No posts for a long time.
Is gear so good no discussion required or has new gear eg parawings taken over?
I have UFO s V2 and wondering should I move on?

I think its just a matter of getting out and doing it. how much discussion is needed for that?
There are a huge range of kites and foils that'll serve the purpose to a very satisfactory degree, including the Peak4's /Peak5 which are still my go-to kites.

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warwickl said..
No posts for a long time.
Is gear so good no discussion required or has new gear eg parawings taken over?
I have UFO s V2 and wondering should I move on?

Really depends on your local riding conditions, flat water it's kitefoil, bumps/swell/waves wing or parawing.

If you went by thread discussion numbers then you'd think windsurfing is killing it. And yet in most parts of oz it's more or less been dead since kiting was invented, it's limited to a few stubborn old buggers who won't take a step back to take 2 forward. They appear out of the woodwork when it blows over 25kts which is pretty rare around here.

Most of the local TT riders aren't interested in trying to foil.

Most of the local kite foilers tried winging and have come back to kite foiling instead.. when they're not foil driving.

Out of the kite foilers, almost every single one prefers a different setup and rides a different style. Makes it hard to discuss gear.

The windsurfers have too much time on their hands due to lack of wind strong enough to be on the water.
Wingers have less time to kill but still plenty to fill the forum.
Kitefoiler have even less time to type due to the kitefoils huge range of usable conditions.
Foildrive, note there is no section for these guys and girls as they are always on the water.

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KBGhost said..
If you went by thread discussion numbers then you'd think windsurfing is killing it. And yet in most parts of oz it's more or less been dead since kiting was invented, it's limited to a few stubborn old buggers who won't take a step back to take 2 forward. They appear out of the woodwork when it blows over 25kts which is pretty rare around here.

Out of the kite foilers, almost every single one prefers a different setup and rides a different style. Makes it hard to discuss gear.

Yes, it's amazing the amount of activity on the windsurfing forums, compared with the numbers of windsurfers I ever see on the water! Maybe different in other regions??
I actually rather admire the tenacity of those 'stubborn old buggers' still getting out there and windsurfing, however rarely. I can remember when I used to windsurf, and thought that it'd be an activity that I'd likely continue into old age. but then, along came kitesurfing, and my enthusiasm to deal with windsurfing boards and rigs quickly vanished in the face of this new challenge! Which is again largely superseded by kite-foiling, due to the much improved low wind performance, while the gear required can be even simpler to cart around and rig up.
But there's really nothing much to discuss. just do it!

Seabreeze started in WA and with the stronger and more consistent summer winds there I'm guessing there's more windsufferers still active there than on the east coast..

Here is a nice after-session pic of what peak kite foil gear looks like. Any other opinions are wrong I'm afraid.

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KBGhost said..
Seabreeze started in WA and with the stronger and more consistent summer winds there I'm guessing there's more windsufferers still active there than on the east coast..

Here is a nice after-session pic of what peak kite foil gear looks like. Any other opinions are wrong I'm afraid.

KBGhost how is that monofoil compared to a standard foil setup? What are the pro's/con's? Triton?

Sweet setup!

I bought and sold a lot of foils before I bought the Triton T1. I can't see myself buying anything else unless they bring out a T2. It just hits the sweet spot of everything I want in a foil. Triton have been trying to make an improved T2 but after 6 prototypes they're back to square one so far, just can't improve the shape.

As far as riding impression it's loose under foot, feels much skatier than a normal foil and carves better than most. You feel every lump bump and current in the water. At first all the feedback feels a little unstable but then you realise that the board shifting around under your feet doesn't really affect the drive forward, doesn't throw your balance off at all, so you can just relax the ankles a bit and let the board pick it's path through the water. If you go back to a tail it just feels dead and on rails in comparison.

It's very flat in the water, no interplay between 2 wings means no stomping the nose as it comes up onto the foil, it just goes where you point it. It has a good low end and also top end, basically it goes slow well, goes fast well (fast enough for me), and turns like nothing else out there.

It likes a bit more power than some foils I've owned - I pretty much ride the 9m in nearly all conditions at 100kgs+.

Cons:
Tops out 25kts (enough for me but not a race/fast foil)
No real pump or glide (I would not recommend for wing/prone/para/etc)
A lot of force on 2 bolts (wing to mast), prone to snapping bolts if not changed after a year or two.

Pros:
Very light (no fuse/tail, plus a 14mm Ali mast and light baseplate design)
No sharp edges, all pretty rounded. Safe to fall on. Nothing to kick your shins on in the water.
Did I mention how well it carves?