can you unhook with the peak?

[edt]

So I've been searching for that psycho4 from flysurfer to get a wakestyle foil kite, but just too old, not enough made.

I know the peak sits very deep in the wind window does it have any pop at all? Or is it gutless when you unhook.

[jumptheshark]

I unhook with peaks on snow all the time. You can get a nice pop, but not the same as a kite with more lift. It’s a pure line tension pop and there is not much extra from the kite shooting forward.

Also unhook a fair bit on water while foiling but not popping.

They keep flying forward really well and are pretty great for unhooked swell riding but likely not much of a wakestyle kite. Nice for the odd grab or little s bend but not competitive with any proper C kite.

This is super light wind…. Maybe 10-11 knots, but you can appreciate how well it flies unhooked.


https://youtube.com/shorts/UZ4UMEtsnyM?feature=share

[Cefirmeza]

I unhook with peaks on snow all the time. You can get a nice pop, but not the same as a kite with more lift. It’s a pure line tension pop and there is not much extra from the kite shooting forward.

Also unhook a fair bit on water while foiling but not popping.

They keep flying forward really well and are pretty great for unhooked swell riding but likely not much of a wakestyle kite. Nice for the odd grab or little s bend but not competitive with any proper C kite.

This is super light wind…. Maybe 10-11 knots, but you can appreciate how well it flies unhooked.


https://youtube.com/shorts/UZ4UMEtsnyM?feature=share

Do you use any backstall on your peaks? I know it comes to personal preference but I think it may be useful for tight loops and generating power spike after releasing it from deep of wind window.

As a new user would be interesting to see how experienced users set up bar lines lenght and attachment knots on front and backlines. (4m and 6m preferably)

On small tube kites I set it up for decent backstall and I reduce it by just pulling depower until I may be able to unhook with any backstall.

[Peter_Frank]

I assume it is a general question Cefirmeza , and not about unhooked?

With the 4 m2 Peak4 you can not set it up so it does not backstall, as the sheeting range from depowered to stalled is supershort, and you dont want to ride with arms bent always.

Regarding knots - it doesnt matter.

Set the kite up in "typical" conditions, and find the point where it starts to backstall, and sheet out and find where it starts to flap.

This is the range you will use while riding, so trim on your knots (on whatever bar you use, if the original bar I ad to shorten the rear lines a lot), so you have the bar in your personal most comfortable distance from your hook, when you ride.

I prefer to have it far out, so I can carve hard and ride waves, in a natural stance, and I can land it backstalling without using the trim adjuster at all, easy and nice.

Others want to have the bar closer to their body, so impossible to give advice - you have to find out yourself.

Key point is, the sheeting distance is supershort on the 4 and also short on the 6 m2, so just trim the kites so it is pleasant for you to ride these super kites

Peter

[edt]

Thanks for the detailed answer you helped me tremendously

[Flyboy]

The Peak4 isn't the "greatest kite ever" ... not even close. And it's not an "allrounder" - it's a specialized kite that does some things exceptionally well & is really unsuited for other things ... like unhooked freestyle!

Key point is, the sheeting distance is supershort on the 4 and also short on the 6 m2, so just trim the kites so it is pleasant for you to ride these super kites

Peter

As I see it Peaks have a couple of outstanding performance characteristics. The first is extremely light weight - this makes them very drifty in a way that I don't think any kite can match. The second is the short sheeting distance - this gives you an exceptionally sensitive control of the power in the kite. The combination of these two things allows you to carve downwind turns effortlessly in the waves or swell - you never have to worry about the kite, its' always exactly where you need it to be. Reverting to an LEI after using Peaks, you realize how much more effort is required to fly the kite - you adjust to it ... but it requires a lot more rider input.

[jumptheshark]

The question was unhooking.

I don’t imagine their much fun on a tt at all but on snow or foil they unhook super well. Phenomenal drift, ultra low weight and light but precise control make a world of difference to riding unhooked.

I bet they are great fun with any efficient small wave surfboard or for downwinders on performance shapes.

FWIW you ride em a size up on snow and they sit deep so they pop plenty enough for anyone capable to handle pass.

[grigorib]

So I've been searching for that psycho4 from flysurfer to get a wakestyle foil kite, but just too old, not enough made.

I know the peak sits very deep in the wind window does it have any pop at all? Or is it gutless when you unhook.

I have an original pre-Lotus 10m Speed4 in excellent condition if you’d like. It was rather an extension to Psycho line, after Psycho4 than an addition to Speed line.

A/B/Z bridle rows only, simplified bridles, less pulleys, battens on the leading edge, no silly jetflaps, lengthwise LE tension line - lots of innovation which didn’t make it out again till the Sonic.

[edt]

So I've been searching for that psycho4 from flysurfer to get a wakestyle foil kite, but just too old, not enough made.

I know the peak sits very deep in the wind window does it have any pop at all? Or is it gutless when you unhook.

I have an original pre-Lotus 10m Speed4 in excellent condition if you’d like. It was rather an extension to Psycho line, after Psycho4 than an addition to Speed line.

A/B/Z bridle rows only, simplified bridles, less pulleys, battens on the leading edge, no silly jetflaps, lengthwise LE tension line - lots of innovation which didn’t make it out again till the Sonic.

Interesting. I'll have to research that kite

[grigorib]

So I've been searching for that psycho4 from flysurfer to get a wakestyle foil kite, but just too old, not enough made.

I know the peak sits very deep in the wind window does it have any pop at all? Or is it gutless when you unhook.

I have an original pre-Lotus 10m Speed4 in excellent condition if you’d like. It was rather an extension to Psycho line, after Psycho4 than an addition to Speed line.

A/B/Z bridle rows only, simplified bridles, less pulleys, battens on the leading edge, no silly jetflaps, lengthwise LE tension line - lots of innovation which didn’t make it out again till the Sonic.

Interesting. I'll have to research that kite

Chris rides same kite on east shores of Lake Michigan.
The original Speed4 was a nice preview into foil kites future before Lotus took all of us back to Speed3 stencils and unnecessary complexity.
And it’s more of freeride kite like Psycho was.
I guess the only advanced thing this kite is missing are micro ribs at the trailing edge, those were so nice to see later