I've had the 3m Peak4 single skin foilkite for a couple of weeks waiting for enough wind to try it kitefoiling. Just flying it on the beach showed how different it was to other kites, both foilkites and LEI, but flying it on the beach doesn't make it a useful addition to anyones quiver. Although it's instant power off makes it a great kite for teaching.
Yesterday had a bit more wind, but still under 10 knots so I foiled with the 10m Flysurfer Soul which was well powered up with the Moses 633. After a while the wind picked up a little, just averaging 10 knots with gusts to 11 so I thought I'd try the 3m peak4 just to see if I could even get close to getting going on my foilboard. First attempt I flogged the kite all over the sky, just about got out of the water onto the board and ran aground. With such light wind the wind window is pretty small so with a cross onshore wind it's hard to get offshore.
Trudged back upwind as the wind seemed a knot stronger in that direction and went in again flogging the kite all over the sky. It seemed I was just on the edge of getting on the board so I kept working the kite, finessing the trim between stalling and maximum power. Finally I got up on the board and with a few more sines of the kite was up on the foil 
Remember this is just a 3m single skin kite in 10-11knots of wind! Also had witnesses. Foiled out 200m without having to sine the kite too much and turned to toeside where working the kite and maintaining the upwind angle of the board was harder. Touched down slightly a couple of times but was able to keep foiling. The wind chop waves helped a lot on the way in with virtually no pull from the kite when I caught a small wave. This was the purpose of the kite to me, to be able to virtually turn the kite off when on a wave, have it drift, but not have it drop from the sky.
So the essential stats were 10-11knots of wind, using a Moses 633 surf foil on a 91cm mast mounted to Axis FreeMV 125cm board with my weight being 65kg. With a few more knots of wind the 3m Peak4 will be a usable combo. It's amazing how little pull you need on a good surf foil. And you can surf the foil without the kite pulling, because the Peak4's lose power as soon as you sheet out but drift so incredibly well, you don't have to worry about them falling from the sky. This is a good thing as they are not designed as a water relaunchable kite, though with experience you can relaunch them if you maintain line tension.
The wind forecast looks good for at least one day this weekend so fingers crossed it gets over 12knots.
Stretching the season with foil goodness, have fun, Dave
get some sleep dude, you are up far too early to be writing reviews ;) Hopefully I will catch you on Sunday for my last foil before heading off overseas for four months.
Good to hear. A lot of the Euro foilers on Kiteforum are raving about this snow/land kite in the 3m / 4m / 5m sizes. Like you, they're amazed at how small a kite they can use in 10kts with a surf foil. Horst Sergio was going on a 5m Peak 4 in 10kts on his stabless setup and looked to have ample power. He didn't recommend the larger sizes though, due to canopy flutter / distortion. I think these will become popular with the freeride crew.
Gin Kites have released the Marabou, a relaunchable single skin kite.
www.ginkites.com/shop/marabou/
I know nothing about it. Obviously the leading edge is a sealed ram air tube that makes it relaunchable.
Gin Kites has nothing to do with Gin Paragliders. They sold the kite brand some years ago.
Olivier Nef is the designer and is chief designer with Niviuk paragliders. That's a pretty good pedigree to have and certainly right up there with Ozone and Gin.
interesting. for now i'm super happy with my clouds but i'll also be watching this space.
in case any of the flysurfer or gin people read this - the smallest peak is 3m and smallest marabou is 4m - given that these things have pretty high power per square metre they'll need to make some smaller offerings to cover the full range for those of us who enjoy foiling in 30 knots.
Select to expand quotedjdojo said..
interesting. for now i'm super happy with my clouds but i'll also be watching this space.
in case any of the flysurfer or gin people read this - the smallest peak is 3m and smallest marabou is 4m - given that these things have pretty high power per square metre they'll need to make some smaller offerings to cover the full range for those of us who enjoy foiling in 30 knots.
Local in NZ took a 3m out in 25-30 knots with J-shapes Cruiser and pocket board. He eventually got out through the monster surf then says he had an epic session. Don't remember him saying it was too big or he felt overpowered...
Select to expand quoteGorgo said..
Gin Kites have released the Marabou, a relaunchable single skin kite.
www.ginkites.com/shop/marabou/
I know nothing about it. Obviously the leading edge is a sealed ram air tube that makes it relaunchable.
