Any windsurfers tried kiting?

As a windfoiler I'm starting to ride with the local freeride kitefoiler and find they can chug through the lulls better them me but are usually on a much bigger rig and probably smaller foil. For example today small gusty lake 12-23kts. I was on a 4.2 sail and he was on a 8m kite(A bit overpowered). I was keeping up in the gusts but had to pump the sail along to stay up in lulls. It looks hard to master gybes on a kitefoil. Never tryed kitesurfing so can only watch and assume. He only goes out in a certain wind directions and doesn't venture too far upwind or downwind. I'm yet to see them out when I'm flying on a 6.0 sail in 8-12kts. I understand this is very limited data from what I can tell so far.

I think if your a windsurfer your more likely to pickup windfoiling with more success then kitesurfing/foiling since you already have the skills and gear.

Windsurfed for over 20 years, kitesurfed for last 20 years and kitefoiled for the last 3 years.

There are so many variables with regard to your local wind and beach so my experience is what suits my area. I found when windsurfing it became a bit repetitive after a while, and I think that also depends on those around you. Also if you're a bit lazy, rigging and derigging windsurf gear is a bit of a drag.

Kiting 20 years ago was new and exciting... and dangerous! It was classified as an extreme sport which made it all the more attractive even though there were deaths and injuries. Starting with 2 line kites was hard and safety gear was an afterthought. But after a while the kites and boards developed and you could kite just about anywhere in any conditions. It became relatively easy to learn and mowing the lawn just like windsurfers did made it a bit repetitive. Kiting in waves just like windsurfing in waves was great, however when there was good wind there were rarely good waves

Then foiling came along and like all windsports, the early gear was crude and put me off a bit. But the next season the foil gear looked usable so I gave it a go. It was like starting all over again and there were lots of sharp or pointy bits to fall on and bruises, cuts and torn muscles were frequent. But it was worth sticking with. First came the buzz of just being able to foil and then came the buzz of being able to foil on surf foils in really light wind and have fun while everyone else was waiting for more wind.

Kitefoiling was progressing and the foils were good and you only needed a tiny board of around a metre, so you could carry that gear in one hand. Kites however presented a lot of choices. Best performance in light wind was a twin skin foil kite, $$$, long lasting but slow, or a dedicated LEI single or no strut kite. Either of these choices stayed in the air better than regular LEI kites in light wind, but both needed a bit of setup or pumping to get ready. Stronger wind was ok with small regular inflatable kites, so if I had a range of gear I could foil in almost any wind.

Foiling gives you lots of opportunity to get better and develop technique so it wasn't boring. However one day I read in a forum about some German guy using a tiny 3m snow kite with a surf foil and saying it was great. The kite was a Flysurfer Peak4, and as I import and sell Flysurfer kites and the Peak4 kites were inexpensive, I thought I had nothing to lose by giving it a go. I already had used the Flysurfer Soul and it was good with a foil, but the Peak4 was a simple single skin kite which wasn't designed for water use and may not even be relaunchable. However I've always been keen to try something new especially when some German guy I don't know makes a persuasive case with a video as proof!

I had bought a 3m Peak4 as it was the cheapest and waited until I had about 15 knots of wind. I took the kite, which only weighed a bit over 600grams, and unrolled it on the beach and connected a standard 4 line bar to it. It looked like a trainer kite, not like something that could actually pull you along in the water. The bridles were relatively simple and I just put sand on the trailing edge and hot launched the kite. After all it looked too small to pull very hard and I had read it had great depower. So I launched it depowered and it didn't pull hard at all. Maybe I've bought a pup? However when I flew the kite hard with the bar in, it did pull and the kite was fast, faster than any other kite I had used. Note to self, be careful not to crash it in the water.

So I grabbed my foilboard got out to a decent depth and tried to get the kite to pull me up on the board. The wind had dropped a bit below 15 knots and getting my 65kg out of the water wasn't happening. I kept at it, flogging the kite all over the sky until the wind picked up a knot or two and I was on the board. Some more fast sining of the kite and I was foiling. There was not a lot of pull from the kite, but there was enough. A good surf foil is very efficient. After carefully getting used to the feel and speed of the kite I became more adventurous and that's when I felt the drift... So much drift!! I could catch some small wind chop and ride it and the kite just got out of the way, drifting along until I needed it. Then just sheet in the bar, gybe, head back upwind and catch some more chop, swell or waves.

I was sold. The Peak4 felt like no other kite. For surf foiling nothing compared. I quickly ordered the 5m Peak4 and when I got it I found I could start foiling in 8 to 10 knots... and have fun
With the 3m and 5m Peak4 half the price of most inflatable kites, I could have outrageous fun in a wide range of wind. I could carry kites, foil and board to the beach under one arm, just lay the kite on the sand, unroll the lines and with one pull be airborne. With no pumping I could be on the water quicker than anyone else and derig quicker too, as the kites are easy and safe to land. Not dangerous either. Just crash the kite and it collapses into a pile of cloth.
As for crashing the kite on the water, yes I did crash the 3m a couple of times. It was so fast and caught me out and I had to swim in twice. But since then I've found I can relaunch the kite most of the time. There's a bit of a technique to it but it's quite water relaunchable. The 5m has never hit the water. It's not as fast and the Peak4 kites will still fly in 3-4 knots, so they only hit the water if you fly them into it.

I've since sold quite a few Peak4 kites to surf foilers. Once they've flown one, other kites seem deficient, and often it becomes their most used kite/s. (If you buy one Peak4 you'll usually buy another. Though the 5m has a great range.)
All credit to Horst, the German who started this thread kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=197&t=2401224 which made me try a Peak4. Curiosity has its benefits and it's not often that the best product ends up being something thats low cost compared to everything else.
If you're into speed and have race foils then theres not much advantage with the Peak4. But if you want to surf foil, and not get into the expense of an entire bulky wingfoil setup, the Peak4 may suit you best