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Messages - supkailua

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1
Thanks for sharing.

What helped me was I paddled around my board on a calm no wind day with the foil on it. I was able to learn the best place to put my feet to maximize balancing on the board. I also changed to a board with no chimes and a lot of flotation, so that was a very stable board.

At that point I used an uphaul technique and not a knee start. I would grab the wing with the front handle, then use both of my arms to push myself up, similar to the easiest way to get up from the floor. Once up with my feet in that most stable location on the board I would grab the wing handles and then could start moving forward and get into the riding position. I found this much easier than a knee start.

It does not surprise me that the 115 L was difficult for her. I tried a 28" wide board with huge chimes in very choppy and windy conditions and could not even stay on it on my knees. Once I learned to control the wing then it was easy, but when learning and the wing is pulling you all over and you are on a tippy board in choppy water it is next to impossible.

2
Admin asked for tips so here are mine.

In my opinion, wide boards help with the footswitch when jibing. Small narrow boards are fun because the smallest movements go right through to the foil, but when you have to make big movements like a foot change, the smaller board makes it harder to do.

I agree with cnski, it can be mind-boggling at first to figure it out, but then once you have it becomes easy and you look back and question why it seemed so out of reach for so long.

I read some advice about going downwind and finding the sweet spot where you can ride with both feet parallel, plus riding downwind switch stance. Once I had those two skills mastered it seemed easier to complete the jibe.

I found it helpful to NOT make big foot movements. I make a small foot movement, then another, and then another until my feet are in the position, and once I complete the turn I make a final foot movement to change into my most comfortable stance.

I also had to keep repeating to myself to keep my feet far apart and wide. Initially, I would fall off when my feet were too close together, but by keeping them far apart in both length and width I had better board control. This becomes even more important if you want to jibe on the swell as you need that front foot forward to keep the board down as you are coming down the swell.

I also found I needed speed to stay up through the turn. Even now I sometimes switch my feet to start the jibe, and I realize my speed is too slow, so I stay in my switch foot position and head back into the wind waiting for a gust to gain speed, and then once I have the speed I do my jibe. This is especially critical in the very lightest winds. In high winds, you can do anything and you have enough power in the wing to recover and stay up, and the lightest winds with a 6 wing you can only get enough speed sometimes by pumping the board and wing and waiting for the gust to give you some speed and then making your turn.

3
Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: BRM Wings
« on: May 25, 2020, 09:06:22 PM »
We have a prototype of this wing being used at my local spot and it does look like a really nice wing. There are a lot of cloud kite foilers at my location and some of them are becoming cloud wingers too. This is definitely a brand I will be looking at closely for my next wing purchase.

4
Using a harness makes the wing almost weightless as you can see only 1 finger is needed to control it.

Getting up on the board I make sure the metal bar hits the padding rather than the board itself. I have never damaged the board but you can't slide up it like you can without a bar, I tip the board to me and give just a slight bounce to land on the padding with the bar.

https://youtu.be/3zcobbnuJ8E

5
Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Mast Length
« on: April 10, 2020, 10:52:14 AM »
I like a 72 cm vs 90 cm because with the 72 cm my wing is not as deep and I can feel more of the swell energy.

6
Dwight, how come others were on the beach? Did they not have a size 6 wing or is the Naish 6 more powerful than the other size 6 wings or was it the Axis 102 that gave you the edge.

7
For me the risk is all about what type of foil you use.

The faster you go, the more likely you are to hurt yourself when you fall, and the sharper the foil is the more likely you are to get cut when you hit it by mistake.

I use the Slingshot Infinity 84 foil. This is a downwind foil and is large. Top speed is 20 mph, but it is very comfortable going a lot slower than that.

I have been using this foil for years, both for wind foiling, and now wing foiling. I have taken falls where I have hit the foil and never once got cut because it is not sharp. I did not even have any bruises.

Recently, I finally got my first scrape when I got knocked over in shore break when carrying my equipment. If you have shore break that is actually the most difficult part, much more so than foiling.

8
I noticed on Slingshot boards like the Outwit the Admin mentioned, the front comes to a point and also gets a lot thinner. So they are adding to the length, but because it comes to a point and is thinner it does not create as much swing weight I assume and probably behaves like a shorter board than the actual length.

With the Slingshot Airstrike you could take over 2 feet off the length and still have most of the usable part of the board.

As we design wing specific boards in this thread I am wondering the pros and cons of the pointed front end extending the board length vs. chopping it off similar to the Kalama board.




