Messages

1

Foil SUP / Re: Next Level Foiling with Small Tail

« on: June 18, 2019, 02:08:47 PM »

Conditions were arguable 'Bad' and I was flying all over the place, powered up on 5 ft @ 8 second stuff through chop.

10 minutes of total flight time is absurd!  Longest rides were over 400 yards. 

Big Wings with Small Tails WORK!

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Foil SUP / Next Level Foiling with Small Tail

« on: June 18, 2019, 02:04:46 PM »

I have been testing big (ger) wings with small tails for a while.  I found that the GoFoil IWA flies ‘OK’ with the small tail until you move your front foot back, way back.  Then it flies great.

The tail serves as a STABILIZER.  My go-to setup has been the IWA with the KAI rear wing and tall mast.  With this setup I rarely if ever overfoil.

Since the winter is over the size has come down.  It was small enough recently, 4 to 5 foot faces, that I installed the Maliko 200 on the Tall mast with KAI tail.  I had never flown the BIG wing with the small tail.  However I figured I would give it a try.

IT WAS FANTASTIC! It flew.  It flew really, really well.  The key is having the ability to shift you front foot BACK 4 – 5 INCHES from the usual takeoff stance.

I have had great results with the Cabrinha adjustable straps.  It extends up to 11” and allow for 5 inches of adjustability on my front foot.   
The smaller tail reduces the stabilization effect allowing for a more twitchy, pumpy feel.  AND the Big Wing didn’t feel slow and lumbering. 

Here I was flying on the IWA with KAI tail.

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Foil SUP / Re: GoFoil 1.5 Release

« on: June 17, 2019, 07:46:26 AM »

More information for those starved for anything:

4

Foil SUP / Re: Foil Videos

« on: June 16, 2019, 08:28:43 AM »

Craziness:

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: "Wingsurfer" for Foil/SUP

« on: June 16, 2019, 08:18:00 AM »

Good video on Duotone wing:

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General Discussion / Re: SUP Booby Trap on YouTube

« on: June 15, 2019, 07:22:52 AM »

I quote my friend Ken Himmel:

"Just because I am a werewolf doesn't mean I like the other werewolves"

7

Foil SUP / Re: Tight Go Foil Wing

« on: June 12, 2019, 10:06:25 AM »

You'd be better off calling the fit good if it's still too tight to line the hole up and just grinding the screw hole to an oval that lets you get the screw in.

I did this with my tailwing.  The hole was only off by ~ 1/8" not a big deal.  With the tailwing you can drill a new hole from the TOP and/or the bottom.  The main wing bottom only.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: What's coming

« on: June 12, 2019, 09:36:19 AM »

Yes, it is Galveston and the foil is definitely my ride of choice
My buddy's new boat should arrive soon and hopefully we'll have some tanker footage to share.

That wave had way more size and whitewater push than I would have imagined. 

What people don't realize who haven't been on a foil is how much we feel 'Sorry' for people on surfboards.  Last summer on the East coast I would watch people surf and realize that the longboarders were GLUED to the edge of the whitewater.  There was NO way to escape down the line and do carving turns.  Sure you can on a Steamroller of a 10 foot wave in Fiji but NO WAY IN NORMAL SURF.

The foil changes all of that.  You can fly down the line and play 100 yards away from the whitewater AT SPEED. Turn hard enough to stress your legs out and come out FLYING the other direction with NO LOSS OF SPEED.  Those tanker waves would let you get in and then just go crazy with all that shoulder.  In fact they are probably better than typical ocean waves.  At Steamer Lane for example we can get rides for up to 2 minutes 600 to 800 yards but it has to be 15 ft+ @ 18 seconds. 

You have a semi-predictable shipping pattern.  And if there is wind - NO PROBLEM.

Here was a shot taken last weekend.  It was 4 to 5.5 feet on takeoff and the shoulders would fade to nothing.  Turning with speed on nothing.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: What's coming

« on: June 12, 2019, 05:51:41 AM »

Just ordered a Sling Wing and it should be here in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping it will give us more access to these waves.

