Flysurfer Peak 3
Yogprasad Moneta
The new Flysurfer Peak5 has been announced flysurfer.com/project/peak5/
Keenly awaiting my shipment from Flysurfer. However COVID and supply chain issues have meant delays and shortages of stock for one of the most popular kites in the past 2 years. I still have some Peak4 kites in stock however
The performance characteristics of the Peak5 should make it even better for foiling, building on what was already a fantastic kite in the Peak4. The new 2.5m size should give us lightweight kiters an even better top end. Can't wait
Finally I have received some sizes of Peak5 from Flysurfer, a few 5m, 6m, 8m and 13m so far. Not yet my favourite sizes of 4m and 2.5m (was 3m P4)
I was able to supply some of my customer orders and have a few Peak5's left and I kept a 5m for demo and myself. So after useless wind for a week I was able to fly the 5m a few times and see what difference there is compared to the Peak4.
Visually the Peak5's look good with new colours, new material, changes in the bridling and different bags. Slightly lighter as well. I rigged the 5m Peak5 on the Flysurfer Connect bar with 21m lines and hot launched it. Just flying the kite on the shore it feels a bit different, a little more responsive and punchy. I grabbed my foil with a new SABFoil W800 wing and went foiling. Immediately the the kite had more grunt getting me out of the water and onto the foil. It felt tighter and more responsive in the air and most of all had the light Peak feel but even better than the Peak4 equivalent Also virtually no flapping in the 10 -15 knot wind even when sheeted out.
A friend who weighs about 30kg more than my 65kg was on a 5m Peak4 so I gave him a go on the Peak5 as a back to back test. He confirmed what I found with the additional power, responsiveness and lack of flapping. To be honest when used correctly I don't really have flapping with my Peak4 kites but the canopy felt and looked smoother and tighter on the Peak5. My friend also crashed the kite into the water but was able to quickly reverse launch and then spin the kite to get it flying again
I also had a run in dying wind which was so light that I could barely keep the kite in the air when I gybed. I really had trouble getting going again after I dropped off the foil especially since I was only using an 840 sq cm high aspect foil. To the kites credit it was fast enough and powerful enough even in this sub 8 knot wind to just get me foiling again and the apparent wind made it feel like the wind was stronger. Until I got to the shore and came in where I found walking toward the kite downwind made it nearly fall from the sky unless I sheeted right out. For a 5m kite I was impressed. It definitely seems more efficient than the Peak4 in marginal wind and subjectively I felt the kite pointed a couple of degrees higher going upwind.
So far I haven't been able to put much time on this Peak5, but so far what flying time I have had show it has definitely improved on the Peak4. It's not so significant an improvement that you would bin your Peak4 kites and go all out Peak5. For a start the kites are in short supply and half the sizes have not been available yet. I love my Peak4's, they have made foiling more fun as well as simpler, easier and cheaper. I still have some Peak4 stock available in sizes I've yet to see in the Peak5. However it's good to know improvements are easy to notice in a new kite and the price increase for the new kites has been minimal. Love these Peak kites
If you're coming down the South Coast feel free to contact me for a demo.
Select to expand quotedrsurf said..
Finally I have received some sizes of Peak5 from Flysurfer, a few 5m, 6m, 8m and 13m so far. Not yet my favourite sizes of 4m and 2.5m (was 3m P4)
I was able to supply some of my customer orders and have a few Peak5's left and I kept a 5m for demo and myself. So after useless wind for a week I was able to fly the 5m a few times and see what difference there is compared to the Peak4.
Visually the Peak5's look good with new colours, new material, changes in the bridling and different bags. Slightly lighter as well. I rigged the 5m Peak5 on the Flysurfer Connect bar with 21m lines and hot launched it. Just flying the kite on the shore it feels a bit different, a little more responsive and punchy. I grabbed my foil with a new SABFoil W800 wing and went foiling. Immediately the the kite had more grunt getting me out of the water and onto the foil. It felt tighter and more responsive in the air and most of all had the light Peak feel but even better than the Peak4 equivalent Also virtually no flapping in the 10 -15 knot wind even when sheeted out.
