flysurfer psycho 1. need information

[air2raley]

I'm an experienced kiter. a guy gave me a almost unused flysurfer psycho 1. its a 15.5m. will this thing fly ok. I'm sure many improvements have taken place since then. i plan to use it on real light non gusty days with a monster door. will this have any sub 10 knot performance. i weigh 160lbs . thanks. any information will help.

[zfennell]

yeah, around 10 kts.

8-9 kts depending on tide, temp, board, etc.
certainly once you get up on plane, 8 kts should sustain you.

somebody named 'gridlock' on foilzone.com
has describe a bridle mod (6-3-1 conversion) which makes the kite a bit more user friendly.

experienced or not, you are likely to become a better swimmer as a result of testing the low end of this kite. but it can still do it.

-bill

[jakemoore]

This is a powerful kite. The sub10 performance is there if you can find it. You should fly it on land in light winds to see what you are getting in to. Turning speed was extraordinarily slow on the old Flysurfers, especially if the kite is not moving though the air. If you let it get to the edge of the wind window down low, you may find it sinks to the ground and crumples up.

You might consider long lines so there is room to turn the kite in the wind window. Use caution because the line lengths are not equal and have to be set right. If the center line is too long, the kite will stall and not fly right. If the safety does not pull both back lines enough, it won't pull the kite down out of the sky. One cool thing about FS is they publish their line plans.

I would use it to make curtains. I'll give you $50 if you decide its not the kite for you.

[zfennell]

yeah, around 10 kts.

8-9 kts depending on tide, temp, board, etc.
certainly once you get up on plane, 8 kts should sustain you.

somebody named 'gridlock' on foilzone.com
has describe a bridle mod (6-3-1 conversion) which makes the kite a bit more user friendly.

experienced or not, you are likely to become a better swimmer as a result of testing the low end of this kite. but it can still do it.

-bill

correction:
this is the thread i was thinking about
http://www.foilzone.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8468&hilit=mixer
the author: sflinux.
thread title: converting a psycho1 to a 6.2.1 mixer


..its been awhile.

i think the idea for the mixer mods first came from manfred at paraflysurf.
he calls his mod the UDS.
threads by manfred are very informative, despite the attitude.
jake and sflinux and gridlok are full of good advice for tweaking the old foils
-bill

[air2raley]

all the comments much appreciated. sounds like i would be better served squeezing low wind sessions from my 14m lei instead of messing with this kite. sounds like this kite would be better for land use.

[zfennell]

Maybe.
I doubt its a good buggy kite.
no harm in giving it a try on the next 10 kt day with a wide board.
you might like it
I still use mine.
but I'm old and easily amused.
Bill

[air2raley]

thanks. i am always up for something new. i am old as well and love the feel of kiting. i have been in hawaii all winter......not the windiest time. there is a guy here who made a wood plank strappless kiteboard. he is up and playing in 8mph with a lei 16m. im hoping a foil kite will fly earlier than an lei and allow for some low wing fun. im heading home and im going to make me a plank. i think it was 7 foot by about 18 inches with hard straight rails. of course no fins. has anyone tried such a setup with the psycho 1.

[chemosavi]

I entertained many a folk trying to learn on one of these humdingers in Ventana back in '03 or so or whenever they came out.

Even offered it to Monkey Air (Traig) who for some reason refused my gracious offer. Seems he'd seen the Wizard of Oz and did not want a date with the RED wicked witch of the east. Even though at that time he was only flying twin skin Australian zenith seekers.

A witch is a witch is a witch.

[fernmanus]

I had a Pyscho 1 15m. Let me just say that kite earned the name Pyscho. Its descendants pale in comparison. Get ready for plenty of back stalling, luffing, tip-folding fun! If the wind picks up, prepare yourself for a kitemare.

I saw another post in the snowkite/landboarding section about a guy who is digging out an old Blade 4.9.

Is there something wrong with using a modern kite? The problem with old kites is they are not like say an old pair of skis. I can ski on a 10 yr old pair of skis and the basic technology and safety are the same. Newer skis may turn a bit better, but the difference is not all that great. On the other hand a 10 year old kite is about as safe as 100 year old skis. The changes in safety, performance, stability, and range are huge.

[air2raley]

sounds like i better let one of my know it all, try anything friends show me how this kite works. in the meantime i will save my money for a newer model and buy some poles to make this kite a sun shade. thanks for all the interesting resposes.