9
Admin, another good point you bring up regarding SUP Foiling vs. Wing Foiling. Both boards I am using were designed for SUP Foiling, not Wing Foiling.

I believe the bevel in the back was initially designed for SUP Foiling where you take off on a wave, the idea being it allows the wave to push the back of the board without tilting the foil down which would make take off harder. In Wing Foiling we don't need to wait for a wave to lift off, so our needs are different.

SUP Foiling tends to be done in non-windy conditions, so the water is normally not choppy. Most don't go SUP foiling in high winds, but we love Wing Foiling in high winds so the water is very choppy. Again, different needs.

I experienced this first hand when I was learning to Wing Foil. I had a board I could paddle without falling off in light winds. However, on my first attempt with that board with a wing in high winds and choppy water I could not even get off my knees. It was a humbling experience, as many have had trying to learn to wing foil.

I am sure in time more manufacturers will look at the needs of a Wing Foiler only and come out with boards specific to this discipline. They probably will still have the bevel in the back for pumping as Dwight said, but they will also perhaps be more stable in choppy water.

10
Dwight, I agree. The ultimate board is as you are describing. If the tail chop takes away the control, then I would prefer the straight tail vs. loss of control. If you have all the control and a tail shape that pumps well then you have it all.

It seems the ultimate boards are the one's you are building. The one that Admin tried and said "it lacked the stability that its length and width would have seemed to allow" is what happened to me too.

11
Admin, I like what you are saying.

I have tried all the bevels including the rear and the side and the board was not very stable. Then I tried one with no bevels and it was very stable.

I honestly can't tell the difference in early take off. As long as I have enough wind in the wing I can take off easily. If I don't have enough wind neither option will get me in the air.

For me having the volume in the back instead of the extreme tail chop means the swell has more board to push and I am floating higher in the water. I believe this is the same concept as long surf boards vs. short surf boards. The long boards have more volume, you ride higher, and the push from smaller swells is much greater than on a short board. When you take away that volume there is less area to get pushed by the swell.

Once in the air the bevels don't mean a lot for me. In extreme turns I can hit the side of the water and I don't notice a big slow down from the non-beveled rail. It gives my turn a reference point and some bounce back up from the turn. So I find that I really don't ride with the side of my board in the water, and when in the air the bevels mean nothing.

Those extreme tail chops look a lot cooler than a big fat backside on a board. The tail chop gives the board a smaller look in my opinion. However, I prefer the stability and volume even though I look less cool.

One other important thought on tail chops and beveled rails is they are not great for beginners. When you are just starting out stability is really important. I have seen too many people fail to get anywhere because they are using that small board with the fancy beveled bottom they surf foil with to wing foil, and initially the wing is pulling them in different directions so a stable board makes the learning curve easier.

12
Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: F-One Swing
« on: March 06, 2020, 05:55:02 PM »
Right Admin I am 160 lbs.

Good to know on the inflation. I will try putting a little extra in there.

13
Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: F-One Swing
« on: March 06, 2020, 09:53:17 AM »
I have not tried inflating it past 7 psi.

I think it is the lower wind speeds at our location because others are having to ride the same size wings as me, but they are probably inflating it to the recommended pressure too.

PonoBill sounds like he is getting a lot of use out of the 6 wing too.

14
Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: F-One Swing
« on: March 05, 2020, 04:56:40 AM »
Admin, your wind is a lot stronger which probably makes the 6 optional.

At our location, the 6 is required many days. It makes a huge difference for all weight riders.

If the wind is really light, it is the difference between foiling or not foiling.

If there is more wind, it is the difference between getting up easily on the foil, or having to do a lot of pumping with the 5.

The 6 makes the air jibes easier because the more power you have in the wing the easier the air jibe is.

The 6 goes in 2 to 3 mph less wind than the 5, and the same goes for the top end where it gets uncomfortable, but the range is also huge.

At our location the 5 is optional but the 6 is not. We have one regular rider who has a 4 and 6, but no 5 needed. The 6 has such a wide range that by the time it is too much wind for the 6, you can use your 4. I prefer having the 4.2, 5, and 6.

The 6 was a breakthrough for us and opened up a lot more days on the water and a lot less pumping too.

15
Rastaman3030, I noticed a lot more strain on the back arm and lat with the Slingwing vs. the Swing.

The Swing seems to be well balanced and as there is only one place to put your hands they are always in the right spot.

Between this and the use of the harness for all up wind riding, I normally get a good 2 hour session in, sometimes longer. I do keep a water pack on my back and I am exhausted afterwords, but the sessions are great.

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