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Foiling kite 8-13kn on a budget

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a99
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Re: Foiling kite 8-13kn on a budget

Postby a99 » Tue Sep 08, 2020 6:52 am

If you are very on budget can get pansh kites, they are very cheap.
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patrelsa (Tue Sep 15, 2020 4:01 am)
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palmbeacher
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Re: Foiling kite 8-13kn on a budget

Postby palmbeacher » Tue Sep 08, 2020 8:37 am

Janus wrote:
Mon Sep 07, 2020 1:35 pm
--disclaimer-- though i recommen the P4 there is no comparison possible in playfulness of the P4 in 5m and the bigger sizes.. they are not playfulness at all.. my experience is with the 11m.. don't know the 8m.
I enjoy the 11m in marginal winds till 12 kts and it is great.. all stated before on the Peak4 topic..
when the wind is 12 kts it's playtime for the 5m but you say you look for 8-13kts.. perhaps an P4 8m will do the trick but try it first is my advice.
And indeed a bigger surf wing will bring the best for wave riding and the drift of the Peak's
The 8m P4 is a super slooooow and booooring kite! I sold mine after 2 sessions. I would recommend a secondhand 11m Chrono v2 or Soul for marginal wind conditions.
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Re: Foiling kite 8-13kn on a budget

Postby drsurf » Tue Sep 08, 2020 11:26 am

If you want to play in the waves, especially if your wind is light and gusty, a Flysurfer Peak4 is a no brainer. No other kite comes close in terms of drift and gust handling which makes wave riding fun and relatively easy. Your foil could a bit small for wave riding so take that into consideration. Try a wave oriented foil like a Moses 633 or 679 to get a comparison with your current foil.

The comment above about an 8m Peak4 being slow and boring is somewhat misleading. For fast turning and drift in waves a Chrono or or Soul would be even slower and nowhere near as responsive sheeting in or out to power up or depower. However if you wanted to cruise at high speed in a relatively straight line and point high as well, then a twin skin foil like the Soul will be better. Your foil may limit you here as well though as it's a compromise foil that is neither designed for surf or speed.

The Peak4 is very inexpensive and you can buy a couple for the cost of an LEI kite. Worth trying the Peak4 first as even if you don't like it you'll have no problems selling it. There's a popular thread of nearly 150 pages here viewtopic.php?f=197&t=2401224 which will give you a good idea of what a Peak4 can do. Plenty of happy Peak4 owners :D

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Re: Foiling kite 8-13kn on a budget

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Sep 08, 2020 12:05 pm

Agree fully with drsurf.

Yes, the Peak4 in 3 and 4 and 5 m2 is amazing in waves and for overall flatwater fun too.

I have had the 8 and 11 also, the 11 not my cup of tea as I got other (expensive) kites for this, marginal winds.

But the 8 was dissapointing at first try, as I expected a 5 m2 just more power.
Which it is not.
But it has grown on me, so used extremely often, my goto kite for all foiling, when wind below 12 knots.

Fast to rig, fast to pack, turns okay and a lot faster than the double skin high aspect kites, and it drifts like nothing else, besides almost impossible to get down in the water.
Downside is you have less peak power, as its forward flying speed is lower, so for marginal winds it is not the kite.

But as this thread was about 8-13 knots, and not marginal wind, it could fit.

The double skin foil kites cost twice as much, some of them more.

8) Peter

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Re: Foiling kite 8-13kn on a budget

Postby jaros » Tue Sep 08, 2020 12:38 pm

I also have a 8m2 Peak. I bought it after being impressed with the 5 and 4. Yes, it is slow, feels havy and not at all as fun as the smaller Pekas. But it does the job done when there is not enough wind for the 5 to get me out of the water.
I found out that it is important to have enough depower trim on the bar for the 8, unlike the bar for the smaller Peaks, where I allmost do not need depower trim at all. I usually fly the 8 with the front lines much shorter than the back lines, while on the 5 and 4 the lines are equal or even the back lines a bit shorter.

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Re: Foiling kite 8-13kn on a budget

Postby Tomlutz » Wed Sep 09, 2020 7:48 am

lightwind wrote:
Mon Sep 07, 2020 8:45 pm
Check the Gong Unik or Strutless. I have both of them and Strutless in size 10 is perfect for light wind foiling. Unik size 10.2 also. Very budget friendly and good quality kites.
I have the Gong 10m strutless but don't find it easy / quick to relaunch below 9 knots. Maybe my lack of experience, it does require a different techique. I also have the Peak 4 in 13m which is a very good kite, but relaunch only possible if you are lucky. You might consider a Pansh Genesis in 12m, because really low budget. It does its job well, is very easy to fly, but slow turning and the inner structure is not strong enough and will rip if you crash it. - Tom

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Re: Foiling kite 8-13kn on a budget

Postby chibern » Wed Sep 09, 2020 6:27 pm

Are you saying 8-13kt as in 8 is the lull and 13 is the gust so an average of 10-11kt? If so, no need to buy a new kite (unless you really want too!) I think your 12 Neo would work fine. When the wind is that range, I usually ride a 12m LEI - intermediate foiler, 88kg, LF Thruster foil, flat water (this could be the difference).

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Re: Foiling kite 8-13kn on a budget

Postby Jyoder » Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:19 pm

One kiter’s 8-13knots is another’s 10-15 is another’s 6-10 knots.

I kited the other day when all the meters said 7 knots, but I didn’t have struggle to start, then a few days later the meters said 11 but I couldn’t start without working hard.

Light wind Numerical measurements are unreliable at best.
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Re: Foiling kite 8-13kn on a budget

Postby UKSurf » Thu Sep 10, 2020 11:42 am

Try to pick up a larger surf style foil and single strut kite second hand. If you live in an area with consistent winds then in 8 knots you could probably get away with a regular 12m especially with a larger foil. You only really need a light weight kite if there is a risk of a lull in the wind.

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Re: Foiling kite 8-13kn on a budget

Postby Jzh_perth » Thu Sep 10, 2020 1:09 pm

I’m 200lbs and absolutely froth about my P4 13m in sub 10. Greatest kite ever (for heavy guys who like mellow foiling).

If you don’t want a foil kite my buddy of similar weight does very well on an Airush Ultra. I think they are more expensive than the Peak however.


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