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Flysurfer Peak 4

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sonny2727
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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby sonny2727 » Mon Oct 18, 2021 3:52 am

Peter_Frank wrote:
Sun Oct 17, 2021 5:32 pm
tomtom wrote:
Sun Oct 17, 2021 10:06 am
Peter_Frank wrote:
Sat Oct 16, 2021 6:44 pm
Now I have got a superlight 11 m2 doubleskin foil kite instead
which one if you dont mind?

FIY im using 3,4,5,6 p4 and 9m FRS

Maybe a bit off topic, but maybe not, as it is interesting which kites we all use when the 6 m2 Peak4 gets too small (meaning below 9 knots) :wink:

The new kite I bought is a Kauper-XT Falcon, my 11 m2 weighs 14-1500 grams, good power and turns fast because of its low weight.

If I did not have the 8 m2 Peak4, I might also have gotten the 9 m2 Falcon for its extremety, or a 9 m2 FRS as it has good range (but FRS too low power for marginal wind IMO, so wont get the 12 m2 FRS).

PS: You are the one that convinced me about the Peak4´s, thank you, have never looked back ever since.
3-4-5-6 are eminent kites :thumb:

8) Peter
Yes Falcon is supper stable and fast for the size in light wind..I love this kite in sub 10kts mainly because I just don't want to lawn mow with a big Peak. Either way there's no magic bullet in light wind - you are compromising in one way another and the question is simple; is it better than the alternatives - watching Days of Our Lives on TV?

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bitxopalo
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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby bitxopalo » Mon Oct 18, 2021 6:57 am

Well, I also had the 11, you can ride in very light winds, but hability to go upwind is very poor, also upper range is very low so in my gusty lake I saw al kind of colapsing and deformations.... It can not hold its shape in a 15kn gust.

I sold it, I have a pulsion 12m now, very happy, same lowend as peak11 but none of its issue...

But I think peak 11 o 13 can go fine with steady winds.

Anyway I am a fan of the small sizes, They are other World.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby tomtom » Mon Oct 18, 2021 9:04 am

Peter_Frank wrote:
Sun Oct 17, 2021 5:32 pm
PS: You are the one that convinced me about the Peak4´s, thank you, have never looked back ever since.
3-4-5-6 are eminent kites :thumb:

8) Peter
:D I just want share the stoke!
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Trent hink
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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby Trent hink » Mon Oct 18, 2021 5:27 pm

Here is the problem with the bigger Peaks:

Sure, every size flies well enough and will easily stay in the air in around three knots, but that is about the limit.

Now take the wind speed you wish to fly your big kite in, subtract 3 knots, and what's left is pretty much the maximum possible speed you can travel downwind without having the kite fall out of the sky.

I own the 8 and 11, and I agree with Peter Frank and others who have made the same determination; The 8 is already sketchy for wave riding on a hydrofoil.

The 11 is fun for easy light-wind cruising but no good for waves on a hydrofoil... though it still might be ok on a surfboard in more wind.

Power wise, the 11 peak 4 would probably be comparable to 14-15 meter wave-specific LEI.

There is a very good reason most manufacturers who offer wave-specific LEI kites do not offer anything this large.
Last edited by Trent hink on Mon Oct 18, 2021 8:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

flaps1111
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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby flaps1111 » Mon Oct 18, 2021 6:47 pm

I have a question the FS Peak11 or 13 are good kites for lightwind or are they good kites for kiters who only want to fly foils and don't want to complicate with race kites? I can sail with a LEI even with the same wind as an 18m race foil and without the complexity and problems that the riders have, naturally I don't go as fast but I sail without dramas while the pros struggle to keep the kite in air in a mising tack or jibe in marginal wind, even at the shoresea. I guess that carrying such short lines and the brutal aspect ratio makes things happen.
But anyway, is the Peak a kite for someone who don't want to pump a kite or they are superior to any LEI around 6 knots?
I have read about its lack of power and that seems to me contradictory to it being a good ultra light wind kite...(without comparing it to a race kite for its ability to get upwind and speed). I am also very skeptical of the videos I have seen where they waterstart at 4/5 knots.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby tomtom » Mon Oct 18, 2021 7:09 pm

But anyway, is the Peak a kite for someone who don't want to pump a kite or they are superior to any LEI around 6 knots?
If you are riding with LEI around 6 knots while pros struggle to keep the kite 18m race foil then we all want to know what LEI you have.

Jokes aside. This is debated to death. Conclusion /usual one/ is smaller peaks 3-5/6 are one of best if not best freeride kites FOR HYDROFOIL. These work from 9 knots. Bigger peaks are best for keeping in air but lack L/D to truly perform in these conditions. There are multiple better choices - all with they own drawbacks.

And no Peaks are not for someone who don't want to pump - smaller sizes are simply best for freeride "low power" HF riding.

