FEEDBACK: LOWKITE PLUS V3

Feedback on how accessible the lowkite is with a modest wing foiling background.

Wing foilers: Loic, Louis, Valentin and Vicente, GONG Staff, riding the lowkite Plus V3.

First sessions on the lowkite with the Plus V3

"A quick first impression after my third session on the water with the Plus V3 lowkite, mainly for intermediate wing foilers who are still hesitating to give it a go. I'll go into more detail, but in just two words: what a blast!

Background:

80 kg without a wetsuit, wing foiling for 1.5 years, intermediate level (I land some of my tacks and switches).
Received a Plus V3 4.5 lowkite at the end of May... then spent a month procrastinating with thoughts like "I'm not good enough at wing foiling yet" and "I'm finally getting comfortable on a wing, I don't want to struggle all over again."
Then we got a few days of great conditions, my 2023 4.5 wing was clearly starting to wear out, and at 25 knots the 5.5 Droid Aramid was no longer in its comfort zone. So I thought, why not?
I had already done two 10-minute sessions on land to get used to handling the kite, plus one 20-minute water session in 12-15 knots that wasn't very convincing because the kite barely stayed in the air.

Gear:

Sner 7'0 115L board
Veloce V2 1300 and 1100 foil, 44(L) stab
Plus V3 4.5 m² lowkite"

First sensations on the water and first jibes

"First 'real' session the day before yesterday, after 1.5 hours of wing foiling, on the Veloce 1100:

15-20 knots, 22-23 max
Kite stabilization was fine, no issues there (maybe thanks to my old kitesurfing days?).
The first 10 minutes were a struggle to get going, then I remembered the depower I'd discovered during my second land session. Wow, that changed everything!
After 10 minutes I was up and riding. Second gust, and boom, takeoff! Wow! I stayed on a tack way too long (the wind was side-off). Landed, headed back the other way, and it lifted just as easily. Back near shore after gaining a bit of ground upwind, I tried a jibe: landed it! Wow again! Toeside? No problem (both hands on the bar). I kept going for another 20 minutes on short runs, landing about 25% of my jibes, then stayed out too long on the final run. The wind eased off a little, I jibe, the lowkite drops under the board, I fall on top of it... then 20 minutes of paddling back 🙂"

Progression and kite handling

"Second session this afternoon, 100% lowkite, Veloce 1300:

15-27 knots according to Arome HD, 12-18 knots with a max of 22-23 on the Windsup anemometer, but it's slightly wind-shadowed in the Tramontane. I'd say we actually had 13-14 up to 24-26 knots max. There were whitecaps and enough chop to start slowing me down a bit (and sometimes ruin a jibe 🙂) with the 4.5.
No issues with overpowering at all, this depower system really works. I'm learning to use it to get onto the board and at the end of a jibe to avoid getting thrown off during the power-up. At 25 knots it pulls, but it's perfectly manageable with both hands and no harness, adjusting the power with the rear lines. With the gusty wind we get here, that's really reassuring.
The kite is stable, even more stable than my 4.5 wing in the gusts (a slightly tired Slingshot V4).
No trouble making it pivot (at the same time as, or just before, the board, otherwise you get pulled backwards at the end of the maneuver), you just have to commit with your wrist.
1.5-hour session, roughly one jibe out of two landed.

The verdict after two sessions

"I never expected to have this much fun after only a few sessions, it's honestly beyond what I hoped for.

I haven't tried any other parawing, but I think this Plus V3 lowkite is really, really good! Stable, confidence inspiring, and 'easy' to learn on. The depower is excellent, I genuinely wasn't expecting that. You ease the rear lines with your wrist, the trailing edge of the canopy flutters, but the front half and leading edge keep their shape. The kite flies normally. The profile break is clean, just behind the center lines. My memories are getting old, but the sheeting system on the kites I used back then didn't offer much more depower than this (2018 and 2019 kites, maybe things have improved since).

I was worried about overpower and not being able to control it. My first water session was pointless because the wind was too light. I'd read it and people had told me, but you really do need enough wind when starting, not just for takeoff but also for your first jibes so the kite stays flying during the downwind phase.

At 80 kg, with a 110-115 L board and the Veloce 1300 and 1100 foils, my current usable wind range with the Plus V3 4.5 m² lowkite is 15 knots (minimum!) to 25 knots.

I didn't like the starting technique shown in the videos (kneeling on the board aligned with the wind, heading downwind). Either you get dragged downwind, or the kite stalls, falls, and the board slides over it. I start just like I do in wing foiling: kite at 12 o'clock in the water > board across the wind > depower > kneeling across the board > stand up > bear away.

Conclusion:

For anyone who's hesitating and thinks their wing foiling level is 'just enough': go for it! If you can jibe and freefly a bit, or even land a few tacks (not even mandatory), you'll be up and having a ton of fun on this incredibly enjoyable new discipline in no time." Thanks Pierre for this very detailed feedback shared in the GONG Galaxy group.