Gin Kites has nothing to do with Gin Paragliders. They sold the kite brand some years ago.
Olivier Nef is the designer and is chief designer with Niviuk paragliders. That's a pretty good pedigree to have and certainly right up there with Ozone and Gin.
Saw someone at Pelican Pt testing a singlr skin Gin kite last year.
Warning! Problem with 3m Peak4!
Was out yesterday and had enough wind, about 15 knots, to give the 3m Peak4 a good test. Didn't take much flying to get up on the Moses 633 surf foil and upwind was close to my 5m Naish Boxer. The feel of the kite takes a little getting used to, as going from full power to depower is a much shorter stroke than on most kites. However after a few runs it became comfortable. When there was a lull I could sine the kite with one hand kiting toeside quite easily and when I caught a swell I could depower the kite and just ride the wave without feeling the kite interfering with waveriding or dropping out of the sky. But being Easter and good wind, it was hard to line up waves downwind without crossing the track of the many other kitesurfers mowing the lawn.
Herein lies the warning with a small 3m kite. While cruising along, another kiter sailed right into my kite with his lines wrapping the kite around them. The Peak4 collapsed being single skin, lost power and then slid down and off the lines still leaving my lines across his lines. The lines slid down and got caught in the harness hook of the other kiter who eventually managed to get free of them. I then wrapped up the lines and kite, as the kite was well beyond relaunch now, and swam the lot slowly back to shore where I laid it out, untwisted the lines and went back out. When I spoke to the other kiter, who is a friend and owes me a coffee now, he said the kite was so small it was hard to see 
Now it is a small kite and there were a lot of people out, but I'd never had my kite hit another kiters gear before. And when I thought about my experience over the day, I did remember a lot of kiters coming particularly close to me, more than would normally be the case, so I think there is a grain of truth in what the other kiter said. Most other kiters were on twintips with kites from 12m to 17m, so my 3m Peak 4 was tiny by comparison.
Anyway there's nothing wrong with the kite at all and it was great on the foil and added another dimension to surf foiling which I'm keen to do again, wind willing. May have to get a bigger size Peak4 for lighter wind now the seabreezes are finishing ... Maybe I can justify that to the other half of the finances by saying it's a relatively inexpensive kite 
I've sold a few of the Peak4's, but so far not to anyone who has used them surf foiling to my knowledge. They're original design brief was for snow and land and it was kitejunkie from Germany who originally piqued my interest by successfully taking a 3m Peak4 on the water. Definitely different, definitely more fun per sq metre. Apart from being collected by the other kiter, the kite never hit the water to test for relaunching and it was easy to keep in the air, so relaunchability is not such a big issue. However like any kitegear don't go further out than you are prepared to swim.
Looking forward to more fun, Dave
Hahahaha, I wondered what happened to you. Someone said you went for a long swim, who was the character in question? It was pretty crowded yesterday but I still find it hard to believe that they could not see your kite. They are clearly not giving enough space or they were just lost in their own world.
Singles skins make a really cool buggy engine but to be honest, I am wondering why the hell anyone would give up water relaunchability for a small traction kite. We figured out 18-20 years ago that water relaunching kites was a great safety feature, Why now throw that away?
A small lei is as good if not better in the surf and on the foil. It is more recoverable in a total slack line condition, typically has more depower, dirfts really well, has smoother power output and can water relaunch.
To me, you are just making it more dangerous for yourself and others for no actual significant performance gain,
Select to expand quotePlummet said..
Singles skins make a really cool buggy engine but to be honest, I am wondering why the hell anyone would give up water relaunchability for a small traction kite. We figured out 18-20 years ago that water relaunching kites was a great safety feature, Why now throw that away?
A small lei is as good if not better in the surf and on the foil. It is more recoverable in a total slack line condition, typically has more depower, dirfts really well, has smoother power output and can water relaunch.
To me, you are just making it more dangerous for yourself and others for no actual significant performance gain,
Hi Plummet.
