Flysurfer Soul

[noahsw]

Are you talking about attaching to a fixed object?

Exactly. I've done this with LEIs a hundred times. Attach carabiner to chicken loop. Unhook and walk up the lines with one hand on the safety line. Works like a charm with LEIs, even in super strong winds. I'm curious how the Soul would do.

[joriws]

On snowkiting we attach kite to an ice screw and carabiner with back lines pulled to center like packing the bar. I also have umbrella-type sand screw with carabiner for the same purpose but not every year I use it. On I usually back stall and walk the lines and after one span flag out the kite to one steering line.

I've done landing with every foil kite I have and I had and I've tested (many Flysurfers). No problems even on moderate winds. I've ridden Soul 18 but not anchored it but there should not bve any reason why it would not work.

If kite tries to fly TE first just adjust the relative length of front and back lines. Pull little depower strap for example. It is all about line tension and front-back relative length in backstall position. TE first flying is probably symptom of too tensioned back lines when kite loses some air.

[neilhapgood]

on this subject in terms of landing my 12m soul in 12knots plus wind when I backstall it is come down quite hard onto the beach, is there anyway to prevent this and if not is it better for the kite to flag it out instead and prevent the impact?

thanks

[Carlos_C]

take kite down at 90 deg as when you do an assisted landing then backstall whilst moving - into wind - much softer - practice in light winds

[Janus]

on this subject in terms of landing my 12m soul in 12knots plus wind when I backstall it is come down quite hard onto the beach, is there anyway to prevent this and if not is it better for the kite to flag it out instead and prevent the impact?

thanks

Yes it is possible to make it come down more softly, don’t fight it when you backstall it, walk downwind a bit during backstall and play with the tension on the back lines.
With a little more wind you can better backstall from the side position ( 9 or 15 o’clock)

[joriws]

Reduce backline tension to slow down reversing. Also remember that if you "lift up" backlines from frontlines, the pivot point is different causing relative line length to change when kite moves.

You can more or less hover foilkite anywhere in the wind window at any LE direction with accurate backline control. Similar to 4 line stuntkite with difference that stunt kite with handless can be also flown spanwise (tip as leading edge).

[Nem0]

This might be a dumb question but can you use a carabiner to self land the Soul? The backstall method usually ends up in a twisted mess for me.

Maybe you pull backlines too hard...
How you want to use the carabiner?

[dybliejorgen]

First time on my 10m Soul this weekend. 21m race lines an Zeeko white and green foil.
Amazing foil !!! Super stable, smooth power, big wind range...
First day it was gusty 15-22 knots. No problem upwind, scary downwind, but survived.
Next day it was 7-12 knots. Blasting upwind, downwind, measured 47 km/h without trying hard.
Have not tried other foilkites and have only 50h kitefoiling.
Looking forward to try it with shorter lines and a high performance foil like Moses Comet or similar.

Jorgen
Norway

[Armin Harich]

Great to hear, you like it.

BTW: Olli Bridge got the UK Record on SOUL. He has a lot videos at his facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/olly.bridge.1

[downunder]

I didn't really like it, but can't fault it since below is very personal feeling.

Here is why:

- quite high bar pressure
- quite slow, well not quite, sloooow. 12m, 15-17kn
- doesn't pivot (like I would expect from a Sonic and R1 background)*
- feels like a truck pulling me
- upwind on TT is average )*
- it really feels like a beginner kite
- it really needs a helper for landing
- the profile is huge, that thing will take enormous amount of water, trust me. I could not take out of water 11m R1 and Sonic 9m myself, after 45min swim. And they are way way thinner.

On that note, there are people who will buy it with no knowledge what so ever how to even fly a kite. Any kite.
Let me demonstrate:
- I looped the kite. A few times each side on the land. The guys approached and asking "How did you do that?" - did what?
"Yeah, how did you do that? What did you pull?" - my blank face

After purchasing a 15m Soul, he is asking which line did I pull? God save/help him, he'll need it.

Other than that, it is a great kite, just not for me at this stage.