Flysurfer Peak4- Hype or Hydrofoiling? (Kiteboarding Review)

This is a review of the Flysurfer Peak4 in reference to it's place in the hydrofoil world. There has been a lot of recent discussion of whether the Peak4 could be a viable option on the water for hydrofoiling. I took it to the test in strong winds at Lake Hefner in central Oklahoma. This is a quick assessment of how the kite performed in the gusty conditions with drift, upwind, launch, setup, and with hydrofoil transitions. There are many positives from my conclusion on the Peak4, especially when budget is brought into the equation.
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[@AdrianKerr]

Another great video mate )

[@TheOKKiteboarder]

Thanks Adrian, keep killing' it.

[@moritzziegler7156]

I Owen a Peak4 in 8m^2 for Snowkiteing also used on the water. With a Twintip you can go upwind by 15 to 25 knt

[@moritzziegler7156]

Littel side fact for all here! Some guys made a test in a wind tunnel. With Singelskin kites with close cell Kites and Tupes. To test how effective each Concept is. Results Tupekite 1:1 Close Cell 1:1.5 Singelskin 1:2 Means a Singekskin kite with 8m have the power of a 16m Tupe. The Singelskin concept will be in 2 or 3 years the hottest shit for lite wind days

[@huxleyalec3731]

i guess it is pretty randomly asking but do anyone know a good place to stream newly released movies online ?

[@dustindemetrius6756]

@Huxley Alec flixportal :D

[@huxleyalec3731]

@Dustin Demetrius Thank you, I signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :D Appreciate it !

[@dustindemetrius6756]

@Huxley Alec glad I could help :D

[@OurKiteLife]

great review :) Never tried it but now we we want to

[@TheOKKiteboarder]

Thanks! It was a pleasant surprise.

[@blakei4522]

Please do make a review on this. I want to see how light this kite can go

[@gustavoazevedo2547]

Another great video. Thanks a lot Kyle :-)

[@TheOKKiteboarder]

Thx Gustavo!

[@gustavoazevedo2547]

@@TheOKKiteboarder Kyle, on your buggy session, it looks like you had a North click bar. Were you able to use that with the standard peak, or did you make modifications? Also, how low (wind speed) do you think you could foil at Hefner with your 4m?

[@TheOKKiteboarder]

Gustavo Azevedo yes with the standard setup, no problem. Minimum winds for the 4m, comfortable 15mph and up.

[@23TomW]

A review of the Concept Air Wave would be great!

[@TheOKKiteboarder]

Tom, I don’t know anything about them. What’s the word on them?

[@slappyosis]

Nice video man, your production on them has really come along! I'm one of the early Peak 4 converts and I think it's an amazing kite. Wait until you try the 5m size in 12 knots, the drift is out of this world. I would say for the wind level you were out in the 3m would have been the best size and at the price it's not too bad to pick up a 3/4/5 quiver. I'm considering an 8 or 11 for 8 knot days myself.

[@TheOKKiteboarder]

Thanks for all of the input Angus. I’ll definitely look into the other sizes.

[@Marlow88]

If you are interested in seeing the 11m in action, I posted a short video of it on my channel. There is a very lightwind restart at the 4:20 mark. It's my first foil kite but it is really convincing me that foil kites are going to dominate my quiver in a short time.

[@davep5039]

Angus, did you get a 8m or 11m Peak?

[@slappyosis]

@@davep5039 I have not, I do know a local who picked one up for skiing though, so if he ever tries it on the water I'll get some feedback on it. He's on aluula LEIs normally.

[@A-fl1ln]

Thank you

[@robinmordasiewicz]

Great video. It sounds like a good kite for catching rolling waves and carving on the wave while the kite drifts ?

[@TheOKKiteboarder]

Robin, it seems I would agree, but I’ve only ridden it in lake/river swell. Rode it this week in Hood River and it was great.

