Hardwater Kiting has finally gotten the Peak 3 in. I will post something more substantial later but I just wanted to say that I agree with much of
what is in that German review. It is a considerably more refined kite than the Peak 2 (tho still ugly as sin) and exhibits much of the flight quality
that we felt was lost after the Peak 1.
A good indicator to us this weekend was that we had people who demoed our other peaks and didn't like them, liked the Peak 3.
Interestingly for my own part. My favorite size has always been the 6m. Right now, I'm pretty pumped on the 9m. Not sure why yet.
More to come....
Chris Krug-Owner @ Hardwater Kiting. Authorized Dealer of Ozone, Flysurfer, HQ kites. www.hardwaterkiter.com 603-986-2784
But, when I was flying the 9m for the first time and made the determination that I liked it more than the 6m, I thought of Steve's order soon
thereafter.
But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. We are still getting these kites figured out a bit and I'm trying to get all the little details dialed.
For example as the Peak 3 is a KO option now I'm trying it with different bars and various line lengths. As the 5th line that comes with it is a
given length it won't help with some bars that don't happen to have lines that match up. And boy oh boy when things aren't right with the 5th line
dimension relative to the other lines on this kite it is pretty ugly. If people are expected to be able to mate this kite with various bars I'd like
to be able to offer some level of insight as to how to make it all work.
This said, if you choose not to use the optional 5th line, they go together with various bar set ups easy peasy. As long as you have an FLS, you're
pretty much golden as far as we can tell.
The reefline safety is pretty sweet though. I'm torn between the simplicity of the FLS and the effectiveness of the reefline. Just like Ozone's
ReRide, you activate it and the kite just falls out of the sky.
My preference for the 9m over the 6m may change. As I said I was a little surprised myself. We've been using the 6m as the primary test bed for the
various bar/5th combos and I haven't just flown the kite with the FLS or with the exact "right" set up bar wise. So there may be a flip flop in my
opinion of the 9 vs. 6.
And then there is the 12m. For some insight as to what we've seen so far with that kite I flew it the other day with Molly and another kiter in about
2-4kts on semi-firm surface. I outweigh Molly by about 70lbs. The other rider by about 90lbs. She was on the HQ 19m Zeekai (Pulls like a 15m
Chrono) and he was on an 18m Chrono UL. The 12m Peak 3 allowed me to ride, POWERED, with those two on those kites. Across the wind I was laid out
and just railing my edge. (Upwind, I didn't have a chance) :D But again, the 12m is still an amazing lightwind option for the $.
Chris Krug-Owner @ Hardwater Kiting. Authorized Dealer of Ozone, Flysurfer, HQ kites. www.hardwaterkiter.com 603-986-2784
Great news, looking forward to reading some indepth reviews. I might swap my 9m P2 for a 9m P3 just for the reefline, I like playing it safe and my P2
likes to surprise launch.
Peter Lynn Hornet II 4.0M
Flexifoil Sting II 1.7M
Naish Charger 2010 9.0M
Flysurfer Peak 6.0M, Peak2 9.0M, Peak3 4.0M
Prism Quantum, Micron, Nexus x 5
pretty cool video showing some of the improvements on p3. Also doing something near to my heart on a smooth star which is similar to carver. that
set up is like riding a magic carpet.
pretty cool video showing some of the improvements on p3. Also doing something near to my heart on a smooth star which is similar to carver. that
set up is like riding a magic carpet.
pretty cool video showing some of the improvements on p3. Also doing something near to my heart on a smooth star which is similar to carver. that
set up is like riding a magic carpet.
Out of the business but still posting strong!
just going through some withdrawals. This video just happened to pop up on my suggested list on youtube and I had to share it once I saw it. Also
inspired me to dust off the skateboard and use the hornet on some unsuspecting parking lot during my travels for work today.
Plus, I don't care if I have to buy more gear if I need to. It's only money, I'll make more.
That's the spirit! The thought of you staying in the sport brings a smile to my face. Short spontaneous opportunistic sessions on a carving board in
a parking lot just begging for the attention it so richly deserves? Well, bust my buttons, why didn't you say that in the first place? That's a
horse of a different color. Come on in!
