17m SPEED FLYSURFER REVIEW

[Carlos_C]

10 knots - me 67 kg, 150 cabrina prankster on the 10mt speed- killer

[Janus]

Mark,
Did you have more watertime withe the Speed17?
Got some more info on high-end?
Thx

[mark van haze]

i had one shit day, gusty as hell (a stormfront passed by so we got wind). I was on my small board loose, heavy drug and my upper limit (im 72kgs)seems to be 16-17knots (max depower). At those windspeeds i was working my back leg hard - as you would on a psycho2 21m but much earlier of course. But even if i get the kite into the edge of the window, any try to jump gets you going too fast to be able to control and it is not possible to edge the board for lift off pop. So your jumps are long and flat.
Also when you pull the depower that much, the back lines hang quite a bit and the fast turning advantages of the speed are gone unless you pull the bar to tension the back lines more.
But then, once i pass the 13-14 knots mark, i usually switch to my 15m RRD type6 tube.
Still got another video coming up, but need more days on the water.

[skyseer]

my upper limit (im 72kgs)seems to be 16-17knots (max depower)

the FS official upper limit for the Speed17 is 24 knots !!
W.t.f. ?

[jrobson]

my upper limit (im 72kgs)seems to be 16-17knots (max depower)

the FS official upper limit for the Speed17 is 24 knots !!
W.t.f. ?

Gusty as hell

Doesn't help.
FS's official "normal" upper limit is 17kts. You problably need to take 3m or 6m out of the line to get to 24kts though even in smoother wind?

[Tom183]

8-16kts is a pretty wide range for such a big kite - I don't think there's any other kite on the market that can match that. It's not as much as I had hoped, but seems a bit more realistic.

jrob: I think you may be right about the mfr's windranges being based on shortening the lineset.

[Tom183]

i had one shit day, gusty as hell (a stormfront passed by so we got wind). I was on my small board loose, heavy drug and my upper limit (im 72kgs)seems to be 16-17knots (max depower).

16-17kts average (with gusts above that), or max gusts of 16-17kts? Sounds like I'm splitting hairs but I can usually handle gusts a couple kts above the average windspeed - i.e.: my Contra 16.5m is maxed out in 19kts avg, gusts 22kts.

[skyseer]

8-16kts is a pretty wide range for such a big kite - I don't think there's any other kite on the market that can match that. It's not as much as I had hoped, but seems a bit more realistic

the range would be fine if you compare it with tubes, I know.
What I don't like are unrealistic claims.

I could actually hold my Titan15.5 up to 24 Kn. (official top end) in gusts (84 kg), and I am a beginner and had no real highwind board. The declared low end, on the other side, was ridiculous: 6 knots !!! (normal powered).

Mark van Haze is what you would call a very good rider. If he feels overpowered in 17 knots then the 24 knots claim is BS at Best level.

By the way, I ordered a Speed13 to replace the Titan15.5. I really hope it has at least the same top end (officially it should be 28 knots !).

Again, thanks Mark for the unbiased and hypefree reviews

@Tom183
looking forward to your first impressions with the 17. When it is supposed to arrive ?

[Tom183]

8-16kts is a pretty wide range for such a big kite - I don't think there's any other kite on the market that can match that. It's not as much as I had hoped, but seems a bit more realistic

the range would be fine if you compare it with tubes, I know.
What I don't like are unrealistic claims.

I could actually hold my Titan15.5 up to 24 Kn. (official top end) in gusts (84 kg), and I am a beginner and had no real highwind board. The declared low end, on the other side, was ridiculous: 6 knots !!! (normal powered).

Mark van Haze is what you would call a very good rider. If he feels overpowered in 17 knots then the 24 knots claim is BS at Best level.

I totally agree - I have been very suspicious of the "overpowered" claims on the FS website, but they might be possible using 12m or 9m (or 3m) lines... And the low-end claims can't be reality either - "normally powered" on a 7m foil in 12kts? Maybe if you use a cargo ship as your board...

Not an outright lie but some serious distortion of what the overwhelming majority of riders would experience - and yes, even the windranges Best quotes for the Hellfish aren't that excessive... Even so, I think the reality still beats any LEI - although I would prefer to see somewhat more accurate numbers on the website.

Again, thanks Mark for the unbiased and hypefree reviews

Yes, many thanks to Mark - at least we're getting something close to reality there, much better than the Best "evangelicals" we keep hearing.
(P.S.: Mark - you can't give us too much info, more is better for those of us waiting in agony for our SPEEDs to ship...)

@Tom183
looking forward to your first impressions with the 17. When it is supposed to arrive
?

Around the end of this month, maybe sometime the week of the 25-29 (i.e.: 2-3 weeks). I'm a little busy that week, and it could take several days to get suitable conditions, but hopefully I will get a chance to compare it back-to-back with my Contra 23.5m in early August.

The 13m starts shipping within a week, and I have been SERIOUSLY tempted to add one to my order - but I don't dare to until I have had a chance to try one firsthand.

[skyseer]

Even so, I think the reality still beats any LEI - although I would prefer to see somewhat more accurate numbers on the website.

too late ! It would be difficult to change the ranges now, but I admit they are trying:
the "normal powered low range" for the Speed13 is 8 knots, for the Titan15.5 it was 6, and I know for sure the Speed13 has a better lowend than the Titan.
8 knots for a 75 kg with Flydoor in flat water is probably feasible.

I also believe the upper limit for the Speed10 is accurate (well, maybe not 32 knots, but 30 seems fair if you look at the first reports).

Could it be that the 17, due to its size, doesn't go that far in the window as the smaller ones and as a consequence doesn't depower as much ?
I'm still wondering why Mark said the 17 was pulling a lot while starting at the edge of the window ?
Any idea Mark ?