[@moritzziegler7156]

Not really because in Flat water you can relaunch this kite. But in waves you fuck up no chance. You will just get push around the Kite get fucking heay. Makes Self rescue with the kit nearly impossible. For Waves you should better use a tupe. Test the Eleveigth WS is as good as the Core Section or Doutone Neo. In my opinion even better and cost less

[@tobinslack]

Any suggestions on the best method to pack up the peak 4? I have a 6m and have yet to figure out what I would consider the “best” way to fold and pack up this kite once I’m done so that I can be confident it won’t be a mess when I unfold it next time! Thanks for any suggestions!

[@TheOKKiteboarder]

I always simple knot each side of the lines together to keep them in pairs, then just roll the kite up starting from one end, leaving the bridles hanging out the end as I take the cylindrical fold and then fold the kite top to bottom in half one time. Also sometimes I just leave the bar attached.

[@claudegosselin2151]

I've tried the Peak 4 - 4m size - and did not want to buy it because of the generated flapping the moment the wind was picking up. But I just got a 4m Kitech FRS which is pure joy: closed cells, double surface all around, extremely lively yet stable, instant relaunch, and best of all: just no flapping noise. Pricier than the Peak 4 but worth every cent spent on it. Would be nice to have a review from your side ;-))

[@TheOKKiteboarder]

Good to know Claude. I really don’t have any way to get my hands on the FRS. I’ve been flying a 5M Roam Aluula some lately and it has way more wind range than a Peak4 but a much healthier price tag 🏷

[@claudegosselin4216]

@@TheOKKiteboarder You can contact Kite Hydrofoil Miami as he is the US distributor. I also got a 15m UL FRS which is really nice as I get going around 4.5 knots; below that, I drift so much when backlooping the kite at the water start that I lose most of the boost; I have to find the way ... Both the 4m and 15m are very healthy kites in their behavior with very good finish, and the 15m FRS relaunch is easier than that of the 12m FlySurfer Soul in the same wind; the 4m FRS relaunch is instant. The 15m can be a bit long to fill though in 4.5-5 knots ... Keep the nice videos going - I love them.

[@canolando3499]

Dang you almost made me fall off the couch hearing that your pants rolled off lol that happened to me many years ago on a stand up jetski I fell off at 40 mph, just peeled my shorts off

[@MrPhoenix82]

great content as usual but found it weir that u give it a good water start and upwind rating given that u didnt crop it once and say it doesn't perform well upwind..

[@TheOKKiteboarder]

Yes MrPhoenix82 the upwind rating of 5 stars was a "typo". Should've been 0 stars. I made a modification in the top right of the screen to address it, but I couldn't change the video with wiping it clean and resubmitting it. The water start was good though.

[@JMX246]

De-Panting - lol - did the same thing years ago but heading towards a boat with a family in it - I was picked up and skated over the water - argh

[@TheOKKiteboarder]

JMX- I quickly went back to the seat harness and hydrofoil 😳

[@pierrebiron7659]

What size is he using?

[@TheOKKiteboarder]

This is a 4m.

[@normanfreund]

Thanks for review. Your comment on seat harness, I wouldn’t, I started on a seat harness, then switched to a waist harness: better for your back, more freedom to move. So if you want wreck your back go and get a seat harness for kitesurfing.

[@Axabraxa]

I'm pussle about your statement. I've been kiteing for over 20years and been on the podium national level in both kiteskiing cours and long distance racing, and kitebuggy. And the main reason my back still holds up is I use a good seat harness with a sliding connection. Search the web and there's plenty of others with the same experience in seat vs waist. I suspect the seat you used was not very good. 8 connection points for the spreader is a must..

[@vstechyshyn]

Peak4 5m is the only kite I hydrofoil with since I bought it. It works well upwind with a 90cm mast for me. With enough wind. I can go down to 10kts with it. Any lulls below that I am unable to go upwind. Have you tried Peak4 in sub-10? I am trying to decide whether to get an 11m or 8m. I am 170lbs. Would prefer the 8m. Just not sure if that will be enough. P.S.: completely abandoned Souls. Have them in 8/12/15m :(

[@TheOKKiteboarder]

Walter. I have not tried the larger sized Peak4s. Most people say they don’t perform as well. I just haven’t had the opportunity to try them. I love my 4m Peak4. I still fly Souls under 15mph winds.