robinsonpr
Posts: 351
Registered: 10-25-2014
Location: Stevenage UK
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Flysurfer Peak 6m from beginner point of view
After much deliberation about my first depower kite to get me into landboarding, I went for a Peak 6m. I'm inland and wind is not clean, and I was
advised by many great people on this forum that the Peak handles sketchy conditions well and is quite beginner friendly. I've been flying kites for
quite a few years but the power of my PL Arcs have scared me and I recently broke my thumb trying to get to grips with the 15m Synergy static flying.
I wanted something more manageable as I'm just starting to landboard, and the 6m Peak isn't big and scary.
It arrived yesterday and we had a bit of wind today. I went straight out and unpacked it. Build quality seems superb, I've got a few Peter Lynn
kites which are good quality and I'm very impressed with my first Flysurfer. It comes literally ready to fly. Bar and lines attached.
The bag is OK as a sack to keep it in, but it's not a high quality rucksack like you get from Peter Lynn or Ozone. No doubt to keep the price down.
It was light wind, about 6 knots, so I unwrapped the kite and it sat there nicely while I unwound the lines from the bar. One of the steering lines
was twisted around the power line and I had to disconnect it from the kite and untangle it. No big deal really.
I hooked in and took a deep breath as I prepared to hot launch it straight up through the power zone. I stepped back and gave a gentle tug and up she
popped. I pushed the bar forward and it (very gently) flapped it's way to the top of the window without giving me too much pull. No drama at all.
I was struggling to get it to turn, even with the bar pulled in. But then I remembered the trim setting on the power lines. A quick look and I
realised it was on the "freestyle" setting, so slightly shorter power lines, pulling the bar all the way in doesn't stall it out, allowing you to ride
unhooked apparently. I landed the kite by pulled on the back lines and put the trim on the longer setting. It now turned much better, and I could
feel more pull.
The thing that struck me immediately was the fact that pushing the bar out COMPLETELY ditched the power. Having not really experienced a proper
depower like this I was very impressed, and even when the wind picked up I didn't feel scared like it was going to pick me up and drag me.
Here's a couple of pics of her in the air...
After a few minutes static flying and feeling very comfortable I thought I'd try my landboard. I managed to get going and the kite was excellent. I
struggled a bit to get going but not because of lack of power, more because it was my first time on a board with a harness, and it just felt different
to doing it on handles where your arms can correct things like the lines going a little slack.
But I got moving. And when I did get moving, man, this baby can pull. It was really smooth and confidence building for me! I didn't have to work
the kite, even in the low wind it was pulling just parked. And pulling the bar in a bit got me more power. When it felt a bit too fast sheeting out
a bit dropped the power, very controllable.
The bar felt a little short (probably because the last kite I flew on a bar was my 15m Synergy which has a long bar). It's a nice and clean setup.
The one thing that was a bit of a concern was the safety line goes through the hole in the bar with the main throw. This seemed a bit odd, and with
the bar out resting against the stoppa ball the FLS is trapped in between the bar and the ball, probably subjecting it to wear. But I don't know if
this is a typical setup for depower kites. The Arcs have the safety hanging down under the bar rather than going through it.
Here's the bar while I was flying:
One other thing I noticed (which others have posted about) is that while the bar is cranked one way or the other you can't sheet in or out, as the bar
is pinched on the throw. Maybe this will ease up, maybe not. But I did notice it.
The other little gripe which doesn't affect performance is the flapping from the kite when it's depowered. It's noisy and sort of looks like
something is wrong, and I bet fixed bridle flyers would laugh, but who cares!
I was out for a good couple of hours, and the wind picked up, gusting to around 15 knots, and dropping to 5. Even in the stronger wind I still felt
more than able to cope with the kite.
I had the best session I've ever had on my landboard. I've only been learning, but today I really progressed. You've seen the film "Point Break",
right? There's a scene in there where Johnny Utah is in the station with his surfboard and he jokes with some the other police: "Caught my first
tube today". Well that's what it was like for me today! It really did feel like my first "tube". Even though it was hard to get used to the pull
from the harness rather than from my arms, but I had a few runs where I was holding ground, and a couple where the wind must have been perfect and I
found myself going considerably upwind!!! I NEVER expected to be going upwind yet with my experience!!!
Here's the field after a few runs, you can see I was going back and forth on the same ground!
So I'm stoked. Completely stoked. I LOVE this kite. It's everything I was hoping for and more!!!
Pack down was a dream, took me about 2 mins to get it packed up. The only thing I was a bit nervous about was wrapping it up too tight and damaging
the filament in the leading and trailing edge, so I left it pretty loose.
I can't wait to get out again, this kite has really built my confidence in just one session!!
Thanks to the guys at Hardwater Kiting, and ssayre for suggesting I check out the Peak in the first place!!!!
Rev 1.5 SLE
PL Pepper 1.5m, Twister III 3m
Flysurfer Peak I 6m, Peak II 12m
Ozone Access V6 6m, 4m incoming!
