Nice review and I definitely agree with your points... my current setup is 1 foil kite (Flysurfer) for light wind go everything else is inflatable. Works great for me. Was nice to see a video review like this which really explains the key points clearly. Thanks!
Your friend who kite on foil kite in low offshore wind close to night time was crazy on many levels. My Soul 15m in low wind gets up from water much easier than any LEI kite I ever owned simply because its light and doesn't stick to water like LEI kites do. Not sure about Ozone foils but Soul can touch water with tip while riding. Wind range of foil kite is at least 1.5x wider than any LEI kite and thats the reason many people get them.
I have 6;10;&15 Souls and agree they are very easy to re lunch but this year i got 7.5 and 11.5 Flysurfer hybrid and this is defiantly the easer kite to re lunch and flys in lightest wind
Would be interesting to compare with a single-skin foil kite like the Flysurfer Peak4. They should have equal pros and cons compared to a no-strut, possibly packing is a big advantage with the single skins.
Total agree what your saying. Lei all the way for safety said of things. Personal had to many long swims in using a foil kite that’s have put into water can’t get relaunched.
So... I have had my Chrono fill with water and yes what a nightmare to get it back to the beach.... BUT my North Mono doesn't relaunch any better than something like a SST... So.. The Flysurfer Peak is starting to look like it makes a lot of sense.. Light wind re-launch AND it can't fill with water..... Is it time to re-do this video with a 3rd option?!!
I am a land kiter primarily, but I use Ozone and Flysurfer foils for my buggy. We almost never use inflatables in the buggy. Foils point so much harder upwind, and they are a little more durable on land during a crash as well. Inflatables are definitely more durable when hitting the water, and absolutely more relaunchable on the water, but I don't agree with the fact that a person would ever need to abandon their foil kite to swim in... That is insane. You can wrap your lines up and self-rescue with a foil kite just like an LEI. That's assuming that you aren't able to relaunch. I would wager that relaunch in light wind is easier on a foil than an inflatable. The big brands also use drainage in their wingtips. Flysurfer is a little better about this than Ozone. Any videos you see of the FS Sonic or Soul relaunching from water after 15+ minutes of sitting and waiting for wind, you can see water streaming from the wingtip that looks like a garden hose pouring out. It clears water from the wing quickly and starts working as soon as you have enough wind to get the lines tight, whether the kite is nose down or nose up. The Soul even relaunches just like an LEI by pulling one steering line.
I'm curious to know more about the guy who had to abandon his foil kite in the water, is it not possible to disconnect the kite and roll it up, put it in a mesh bag then swim in ?
It depends on the situation, e.g. how far you will have to swim to shore (500 feet or 1 mile), how much water has gotten into the kite (10 litres or 500 litres) et cetera.
Hi Jeff, nice comparison. At 4:36 you are talking about the kite size you are using (7, 6, and down). Why are you using so small single strut or no strut kites? at low wind I am using a 13 and 15!
love the video!! what about ozone hyperlink the middle ground?? 😁. I picked up an ozone hyperlink in feb and have now sold all my Lei kites! love love it! wouldn't turn like the ufo but I do all my freestyle and even wave riding on the hyperlink now that I know how to fly the heck out of it (took a few months to get it figured out). I do love traveling w the foil kite, no pump. thanks for another great video Jeff!
Thanks for the comparison. Very informative. I'm curious with some foil kites now constructed with internal ribs how this affects a deep-water pack-down. Thanks again.
Sure that works fine. Just roll it over the bar, swim to shore and sort out the mess. Just don’t forget to open the deflate velcros. Done it a couple of times, even with single skin kites. Having said that, I try to just not drop the kite in super low winds. It’s not great fun.
No I wouldn't. That said, I am sure there are people that will tell you that they drift launch a foil kite with no problems. It is just not something that I would choose to do.
foils make my blood boil inflatable only for me guys at our beach have them always on doing the spaghetti mess even with the bar attached look like flying tampons with a bridal mess more money life to short just pump and go
Nice review and I definitely agree with your points... my current setup is 1 foil kite (Flysurfer) for light wind go everything else is inflatable. Works great for me. Was nice to see a video review like this which really explains the key points clearly. Thanks!