A friend who weighs about 30kg more than my 65kg was on a 5m Peak4 so I gave him a go on the Peak5 as a back to back test. He confirmed what I found with the additional power, responsiveness and lack of flapping. To be honest when used correctly I don't really have flapping with my Peak4 kites but the canopy felt and looked smoother and tighter on the Peak5. My friend also crashed the kite into the water but was able to quickly reverse launch and then spin the kite to get it flying again
I also had a run in dying wind which was so light that I could barely keep the kite in the air when I gybed. I really had trouble getting going again after I dropped off the foil especially since I was only using an 840 sq cm high aspect foil. To the kites credit it was fast enough and powerful enough even in this sub 8 knot wind to just get me foiling again and the apparent wind made it feel like the wind was stronger. Until I got to the shore and came in where I found walking toward the kite downwind made it nearly fall from the sky unless I sheeted right out. For a 5m kite I was impressed. It definitely seems more efficient than the Peak4 in marginal wind and subjectively I felt the kite pointed a couple of degrees higher going upwind.
So far I haven't been able to put much time on this Peak5, but so far what flying time I have had show it has definitely improved on the Peak4. It's not so significant an improvement that you would bin your Peak4 kites and go all out Peak5. For a start the kites are in short supply and half the sizes have not been available yet. I love my Peak4's, they have made foiling more fun as well as simpler, easier and cheaper. I still have some Peak4 stock available in sizes I've yet to see in the Peak5. However it's good to know improvements are easy to notice in a new kite and the price increase for the new kites has been minimal. Love these Peak kites
If you're coming down the South Coast feel free to contact me for a demo.
The Batton's on the Peak5 are longer than the Peak4 by about 50cm, this may be the reason the Peak5 doesn't flap as much
I've had the full range of Peak5 kites in stock for a couple of weeks now, (should have been here in December)
Anyway my favourite sizes, the 2.5m, (previously 3m in Peak4), and 4m have stayed in their bags as the wind has not cooperated and I was doubtful there would be enough wind at the end of this season to test the smaller kites.
However today was the day I'd been waiting for, a forecast of a decent sea breeze maybe over 20 knots!
When I got to the beach the wind was gusting to 13 knots on my hand held wind meter. Thinking it's got to be more out on the water I optimistically rigged the 2.5m Peak5 on 21m lines while others on the beach rigged 8-9m LEI kites for foiling, 12m LEI's for TT and surfboards and 4m-6m wingdings. For my stats I weigh 65kg and am using a Moses/SABfoil 679 front wing of 990 sq cm.
I hot launched the 2.5m Peak5, which looked like a trainer kite on the beach, and even smaller in the air! It was fast as expected and seemed to have enough power to get me onto the foil. When I got out to deep water the wind seemed to have dropped a bit but I was able pop up onto the foil with relative ease and foil further offshore to where I hoped the wind would be better which it was. It never felt like the wind picked up as much as forecast but I never had a problem staying on the foil even in the lulls. Checking the two live wind report stations within 5km after the session they indicated an average wind speed of 12-15 knots with gusts to 18 knots throughout the afternoon.
So how was 2.5m, the smallest kite on the beach apart from some trainer and toy kites? Amazingly good
I think I could have got by with the 4m Peak5 which I'm yet to foil with, (maybe tomorrow?). But I like to use the smallest kite I can so I can ride the foil more than be dragged by the kite. Some of the time I was sining the kite through the lulls but I had no problem going upwind and then riding the small wind swells back down through the Easter holiday crowd of kitesurfers, wingers and a couple of sailboarders who were vigorously mowing the lawn with the occasional collision. I was able to outpace most of the kitesurfers and other foilers across the wind even with my tiny kite. Granted none of us are top tier wind sports people
And the difference between the new 2.5m Peak5 and the previous 3m Peak4 kite? Not massively different. It's a bit hard to compare exactly after just one session with one kite but I'd say the differences were, the 2.5m Peak5 was faster and more responsive, (no surprise as it's smaller).
The 2.5m required a bit more attention in lulls as I had quite a bit of backstall set into the depower adjustment and it could stall if sheeted in underpowered. To be expected with a smaller kite
Better gust handling with the 2.5m, once again it's smaller so should be better, but it felt like it ran a bit closer to the edge of the window and I never used much depower when the wind was stronger except downwind foiling. Upwind felt a little better.
No noticeable flapping even depowered. This was never really a problem with my 3m Peak4 though as it's more of a technique issue except in ridiculously high wind.
Drift is of course fantastic though the Peak5 feels more responsive to turning when using some depower.
Need more time on these Peak5 kites to really feel the difference. But if you have Peak4 kites they're still good The Peak5 is a little better in my testing so far and the characteristics which have made the Peak kites so good for foiling are now even better.