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Flysurfer Peak 4

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nayy
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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby nayy » Mon Aug 22, 2022 9:53 pm

Peter_Frank wrote:
Mon Aug 22, 2022 8:11 pm


But remember, above 6 m2 you lose the magic, no matter how heavy you are :rollgrin:



8) Peter
i've a friend with a peak4 13m² (he made me discover the peaks)... the magic is gone with the biggers sizes, but he does not complain about it...
It's slow but not unusable slow...
He's on the water having fun with no stress while the racers (and others foilers with SLE kites) are swimming with their 21m² racing kitefoils, because they fell out of the sky...

I made some drone footage from a session with the peak4 13m² but have to edit it... will post the footage when it's done...

Nayy
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Flyboy
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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby Flyboy » Tue Aug 23, 2022 1:37 am

I would say that the two essential Peaks are the 6m and the 4m, assuming you are foiling somewhere where you often have winds in the 10 - 20 knot range. The 6m will get you going in 10 knots (average weight) and you can continue to be able to use it up to 14/15 knots at which time the 4m will work. However, now that I have the 5m, I choose the 5m any time the wind is 12 knots and up to 15/16 knots. It's just that bit faster & more agile than the 6m. The overlap between the 5m and the 4m is about perfect, while there is a bit to much overlap between the 6m and the 5m. This is why I think it would be useful for the 6m to be a bit larger - like 6.5 - 7m extending the bottom end a bit.

I haven't been able to try the 3m yet. It replaces a 3.5m Boxer, which requires more than 20 knots to work and is VERY sensitive to back stalling - much more so than the 4m peak. I will be very surprised if the 3m Peak isn't significantly more powerful than the 3.5m Boxer.

The great thing about the Peaks is it's easy to take a complete quiver with you as they pack down so small and light. I would say the 3m, 4m and 5m together are more compact than a single 5m tube kite ... and no pump to take.

Trent hink
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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby Trent hink » Tue Aug 23, 2022 3:16 am

I still use the 5 meter, sometimes. My point is that after getting the 6 and 11, I never choose the 8.

I think peter frank has made basically the same point multiple times on this thread, except he is maybe 10 kg lighter than me.

You got to be 100 kg plus to think that the 8 meter can drift.

I like the 11 for quick set-up and ease of use in moderately light wind. If I wanted the ultimate low-end, I would choose race-gear...

Or at least the 12 meter Concept Air Pulsion... Which is one hell of a fine light wind kite, and can operate in winds below where the 11 meter Peak 4 might take you.

At those points the only benefits of a Peak is ease of use, and no kite will drift at the extremes of low-end.

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jumptheshark
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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby jumptheshark » Tue Aug 23, 2022 12:30 pm

People seem to forget when talking about sizes and their development. These kites were not developed for water at all really.

I have from 3-8m and will likely replace each one as they wear out. The 5m is sooooo much more fun on foil when compared to the 6m, but there are plenty of days I cant be bothered waiting or working the 5m and the 6 is gold. The 8m is a dog on water but a session saver none the less for those special places and times you just gotta ride.

I love the 8 on snow where I have the purchase and drag to throw it around a bit more than you can on foil.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby jkrug » Tue Aug 23, 2022 1:47 pm

without the 8m, i'd be on the beach most days. we get mostly 8-12 knots around here during the summer, and the 6m just won't work in those conditions (unless you're a lot lighter than me at 90 kgs). my peaks have band aids all over them, but they keep going strong.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby junebug » Tue Aug 23, 2022 2:49 pm

Flyboy wrote:
Tue Aug 23, 2022 1:37 am
The overlap between the 5m and the 4m is about perfect, while there is a bit to much overlap between the 6m and the 5m. This is why I think it would be useful for the 6m to be a bit larger - like 6.5 - 7m extending the bottom end a bit.
Totally agree with this. I can use the 6m on 20m lines in 10kn, but it's a lot of work, so the usable range for me is really 11kn to 14kn. The 5m starts to work for me on 20m lines at 12kn, so I only really use the 6m when the wind is 11kn or bouncing between 11kn and 12kn.

