We are testing the SOUL - a foil kite with great twintip potential!
This test first appeared in July 2018 in issue #94
NOTES FROM THE TEST TEAM:
test words:Chris Bull
I have a strong history in foiling and even raced buggies 30 years ago. Believe me, the designs have come this far. I almost exclusively fly LEI kites now, but the Flysurfer Soul was the foil kite I spent the most time with when riding a hydrofoil because it's perfectly designed for a progressive freeride foiler.
Immense stability is the first important factor. These dragons seem to breathe with their own energy and are so dependable over them. There is no crease anywhere in the canopy and that is extremely nuanced aerodynamics. The Soul has a lower aspect than a thoroughbred racing kite and is designed to offer plenty of stability and performance in light winds. The durable skin materials don't affect the lightweight feel and performance, and there's also an improved drainage system to drain any water.
Flysurfer also touts the Soul as an ideal twin tip freeride kite, but we focused on hydrofoiling in this review. What makes this kite the ideal freeride foiling kite for us? Well, it has such incredible and stable light wind performance that it can't be compared to an LEI. The soul just seems to sit there and behave no matter what the wind is doing. Very efficient in calm conditions when you lose line tension or hold too far downwind. It doesn't penalize you as easily as an LEI that would fall through much sooner. A lot of us have lived our foiling dream on a nine meter LEI and then you jibe or turn and realize there is actually no wind; It was all apparent wind, and the kite then fell from the sky. The Soul has made it much easier for me to stay in the sky, especially in extremely light winds. Several times the wind dropped completely, but as soon as I got a breeze of just five knots again I was able to launch backwards every time as if it didn't matter. You reach up, grab both back lines, it rotates up and then you pull a line, it rotates and that's it. You can also restart it from the back. So for me it goes without saying if you enjoy foiling in light sea breezes at 14 knots and under. I don't know of any kite that relaunches so efficiently.
I see a lot of guys on high aspect racing kites but I've also seen them swim in. With the Soul being a bit more in the mid aspect I found great joy in being able to have more confidence with lighter kites and winds.
The steering is quite strong and firm and compared to a nine or ten meter LEI they are at the completely opposite end of the scale in terms of speed and pressure. Be aware, but the Soul is certainly user-friendly and efficient with an extremely good dose of power and torque low down. With an LEI, trimming the bar basically creates a very open or very closed kite. The angle of attack changes dramatically. On the Soul it's really smooth and a lot less aggressive which translates into control as it's stable and difficult to overtake even in light winds.
However, it is constant and affects your driving behavior in two ways. Let's start with the negatives if you are an intermediate or still in the early days of hydrofoiling: that ten meter feels like it steers more like a 12 or 13 meter LEI and in its turns around the window swim around instead of spinning tight like a LEI. So that you don't feel too much force when turning the kite, you must first apply a little more pressure. As your flying skills improve, you can load the hydrofoil to create more line tension and make the kite turn faster. If you're not very good at controlling your hydrofoil, the Soul creates quite a bit of headwind, which can be disconcerting.
Well, that's not all bad. In fact, it's lovely once you get used to it. Because the power doesn't cycle on and off quickly, the soul feels very supple and consistent. The turn isn't whipping, but it's very stable, and you can comfortably negotiate a turn while following it. Once you get used to it, you'll exit your corners with a lot more consistency and control.
Where I found the soul helped me the most was with my attacks. The smooth turning with plenty of smooth lift meant I could turn and come out on the toe side at high speed. I really struggled to find the balance, but on a soul I almost did it the first time. While the wind curves take a bit of getting used to given the bounty of performance, anything done upwind on the Soul is an absolute dream as you have so much time and I feel like I've made so much progress. So if you can spin up and down, gybe and tack with confidence, this will be a phenomenal kite for you from there.
Finally, I love how portable, compact, and super light the overall package is. The bag is barely larger than a bar bag and it's so easy to grab it, foil and harness and head to the beach. No pump required and no fiddling with different pump valves.
Yes, if you've never used a foil kite before, sorting out the bridle lines can be a bit intimidating for the first few sessions. Theoretically, as long as you're methodical when storing the kite, you'll be ready for your next session super fast. It's also easier if you leave your lines attached to the pole, making the setup process even quicker. BUT be patient and if this is your first foil kite, go to the beach on a light wind day and just practice getting used to rigging. You will quickly become familiar with the method of packing everything neatly and then setting it up quickly.
BOOST ABILITY
Chris tested the Soul as a pure foil kite for kite foiling. He hasn't ridden a twintip himself, but Olly Bridge and Guy Bridge have been there and made great progress. Last month Olly set a UK and European space altitude record with this kite and you can take a look at his big air skills in Olly's Red Bull King of the Air wildcard video below.
SUMMARY:
The Soul is a bit technical and demanding at first, but if you are particularly focused on hydrofoiling and want to add efficiency and flow to your riding style, switching from an LEI kite is a breeze. This ten meter also has an impressive wind range; a delight between 10 and 14 knots. (We didn't test it for twin-tip boosting, but this wing certainly has lift!)
KW liked:
Extreme stability and consistent, smooth performance that really help you increase the flow in your hydrofoiling game.
KW WOULD CHANGE:
The steering could be a little lighter, especially if you're used to a snappy SLE of a similar size. But they are not comparable.
SOUL BALANCE POINTS:
Processing quality: 9
Total package: 9
Lower end: 9
Top end: 7.5
Steering speed: 3
Turning circle: 7
Bar pressure: 7
Water Relaunch: 9 (relating to flat water with light winds)
Drift: 8
Boost: 6
Hang-Time: (DT, but it'll be fine)
Unhooked: DAS
Crossover: 5
Ease of use:7
SIZES:21, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8 and 6m