You have to try one to understand. The Peak4 is way more recoverable because it's almost impossible to get a slack line condition in the first place. And that's because it drifts, waaaaay more than LEI's or foils. My 3m Peak4 weighs less than 600g so it just wants to hang in the air. Power output is smooth when you get used to the short throw between full power and almost complete depower. The small sizes are really responsive for turning and looping as well, even when depowered.
Bear in mind the Peak4 suits a specific type of kiting, namely foiling on a large surf foil and waves either near shore or downwind style. It's not an inexpensive kite substitute for an LEI and TT combination nor for ripping upwind and high speed on a Freeride or Race foil. I have a 5m single strut LEI kite as well so I can compare.
It is what it is, and it's really, really good at that. For someone who spends time foiling around waves Plummet, you could find it really works for you.
So compared to other kites there is a performance gain and no more danger than using any kite in waves. If you drop it, there's a fair chance of relaunching if the lines are tight. But if it's rolled in the surf, like any kite, your chances of relaunch may be low. As you've read in my previous post I've had the kite completely down after a hit from another kiter and had to roll it and lines up and swim to shore. It's a pain but it's not hard or dangerous as it rolls up easily into a small package. As has been said, don't kite where you can't swim in when equipment fails, commonsense applies.
Fingers crossed for plenty of wind today 
Dave
I've flown a variety of single skins, Not the latest peak 4 however. But that said, I do not want to die and will have every safety feature I can. So Lei wins for me as the water relaunching function, and or floating on top of, is something I don't want to give away even if there is a little better drift.
Note: At my local on the foil I spend a lot of time further out to sea riding wind swells as there are boulders/rocks inshore. Its just not worth the risk flying a non water relaunching kite.
Ordered a 5 meter Peak 4 for downwind swell riding. Will see how it compares to my Clouds.
Select to expand quotePlummet said..
Singles skins make a really cool buggy engine but to be honest, I am wondering why the hell anyone would give up water relaunchability for a small traction kite. We figured out 18-20 years ago that water relaunching kites was a great safety feature, Why now throw that away?
A small lei is as good if not better in the surf and on the foil. It is more recoverable in a total slack line condition, typically has more depower, dirfts really well, has smoother power output and can water relaunch.
To me, you are just making it more dangerous for yourself and others for no actual significant performance gain,
I've flown a Peak4. You simply can't front stall them: ride at them, under them, pull the front lines in as far as you can then let them all go -- it'll just drift back into the window and keep flying. According the to my local chum, you have to be bestially determined to actually put it in the drink at all. Pretty significant performance.
On the day he was out in the big surf and his new 3m, there were 4 kiters having to float in unable to relaunch their tube kites in the surf. All of them had to release the kites totally, there was no way they were floating in on them. I assume the surf at your spot is similar, given the pics you've posted.
I mean really, how often do you drop your kite in the surf -- or at all -- on a foil?
No matter how well the kite stays in the air or how skilled one is, if you foil enough with it, the kite will eventually end up on the water. I fully expect it to happen to me and have a plan. I don't go too far out and will have a small mesh backpack with me (folds into the size of a handkerchief) into which I can stuff the Peak 4 and bar into. Swim in, leave the mess and go out again with a back up kite and bar.
Select to expand quoteemmafoils said..
No matter how well the kite stays in the air or how skilled one is, if you foil enough with it, the kite will eventually end up on the water. I fully expect it to happen to me and have a plan. I don't go too far out and will have a small mesh backpack with me (folds into the size of a handkerchief) into which I can stuff the Peak 4 and bar into. Swim in, leave the mess and go out again with a back up kite and bar.
I haven't dropped my 3m Peak4 yet but as mentioned before I did have another kiter run into my lines because he said the kite was so small he didn't see it
Having a small bag to stuff the Peak4 in would have helped in keeping the kite compacted while paddling in on a very low volume foilboard.
However when I got to shore I laid the kite and lines out and it didn't take too long to untangle and put the kite back in the air and I was back on the water. The B-Safe lines were what took the time to untangle as they are so fine. Otherwise the kite would have been back in the air in a few minutes.
Look forward to hearing how you go on your Peak4 Emmafoils. I've sold quite a few Peak4s and my customers are quite impressed by their performance as am I.
Have fun, Dave
Select to expand quoteemmafoils said..
Ordered a 5 meter Peak 4 for downwind swell riding. Will see how it compares to my Clouds.