Arcs Venom 13m, Synergy 15m
LEIs Slingshot Rally 7m, 9, 12m
Kheo Flyer Landboard
PTW SuperBug II
Nobile NHP Carbon Split
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robinsonpr
Posts: 351
Registered: 10-25-2014
Location: Stevenage UK
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Hmmm not sure why the pictures don't show, they're on dropbox
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ssayre
Posts: 3587
Registered: 8-15-2013
Location: Indiana
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Your very welcome robinsonpr, I'm glad you like it, especially since I haven't flown it and my suggestion was based solely on Feyd and other users.
I'm inland with gusty shifty wind and I had recently done a poll on which kites folks on here like in those conditions and the Peak was one of only a
few that were highly recommended. It sounds like a special kite and one I hope to acquire in the near future.
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erratic winds
Posts: 2081
Registered: 1-3-2010
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Mood: ATGATT! Armor up!
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3shot
Posts: 2631
Registered: 2-14-2013
Location: Virginia
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Mood: JIBE Talkin'
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Congrats!!. Proletariat said his bar bite calmed down after a little use.
Cross Kites Sonic 3, 5m
Ozone Flow 2, 3, 4, 5m
Ace II 4, 5m
NAPKA-US24
4, 5, 6m ATB landsurfer. Custom longboard deck
Buggy: VTT Black Widow v2.0
 
http://hint.fm/wind/
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robinsonpr
Posts: 351
Registered: 10-25-2014
Location: Stevenage UK
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A question for any of you more experienced Peak flyers out there.... what's the best way to keep the Peak safe on the ground while taking a long
break? With my handles I'd just stake them with the brakes fully on.
I see on other depower kites there is a strop line connecting the brake lines together so you can stake that and the chicken loop, but how do we go
about it with the Peak?
I thought about just landing it leading edge down and then just staking the chicken loop, but I didn't like the sound of that in case it happened to
flip over and launch.
Rev 1.5 SLE
PL Pepper 1.5m, Twister III 3m
Flysurfer Peak I 6m, Peak II 12m
Ozone Access V6 6m, 4m incoming!
Arcs Venom 13m, Synergy 15m
LEIs Slingshot Rally 7m, 9, 12m
Kheo Flyer Landboard
PTW SuperBug II
Nobile NHP Carbon Split
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MeatÐriver
Posts: 345
Registered: 2-26-2013
Location: portland, Oregon
Member Is Offline
Mood: Needs more DP.
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What I woulddo is make my own stalling handle( that "strop line connecting the brake lines together"). Not exactly sure why they didn't put one on at
the factory, but it would be really simple and cheap to do.
Just get yourself some paracord, some relatively thin rope you have laying around or whatever you have available. I'd probably connect it in where
the leader lines off the bar attach to the steering lines. Make the line just a couple inches longer than the length of the bar itself. Shouldn't take
more than a few minutes and you'd be dialed.
Frenzy 9m, 13m Ultralite
AccessXT 6, 8m
R3 10.8m
Slingshot 6, 10m
GI Flight 93
Libre VMax-II
US728
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lunchbox
Posts: 1248
Registered: 3-13-2007
Location: Agoura Hills, CA.
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Mood: Feeling Lucky...
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Great review Robinson!
What a nice looking kite.
Man, I want to try the 9m really bad. Just wish I could get a demo!
Not many kites will work in my low wind, holey small field. Hence the Blades and race kites....been wondering if I can find a depowerable kite that
would work...and I wonder if the Peak might be this kite...
Flexifoil Blurr 2.5, Ozone Cult 3.5, Nasa Star 3 4.0 Ozone Yakuza 4.0, PL Reactor 4.9, JoJo RM+ 5.0, Ozone Method 5.0, Ozone Yakuza 6.0, Flexifoil
Blade IV 6.5, Nasa Star 3 7.0, PL Vapor 7.8, JoJo RX 8.0 (in route), Flexifoil Blade VIP 8.5, PL Vapor 9.4, Ozone Yakuza 10.0, PL Reactor II 10.8, PL
Vapor 16.1, PL Venom II 13, PL Charger 15, 19, Flysurfer Unity 12, Flysurfer Pulse 2 14, Flysurfer Speed 2 SA 19, Flysurfer Speed 3 21, MBS Comp 95
landboard, PL Folding buggy, PL XR+ buggy, Slingshot LFT, Lots of surfboards
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robinsonpr
Posts: 351
Registered: 10-25-2014
Location: Stevenage UK
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Well lunchbox my wind is pretty bad too, inland built up area 10mph give or take a few. As a relative newbie I don't have much to compare the Peak
to.
I do have a couple of arcs (I see you do in your vast collection too!). I got these as I started learning on water but liked the idea of the crossover
to land based traction. However I relocated inland and also had a family so all that put an end to my water exploits.
The reason I got the Peak is the arcs scared me on land, and the 15 synergy injured my hand flying it static just trying to get to grips with setup,
launch etc. I think the problem was the wind wasn't quite enough for the arcs. I got the Synergy thinking the 15 would be a bit better than the 13m
Venom in low wind. But...it still struggled to stay up in 8-10mph. Kept dropping back, collapsing, then hitting the power and powering up and
dragging me. Badly.