And Peaks are not best lightwind kites.
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Trent hink (Mon Oct 18, 2021 8:10 pm)
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Foil_Adict
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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby Foil_Adict » Mon Oct 18, 2021 7:16 pm

This is covered in Horst's very good summary linked on Page 1 but:

Peaks Pros:
-Incredible drift and stability for gusty conditions - class leading
-great for wave riding downwind and hassle free foil kiting in downwind swell conditions - hardly have to think about the kite
-light weight
-easy pack up and setup
-inexpensive

Peaks Cons:
-Not designed for water use
-No Lift - not a jumping kite
-Not a fast or efficient kite
-Not great upwind compared to double skin foils - similar to LEI wave kites
-limited wind range compared to LEI or double skin foils
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Trent hink (Mon Oct 18, 2021 8:09 pm)
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Flyboy
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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby Flyboy » Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:21 am

Peter_Frank wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 9:27 am
Ha haa, I know what you say - my friend has a 4 and a 6.

And many times we are out, it is 5 m2 wind, so he has to make a difficult choice, while I am in the sweetspot :rollgrin:

8) Peter
As the owner of a 6m & 4m Peaks with well over 100 hours using them this year, I have to say this has not been my experience at all. I have almost never found myself wishing I had a 5m. It obviously depends on the local conditions where you are kiting, but in my experience it is very rare for the wind to stay consistently at a level where you're not a little overpowered or a little underpowered at times. When you go out you can never really be sure where the wind will stay over the course of a session: will it pick up a bit ... or will it drop off?

This summer was an unusually light summer for wind where I kite. There were many days when the wind was around 10 knots when I went out & stayed in the 10 - 12 knot range for the whole session. On the other hand there were days when the wind picked up to 13 - 15 knots for a while. I would perhaps have been more comfortable on the 5m, but would not have come in to switch to a 5m if I had one - not worth it as there's no guarantee the wind wouldn't drop again. If the wind picked up to 15 - 16 knots I would have come in to switch to the 4m. So, although there were periods during a session where I might have preferred to be on a 5m, I can't say there was a single session where a 5m would have been an obviously superior choice.

Having said that ... I just picked up a 5m. Went out with it this afternoon perfectly powered up ... & then after 15 - 20 minutes the wind picked up to 17 - 20 knots & I had to come in to switch to the 4m. I didn't get to spend that much time on the 5m, but my impression was that it's more like the 6m than the 4m. This is not surprising given the mathematics of the relative sizes.

During a one hour session on the 4m the wind continued to pick up until it was in the 20 - 25 knot range. I was starting to feel uncomfortably powered up, so I came in & decided to give my 3.5m Boxer a try. Was an absolute bitch at first with too much back line tension (even though it didn't look like there was too much back line tension). It was almost impossible to water start as the kite would start to back stall the minute I put pressure on it. Added some extra pigtails & eventually got it to the point where it performed reasonably well. It was still way more difficult to water start with than with a Peak, but once up & riding it worked OK. There's really a different technique using an LEI compared to the Peaks - the sheeting is much more finicky. To me, one of the biggest pluses to the Peaks is the instant & very controllable depower that allows you to trim the kite very easily & precisely to shifts in the wind strength or water surface. I put the 3.5m into the water & number of times while trying to water start - it moves insanely fast & the sweet spot for power seems very small. I had to dive the kite quickly while sheeting out & pointing downwind in order to avoid stalling it.

In any case, I now have a 3 Peak quiver. I'd have to say that while the 5m might be the best one kite choice, I would definitely go with the 6m & the 4m if you're going with a 2 kite quiver. The 6m is good from 10 kts (maybe a bit less) to 14/15 knots, at which point the 4m is viable. I would say the 6m is preferable to the 5m in 10 - 13 kts, so the 5m is the best choice only in the 14-15 kt range - although it obviously also works well in less & more.

Foil_Adict
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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby Foil_Adict » Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:31 am

I have to say I have been pretty happy with the overlap of the 5/3 quiver. 13m arrived this week, looking forward to seeing how it fits in. Unfortunately it's been 5m weather since it arrived.

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Peter_Frank
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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby Peter_Frank » Wed Oct 20, 2021 7:28 am

Agree with Flyboy.

If you have "all kinds of winds", like in most or all low pressure weather systems, then the 6 and 4 m2 is the best minimalistic quiver :thumb:

Next step is 3 - 4 - 6 m2.

And finally the luxury is 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 m2 and then something else for lighter winds meaning when below 9 knots.

I disagree with everyone saying changing winds matter (also you Flyboy)
As with experience you get a good idea of how much wind there is in average, so many signs to use.

Meaning, when you choose the size that you think fit, it will always (in time) be the one which is best in both gusts and lulls.

This goes for everything, also wavekites and windsurf sails and foil wings and so on.

Dont forget two other advantages - you get less wear when having more sizes.
And if you destroy one, you can take the nearest other size.
They pack so small, and relativel low cost, so it is easy :D

8) Peter


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