Love the Clouds - never flown anything that works better for me. Interested to hear what you have to say about Peak.
Select to expand quotedrsurf said..emmafoils said..
No matter how well the kite stays in the air or how skilled one is, if you foil enough with it, the kite will eventually end up on the water. I fully expect it to happen to me and have a plan. I don't go too far out and will have a small mesh backpack with me (folds into the size of a handkerchief) into which I can stuff the Peak 4 and bar into. Swim in, leave the mess and go out again with a back up kite and bar.
I haven't dropped my 3m Peak4 yet but as mentioned before I did have another kiter run into my lines because he said the kite was so small he didn't see it
Having a small bag to stuff the Peak4 in would have helped in keeping the kite compacted while paddling in on a very low volume foilboard.
However when I got to shore I laid the kite and lines out and it didn't take too long to untangle and put the kite back in the air and I was back on the water. The B-Safe lines were what took the time to untangle as they are so fine. Otherwise the kite would have been back in the air in a few minutes.
Look forward to hearing how you go on your Peak4 Emmafoils. I've sold quite a few Peak4s and my customers are quite impressed by their performance as am I.
Have fun, Dave
I don't get why you didn't just relaunch it from the water ... surf?
Was joking with the guy that he should keep a spare Peak in a bag, para-packed and just pull it out and lob it in the air and ride away.
Another guy bought a couple to learn hydrofoiling on. He hasn't had to swim ... yet :D
Ridden 5 meter Peak 4 twice now in 12-13 knots, directly onshore, waist high waves, wave foil. All I will say is you will be shocked at how good this kite is for downwind wave riding. The drift and depower is astounding and truly in a different class. Changed my wave riding instantly. I am grateful to those who shared their experiences with this amazing kite.
Select to expand quoteemmafoils said..
Ridden 5 meter Peak 4 twice now in 12-13 knots, directly onshore, waist high waves, wave foil. All I will say is you will be shocked at how good this kite is for downwind wave riding. The drift and depower is astounding and truly in a different class. Changed my wave riding instantly. I am grateful to those who shared their experiences with this amazing kite.
Any thoughts on comparison to a cloud in those conditions? And upwind, bar feel, turning? (I have a quiver of C2, C.5 and D clouds for reference)
Select to expand quotedjdojo said..emmafoils said..
Ridden 5 meter Peak 4 twice now in 12-13 knots, directly onshore, waist high waves, wave foil. All I will say is you will be shocked at how good this kite is for downwind wave riding. The drift and depower is astounding and truly in a different class. Changed my wave riding instantly. I am grateful to those who shared their experiences with this amazing kite.
Any thoughts on comparison to a cloud in those conditions? And upwind, bar feel, turning? (I have a quiver of C2, C.5 and D clouds for reference)
Bar feel ranges from super light when in sweet spot wind range to heavy when overpowered. Upwind is similar to Cloud D and E. Turning speed is similar to Clouds overall but they don't pivot as tightly as Clouds. Drift and depower are a zillion times better than Clouds (or probably any other kite except other single skins). You can stand on the beach with kite at zenith and sprint towards your kite and it won't slack line.
Drift and depower better than clouds!? That's pretty epic. I thought my 5.5C had the best drift of any kite in the universe and my 4.8D the smoothest most massive range of power and depower. I'll have to give one a try.
I picked up an 11 mtr PEAK 4, have tested on land and the kite does everything they say, the BSafe system works a treat. I have however decided not to chase light winds on the water . Have it up for sale on Seabreeze for anyone interested These new kites at a fair price.
Select to expand quoteGorgo said..
Gin Kites have released the Marabou, a relaunchable single skin kite.
www.ginkites.com/shop/marabou/
I know nothing about it. Obviously the leading edge is a sealed ram air tube that makes it relaunchable.
Gin Kites has nothing to do with Gin Paragliders. They sold the kite brand some years ago.
Olivier Nef is the designer and is chief designer with Niviuk paragliders. That's a pretty good pedigree to have and certainly right up there with Ozone and Gin.
I met someone in Perth 2 years ago with a white, no-name single skin who said he was from Gin. I've just sent them an email asking was that the start of the Marabou. As someone who is really interested in the Peak 4, the Marabou is even more intriguing. I've asked for Oz cost and delivery too.