I had the chance to give the 12m P3 a proper first flight yesterday at IBX on the Ivanpah playa. For the final two hours of daylight the winds
smoothed out at about 10 mph and stayed steady and buttery. Few kites were in the air, but Session Saver came through in a big way. Before diving
into some nitty gritty about the kite's performance, let me just say how beautiful this kite is. Flysurfer has made this Big Momma blue this go
around and it is striking. She got lots of cat calls from the line up. :D
There are some distinct differences between the 12m P2 and P3. First, the P3 is even more rock steady under these (ideal) conditions. Park and Ride
like it was born to do this. Something strikingly different in the P3 is its ability to develop power loaded on power due to apparent wind. I would
turn the barge around, pull the bar in and lock it down with the slider ball and the power (and resultant speed) would just whir up like an old Volvo
turbo engine. Really wild stuff!
Turning (even on the wider 60 cm bar) seems slower than on the P2 if that was possible. In huge wide open expanses like the playa this isn't an issue
(and may even be a benefit) but it might be pretty sluggish for pulling constant turns on a soccer field.
Another BIG difference between the P2 and P3 is the DP pulley system out at the kite. For whatever reason Flysurfer saw fit to only use one pulley
per side instead of the previous (and far more typical) two pulley system. Moving the bar in and out of course still results in the DP action of
changing the AOA, but the bar pressure when pulled in all the way under high force conditions is a true workout! I'm strong like the proverbial bull
but this is an eye opener. I'm not sure if the physics is as simple as half-the-pulleys/twice-the-bar-load but it is really worth noting in the 12m
P3. :dunno:
Under these conditions I give the 12m P3 a grade of 8 out of 10. I docked one point for the bar pressure and another for all those bloody bridles!
Not such a big deal with the12m as you use it in low wind settings, but for smaller Peaks (used in higher winds) they are easily tangled and stepped
on. Yes, I know it is the price one pays for SS. Still a pain in the seat meat.
I don't know what it is, but I just have a certain relationship with these larger woman. The 12m P3, now in "stunning" deep blue (similar to the old
9m P2 color) is spectacular. we had a low wind afternoon at IBX when she was the only one flying on the entire playa and I was bookin!. Not saying
the 11.5m LS2 wouldn't have hung with this plus-sized gal but I'm a faithful guy and she's the only plump one for my heart.
When the wind picked up Slapbasswoody and I had a lot of fun racing back and forth in the setting sun, me with Session Saver and he with a beautiful
9m Chrono2. He could work that kite and it would pass me. He was going in the 50's mph range and he said I was going about 45 mph. Woody is a
superb flyer and he worked that Chrono like the champ he is:
Well the Stars aligned today and I got out in the buggy for my first session since October!
Wifey is out of town, kids were hanging with the inlaws, paint was drying on the new kitchen cabinets and the weather was perfect for the 6m P1!!! It
rained here last night so it was a little slippery, but other than one OBE over the front fork, an accidental butt slide through the mud and a fair
amount of luffing in the shifty wind, it was a great day with a couple of pretty fast runs across the field.
Had to order a new leash though today, cuz I realize that I lost mine and ended up jury rigging a piece of 6mm paracord and a carabiner as a leash...
it worked though!
After no small amount of frustration I gave up on trying to install the reefline kit on my new Peak3 4M. Didn't realize it was this much of a DIY mod.
I got as far as disconnecting the FLS-endline from the frontline, but the knot is sealed inside a thin plastic tube, and I just couldn't get it off. I
completed the first step, where you pull the kite parts of the reefline through the metal ring on the kite, can I just reattach these to the ring and
go without using the reefline? Anyone else had trouble with the installation?
Peter Lynn Hornet II 4.0M
Flexifoil Sting II 1.7M
Naish Charger 2010 9.0M
Flysurfer Peak 6.0M, Peak2 9.0M, Peak3 4.0M
Prism Quantum, Micron, Nexus x 5
After no small amount of frustration I gave up on trying to install the reefline kit on my new Peak3 4M. Didn't realize it was this much of a DIY mod.
I got as far as disconnecting the FLS-endline from the frontline, but the knot is sealed inside a thin plastic tube, and I just couldn't get it off. I
completed the first step, where you pull the kite parts of the reefline through the metal ring on the kite, can I just reattach these to the ring and
go without using the reefline? Anyone else had trouble with the installation?
Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble. Can we assume you have the instructions? Not trying to ask a stupid question BTW. I know they can be
downloaded from the Flysurfer main website. Our US dealer Chris (feyd) installed mine and may have some suggestions. I read the instructions and agree
that it looks tedious. Good luck!
Hehe yeah, the instructions are good, I also found the german video posted above to be very helpful. The knot really looks like it's not supposed to
be untangled, the plastic tube seems to be completely immovable.
I reattached everything on the kite to where it was, I'm assuming the kite can be used just fine without the reefline. A bit disappointed though.
Peter Lynn Hornet II 4.0M
Flexifoil Sting II 1.7M
Naish Charger 2010 9.0M
Flysurfer Peak 6.0M, Peak2 9.0M, Peak3 4.0M
Prism Quantum, Micron, Nexus x 5
Hey guys,... any recommendations on having Peaks behave better while parked on the ground?... Mine both have a tendency to pull the stake out of the
ground creating a tangled mess... my 6m was better behaved on its nose, but the wind wasn't blowing super hard, so it may have just been a
coincidence.
Put sand or other weight on the trailing edge if the kite is to be left sitting. The peaks are not as stable on the ground
as an FB. If the kite is unattended it is prone to rolling over with a wind change and if the brakes are staked, the kite will
reverse launch. See you on the beach. Both of your peaks looked great yesterday!
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
Thanks Ted... today my 6m landed on top of a pile of dead sea grass and seaweed and got badly tangled,... THEN flipped inside out once or twice and I
had to spend and hour untangling bridles... guess I need to make up some sand bags!!!
The 6m has the strap between the brake lines from Hardwater Kiting, I used that to land the kite and staked it from that and that worked pretty well.
Thanks Ted... today my 6m landed on top of a pile of dead sea grass and seaweed and got badly tangled,... THEN flipped inside out once or twice and I
had to spend and hour untangling bridles... guess I need to make up some sand bags!!!
The 6m has the strap between the brake lines from Hardwater Kiting, I used that to land the kite and staked it from that and that worked pretty well.
SS DP make up for their lack of a second skin with oodles of bridles, that's for sure. Sorry you're experiencing those issues. Been there and done all
of that. I personally have not had a great deal of luck with SS kites being staked. I'm not sure if beach flyers do this, but on the playa it is
useful to drive a piece of rebar into the ground and put a foam tube over it (pool noodle). I find it works best if you wrap the tubes with a lot of
duck tape to stiffen them up. On the playa you only need four foot rebar as pounding it in a foot is plenty deep enough. You might need a little
longer on the beach so you could get it two feet deep. In any case, you wrap the kite around the noodle so the kite flags out downwind.
I've had the reverse launch problem happen when I try to stake a Peak from the brake strap even if I start it nose up. It can flip over and then up it
goes. Price you pay I'm afraid to have a kite with so little structure on the ground. That's why it can take off in a breath of wind!
You're a talented kiter. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. Have fun! And yes, cursing is allowed.
I know that's a trick you guys use on the playa but had not considered it for the beach... it's actually worth considering!... while I actually have a
good quantity of spare stuff sacks and Heaven knows there is boatloads of sand, this pole trick might be worth a go... and since it's in sand, a
broomstick ought to work!
The pole trick is used quite often at Wildwood with good success, just requires more infrastructure than I like to
haul. Having a helper to land is a great option if you can swing it. Mostly I'm solo.
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
From the little I have seen parking your Peak against a pole can create issues. The bridles seem prone to tangling and the flapping cause some issues.
Probably getting to the kite and weighting it down is best?
I thought these kites "ghost launch" ? I would be tempted to use this method to land and get to my kite simply because it looks so cool!
Used sand bags and just strait sand today and it worked great... thanks for the advice gang!
Glad things went better today Spencer! Yup, sand, sand, sand. Should
have plenty of it all around. Trailing edge and good to go! Note to self - avoid those seaweed piles! Inland I've mistakenly allowed the 12m to
land in scrub brush. Nasty. Pilot on! :karate:
![[*]](images/perspective/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
Yup, sand, sand, sand. Should
have plenty of it all around. Trailing edge and good to go! Note to self - avoid those seaweed piles! Inland I've mistakenly allowed the 12m to
land in scrub brush. Nasty. Pilot on! :karate: