My impressions on the Peak 4 - 4m, 5m and 8m
First of all a big thank you to Horst and Tom for introducing the Peak 4 as a hydrofoil kite.
I have read the whole thread with excitement and finally bought myself a 4m and a 5m with the thought that I could also use them in our school in Barbados for Beach lessons which by the way is another great use for this kite.
The 5m I used quite a lot so far in winds between 14kts and 18kts on Moses T22 with 90cm mast and 683S / 450 setup which is my preferred foil for Barbados. I think it can be used a bit sooner and a bit higher up but this is the preferred range for me. In my opinion the power compares to my Neo 8m where the Neo has maybe a bit more power spike when looping to start. The peak flies really nicely through the lulls and never drops. For me the fact that it might not relaunch in the waves is no issue as so far I never dropped it. It really is much easier to keep in the air than any other foil kite or LEI.
The Peak 4 4m was used a few times now in waves between 18 and 22kts where I should have used the wave board and Neo but instead I split my session to use the Peak on the foil. The fun I had on the waves with this setup is beyond amazing...Once on the wave you don't feel the kite anymore. It can be flown very high in the window and just drifts along like nothing I ever kited before.
Finally I also bought the 8m for lighter days which was used a few times now between 11kts and 15kts. I am honestly thinking to retire my Soul 10m as the Peak is so much more fun in the waves which is my preferred riding. The Peak is definitely the wrong kite if you want to cruise along fast from A to B but in my opinion the best kite for playing in swells and breaking waves.
The turn speed of the 4m is like a trainer kite's and if coming from an LEI it is easy to oversteer it which leads to a super fast pivoting turn without any power. You will get used to this very quickly though.
The 5m Peak turns maybe as fast as a 6m Neo and the 8m turns maybe like a 9m Neo.
I hope my write up on the Peak 4 gives you guys some useful info and helps you to decide for it. You will definitely not regret this choice.
The Peak 4 is for sure a way forward in kite design for hydrofoiling!