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Flysurfer Peak Size

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martrench
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Re: Flysurfer Peak Size

Postby martrench » Fri Mar 18, 2022 1:07 am

Great info here - curious, what sizes of Peak 5s are equivalent to 6m and 8m Flysurfer Souls?

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Re: Flysurfer Peak Size

Postby drsurf » Fri Mar 18, 2022 1:36 pm

martrench wrote:
Fri Mar 18, 2022 1:07 am
Great info here - curious, what sizes of Peak 5s are equivalent to 6m and 8m Flysurfer Souls?
Souls and Peaks have such different characteristics it's hard to draw a comparison. I can use a 5m Peak5 in conditions I need an 8m or 10m Soul. Not so much that the Soul isn't powerful, it's more that the Peak kites are faster and more responsive especially in the turns. You can get enough punch out of the Peaks 6m and under to get you out of the water and up onto the foil.

Remember twin skin foils and inflatable kites have a volume of trapped air as well as a heavier weight overall compared to the Peaks. This makes a considerable difference along with the fact that the Peak kites fly deeper in the window which keeps the power more consistent.

I keep saying this and I'll repeat it again, if you ride any foil apart from small race foils, beg, borrow or buy a Peak4 or Peak5 kite, preferably 6m or below and try it yourself. You can't go wrong even if you buy it and don't like it as the second hand market for Peaks is good. But trying a Peak4 or Peak5 is the only way to really understand why users rave about them. They are so good that it's hard to understand why everyone isn't foiling with them :D
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tmcfarla
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Re: Flysurfer Peak Size

Postby tmcfarla » Fri Mar 18, 2022 4:38 pm

martrench wrote:
Fri Mar 18, 2022 1:07 am
Great info here - curious, what sizes of Peak 5s are equivalent to 6m and 8m Flysurfer Souls?
Really hard to compare low-end of peaks to anything else. They are overall sort of “weak” kites, which you’d think would work against low-end, but they turn so fast and hang in lulls so well that they end up getting you up in conditions that would typically require a much larger kite. If you can barely get up on a 5m peak, you would probably also be barely getting up on a much larger non-peak kite, but you will have a lot less power when up on the peak. This is either a good or a bad thing depending on conditions and preferences. One of my best kiting sessions ever required paddling my foil board out through small waves with my 5m peak hanging limply in the sky in what felt like no wind (5-ish knots?) and then using kite plus wave to get up on the foil. Once up I could link several waves and repeat. No way I could get any other kite in the air in those winds, let alone foiling. But at the same time, if you want power at the low end, peaks don’t provide that. Depends what you are looking for.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak Size

Postby Trent hink » Fri Mar 18, 2022 7:57 pm

My opinion is that the peaks (especially the 6 meter and smaller) have excellent low-end power, but none of the "lift" that one might expect to come along with that.

So as others have mentioned, they are a bit weird.

They do sit relatively far back in the wind window in actual use. But on a hydrofoil it is not obvious at all unless you use one right alongside someone with similar weight and gear who is using a kite with roughly similar power.

Using a Peak, you won't get anywhere close to the same upwind angles as practically any other kite.

In the end, this drawback has very little impact for anyone who can understand where these kites excell.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak Size

Postby jumptheshark » Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:53 am

I rate their upwind similar to C kites and wave kites.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak Size

Postby drsurf » Sat Mar 19, 2022 4:39 am

Because hydrofoils go upwind so well compared to TT and surf boards, the Peak kites upwind ability ceases to become an issue and is easily comparable to LEI kites. The new Peak5 kites in my experience point a few degrees higher than the Peak4 kites.

What is an issue, and a positive one at that, is the capability of Peak kites to go way deeper downwind without falling from the sky or requiring inordinate skill. This is the secret sauce of Peak kites where they will just hang in the air with minimal pull and attention while you surf small waves and chop like a downwind SUP or wingding.
Except unlike the SUP and wingding you can use a small board, smaller foil and get back upwind with speed and minimal effort to repeat the fun again :D

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Re: Flysurfer Peak Size

Postby lezo » Sat Mar 19, 2022 3:15 pm

tmcfarla wrote:
Fri Mar 18, 2022 4:38 pm
... One of my best kiting sessions ever required paddling my foil board out through small waves with my 5m peak hanging limply in the sky in what felt like no wind (5-ish knots?) and then using kite plus wave to get up on the foil. Once up I could link several waves and repeat. No way I could get any other kite in the air in those winds, let alone foiling.
I have installed recently my middle/high aspect 850cm2 kiting foil on my ancient 80l North LTD raceboard for winging, and it's working great.
Recently I went out with this combo in around 5kts with my 8m Peak4. The only other person out was with an around 20m racing foil kite that fell in the water in one of the sub 5kts lulls. The Peak4 stayed happily in the air all along and I could easily go upwind nonfoiling by laying on the board in my rope harness and piloting the kite with one hand. I could get up standing on the board by getting first on my knees, wing style, and looping/pumping myself on the foil in the lightest gusts. Crazy feeling of foiling on flat glassy water, would not have been possible with any other motorless gear, I guess.
We have often nice ocean swell in these 5tks conditions, next time I will try to foilsurf this way, as you did!

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Re: Flysurfer Peak Size

Postby nothing2seehere » Mon Mar 21, 2022 11:42 am

For those who push the low end of the Peak, any tips for better upwind. Its the only kite I've ridden where in low wind I can't keep upwind even though I can up onto the foil (e.g. was probably 15-18knots on the 4m Peak and 1100 front wing). I can't remember really having this problem with other kites. Its normally a case that where I can get onto the foil I can ride back upwind. Maybe its a skill thing and I'm used to having power in the harness but definitely felt like I couldn't get any apparent wind.

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Re: Flysurfer Peak Size

Postby Peter_Frank » Mon Mar 21, 2022 1:17 pm

I dont know, have never had the issue...

Only when using short lines 16 m on the 3 or 4 m2, then I could start, but lost room for jibing or upwind.

So I use 21 meter lines on the small ones because of this - so much more ease in terms of power, which tranlates into upwind angle in real life.
Contrary to racers who use overpowered kites and short lines, for upwind performance.

Do you use the standard 21 m lines?

You could also go to short lines ONLY when powered a lot, if you like these, and use normal lines for the low end or medium winds.

8) Peter

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Re: Flysurfer Peak Size

Postby nothing2seehere » Mon Mar 21, 2022 2:44 pm

I'm using a different bar but there are 22m lines on that bar.

I had thought that longer lines in general made the kite sit further back though. Maybe the kite is out of tune? I'll find time to do a mixer check but otherwise the kite seems like its flying well (though I don't have a baseline for it as its so much more responsive compared to my other kites)


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