that's incredible,
unless that was take 25
I did not know they would float, probably not if any little waves I would guess

[jkrug]

that's cool, but when you can stand in the water touching the bottom, that's really not that much different than land launching.

[BigSky]

They float until the channels fill. If you don't have any line tension it will float. When I said they sink it's when I'm rolling up my lines for self rescue. I could probably empty the water and relaunch but it usually doesn't feel worth the hassle and I just swim in. I don't wear a PFD so treading water and emptying it is daunting.

[edt]

my launches are tether or drift, so i never considered a foil kite, but maybe i could learn to launch from water?

a pure water launch is awful. I mean yes it can be done but no you don't want to do it every day. However, setting up the kite on land and then swimming out in the water is possible. If your beach is only 2 or 3 meters wide then a launch where the kite is on land and you are in the water is possible and to land you can flag out in the water and wrap it up quickly.

Foil kite is by far the best option for low wind. Let's see your launch maybe something can be worked out.

[PullStrings]

I am glad I am not the only one that thinks pumps and pumping is shit.

You might be monitored for language by the warden
You might get FLUSHed down the toilet with your buddy Foilholio soon
Try to slow down your postings from 7.88 a day to only 2.00