Your friend who kite on foil kite in low offshore wind close to night time was crazy on many levels. My Soul 15m in low wind gets up from water much easier than any LEI kite I ever owned simply because its light and doesn't stick to water like LEI kites do. Not sure about Ozone foils but Soul can touch water with tip while riding. Wind range of foil kite is at least 1.5x wider than any LEI kite and thats the reason many people get them.
I have 6;10;&15 Souls and agree they are very easy to re lunch but this year i got 7.5 and 11.5 Flysurfer hybrid and this is defiantly the easer kite to re lunch and flys in lightest wind
Would be interesting to compare with a single-skin foil kite like the Flysurfer Peak4. They should have equal pros and cons compared to a no-strut, possibly packing is a big advantage with the single skins.
Total agree what your saying. Lei all the way for safety said of things. Personal had to many long swims in using a foil kite that’s have put into water can’t get relaunched.
So... I have had my Chrono fill with water and yes what a nightmare to get it back to the beach.... BUT my North Mono doesn't relaunch any better than something like a SST... So.. The Flysurfer Peak is starting to look like it makes a lot of sense.. Light wind re-launch AND it can't fill with water..... Is it time to re-do this video with a 3rd option?!!
I am a land kiter primarily, but I use Ozone and Flysurfer foils for my buggy. We almost never use inflatables in the buggy. Foils point so much harder upwind, and they are a little more durable on land during a crash as well. Inflatables are definitely more durable when hitting the water, and absolutely more relaunchable on the water, but I don't agree with the fact that a person would ever need to abandon their foil kite to swim in... That is insane. You can wrap your lines up and self-rescue with a foil kite just like an LEI. That's assuming that you aren't able to relaunch. I would wager that relaunch in light wind is easier on a foil than an inflatable. The big brands also use drainage in their wingtips. Flysurfer is a little better about this than Ozone. Any videos you see of the FS Sonic or Soul relaunching from water after 15+ minutes of sitting and waiting for wind, you can see water streaming from the wingtip that looks like a garden hose pouring out. It clears water from the wing quickly and starts working as soon as you have enough wind to get the lines tight, whether the kite is nose down or nose up. The Soul even relaunches just like an LEI by pulling one steering line.
Sounds like you have a lot of kites :)
I'm curious to know more about the guy who had to abandon his foil kite in the water, is it not possible to disconnect the kite and roll it up, put it in a mesh bag then swim in ?
It depends on the situation, e.g. how far you will have to swim to shore (500 feet or 1 mile), how much water has gotten into the kite (10 litres or 500 litres) et cetera.
was the kite closed cell or open cell?
Hi Jeff, nice comparison. At 4:36 you are talking about the kite size you are using (7, 6, and down). Why are you using so small single strut or no strut kites? at low wind I am using a 13 and 15!
We have found that we can ride a 6m Single strut as low as 13mph and up to the upper teens. And smaller kites are very fun!
love the video!! what about ozone hyperlink the middle ground?? 😁. I picked up an ozone hyperlink in feb and have now sold all my Lei kites! love love it! wouldn't turn like the ufo but I do all my freestyle and even wave riding on the hyperlink now that I know how to fly the heck out of it (took a few months to get it figured out). I do love traveling w the foil kite, no pump. thanks for another great video Jeff!
The Hyperlink is a great choice for sure. We have several locals that ride almost exclusively on the Hyperlink for foiling and they all love it.
Thanks for the comparison. Very informative. I'm curious with some foil kites now constructed with internal ribs how this affects a deep-water pack-down. Thanks again.
Sure that works fine. Just roll it over the bar, swim to shore and sort out the mess. Just don’t forget to open the deflate velcros. Done it a couple of times, even with single skin kites. Having said that, I try to just not drop the kite in super low winds. It’s not great fun.
why does nobody make a smaller pump? I'm tired of dragging this tank around
Look at the micro pump from ride engine 😉
Would you still use a foil kite in lightwind if you had to drift launch/ land on water?
No I wouldn't. That said, I am sure there are people that will tell you that they drift launch a foil kite with no problems. It is just not something that I would choose to do.
foils make my blood boil inflatable only for me guys at our beach have them always on doing the spaghetti mess even with the bar attached look like flying tampons with a bridal mess more money life to short just pump and go