just do it wrote:Just for info. My 9m Delta LEI gets going earlier than my old 10m PS4 or 10m PS2 did......
There are now only two areas where a foil is better.
1. Selflaunching. Providing you know exactly what you are doing, that it isn't very windy and/or gusty and that there aren't many twigs and branches around where the bridle catches.
2. You don't have to pump the damn thing up.
I doubt that a 9m Delta will get going sooner than a 10m Psycho 4 10m. However I have to say that the low end of the Psycho takes some getting used to especially for riders that ride Flysurfer Speeds. Very different low wind flying technique required. It took me more time than usual to get up to speed (aquainted) with the Psycho 4 10m. Flysurfer recommends it for more advanced riders. Not saying that 'just do it' is not good enough, I just think he did not explore the low end enough.
'just do it' left a bunch of things off the list....
let me give one example that gave me a real nice session this Sunday.
With a Psycho 4 you can body drag upwind in very very low wind. This made it possible for me to body drag out past the surf in winds to light to do so with a LEI. I mananged to body drag out to where the wind was just enough to get up and in sort of slow motion go upwind to where I found enough wind to kite 1/4 to 1/2 a mile upwind to where I had a nice steady 12mph with the occasional puff just a bit higher. I rode in an area with slick water but with a nice swell thanks to big kelp beds upwind. You can pick up some great speed on slick water in light wind with a good board and a Psycho. Pulled some nice airs off the incomming swell and rode some very nice glassy surf. There was only one windsurfer up there with me, but he could never get on a full plane despite a big board and big sail... however he new his stuff becasue he caught a few nice waves and new what to do with them.
This is a spot that is crowded if there is even mild wind.
I kited for about 2 hours on my psycho 4 15m.
There were at least 20 to 30 kites (many with the latest and greatest LEIs) on the beach and only two other guys made it out but only for a couple of runs not able to go upwind. One guy even had a 16m North Delta shapped kite and weighed about 50lbs less than me.
When the wind really dropped it was a bit challenging getting back to shore.
I had to work the kite like nuts and it was a spooky ride over big glassy spots.
It also got pretty nasty when a set came through while I was playing a balancing act just trying to keep the kite in the air. I waited for the last wave in the set and hitched a ride for the last few feet to shore.
Once on the beach I didn't even have to sand down the kite to pack it up.
I do want to thanks a couple of other kiters that waded out into the surf ready to help me out if I dropped the kite. Especially nice to come out before I even needed them
Thanks.
Disclaimer: You do need to set up the Psycho 4 by tunning it for low wind/low wind upwind preformance. It slows down the turning just a little, but makes the kite open up to it's flatter mode sooner. It's a two minute adjustment moving an adjuster ring. I actually have made a small mod that makes it even quicker to make the adjustment.