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Flysurfer Peak 4

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vakiter
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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby vakiter » Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:10 am

@junebug, my first peak4 experience was also really similar. when i bought it the ends of the bridals were tied in a loose knot, which makes setting it up really easy. another foil kite i bought was also sent like this, so i guess is common knowledge amongst foil boys.

i would recommend practicing relaunch in standable water. this helped me a lot.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby Peter_Frank » Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:29 am

It is a bit "funny" :lol:

If you come from LEI's only, you might find the Peak4 bridles a challenge to master at first.

If you have had a typical foil kite before, you find Peak4 bridles soooo simple and easy, cant go wrong, can be sorted in a jiffy no matter how much they are tangled, easy peasy.

8) Peter

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby joriws » Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:59 am

Flyboy wrote:
Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:53 am
The thing that struck me again about the Peaks: they don't go upwind as aggressively as even a regular wave tube kite, & they don't generate board speed on any point of sail as aggressively as even a regular wave tube kite.
What? Just a couple of weeks ago I snowkite raced with my Peak4 5m against brand new Duotone SLS 12m2 2021-model and Royal Era 12m2 (maybe 2014 or something). I went faster and higher upwind course around 30kn (50-60km/h) board speeds.. both LEIs were same speed and same course and traditionally turned downwind haulers, but LEI friends wanted to check if new 2021 is better than old LEI, it was not.

If you cannot match or beat wave LEI on Peak *you* should focus on sheeting the kite as I beat freeride LEIs easily without any sweat.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby bragnouff » Mon Apr 12, 2021 10:36 am

Maybe it's different on the snow but it would also be my opinion that, when kitefoiling, my 9m wave LEI has better upwind abilities than the 5m Peak4. I also think it would have a higher top speed, although the limiting factor for that is in my thick surf foil which tends to max out at about 22-23 kts when pushing it hard, so top speed isn't really a factor there. I'm pretty sure I can point a bit higher with the LEI, which seems to have a wider wind window, and more forward pull on the edge of the window. (definitely noticeable when body dragging out).
Ease of use, setup and downwind abilities of the Peak still make it my first choice for foiling.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby vakiter » Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:29 am

upwind on peak not as good as tube in my experience.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby jumptheshark » Mon Apr 12, 2021 12:50 pm

Re upwind.

Lots of factors. Foiling let’s you get away with tiny Peaks. I mean I’m always alone out there when using the blue ones and others on 12-15+m kites only show up when I’m on the orange ones. In some cases there is more than 10m diff in kite size! When foiling in their sweet spot I find them way worse upwind compared to racing closed cell foils but similar to foilers on tubes.

To max the upwind on say a surfboard you gotta be powered. Like two sizes up from ideal foiling size. Like Peter mentioned, hard to mitigate flapping while on land type of powered. I feel like I could make it upwind on a 6m peak in say 16 knots on a surfboard where a tube kiter on 9m would likely make similar upwind progress. In only 16 knots most at our beaches are still on 12’s.

No doubt tubes and closed cell foils are easier to get upwind, but you gotta compare in similar power range. Was out on snow with a buddy on a new 11m pivot/skis, me on a 6m peak and snowboard. He killed me upwind in light air but there is far less difference once powered. Now if he was only on a 9m he still would have had it better on skis but with less discrepancy.

It’s pretty easy to oversheet small kites and basically peaks are small. To get the best upwind angle requires more effort to keep from choking them.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby Horst Sergio » Mon Apr 12, 2021 2:03 pm

Well, about upwind,

I think it is always important not to compare apples and oranges, so not a Peak4 that is made to go downwind uphill and we use in waves with some unknown tube or lei that could be a preformance freeride but maybe at least is not a model designed for waves which would be a fair comparion in my eyes.

But checking my old video, you find upwind anlges for
viewtopic.php?f=197&t=2401224&p=1039724#p1039724
5 m² in dirty inland winds close to 50°against the wind in about 17-23 knts

And in the following picture
3 m² preserial in higher winds close to 45° (the worse angles have been of a 2,5 m² firefly) in about 24-30 knts
Upwind-Peak4;3m vs. Firefly2,5m.jpg
If anybody has a wave dedicated tube, just post the upwind angles via tracking pictures and we talk about numbers. :wink:

But so far I would say best angles around 50° close to 45° on a very low drag foil is not that bad, isn't it. :naughty:

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby elguapo » Mon Apr 12, 2021 4:00 pm

i'm also curious also about upwind angles on low aspect kites or anything that site deep in wind window like a peak4..
i'm guessing all would be similar

i've foiled on BRM clouds, a Aluula Roam, CA's wave kites,a hybrid single skin ....used " surf kites" and drifters years ago.

i wouldnt call upwind ability a "positive" for any of them(like a peak4).. at least compared to a medium aspect flysurfer soul or the higher aspect VMG kite

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby Flyboy » Mon Apr 12, 2021 6:35 pm

With my wave kites - moderately powered - I liked to ride upwind for a while then turn around & ride more off the wind, riding toeside/frontside banking off the swell. Periodically, for kicks, I would sine the kite a few times, head a little off the wind & go for max speed for a few hundred metres, followed by forcing the foil back upwind. I felt very sure that I reached the limit of the foil's potential speed - the limiting factor being the drag from the foil, rather than drag from the kite.

With the Peaks (6m & 4m) I don't feel like I am able to reach the speed limit of the foil because the kite itself defines the limit. It doesn't matter how I sheet the kite or what angle I choose - I don't feel like I'm going "max speed". No scientific evidence of this - I'm generally foiling alone, so not able to compare angles & speed with other foilers & no GPS mapping angles & speed. I assume that a dedicated race foil (& also a higher aspect tube kite, like an Edge) would generate speed, especially upwind speed, much more efficiently than either a Peak or a wave kite.

The payoff with the Peaks, of course, is the effortless downwind control & drift.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak 4

Postby LeoLeal » Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:51 pm

I few weeks ago I did a Upwind and Downwind track. I went with a Peak4 8m² and a friend of mine with R1 10m². That day I was ride a H3 Slingshot (65cm / 650cm²) and my friend a 633. The wind was around 11m². We ridden 73 km Upwind and Downwind.
I'm a intermediate rider and my friend is one of the 5 best hydrofoil race rider in Brazil.
This is my observation:
- The angle difference that a R1 do compared with a Peak4 it's almost the same angle we using Peak4 can do compared with someone using a surfboard and a Lei. Of course that my friend it's way better than me but the equipment it's in another level.
- in the other hand in the Downwind track I could follow him not on the same level but didn't stayed behind.


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