I always figured that any 13-15M LEI kite (I'm 120lb rider) would work for those lighter wind days. But then I was told that most of those kites are for heavier riders rather than light winds. Is there a short list of good light wind kite recommendations for the water?

I would say that anything below 8mph requires foil kite , LEI will stay in air in lower then that but it is no fun to ride them and gets difficult to relaunch when dropped.
Foils are staying in air down to 3-4mph and with your weight riding will start early , but main thing about foils I don't like is self rescue . You need to rescue a kite when something happens when with LEI kite will get you to safety or keep you from going under . I was towing my 19m to the shore twice after bowtie and it is no fun, thats why I use 17mLEI now when riding on deep water or in ocean .
Think of 15m light wind specific LEI kite and with your low weight you can look at those strutless options too . That will include : Slingshot Turbine, Airush One, Liquid Force Solo, Cloud, Naish Fly , OR Flite ...

I have the same question and have been debating myself between the Matrix 2, Edge and the Chrono.

A three strut directional board is also competing to be the next pick up.

light air always think board first, that is the element that makes a huge difference.

at #120 you have alot of choices, and you only need so much power, TOO much power and you will out run kite and drop it . not good

chrono over edge if below 10 , but it gets really tedious , must have flawless flight, no drops

12m ultra light fabric depower foil would fit you perfect for light wind on water , it would be quick enough to keep up. fast smooth SAILING(more nav. less goofing off) on a sprinty surf board would be fun. on race board down right scary fast .



for sizing I use 1m PA/10kg , a projected area for skilled rider down to .8m PA/10kg. and really only skilled rider is doing a race board or light air at all. 12m kite will have around 9-10m PA but can vary by design and type .

prolly why the peak 9M fits u perfectly for wide range of wind

Not that I'm any expert on water riding. Far from it. But I do know a bit about the kites you are mentioning.

The Edge, even in a 19m size isn't really what one would consider a "light wind" kite, like any high AR wing it will work great in light wind once you get it going. On par with the 17m Zephyr. The Zephyr is going to be the better option for light wind as it will launch with ease and is able to be thrown around. I'm told it handles like a 13m but I've never flown it in the 13m so I can't say from experience.

The Chrono. Well there's a lot to say about the kite. It is a light wind machine to be sure but it is also a very precise and fickle piece of gear. It takes a fair amount of piloting to get the most out of the kite but once you figure it out the benefits are pretty substantial and noticeable. I love the Chrono on the snow but I cannot imagine riding it on the water if I didn't have to. Relaunch on the snow is easy as I can skate back and get it opened up. On the water, I don't know what the heck you do.

The Matrixx 2. Power wise as a client the other day said when comparing it to the 18m Chrono "this thing is a tractor" Faster turning, easier launching and relaunching than the Chrono. Inflates faster, super stable and little to no wingtip curl that you find with a higher AR like the Chrono. Bar works great, not quite as refined as some but nicer than other HQ bars and super functional. Ease of use, the Matrixx 2 has it in spades. Everyone who's flown it loves the 18m for light winds. Very much like a 19m Flysurfer Psycho 4 DLX but faster turning and more stable. And unlike a kite like the Edge 19m or the Chrono which use apparent wind as a way to stay alive and risk falling out of the sky in a turn, the Matrixx stays up.

But I imagine that Phree is right, what is on your feet may be as important as what you have in the air. At least that's how it works with snow. Unless you don't have anything that comes close to a lightwind kite. Then a kite might be a good thing to pick up.

Liquid Force NRG Light Breeze 14/16m
Core Riot XR3 LightWind 15m
Slingshot Turbine 15m
Cabrinha Contra 15m
Ocean Rodeo Flite 14/15m
Flysurfer Speed3 Deluxe 15m
Flysurfer Speed4 Lotus 15m

These will get you going at your 120 lbs

I'd list Ozone Zephyr but it comes only in 17m which is too big for you.
Ozone Edge, Flysurfer Boost, Chrono are rather race gear - they'll go in light wind great but they'd require much more piloting skills and input.