Small (below 5m) kites

[Flyboy]

Great info here guys! I often thought about which kite would be a sensible buy for the 20+ kts wind range on my wave foil.
My smalles kites are a 5 m² Core Section1 and the 4 m Peak4. The 5 m² Section is comfortable up to ca. 22 kts for me (75 kg / Moses 633). I love it, it is super stable and easy-handling (no backstalling in any condition). But at wind of 25 kts or more, I have no kite solution yet.

The overlap between the 4m Peak & the 3.5 Boxer is OK but isn't perfect. The 4m Peak is useable for me over 18 knots, but much over that & you start to lose that lightly powered, flap-free feeling that are the Peaks at their best. The 3.5 Boxer is useable at 18 knots, but it requires a lot of concentration to keep it from back stalling. Mid 20's is ideal for the 3.5 Boxer. I would have liked to get a 3m Peak4, but they don't seem to have been available anywhere for the last couple of months. I'm Ok with the Boxer as my strong wind kite, but for traveling it doesn't pack down nearly as small as a Peak, even in the 3.5 m size!

[mwdnasa]

Hey guys, I am 100kg, mainly on Moses 683 and also looking for a kite for 22+knots. Smallest atm is UFO 5m and I don't like it when it is that windy.
Do you think Peak4 3m is the ticket? They are available around here. But now Peak5 is here (should be better?), but would have to be Peak5 2.5m as the 4m surely too close to UFO 5m. Maybe 2.5m too small for my weight? No reviews out there yet. Any other kites I should look at? Thanks!

[galewarning]

@mwdnasa,
I'm curious about the existing 3m UFO [no comments in this thread] and even more interested in the upcoming 4m UFO, when the V2s come to market in the spring.
BTW, I'm an evolving foiler who isn't quite good enough [yet] to foil in wind greater than 20.
-Barry

Hey guys, I am 100kg, mainly on Moses 683 and also looking for a kite for 22+knots. Smallest atm is UFO 5m and I don't like it when it is that windy.
...snip...

[Oldman_Dave]

Hey guys, I am 100kg, mainly on Moses 683 and also looking for a kite for 22+knots. Smallest atm is UFO 5m and I don't like it when it is that windy.
Do you think Peak4 3m is the ticket? They are available around here. But now Peak5 is here (should be better?), but would have to be Peak5 2.5m as the 4m surely too close to UFO 5m. Maybe 2.5m too small for my weight? No reviews out there yet. Any other kites I should look at? Thanks!

I have P4s and am 100kgs as well. I find the couple of times that I've used it, the 3m needs to be well powered, it feels like there's a big gap to the 4m. I would hold the 4m till it's flappy depowered before going down to the 3m. Close to 25kts for me before the 3m works without too much struggle in the lulls. Not sure how the 2.5 will feel vs the 3m.

[Flyboy]

Hey guys, I am 100kg, mainly on Moses 683 and also looking for a kite for 22+knots. Smallest atm is UFO 5m and I don't like it when it is that windy.
Do you think Peak4 3m is the ticket? They are available around here. But now Peak5 is here (should be better?), but would have to be Peak5 2.5m as the 4m surely too close to UFO 5m. Maybe 2.5m too small for my weight? No reviews out there yet. Any other kites I should look at? Thanks!

I have P4s and am 100kgs as well. I find the couple of times that I've used it, the 3m needs to be well powered, it feels like there's a big gap to the 4m. I would hold the 4m till it's flappy depowered before going down to the 3m. Close to 25kts for me before the 3m works without too much struggle in the lulls. Not sure how the 2.5 will feel vs the 3m.

That's my concern about the jump from the Peak 4m to the 2.5m in the Peak 5's. I don't understand the logic behind it.

[airsail]

As for the UNO, it’s a training kite and has a thin leading edge. When loaded up, eg swinging across the window to get up the leading edge can fold, feels like the kite coughs. I had the 4 mtr, worked well except for this, definitely not suitable for anyone over 80kg. A mate has the 2.5 Uno, he’s about 70kg and it’s working well for him in the strong stuff.

[Floating around]

Kauper have plans for a 4m maverick, eta not fixed just yet but I expect in time for summer.

[Peter_Frank]

Hmmm, with 78 kg I have a huge overlap between the 3 and 4 m2 so no problem for me.

Can almost choose which one I want to ride, the 3 or the 4, in a given wind strength.

The 5 and 6 are very close though, even closer than the percentual difference - because the 5 is faster than the 6, the power is closer.

Same with the 3 and 4 m2, close in low end.

Using them on 21 m lines, std bar.

If you use shorter lines, the gap will probably be smaller is my guess.

Because the 3 and 4 are so close in low end, I have now rigged the 3 m2 on shorter lines, just to see if it works, so the gap is a bit bigger.

My guess is, that they want to have a smaller kite, as the 3 will get too big quite fast.
And keeping the 3 means they have to go down to 2 m2, which might be a size very few will get, OR have the dilemma, should you jump from 4 to 2 m2 which is a huge step, or take the expensive way and get a 4 and 3 and 2?
So maybe a 2½ m2 works okay in a quiver - dont know, we will see

Peter

[Flyboy]

Hmmm, with 78 kg I have a huge overlap between the 3 and 4 m2 so no problem for me.

Can almost choose which one I want to ride, the 3 or the 4, in a given wind strength.

The 5 and 6 are very close though, even closer than the percentual difference - because the 5 is faster than the 6, the power is closer.

Same with the 3 and 4 m2, close in low end.

Using them on 21 m lines, std bar.

If you use shorter lines, the gap will probably be smaller is my guess.

Because the 3 and 4 are so close in low end, I have now rigged the 3 m2 on shorter lines, just to see if it works, so the gap is a bit bigger.

My guess is, that they want to have a smaller kite, as the 3 will get too big quite fast.
And keeping the 3 means they have to go down to 2 m2, which might be a size very few will get, OR have the dilemma, should you jump from 4 to 2 m2 which is a huge step, or take the expensive way and get a 4 and 3 and 2?
So maybe a 2½ m2 works okay in a quiver - dont know, we will see

Peter

To me, it would have made sense to have 6m, 4.5m, 3.5m, 2.5m, as the difference between the 6m & the 5m isn't that great. However, I'm guessing when it comes to snow kiting the differences between the sizes are less critical, so they couldn't be bothered to mess around with odd sizes. I think the 3.5m Boxer is probably somewhere between a 3m Peak & 2.5m Peak in power.

[1234567Simon]

Sorry to dig Out this old toppic:

Target for me: smallest Kite for foiling in abouve 25knots

My 4meter section will get big above 25kn....

I have been in contact with several users with a Ozone Uno 2.5m and they are quite Happy. (For aprox 400-500 Euro, IT would be OK)

Question: has anyone tried the 2.5 slingshot ghost?
IT IS terrible expensive but maybe worth the Investment??

The V1 seemed to be Just scaled down. But the smaller V2 might be slower, as the say they have a different AR. (Marketing???)

The UFO three Meter seems to be too powerfull for really strong Wind.

I do Not want a small Foil Kite.


Thanks a Lot