I think Sam said that his quiver would be a couple of dual skins on the smaller sizes end with a couple of single skins on the larger sizes but nothing required over 5 for him.

Leighbreeze said..

So Rob are you waiting for PPC new single skin?Or it may not be available for this season.

Yeah not sure now maybe jumped the gun on selling my Quest , what would you recommend ?

Retina said..
I heard from a person (has 4m and 3m) that they are easier/better then hybrid . In drainage and maneuvers. Is that true?

I've owned the 2.5/3.1 (3.1 demo) Hybrid and 2.7/3.5 Orbit.

I think the Orbit is the winner for drainage. The Hybrid cells are a little more constricted where the water exits. I think we are talking about a difference of single digit seconds here.

3.1 Hybrid vs 3.5 Orbit is tough to say. The Hybrid had WAY more top end in my experience but that also means it was juicy wind when I tested it (gusting over 40 knots) so light wind handling might vary. The 3.5m Orbit became definitively less fun over 30 knots and since I owned that one I definitely got more time in on it. Neither seemed noticeably better or worse than the other though. I just remember appreciating that I didn't have to worry about the Hybrid line length vs the Orbit which needed to be stashed faster.

2.5 Hybrid vs 2.7 Orbit though.... That 2.5 Hybrid is an absolute joy. Super snappy/playful, short lines, fast upwind, the only one of the 4 I tried that I felt like was a must have after 1 session. The 2.7 Orbit is definitively better than the 3.5 Orbit when it comes to maneuvers but it still has comparatively long lines (116cm for the Hybrid and 147cm for the Orbit) vs the Hybrid which is less playful in my experience.

2.5 Hybrid vs 2.7 Orbit: 116cm vs 147cm = 31cm difference.
3.1 Hybrid vs 3.5m Orbit: 129cm vs 152cm = 23cm difference.
4.2 Hybrid vs 4.5 Orbit: 152cm vs 160cm = 8cm difference.
5.7 Hybrid vs 5.9 Orbit: 176cm vs 178cm = 2cm difference.

So, you can see the that the lines get closer with the larger sizes. My takeaway having ridden these is that difference sizes in difference lineups are going to be better for different riders. Difference strengths and weaknesses for each size in each range.

AnyBoard said..
This is great information.


Wouldn't it make sense though for most people to be comparing say the 4.2 hybrid against the 3.5 orbit based on the orbit still getting off the water in lighter wind. Even the 3.1 hybrid is not reported to get off the water in low end any where near the 2.7 Orbit. I haven't ridden these wings but I have a 2.7 orbit coming and the advice was to size it like a single skin for the bottom end yet the general advice for the hybrid is that you will need at lest one good size bigger than a single skin.
Maybe i went too small on the orbit?

That's a good question and interesting angle to come from for sure. It would make the top end line up better for 3.5 Orbit vs 4.2 Hybrid, both of which seem to go to 30 knots and then start to run into issues above that. If comparing the 3.1m Hybrid vs the 2.7m Orbit the low end may be similar, but I don't have enough experience on those two to be decisive. Orbit will potentially be snappier to fly, but the 3.1 top end destroys the 2.7m Orbit top end IMO.

I should have a few more days on the Hybrid 2.5 soon. Here's a comparison for you:

Orbit 2.7 session: This was my last session with the Orbit, sold it after this one.


Hybrid 2.5m session: Super fun, felt like immortality.


Out during peak winds for both sessions. You can see the Hybrid day was horribly gusty.

AnyBoard said..
Thanks for that.
I guess with wind ranges like that its more about sizing up enough to survive the lulls on foil because there is always going to be a gust strong enough to get you on foil in circumstances like that on almost any size.


I am hoping a 2.7 Orbit works in our 20 knot average to 30 gusts and makes it a lot more comfortable and safer than a 2.4 PR v1. This would represent our frontal winds with our thermal winds sitting in the 15 to 20 knots averages and ok on a single skin.

Let us know for sure. For me, 20 knot average would be too low for the 2.7 Orbit on my kit. 20kts was just barely enough for me to catch a gust with the 3.5m to get on foil.

Here, I usually try to rig a sail that can't get up in the lulls but can survive the gusts. I prefer to wait out the soft stuff over getting wrecked by the peak winds!

First session on 4.5 orbits, really enjoyed it, upwind is excellent. Harder to get up in light wind, but once up it goes upwind well. Frigate v1 has better low but doesn’t go upwind as well until it’s very powered (still 10 degrees less angle or more).

overall very happy with purchase as of now. Feels like a lot to learn to maximize the wing, but also really fun on first sesssuon