Flysurfer Peak4 in 5 m2, truly stoked

[Peter_Frank]

No, powerspike is not what makes some kites jump higher and longer.

It is the ability to redirect, combined with lift on the profile, and somewhat AR influences too.

So a fast flying kite with no grunt and lots of depower, typically wave kites (okay, one of two wavetypes, the other is the grunty ones sitting deep), dont jump well and drop like a rock.

Interesting why we have so different experiences on this, powerspike of the Peak4

Will see over time how it works out, but for me the rapid powerspike on demand, and especially the ability to STOP the spike almost instantly, is key for me.

Closed cell foils more powerspike, definitely, but LEIs, I dont see this happening.
If a freestyle almost C like kite, yes the loop might have more spike, but for depower wavekites I find the Peaks got more peak

Using 21 m lines with high V and not a thick frontline so not much drag.

Havent ridden with other linelengths though.

Peter

[max]

Using 21 m lines with high V and not a thick frontline so not much drag.

Havent ridden with other linelengths though.

Peter

I ride with no deposed strap . . . just long trim and low V and seems fine.

would be interesting to see whether the 5m peak flies different with high V.

[Peter_Frank]

I cant imagine it means anything, on such a small kite, the location of the V

I will make some comparisons when possible, to test powerspike.

But you need to test different sizes, as a 3 m2 Peak4 corresponds to a 5 m2 LEI wavekite, or maybe a 4½ m2, in terms of its sweetspot, it seems.

And a 5 m2 Peak4 is a 7 or 8 m2 LEI, right?

Havent got sufficient experience yet to say for sure, but these are the sizes the powerspike should be compared to.

The smaller the kite the more powerspike.

Peter

[max]

I cant imagine it means anything, on such a small kite, the location of the V

I will make some comparisons when possible, to test powerspike.

But you need to test different sizes, as a 3 m2 Peak4 corresponds to a 5 m2 LEI wavekite, or maybe a 4½ m2, in terms of its sweetspot, it seems.

And a 5 m2 Peak4 is a 7 or 8 m2 LEI, right?

Havent got sufficient experience yet to say for sure, but these are the sizes the powerspike should be compared to.

The smaller the kite the more powerspike.

Peter

I think
the 3m equates to about a 4 to 4.5 kite so far
the 4m to maybe a 5.5
the 5m to at least a 7m

I do not find the 5m nice to fly at its top end . . . though it felt better one time when I was on a faster wing and it was quite powered.

As for jumping, I was surprised after people say that they do not jump. I agree that they do not jump as well as the LEI but you can get some air. This I need more practice with when it comes to the peaks. Really, it is more out of interest . . . obviously jumping performance was not the reason I went and bought the peaks

[drsurf]

Using 21 m lines with high V and not a thick frontline so not much drag.

Havent ridden with other linelengths though.

Peter

I ride with no deposed strap . . . just long trim and low V and seems fine.

would be interesting to see whether the 5m peak flies different with high V.

I had a customer try a 5m Peak4 on the the Flysurfer Connect Bar with the high V and then on his own bar with a low V back to back. He couldn't discern any difference.

[drsurf]

On the subject of power and powerspikes, I think the difference between the Peak4 and other kites is due to the extreme light weight. This makes the kites incredibly responsive under conditions where other kites will pause momentarily in comparison before they turn or accelerate. The light weight gives the Peak4 a different feel to the powerspike as the kite can accelerate to maximum speed quicker as there is less inertia to overcome. This gives the smaller Peak4 kites an almost telepathic control capability, you can just think about where you want the kite in the window and it's there!

To summarise, as Peter has found after being told that to understand a Peak4 and it's amazing capabilities you have to fly it, guess what, Peter flew the Peak4 and it was amazing!

I think everyone who has a Peak4 has a responsibility to give other kite foilers a fly. If nothing else it will reduce the amount of questions asked about the Peak4 on this forum I think you could say it's a "fly it you'll like it" kite.

[jumptheshark]

Armin has pointed out that the toe points are pretty close together at the kite on peaks compared to say sonics, so he thinks there is no real difference between high y and low v on the peaks, and any difference there is gets less significant in the smaller sizes compared to say the 11 and 13.

