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Flysurfer Soul

For all foil kite riders
andylc
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Re: Flysurfer Soul

Postby andylc » Fri May 22, 2020 9:14 am

I did and went back to LEIs. 12m Soul amazing in low wind but very slow. Floaty jumps and stability great but very different from LEIs. 9m amazing low end for the size but for me got pretty sketchy in higher winds, I found the redirect after bigger jumps difficult to control and much more inconsistent compared to LEIs. Also liking to kite in waves I eventually found that the slow response to steering was too much and went back to LEIs. Definitely don’t regret it, the only thing I’ve lost is 1-2 knots at the bottom end and a little less upwind ability, but overall a much more fun kiting experience especially in higher winds and waves.

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Re: Flysurfer Soul

Postby Peter_Frank » Fri May 22, 2020 9:18 am

andylc wrote:
Fri May 22, 2020 9:14 am
I did and went back to LEIs. 12m Soul amazing in low wind but very slow. Floaty jumps and stability great but very different from LEIs. 9m amazing low end for the size but for me got pretty sketchy in higher winds, I found the redirect after bigger jumps difficult to control and much more inconsistent compared to LEIs. Also liking to kite in waves I eventually found that the slow response to steering was too much and went back to LEIs. Definitely don’t regret it, the only thing I’ve lost is 1-2 knots at the bottom end and a little less upwind ability, but overall a much more fun kiting experience especially in higher winds and waves.

I understand this fully, I use both foilkites and LEI kites, but for hydrofoiling.

And the same advantages/disadvantages apply here, for me.

Meaning, foilkites for ultimate low wind.
LEI kites for medium winds, to get turning ability.
And wave foil kites for higher winds and waves (Kites 5 m2 and smaller), as they both drift better than LEIs and turn superfast.

8) Peter

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Re: Flysurfer Soul

Postby SolarSet » Fri May 22, 2020 9:40 am

andylc wrote:
Fri May 22, 2020 9:14 am
I did and went back to LEIs. 12m Soul amazing in low wind but very slow. Floaty jumps and stability great but very different from LEIs. 9m amazing low end for the size but for me got pretty sketchy in higher winds, I found the redirect after bigger jumps difficult to control and much more inconsistent compared to LEIs. Also liking to kite in waves I eventually found that the slow response to steering was too much and went back to LEIs. Definitely don’t regret it, the only thing I’ve lost is 1-2 knots at the bottom end and a little less upwind ability, but overall a much more fun kiting experience especially in higher winds and waves.
You ridden 9m soul and it was still slow? I thought in such a small size they should get nimble. 15m Soul on TT is fantastic for jumping and basic tricks that don't require fast turning kite. I'm yet to kiteloop is as for now its slow turning kinda terrifies from trying.

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Re: Flysurfer Soul

Postby andylc » Fri May 22, 2020 9:47 am

9m was definitely much faster but this was again in some ways not great for me. To have 2 of the same kites with such different behaviour I found off putting. Also in higher winds (25 knots or more) I found the 9m pretty scary to be honest, whereas I’m quite happy taking an LEI out in well over 35 knots. With my current Bandit 12 / Breeze kites the difference in behaviour between the smallest 7m and largest 13m kites is minimal, so I can basically kite in much the same way across the board.
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Re: Flysurfer Soul

Postby SolarSet » Fri May 22, 2020 10:11 am

I would see a gain in getting 9m soul in wider wind range that I can get from LEI kite. I'm guessing that 9m Soul would have range on TT like 8-11m LEI kite. My local spots have narrow or almost no beach at all adding another level on complexity in starting kite but as you mention my 9m would be for 25-35kts and I would prefer reliable kite for such a strong wind.
Traveling with 9m & 15m foil kite would be easier than LEI as my current switchblade 14m weight and take similar amount of room as 9 & 15m soul combined.

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Re: Flysurfer Soul

Postby BOEMIX » Fri May 22, 2020 11:50 am

I have a quiver of 14, 10, 7 m leis and a snow/hybrid quiver of 15, 9, 6 foil kites, and my feelings are the same.

foil kite compared to leis resist wind llulls so much better but are very tangle/sensitive to gusts, specially to small switchy burst kind of gusts.