That’s the best tanker wave footage I have seen.  You need a foil.  It would be all time. 

10

Foil SUP / Re: Fastest learning method to Foiling

« on: June 10, 2019, 11:12:38 AM »

I had a number of tow sessions when I first started. Sure it helped with board control but I found transferring those skills to waves the difficult step

Affirmative.  This is like "Learning to Surf" by being pulled behind a boat on a tow rope.

Learning to paddle, controlling the yaw, reading the waves, taking off steep, jumping to surf stance, managing currents, hitting rocks, loss of speed and power in the flats . . . . . a few of the things that the tow-boat isn't going to convey. 

11

Foil SUP / Re: Fastest learning method to Foiling

« on: June 10, 2019, 09:16:22 AM »

My youngest daughter had NO, zero, experience with water skiing or surfing.

She was able to get up and film after a few sessions.  Board was set up goofy foot.  We didn't bother to let her know she was regular foot.

Later on she was carving it UP with the Maliko 200.  I used this clip as evidence that the big wings DO turn when grown men start whining about how they can't turn the massive wings:

https://youtu.be/PKx31uu2DPo?t=58

Here was Macy flying earlier in the summer:

12

Foil SUP / Re: Fastest learning method to Foiling

« on: June 10, 2019, 09:12:33 AM »

Flying behind a boat is very manageable.  I taught both my daughters last summer with an under-powered 5 HP on 12' aluminum skiff.

Maximum speed ~ 11 mph with the GoFoil Maliko 200 Wing.  The boat was too slow for the IWA even with the kids.

My 20 year old nephew with extensive water skiing, wakeboarding and snowboarding experience was up and flying the very first pull:

13

Random / Re: Any 1970's skaters out there?

« on: June 07, 2019, 06:21:53 AM »

Wow!

New found respect for all you guys.

But it explains a lot.  We didn't get here by accident.  A bunch of 'old' guys getting thumped by waves. 

What's wrong with us?  It's always been wrong.  Adrenaline junkies. 

I grew up in the hills of Ithaca, NY.  No clean roads to skate.  Not enough summer warmth.  We would jump off cliffs into reservoirs, swing from 40 foot real tree vines 20 feet over the forest floor, ride ice barges down streams, build jumps for our BMX's and ski at Greek Peak. 

Then I went away to high school.  We had to chose a sport each trimester.  I'll never forget asking Matt Baxter what sport he did and he said "Ski Jumping"  What!  Count me in.

PS: Matt Baxter ended up pursuing his love of climbing.  Moved west and fell from El Capitan in Yosemite.  Bad rope, bad luck.  Unlike Humpty Dumpty they couldn't put him back together again.

14

Foil SUP / Re: Fastest learning method to Foiling

« on: June 06, 2019, 02:36:46 PM »

What do you think is the fastest learning method to Foiling

You can "learn to foil" in 3 sessions.  Take FatFish's advice buy the gear and start flying.

The entire process is a blast.

If you want to foil like Braddah Mel then there is a barrier to entry of 300 sessions on the foil, in addition to having a perfect Race-Form paddle stroke and being able to dominate ANY LINEUP IN THE WORLD on a SUP.  You can't take a pill or buy your way into this club.

15

Foil SUP / Re: Fastest learning method to Foiling

« on: June 06, 2019, 02:29:50 PM »

So my humble opinion here.

I am in my 50s, surfed most of my life (shortboard).  I learned in the waves.  I am nearing the magical 75th session, this took me to roughly 7 months to accumulate this amount.  Very little prone surfing during that time.  The last 5-10 sessions i have started to feel more comfortable on foil plus starting to cutback and forth.

I think the best recommendation to accelerate the foiling process is:
1 Get a very stable SUP so you can focus on paddling for a wave and getting lift
2 Get a good foil (eg GF IWA)
3 Find an isolated beach with slow mushy small waves with no one around. 
4 i think this is the most important one - get as much time in the water to practice. 

Nothing new above but thats been my experience.

This is 100% correct.