Made sense to me. Line length is another interesting variable. Tested the 5m on 17m lines and with the bridles thats about 21m total. I hope to leave that bar on the kite, but will try longer lines to see how much that effects low end start.

What a sweet kite to fly. Haven't put up a foil kite in YEARS and this was super simple and straight forward. You get dialled into the power production, stall, oversheet and general temperament within minutes. What a nice piece of gear.

Quick stupid question for FS people. The bride ends with un unsheathed spliced loop with a tiny steep ring on it. Do you use those bridle ends as both knot and loop? as in the steel ring acts as a knot or is just superfluous when you use the spliced loop as a larks head. Coming from most LEI stuff, it feels weird to larks head to and with unsheathed line.

To the post above, I totally get it. You have to fly one, even just on the beach. Zero inertia is awesome. I loved the jump down in inertia when going to clouds, but this is another level.... or two!

[tomtom]

Quiting PF "and especially the ability to STOP the spike almost instantly, is key for me"
THIS! - it is absolutely unprecedented level of on demand instant control over kite.

I recently fly brand new 5m on connect high Y bar and it flied different than mine low V. More solid. It can be from bridal stretch/shrink.
I put down b safe line /cross bridal from kite not 5th line on bar/ from all my Peaks because it eventually start deform tips. I think that maybe it wont happend with high Y bar because pinching force from high Y compensate for this uneven stretch. Also Y + cross bridal line make structure somehow and make kite more solid. This is all speculation but it seems to me like this flying it back to back. Nevertheless both work totally fine - i just have more solid feel and look from Y than V. Very similar to LEI - where low V allow to open C and twist LE where Y is more solid cause pinch force hold C closed in turn.

How high in WW your peaks sits while riding? Mine are deeper than NEO LEIs

[tomtom]

Armin has pointed out that the toe points are pretty close together at the kite on peaks compared to say sonics, so he thinks there is no real difference between high y and low v on the peaks, and any difference there is gets less significant in the smaller sizes compared to say the 11 and 13.

Made sense to me. Line length is another interesting variable. Tested the 5m on 17m lines and with the bridles thats about 21m total. I hope to leave that bar on the kite, but will try longer lines to see how much that effects low end start.

What a sweet kite to fly. Haven't put up a foil kite in YEARS and this was super simple and straight forward. You get dialled into the power production, stall, oversheet and general temperament within minutes. What a nice piece of gear.

Quick stupid question for FS people. The bride ends with un unsheathed spliced loop with a tiny steep ring on it. Do you use those bridle ends as both knot and loop? as in the steel ring acts as a knot or is just superfluous when you use the spliced loop as a larks head. Coming from most LEI stuff, it feels weird to larks head to and with unsheathed line.

To the post above, I totally get it. You have to fly one, even just on the beach. Zero inertia is awesome. I loved the jump down in inertia when going to clouds, but this is another level.... or two!

Yes you use metal ring as stopper so you have loops on both front and back lines. No kook proof. Original FS bar have so different front and back lines that it is impossible to switch and most people dont disconnect bar at all.

[Peter_Frank]

Snip...

Quick stupid question for FS people. The bridle ends with an unsheathed spliced loop with a tiny steep ring on it. Do you use those bridle ends as both knot and loop? as in the steel ring acts as a knot or is just superfluous when you use the spliced loop as a larks head. Coming from most LEI stuff, it feels weird to larks head to and with unsheathed line.

To the post above, I totally get it. You have to fly one, even just on the beach. Zero inertia is awesome. I loved the jump down in inertia when going to clouds, but this is another level.... or two!

I like the way its made, as it is universal and you dont need a knot-loop adapter (piece of thin rope so easy, but it will get lost...).

Meaning you can use a loop on all four lines if you want, using the steel ring on the bridles as a knot (that is the default setup with the delivered bar actually).

But cleverly, you can also make loops on either the front or the rear bridles, depending on your own bar, because of the spliced loop which can be used as a larks head.

So it can be used as is, on every bar, even if you had a bar with knots only, meaning knots on all 4 line ends

I use the rings as knots on mine, till now, but when I use another bar I will use a pair of them as larks heads instead.

Peter