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Re: Flysurfer Soul

Postby downunder » Fri May 22, 2020 12:26 pm

SolarSet wrote:
Fri May 22, 2020 10:11 am
I would see a gain in getting 9m soul in wider wind range that I can get from LEI kite. I'm guessing that 9m Soul would have range on TT like 8-11m LEI kite. My local spots have narrow or almost no beach at all adding another level on complexity in starting kite but as you mention my 9m would be for 25-35kts and I would prefer reliable kite for such a strong wind.
Traveling with 9m & 15m foil kite would be easier than LEI as my current switchblade 14m weight and take similar amount of room as 9 & 15m soul combined.
U need an 8m Soul for 25-35kn.

But, redirection and loops are way way different and as mentioned, scary. With 60cm bar it as faster, guessing would be the same on 9m. Lei is more precise, more predictable in higher wind, it dissipate power more when needed. For me, powering down Soul means nothing, I'm still fighting it. Not enjoyable.

D.

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Re: Flysurfer Soul

Postby andylc » Fri May 22, 2020 4:24 pm

Yes forgot to mention loops - even just a simple downloop in stronger winds can be scary. I won’t forgot doing a jump near to the shore with the 12m Soul and without thinking much about it I downloop transitioned like I would with an LEI and it soared around way slower than I expected, yanking me downwind and then didn’t make it round, hit the beach, luckily by this time I’d kicked the board off as I ran out of water and went skidding along after it up the beach...

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Re: Flysurfer Soul

Postby Adventure Logs » Fri May 22, 2020 8:34 pm

downunder wrote:
Fri May 22, 2020 12:26 pm
SolarSet wrote:
Fri May 22, 2020 10:11 am
I would see a gain in getting 9m soul in wider wind range that I can get from LEI kite. I'm guessing that 9m Soul would have range on TT like 8-11m LEI kite. My local spots have narrow or almost no beach at all adding another level on complexity in starting kite but as you mention my 9m would be for 25-35kts and I would prefer reliable kite for such a strong wind.
Traveling with 9m & 15m foil kite would be easier than LEI as my current switchblade 14m weight and take similar amount of room as 9 & 15m soul combined.
U need an 8m Soul for 25-35kn.

But, redirection and loops are way way different and as mentioned, scary. With 60cm bar it as faster, guessing would be the same on 9m. Lei is more precise, more predictable in higher wind, it dissipate power more when needed. For me, powering down Soul means nothing, I'm still fighting it. Not enjoyable.

D.
For 25-35kts on twintip, the Soul 9m is perfectly fine. You may feel a little overpowered but really no problem. I use to take my Soul 15m in 25kts, never reached the top end of my 8m. Also I would advise AGAINST the 60cm bar with the 9m. That’s too much and you can end of stalling the kite in turns if you crank it too much.

Remember the Soul likes 2cm shorter rear lines(unless they corrected this in the bridle in the new 7/9m’s, I would ask Flysurfer about this). If the kite is really turning slowly, this could be the issue.

Also a foil turns differently that LEI. My 8m would be a little slower to react but once moving it sped up and powered kiteloops were no problem for me, just different technique. If you want the kite to react a little faster, just go shorter lines.
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slide
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Re: Flysurfer Soul

Postby slide » Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:25 pm

seen a couple of your vids , and I could do with some advice , last year I got new 6,8,10,12 souls , after kite landboarding since 2003 -I had a health issue and in 2012 my kiting became very rare and only when I could get a lift - run it on to December 2018 , oncolodgy tell me braintumour and spots on my lungs all shrunk back to nothing and have been like that for 2 years , so I can drive again and live again , and hence the little van and my new flysurfers ,
... I have a lot of experience with old flysurfers , and I always take the safety off and back stall and use a landing line across the balls to stake ,and that works fine with the souls too ,I just need a bit more practice as my spatial awareness is not what it was but i'm on it
.with my flysurfers in the past I would set up how I do with flexifoil blades -brakes on a stake and flag out the kite to sit nicely in the wind downwind,some times place some sand on the trailing edge so it didn't blow up and unstabize the kite sitting there , but with the soul the trailing edge of the kite keeps blowing up and I just can not get it to flag out and sit nicely on the ground, before I can get air into the kite and before I can get to the front to place some sand on the front , and I have tried again and again -why won't that work? any ideas on that one

so I did think about 5 sand bags laying on the trailing edge evenly spaced and just walk back slowly to part inflate and when we have cobra we are away , i'm use to part inflated kite take off
I know there is the 10 degree flat take off ,but when I take off downwind , I get tension on the lines , and I walk round and every step I take will take power away on take off which I do to the side and up with no power I like to keep it simple with 4 lines and less tangles
Last edited by slide on Thu Apr 01, 2021 9:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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