6m soul for foiling

[Brian H]

Anyone using the 6m soul for foiling yet ? I'm 70 kilos and I have 9m hyperlink ultra light and I love it but I'm get over powered a lot of the time and I need a smaller foil kite . I have smaller tube kites but I love the lift from a foil kite for doing foiling foot switches .

[foilholio]

Small foils are great fun. Much less twitchy than small tubes. You will be impressed with the low end and range on them too. With line changes, 15 to 45kts on a surfboard.

[Ramkiter]

Anyone using the 6m soul for foiling yet ? I'm 70 kilos and I have 9m hyperlink ultra light and I love it but I'm get over powered a lot of the time and I need a smaller foil kite . I have smaller tube kites but I love the lift from a foil kite for doing foiling foot switches .

I switched from single strut 9m LEI to Soul 10m for lightwind and liked it so much (no more swimming in under 10 if I dropped the LEI) I also got the 6m.
The 6m on 20m lines I can foil from 11/12 knots, change to 14m lines at 14/15 knots and it's really great not sure of the top end range as I would change to my 5m Cabo at 17/18 knots.
I'm 75Kg and have Zeeko carbon foil with Carver front wing on Levitaz Exo board, hope that helps.

[Tony]

I switched from single strut 9m LEI to Soul 10m for lightwind and liked it so much (no more swimming in under 10 if I dropped the LEI) I also got the 6m.
The 6m on 20m lines I can foil from 11/12 knots, change to 14m lines at 14/15 knots and it's really great not sure of the top end range as I would change to my 5m Cabo at 17/18 knots.
I'm 75Kg and have Zeeko carbon foil with Carver front wing on Levitaz Exo board, hope that helps.

What's your range like on the foil with the 10m?

[Peter_Frank]

I've got a 5 m2 Soul - my very best kite for hydrofoiling in waves

Got it this summer, brand new

Just teasing as I believe you are talking about the Flysurfer Soul, and not the Takoon Soul from 2011



It is the perfect kite for surf foiling though, as it is higher AR than newer LEI kites, and loads of depower and range.
It was also the best wave kite for surfboards too

The higher AR on small kites is great, as you got so much more peak power which is essential quite often, in waves.

Can ride with this 5 m2 in 13-14 knots with a surf wing, being average weight, works excellent!

Off topic though, I know - just funny as I believe it is quite rare that anyone reuses kitenames from other brands

PF

[jumptheshark]

How does switching to foil kites change your riding style?

The idea of a smaller overall kite, no pump, and better bottom end is super attractive.

Foilholio talks of wave riding with foil kites, but I have yet to see it with my own eyes.

Frank Rosin and Adam Withington have a few clips where they are ripping around pretty nicely, but there is still something drawn out about their riding between transitions that I don't see in the top LEI foilers.

Namely, Greg, Nicholas, (understandably, they have their own LEI brands) but also Philipe Caneri, Oyvind, Steph66, Peter Frank etc.

Have seen Gunnar in waves with a foil but mostly looking like surf foiling without the kite than say someone like Nicholas or Marc Leblanc who blend the kiting and wave riding a bit more.

Do you foil kite guys feel there is a difference in "how" you can foil with the two different types of kites?

[Johhnn]

Be careful, Peter_Frank. I fear you may be summoning Pumpy. : )

[Johhnn]

jumptheshark, I'm not sure how it affects riding style, but the feeling at the bar is very different. I much prefer any of the foils I have to my tube kites. The bar pressure is even and solid, though fairly light. With the tubes the bar pressure feels nonexistent. I'm used to that now and DO use my tube kites in strong and gusty winds sometimes. They're OK. But the foils, I feel, are really great. The turning is predictable. Whereas with the tube kite, it seems you pull the bar, wait a moment, then all of a sudden the kite tips over and turns like crazy. And the foils seem to stay up a little better in the light wind and lulls. Maybe that's a little subjective. I was on the beach once with someone who had a big Cabrinha. He seemed to be able to launch it at the same time I launched my 15 m Sonic 2. No idea what the wind was, though it was light for sure.

The feeling I have is:
Tubes: hard and clunky.
Foils: soft and predictable.

[Flag53]

I’ve got a Flysurfer 12m Soul for light wind foiling and I love it .

I did consider getting a smaller size for stronger winds but decided against it as quite often when it’s windier there’s also more chance of rain and in my experience with the 12m it’s performance is effected when wet !

[tomtom]

I honestly cannot understand how someone can actually prefer Foil kite to LEI kite in high wind. For light wind it is obvious and i myself use FOIL kite in light. This comment "it seems you pull the bar, wait a moment, then all of a sudden the kite tips over and turns like crazy"... Small tubes are like extend not to your hands but extend to your mind. There is ZERO delay in <7 tubes. All disadvantage of tubes stop to exist in high wind and contrary all foils advantages are no longer in high wind. Starting and landing small foil kite in high wind its always adventure. High wind are more turbulent by nature and FOIL and turbulence dont like each other. There are so many excellent wave kites that are proven to work in nuclear. They are cheap. Everybody knows how to start and land them. Almost nobody consistently use FOILS in nuclear - they are rare exception. They do not behave predictable in these wind. Pumping 5m lei is like instant. They stay on place while parked on beach. They are easy to check lines etc... So many things can go wrong in nuke wind so why complicate things. Only thing that come in my mind can be LEI are maybe too fast for some people.