The Marabou is a bit of compromise on the pure single skin concept. It is more of a "hybrid" and is heavier than the P4 so you probably give up some drifting ability in return for better water relaunch. Would be interesting to see some more user reports on the Marabou.
More feedback on the P4: I rode a 3 m in 18 knots with chest high waves recently and it was one of my best foiling sessions ever. When on the wave you can truly forget about the kite until you need it to do something. I have found I need about 14 knots for my 4 m and the 5 meter will go in 11 knots. As far as water relaunch, my 8 meter is 0/2, 5 meter is 1/2 and 4 meter is 1/1. They pack down pretty well in the water and are relatively easy to sort out on the beach and continue the session.
Select to expand quoteemmafoils said..
The Marabou is a bit of compromise on the pure single skin concept. It is more of a "hybrid" and is heavier than the P4 so you probably give up some drifting ability in return for better water relaunch. Would be interesting to see some more user reports on the Marabou.
More feedback on the P4: I rode a 3 m in 18 knots with chest high waves recently and it was one of my best foiling sessions ever. When on the wave you can truly forget about the kite until you need it to do something. I have found I need about 14 knots for my 4 m and the 5 meter will go in 11 knots. As far as water relaunch, my 8 meter is 0/2, 5 meter is 1/2 and 4 meter is 1/1. They pack down pretty well in the water and are relatively easy to sort out on the beach and continue the session.
Thanks, Emma. That's a good point about the weight. My main intention for it will be downwinder foils in offshore swells at 18-23kts with a big wing. Given my numpty wave skills, extra relaunch may be a good thing to have ...
An unexpected late winter nor-easter had the 3m Peak4 out again on Sunday for a great session with everyone else who had been eyeballing the Seabreeze forecast. With the wind gusting to over 25 knots even a 2m Peak4 would have been rideable with the Moses 633 foil and my 65kg
As far as foils go the Peak4 is safe and easy to handle in stronger winds when launching and landing compared to a double skin foil kite. The depower makes even a hot launch comfortable and you can collapse the kite on landing so it has no pull. I did hit the water with the kite at one stage, but as long as you have line tension its not hard to recover from. Hope to try the Peak4 with a Moses race foil next session and see how it performs with regard to speed and upwind ability. Will also have a 5m Peak4 for demo soon as well. Contact me if you'd like to have a fly.
Looking forward to plenty of water time in the coming months as the forecast is warm and dry, (which means windy), great for kiting but unfortunately bad for farmers and bushfires in NSW. I'd better get that fire plan ready...
Have fun, Dave
After quite a few sessions on the Peak4 3m, it was light enough yesterday to try the 5m Peak4. As the wind has been either over 15 knots or crap, having a steady 8 to 14 knots on a sunny warm arvo has got to be good! I, (65kg), used a Naish bar & lines rather than the Flysurfer bar designed for the Peak4's and my usual Axis MV board & Moses 633 surf foil. Other TT kiters were out on 12 & 13m LEI's underpowered and the other hydrofoiler was on a 12m Hyperlink foil kite.
Launched the Peak4 and felt a lot more grunt when I sheeted in but the full depower when sheeting out. Just a flick of the kite had me up on the foil and I instantly felt comfortable. As most of my previous sessions have been on the 3m Peak4 there was little to adjust to. Being 5m the kite was slower turning but not significantly so, and the Naish lines were 24m compared to 21m on the Flysurfer bar. I think I prefer the 21m lines as I didn't really need the broad powerzone sweep of longer lines and they only add to drag.
The wind became quite light after a while and all the other LEI kiters went ashore allowing me a free run downwind across where they had been mowing the lawn. Unfortunately there wasn't much in the way of swell or waves but where the waves jumped up a little over sandbars and close to shore I was able to park the kite high, sheet out and ride and pump what waves I could find downwind. Even when the wind was at its weakest I had no fear of outrunning the kite, even pumping directly at it. The drift is unreal It's what really sets these kites apart and once you've had a taste it's hard to feel the same buzz on any other type of kite when riding a surf hydrofoil.