I've since read posts from other folk saying arcs need at least 10 knots to fly. My skills were probably partly to blame as I was scared to throw
them around and let them fly too fast, for fear of getting picked up or dragged.
So back to the Peak. I was all set on something like an Ozone Access or HQ Apex, but something relatively small, around 7 or 8m. Advice on here got
me looking at the Peak...I'd never even heard of it. I had dealers trying to steer me away from it (possibly because they wanted to sell me their old
Ozone stock though!).
I'm glad I listened to the advice here and went with the Peak 6m. When I took it out yesterday it was varying between 5-6mph to gusting nearly 3
times that, and I was able to handle it fairly comfortably, even though I'm a beginner. Even in the lower wind it was ample to get me going on my
landboard on grass. And unlike my arcs it doesn't scare the crp out of me just looking at the size of the sail.
I'd like to compare it to a conventional depower foil like an Access.
The immediate and almost complete depower of the Peak by pushing out the bar really amazed me. The few times I have managed to have the arcs in the
air I never realised what depower should do! My mistake I think was thinking arcs were meant to be flown with the bar against the stopper. So I had
the trim out, bar fully out. So NO depower available. Looking back that was silly of me! I will try the Arcs again, but in the meantime I think the
Peak will do wonders for my confidence!! Going upwind on my first session with it way exceeded my expectations!!
I hope you get a chance to try one!
And MeatDriver thanks for the tip on the landing handle,I will give that a shot!
Cheers,
Paul
Rev 1.5 SLE
PL Pepper 1.5m, Twister III 3m
Flysurfer Peak I 6m, Peak II 12m
Ozone Access V6 6m, 4m incoming!
Arcs Venom 13m, Synergy 15m
LEIs Slingshot Rally 7m, 9, 12m
Kheo Flyer Landboard
PTW SuperBug II
Nobile NHP Carbon Split
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bigE123
Posts: 442
Registered: 1-26-2012
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Great write up and welcome to the world of single skin kites, it's really interesting to hear it "flaps" I thought the one I made had issues as it
also flaps fully de-powered but I think this will lessen as the wind increases, as you said the wind was fairly low and you may be able to trim the
bar so that it does not fully de-power in that wind and stop the "flapping".
Blade V 4.9m & 8.5m VIP,Ozone Frenzy 11m, SS Flexifoil buggy, PL hybrid suspension buggy (PTW), MBS core 95.
homemade:
NPW 9b: 7m (Union Jack). NPW 9b HA 3m (Damien) and 10m (Jolly R). NPW21 3m, 5m (aka Zombie), 8m (Batman), 11.5m (NASA), NPW 21 HA 6.8m
The Hammers 5m, 7.2m & 12m
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robinsonpr
Posts: 351
Registered: 10-25-2014
Location: Stevenage UK
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Yeah when I was actually moving, on the few occasions that the wind had picked up a little and the kite was parked and powered up, happily taking me
upwind, there was no flapping at all. It only did it when I push the bar out.
The Peak doesn't have anything in the way of trimming, only a "Freestlye" or "Touring" setting on the power lines. The freestyle setting just pulls
the power lines in a few inches, I think so the kite doesn't stall with the bar pulled right in or when you're unhooked. But overall less power when
hooked in I guess so probably even more flapping! When I was flying I had that set to "Touring", so the power lines at their longest setting. I
guess I could put knots in the leaders of the brake lines but I'm not going to start messing about like that, I'll live with the flapping and total
depower 
It's just like the mainsail of a boat when you turn into the wind to go about...
Rev 1.5 SLE
PL Pepper 1.5m, Twister III 3m
Flysurfer Peak I 6m, Peak II 12m
Ozone Access V6 6m, 4m incoming!
Arcs Venom 13m, Synergy 15m
LEIs Slingshot Rally 7m, 9, 12m
Kheo Flyer Landboard
PTW SuperBug II
Nobile NHP Carbon Split
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Feyd
Posts: 2956
Registered: 1-3-2009
Location: Norther New England
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Awesome update. Makes me want to get out and take another shot with the mountain board.
Chris Krug-Owner @ Hardwater Kiting. Authorized Dealer of Ozone, Flysurfer, HQ kites.
www.hardwaterkiter.com 603-986-2784
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TEDWESLEY
Posts: 437
Registered: 1-4-2007
Location: portland maine
Member Is Offline
Mood: cat-like,I stalk the wind, finding little, I nap.
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As a sailor for most of my life, the flapping doesn't bother me at all. It is just like a sail boat. When you sheet out the sail luffs when you sheet
in
the luffing stops and the power increases. Very intuitive for me.
Reactors 2.8 3.5 6.9
Peaks 4m 6m 12m
HQ Neo2 11m Ozone Chrono V2 15m WASP 5m
Flexi wide axle w/mids and runners
Skis Nordic skates and winter stuff
Quatro Wing Foilboard Slingshot Foils
NAPKA US06
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