Postby Regis-de-giens » Thu Jan 19, 2023 10:47 pm
first test yesterday , 30 minutes on the beach in 4-6 knots, then 10 minutes on a hydrofoil in 10-20 knots irregular;
kite weight approx 3.2 kg, to be confirmed with a better scale;
in very light wind, we feel a bit the weight compared to Pulsion; it requires more wind to inflate and stabilize ate zenith without bar input ; the rotation and loop are excellent; one one the best I tested, in the same range as F-one Halo if not better ; tunes short, no latency, gives both power and glide. It seems extremely encouraging for waterstart in light winds for those who master loops. When parked at zenith if you let the bar go , like most high AR kite it tends to loose its lift, backstall ; so under 7 knots you need to keep it in hand and work it a little bit which could degrade your ability to swim out of shore in onshore winds.
During my "medium - high wind" ride on the hydrofoil, water start was easy; kite sable despite wind variations (I normally choose LEI on this spot wit this wind direction for this reason); tack transition seem very easy thanks to good combination between lift and agility ; only one small jump " to test ; it seems very easy and intuitive : easy sending of the kite thanks to its deposed, good-average hang time, extremely efficient redirection of the kite to launch the jump;
I put kite twice in the water, and relaunch was rapid, efficient with 2 different technics, so this seem to show a good relaunch ability (provided a minimum wind compared to Pulsion due to its higher weight certainly). bar pressure seems well balanced, to be confirmed during a longue ride.
Overall kite seems very efficient on a foil provided some rider skills like knowing foil kites and mastering loops for waterstart in light wind; higher skills than the poug-and-play Pulsion but more tolerant/ easy than sonci3; a bit comparable to Gins Spirit; speed and angle to wind is excellent, like the comfort even in irregular wind ; when looking at wind measures of 20 knot, I was not at all overpowered , so deposed seems very efficient;
I estimate my low end to 7 knots; maybe 6 with "risky ride" or once out of the shore ; because its limit maybe getting away from shore ; because on the others hand, the power delivered during loops will certainly allow a lot of power to waterstart ; I would not be surprised if low ends would be 7 knots even for heavier riders , given above reasons.
I ended the session earlier than I planned ... instant wind drop to 2 knots in 3 seconds, kite in the water , wind inversion 180 degree in 5 minutes; kite is easy to roll in water thanks to the large central zip ; but I was 500 meter off shore , it was at sunshine, light went almost dark after 30 minutes swim, trying to go back to shore, when a rescue boat came to catch me and finally found me, at night ...
Kite is very beautiful , happy of this session even with this stressing end.