Perhaps the solution is to put longer lines on the 6m to extend the bottom range.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Aug 23, 2022 6:10 pm

I dont agree...

Find the 6 is a great kite, by far my most used, and then the 5, as when I can ride the 4 m2 I can also wingfoil, so not used as much anymore as it was before wingfoil came as an addition to kitefoil.

The 6 has almost the same lowend as the 8, but FAR more fun and agile for 360s and carving waves hard (or flat water for that matter).

But one can feel, that if it was even slightly bigger, it would be a cross between the 6 and 8, so you might get the downside from both - instead of a happy compromise.

Being average weight 78 kg, I ride the 6 in 9-11 knots.

with the 8 m2 I can go down to but not below 8 knots (and need longer lines), with the 6 m2 on std lines I can ride from 9 knots, so agree the 8 is a session saver if wind is 8-9 knots, as it is so fast to rig - but on the other hand, this small windrange 1 knot only, where one would like to use it, hmmmm :roll:

8) Peter

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby Slappysan » Tue Aug 23, 2022 6:36 pm

jumptheshark wrote:
Tue Aug 23, 2022 12:30 pm
The 5m is sooooo much more fun on foil when compared to the 6m, but there are plenty of days I cant be bothered waiting or working the 5m and the 6 is gold.
I'm in the same boat, the 6m is kinda boring but gets me out in those 8-12 knot days. But if it's 10-12 knots I'd much rather be on the 5m, but often I'll take the 6m as insurance in case the wind drops.
I find the low end is very similar on the 5m and 6m for me (about 8 knots @ 75 kg) but the 5m is a ton of work and not much fun at 8 knots.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby Flyboy » Tue Aug 23, 2022 9:50 pm

Like everything in kiting, a lot depends on your local conditions. Two years ago there were a lot of 10 - 12 knot days and I used the 6m a lot. Last year there were far fewer windy days, even 10 - 12 knot days. Two months in Cabarete, I used the 5m a lot and barely used the 6m because there were a lot of 12 - 16 knot days. I got used to riding with the 5m which is definitely somewhat nicer to use than the 6m.

The consistency of the wind is a big issue. I won't come in to change kites unless there is a clear change in the wind strength, as my local spots are a little tricky to land and launch a Peak (although much easier than a tube kite). So, I will tend to continue riding on the 6m or the 5m in conditions where I would be happier on the other kite, because there's nothing worse than coming in to switch up, or down, and the wind goes back to where it was, leaving you again overpowered/underpowered.

I tend to think that 10 knots is my minimum for foiling and I wouldn't;t bother chasing lower wind ... however a season with a lot of consistent 8 - 10 knot winds might change my mind about getting something bigger than the 6m Peak.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby junebug » Tue Aug 23, 2022 10:25 pm

Peter_Frank wrote:
Tue Aug 23, 2022 6:10 pm
I dont agree...

Find the 6 is a great kite, by far my most used, and then the 5, as when I can ride the 4 m2 I can also wingfoil, so not used as much anymore as it was before wingfoil came as an addition to kitefoil.

The 6 has almost the same lowend as the 8, but FAR more fun and agile for 360s and carving waves hard (or flat water for that matter).

But one can feel, that if it was even slightly bigger, it would be a cross between the 6 and 8, so you might get the downside from both - instead of a happy compromise.

Being average weight 78 kg, I ride the 6 in 9-11 knots.

with the 8 m2 I can go down to but not below 8 knots (and need longer lines), with the 6 m2 on std lines I can ride from 9 knots, so agree the 8 is a session saver if wind is 8-9 knots, as it is so fast to rig - but on the other hand, this small windrange 1 knot only, where one would like to use it, hmmmm :roll:

8) Peter
Peter, what length lines do you run on your 6m? You say standard; does that mean 21m? I use 20m and I don’t feel comfortable in anything under 11kn.


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