Standup Zone Forum

The Foil Zone => Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP => Topic started by: PonoBill on December 11, 2022, 11:29:48 PM

Title: Weird problem at Ka'a
Post by: PonoBill on December 11, 2022, 11:29:48 PM
Today was challenging at Ka'a for a very weird reason. The wind was a bit light and looked to be dying, so I screwed around talking to friends but finally decided I had to pull up my big boy pants and go.

I'd forgotten the golden rule of Ka'a. The wind you feel twenty feet uphill by the parking lot is not the wind on the water. I convinced myself a 4M wing was big enough but fudged by mounting a huge 1150 axis front wing so I could pump up no matter what. Wrong. I could barely get the thing off the water, and every lull took me off foil. I came straight back in planning to pump up my 7.0, but as I dug for it I found the brand new 5.5 F-one Strike I bought a week ago. So I pumped that up and went out. Perfect. Except the handles felt really slippery like they were covered with dish soap. So soapy that it covered my hands and I was falling all over the place trying to get on the board. I couldn't hold onto the rail.

I finally managed to get up and fly out, but the slippery handles kept bugging me. I suck bad enough as it is, I don't need extra challenges. I had a nice time no matter what, and when I felt the wind starting to die I came in. Just as soon as I opened the plug on my 5.5 the wind picked up.

Somebody up there hates me.
Title: Re: Weird problem at Ka'a
Post by: Badger on December 12, 2022, 04:14:35 AM
Most wing handles seem slippery to me in general. It's weird that wing companies are still making them that way. It's even worse when wearing gloves or mitts. I would think there would be a high demand for handles to be made as grippy as possible.
Title: Re: Weird problem at Ka'a
Post by: PonoBill on December 12, 2022, 08:18:04 AM
I always use a fake boom on my F-one wings. It eliminates the floppiness and gives me something to grab between the handles. I had the boom in place, and usually I'd expect that to overcome any nonsense from the handles. But whatever this was on the handles was so slippery my hands were sliding off the boom--which has friction tape in the middle. I've never experienced this before. Perhaps it was some kind of lubrication that helps sew the thick handles? I suspect someone skipped a step in the fabrication and didn't wash the handles before attaching them to the wing--or something like that. I've never experienced it before, and hope I don't again. I have two other new F-one wings and neither of them had this issue.

I was able to stay out for a while and have some fun, but getting back on the board was so challenging since I couldn't grip the rails at all, that I had to be super careful not to fall. That was made more difficult by the monster foil wing, which had me on the edge of over foiling every time I ran down a wave face. Not relaxing at all.
Title: Re: Weird problem at Ka'a
Post by: Badger on December 12, 2022, 08:43:24 AM
I meant to copy your fake boom idea back when you did a post about it but I put the project aside. It's good to know that it has stood the test of time and that you are still using it. I might try making one over the winter.

I hope the slippery stuff on your handles washes off. I'd like to know what it is and where it came from.
Title: Re: Weird problem at Ka'a
Post by: paddlur on December 12, 2022, 11:29:31 AM
Today was challenging at Ka'a for a very weird reason. The wind was a bit light and looked to be dying, so I screwed around talking to friends but finally decided I had to pull up my big boy pants and go.

I'd forgotten the golden rule of Ka'a. The wind you feel twenty feet uphill by the parking lot is not the wind on the water. I convinced myself a 4M wing was big enough but fudged by mounting a huge 1150 axis front wing so I could pump up no matter what. Wrong. I could barely get the thing off the water, and every lull took me off foil. I came straight back in planning to pump up my 7.0, but as I dug for it I found the brand new 5.5 F-one Strike I bought a week ago. So I pumped that up and went out. Perfect. Except the handles felt really slippery like they were covered with dish soap. So soapy that it covered my hands and I was falling all over the place trying to get on the board. I couldn't hold onto the rail.

I finally managed to get up and fly out, but the slippery handles kept bugging me. I suck bad enough as it is, I don't need extra challenges. I had a nice time no matter what, and when I felt the wind starting to die I came in. Just as soon as I opened the plug on my 5.5 the wind picked up.

Somebody up there hates me.
Bill funny had my first go on my 6m CWC week or so ago same thing the F1 handles are slimy out of the bag few wraps of hockey tape around the handles way to go actually really helps out down the line little sticky after using for awhile,did it on my 8m CWC while back too and few other wings as well. the hockey tape solves this issue and makes handles better tacky like on transition grabs.
Title: Re: Weird problem at Ka'a
Post by: PonoBill on December 12, 2022, 11:46:47 AM
Today was challenging at Ka'a for a very weird reason. The wind was a bit light and looked to be dying, so I screwed around talking to friends but finally decided I had to pull up my big boy pants and go.

