Advice for buying 1st Foil Kite
 

Hi all, Im thinking of buying a foil kite, but have no clue where to start. Was hoping some of you could educate me a bit. Im an advanced rider who enjoys jumping 25ft plus. I weigh about 190lb and looking to get rid of my 15M LEI for light wind and exchange it for a foil. 1st question: If I’m looking to boost and float…what size as compared to my 15M LEI in a foil would I need? I fly Core XRs. Looking to be used in winds around 12-18kts. I usually can hold down 1-2 sizes larger than what is being normally used for the day.

Second question. If Boosting and floating are the important factors, any suggestions for the brand and foil type? Ive heard that Flysurfers are the go to, but others have said this:

“Just as an aside, the Flysurfer kites have always had overly complicated bridles and a poor depower system.

High end paragliders are going to 2 and 3 line (2 or 3 rows of bridle lines). The kites I used were 2-3 line kites 10 years ago. Flysurfer still use complicated, multi-row bridle systems.

In recent years several paraglider manufacturers have brought out single skin, light weight wings. They're light and simple and the performance is greatly reduced compared to a fully functional double-skin wing. I would be pleasantly surprised if the Flysurfer Peak offered more than basic performance compared to a double skin wing.”

Thanks fort the help.

I am sorry but my first hand foil information is quite dated, going back many years. The new crop of foils are substantially improved I understand. You might speak with Aaron McClearnon with http://www.elitewatersports.com/ to hear his suggestions. His shop works with foils to a higher degree than you see in the southeast currently. Where are you located?

My observations after only 6 sessions on a Flysurfer 21m Speed 5.

Bridle more complex: triple check bridle and lines for tangles and debris before launching.
Need room for launching and landing.
Self launching and landing seems to be more difficult, but may be my inexperience.
Flagging out on the safety can produce a tangled mess. I did it twice over land and was able to sort it out in 10-15 minutes. I would not want to do it on the water.
Reverse launching easy.
Huge lofty jumps.
My 21 flies pretty fast compared to my 16 xbow.
Plenty of power.

I was going to sell it due to the first four points above, but decided to keep for light winds (8-10 knots) and possibly foiling.