My Fly is more powerful than my 16m Rebel was by a good margin. Much easier to give an opinion when you've flown it maybe? Which is where the OP started - which was nice

I think the kites to compare the Fly with are not the race oriented ones (Dyno, Edge)
But kites like the Fat Lady, Core, Zaphyr...

For me until now it was the Zaphyr, with the best overall fun factor.

Fat lady was great, fast turning and nice looping (for it's size). Kill me but i rode the big Cores and didn't like them from some reasons.

Cheers

What Jeff doesn't tell you is he kites in one of the windier areas on the east coast.(except this year). Usually there's either no wind or 12 meter or smaller kite weather.Light wind then it's SUP time!

joking about what...the SPF or the kites? it's a proven fact that SPF 30 is the maximum sun protection...everything over that does not protect you any more.

as for the kites, yes, i'm serious. and i've tried many large kites. the reason my biggest kite is a 12M is because i've never used a bigger kite that had any more power, so why bother? i'm no physics major, but i gotta belive there is a breaking point where the weight and slowness of a kite negates any added power the extra size might yield. though that's just my belief, i've found it to be true via experience as well. i've had days where i'm struggling on my 12M, and someone hands me their bigger kite and proudly says 'now try this!'. i do, and i'm struggling on it as well.

like i said above, i'm sure you've got some wonderful 14M-18M kite that'll get you going in 5 knots of wind. enjoy it!

You are joking.
The Holy Grail after 25 years of windsurfing and 8 years of kiting for me has always been: Fly to some quiet beach (Mexico) where my wife loves to sunbath, and get a session in when she's happy. We're talking ZERO whitecaps.
I once paid several thousand dollars on a windsurf race setup that weighed a ton, took 1/2 hour to schlepp from car to beach, imposible to air travel with, and in the end never got me out on sub-whitecaps sunbathing weather.
After all these failed efforts... The Fly just works. I'm sure there's also a Flysurfer mattress, or a Fat Lady, but the Fly is what's best for this kiter. IMHO
Does it turn like a 12M? With 24m lines it's damn close. And I am out on the water before all the other mondo kites. I weigh 72kg.

If what you are really saying is that "It's more fun to kite powered 9 & 12M"? Of course it is. But just try going on a vacation where the entire family is happy, but you've gone 41 days without getting out on the water. On those days even a flat water mowing session feels good.

whats à realistisk and comfortable top end on the Fly with 80 kg on strapless surfboard ?

please note that I dont find that I have lower top end on any of my kites when on surfboard compared to TT.

Jkrug: what is your weight?

Me with 95 kg will never ever stay upwind nor perform like I can with a 12 and a 128x39 board...

Toby, I'm also 95 kg/210 lbs.

all i am saying here is that i've never ridden a big kite that gets me going any better in light wind than my 12M..it's a Wainman Boss btw. I've tried older 16M Switchblade, Zephyr, Infinity, and a handful of 14M's.

it doesn't matter whether i kite in an area of predominately strong or light winds. the point is only that when it's light, and i'm barely planing, and then i'm given one of these other large kites, i've not seen any difference. i'm still barely planing. (i find board size makes much more difference at that point than kite size).

it may be i'd notice more power if i were given one of those larger kites when i was fully powered on my 12M. in other words, maybe i'd feel a bit overpowered w/those...but what's the point of that except for maybe slightly better jumps in normal (not light wind) conditions?

Than I am sorry to report it is you and not the kite Sorry I did not mean to be so confrontational, but obviously a bigger kite will have more power.

The kites today are so much better than the ones from some 10 years ago and there is simply no way you can seriously claim that the big kites does not have more power...but one scenario can explain what you are experiencing. If you tested a high AR race type kite, and rode it slow, the kite will not work properly. hose wings needs more speed to pull. If you go with Fly or fat lady (I have not ridden fat lady to any extent so that is guess) type kite, it will definitely pull way harder than your 12.

It is a misnomer that you can generate the same amount of power with a smaller kite that you can get out of a big on just because of higher turning speed. Yes you can generate it over very short amounts of time, but not over enough time to have the same effect.

Now a 12 will have more low end compared to a 9 than a 15 to a 12, but it still has more power in the wind range. It is not just everyone here talking out of their ass.

I actually understand jkrug 100%

I feel exactly the same way, and I am even somewhat lighter at 77-8kg.

The same goes for the other kitesurfers around here, mostly.

It is really difficult to phrase or tell why - but my max kite will always be a 13 or 14m2, and that is one number bigger than "good" - even in super light winds - so I might dismiss this size...

So 12-13m2 is the max for me too, typically.

Not because I wait for more wind, and prefer smaller kites in more wind (we all do of course) - so that is not it.

But in light wind, a good board and a say 12m2 kite will work so much better than a 14-15m2 for me.

Maybe the 15m2 will have marginally more steady pull, true - but not worth the downsides as it will be really ineffective when turned, so it is lost rapidly.

And how long do you ride straight out with the kite parked ?

I dont - then I would rather collect stamps - more exciting

The other thing is, that one can typically jump higher (or just as high), and have way more fun doing kiteloops and tricks, with the 12m2 - in EXACTLY the same wind that is
You might not win races - but that was not the topic here...

Upwind also goes much better, as there is (IMO) a point where the big kites will be less efficient and it feels like they pull you sideways.
This is an experience with all big kites I've owned or tested, eventhough I can not say exactly why it is so...
I've had and sailed the Dyno and Boss and Chrono and Ocean Rodeo and Ozone Zephyr and others, in big sizes - but just dont work better for me in light wind.

If one were into hangtime, bigger kites makes sense - but I find hangtime without a lively kite and without height really boring. But personal choice, yes.


If I lived at a spot where the wind ALWAYS was around 8 knots and totally steady, I might find things different, dont know bout that.
And if I had huge raceboards so not much freestyle/kiteloops/aerial jibes to be done - I might also use bigger kites - but I am not sure actually.
When the wind is a bit up and down often, even in light wind - I simply can not stand the big kites for long, compared to a 12'ish thing - in the very same light wind

We have lots of really low wind days here - but because we can choose to either go out on other days, OR, ride with a much more fun kite on the right board in these low winds - that is what most prefer, so bigger kites than 12-14 are rarely seen anywhere here...
A few with big raceboards MIGHT just have a bigger kite - but even here, many of the big/heavy guys stop at 13m2.

Nice to see I am not alone about preferring the next or third biggest kitesizes in really light wind.
As said, almost impossible to explain why it is so - but not in doubt at all


Much more important is having the right board IMO, and having that - there is very little line pull, meaning very low winds - meaning the huge kites will suck even more at turning (compared to huge kites with small maybe wake TT's - that is different of course and the big ones turn way faster)

The real bummer about the big kites is - IF the wind picks up just slightly - you are almost stuck with no fun at all, compared to a tad smaller kite where you can do ANYTHING (better control, easier upwind, higher jumps, better in waves etc etc)

I am sometimes using 10meter extension lines in extremely light conditions - then you can still go, and jump fine, and can be shortened in a jiffy if wind is picking up ever so slightly.

Of course the bigger ones has slightly more steady pull, yes, can not be denied of course - but I still dont like it, not even if going straight for a while, because of all the downsides


Others like huge kites in low wind - so simply a matter of taste and how you kitesurf and what you do out there

Peter