I'd forgotten the golden rule of Ka'a. The wind you feel twenty feet uphill by the parking lot is not the wind on the water. I convinced myself a 4M wing was big enough but fudged by mounting a huge 1150 axis front wing so I could pump up no matter what. Wrong. I could barely get the thing off the water, and every lull took me off foil. I came straight back in planning to pump up my 7.0, but as I dug for it I found the brand new 5.5 F-one Strike I bought a week ago. So I pumped that up and went out. Perfect. Except the handles felt really slippery like they were covered with dish soap. So soapy that it covered my hands and I was falling all over the place trying to get on the board. I couldn't hold onto the rail.

I finally managed to get up and fly out, but the slippery handles kept bugging me. I suck bad enough as it is, I don't need extra challenges. I had a nice time no matter what, and when I felt the wind starting to die I came in. Just as soon as I opened the plug on my 5.5 the wind picked up.

Somebody up there hates me.
Bill funny had my first go on my 6m CWC week or so ago same thing the F1 handles are slimy out of the bag few wraps of hockey tape around the handles way to go actually really helps out down the line little sticky after using for awhile,did it on my 8m CWC while back too and few other wings as well. the hockey tape solves this issue and makes handles better tacky like on transition grabs.

Good to know it's not just me. I'll do a couple of wraps of hockey tape. It's hard to get on Maui these days since our big box sporting goods store closed, but I always have a stash.
Title: Re: Weird problem at Ka'a
Post by: PonoBill on December 12, 2022, 11:51:01 AM
I meant to copy your fake boom idea back when you did a post about it but I put the project aside. It's good to know that it has stood the test of time and that you are still using it. I might try making one over the winter.

I hope the slippery stuff on your handles washes off. I'd like to know what it is and where it came from.

Yes, I use the fake boom on all my F-one wings, and I made a different style to connect the rigid handles on my Duotone Dlab wing. Every so often I try winging without one and generally head right back to the beach to put one on. I just don't feel the need to suffer without one. The dlab comes closest to not needing a boom, but going upwind I can't one-hand it without the boom and the attachment points for a harness are not as good.
Title: Re: Weird problem at Ka'a
Post by: Dontsink on December 12, 2022, 10:09:25 PM
Pretty much all new wings have slippery handles.
In the production process they get covered in some sort of lubricant (silicon base?,dunno...) , it washes off in a cople sessions but the first 2 hours are usually awful.
I never remember to do this but you can probably prewash the handles with warm water and diluted detergent to get it off.
Title: Re: Weird problem at Ka'a
Post by: PonoBill on December 12, 2022, 11:16:06 PM
I've never noticed it before, this time was fairly awful. I used the same 5.5 wing today at Ka'a and it was OK, except it was too big for conditions. I pumped up my Duotone dLab 4.5 but as soon as I deflated the 5.5 the wind dropped as a rainstorm cut off most of the wind.
Title: Re: Weird problem at Ka'a
Post by: tj_boof on December 13, 2022, 04:39:54 AM
do you happen to have a handy link to how you made the fake boom?  cheers.

I meant to copy your fake boom idea back when you did a post about it but I put the project aside. It's good to know that it has stood the test of time and that you are still using it. I might try making one over the winter.

I hope the slippery stuff on your handles washes off. I'd like to know what it is and where it came from.

Yes, I use the fake boom on all my F-one wings, and I made a different style to connect the rigid handles on my Duotone Dlab wing. Every so often I try winging without one and generally head right back to the beach to put one on. I just don't feel the need to suffer without one. The dlab comes closest to not needing a boom, but going upwind I can't one-hand it without the boom and the attachment points for a harness are not as good.
Title: Re: Weird problem at Ka'a
Post by: Beasho on December 13, 2022, 07:46:01 AM
Yes, I use the fake boom on all my F-one wings, and I made a different style to connect the rigid handles on my Duotone Dlab wing. Every so often I try winging without one and generally head right back to the beach to put one on. I just don't feel the need to suffer without one. The dlab comes closest to not needing a boom, but going upwind I can't one-hand it without the boom and the attachment points for a harness are not as good.

Can you post a picture.  Specifically what you are using to attach the fake boom to the floppy handles.

I had a great old broken paddle shaft but my velcro attachment failed on my 'fake boom' and I lost it at Sunset Point on Oahu.  I have since learned to be happy without a fake boom on my F-One Ocho.  Extremely happy because that wing is Fantastical.  But I now have a 5.5 Strike V2 which people also rave about and might be even happier than happy with a fake boom. 
Title: Re: Weird problem at Ka'a
Post by: PonoBill on December 13, 2022, 12:04:14 PM
This video kind of rambles a bit and it's from a couple of years ago when F-one wings had three handles. With the Strike handles the straps go front and back and of the front handle and front and back of the rear. I also usually wrap hockey tape in the gap between front and rear handles so I can grab it to one-hand it. That also keeps my harness lines from rotating.

https://youtu.be/LdgHfNHLhQU
Title: Re: Weird problem at Ka'a
Post by: surfcowboy on December 13, 2022, 07:16:22 PM
Saw the title. This is clickbait.

Should read, "completely expected problem at Ka'a"   ;D
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