Sheeting in and powering back out was no problem, not pointing as high as a Soul but way higher than a TT/LEI. Fell off a couple of times due to weed catching on the foil 
, but the kite stays in the air. If you let the bar go the kite hovers ready to launch anyway so it's really hard to submerge the kite to the point it won't relaunch. If you can hydrofoil and ride a surf foil, you need to try a Peak4, nothing else I've tried compares to it's characteristics. They're also inexpensive and the fun factor is, as much as I hate to use the word, awesome! Still haven't found how low in wind strength I can go with the 5m but I'm looking forward to more testing . If you'd like to test as well contact me for a demo.
Looks like another nor-easter this afternoon ...
As that "someone" who was on the 12 Hyperlink and my foil, I was on my 8 Reo in the same winds. I just wanted to ride the Hyperlink and spend more time on it getting my loops down with such a slow (comparatively to the Reo) kite. I look forward to giving your kites a spin. Perhaps today even ;)
Okay, gamechanger....Today I borrowed Dr Surfs Peak in a 5 metre. Earlier I had been on the Hyperlink 12 and it was 8 to 10 knots. Well powered up and did my usual "Upwinder" in these light winds. I like doing this as the water is so smooth and on the downwind reach there is no sound, just smooth and quiet water to blast down with. However, long reaches of 6 to 10 kilometres gets a tad tedious for me, I prefer to carve around more, gybe, switch stance to mix it up and not fatigue the body.
Soooo, I come in and swap out for the 5 Peak and I fly it for 30 seconds on the beach, feels good, so I head out. Now Dr Surf is 20 kilos lighter than me. I am on a Paipo with the Spitfire xlw wings. And I get up and riding. Straight away. Powered nicely, upwind nicely, and then down the beach for some tiny swell riding straight down wind. Nice tight little loops, (though I did stall the power a few times in my loops, but generally was able to get bursts of speed whenever I dialed in the tap. I suspect I could have this wired in one more session). This was sensational. It was 8 knots, with the odd puff of 10 max, and I am zipping around like nobodies business on a 5 meter kite. And a nimble one at that. All I can say it I have to rethink my strategy now on single skin kites. This is truly a revelation.
Now I don't foil on a big surf wing, and the xlw wings don't pump, but they carve like mofo's. If you ride a surf wing and isn't power hungry there would be times you never knew the kite existed in front of you. If you have not had a chance to try such a small kite in lighter winds, I suspect you would be quite surprised how small you can go with efficient foiling techniques. Damn.....
Select to expand quotedafish said..
Okay, gamechanger....Today I borrowed Dr Surfs Peak in a 5 metre. Earlier I had been on the Hyperlink 12 and it was 8 to 10 knots. Well powered up and did my usual "Upwinder" in these light winds. I like doing this as the water is so smooth and on the downwind reach there is no sound, just smooth and quiet water to blast down with. However, long reaches of 6 to 10 kilometres gets a tad tedious for me, I prefer to carve around more, gybe, switch stance to mix it up and not fatigue the body.
Soooo, I come in and swap out for the 5 Peak and I fly it for 30 seconds on the beach, feels good, so I head out. Now Dr Surf is 20 kilos lighter than me. I am on a Paipo with the Spitfire xlw wings. And I get up and riding. Straight away. Powered nicely, upwind nicely, and then down the beach for some tiny swell riding straight down wind. Nice tight little loops, (though I did stall the power a few times in my loops, but generally was able to get bursts of speed whenever I dialed in the tap. I suspect I could have this wired in one more session). This was sensational. It was 8 knots, with the odd puff of 10 max, and I am zipping around like nobodies business on a 5 meter kite. And a nimble one at that. All I can say it I have to rethink my strategy now on single skin kites. This is truly a revelation.
Now I don't foil on a big surf wing, and the xlw wings don't pump, but they carve like mofo's. If you ride a surf wing and isn't power hungry there would be times you never knew the kite existed in front of you. If you have not had a chance to try such a small kite in lighter winds, I suspect you would be quite surprised how small you can go with efficient foiling techniques. Damn.....
This is a very typical reaction I see from friends who try a Peak 4 for the first time. Since trying one of mine, 4 local riders have purchased Peaks and I am sure more will. I should also add that if you read online, everyone says they don't jump well. That might be true compared to other kites, but they jump just fine once you figure out the timing.
