Topics

1

Foil SUP / Oh My!

« on: August 31, 2023, 09:54:47 AM »

This is some next level shredding. 

https://www.facebook.com/100000621102240/videos/2154418901428714/

2

Classifieds / Axis Parts!

« on: August 30, 2023, 05:32:15 AM »

Axis Standard Red Fuse New condition $199 (I have 2)
Axis 425 Progressive Tail New condition $140

3

The Shape Shack / All in One

« on: July 21, 2023, 07:24:29 AM »

Hey guys,

This new foil design has an 800 mm span lower wing with 1220 area.  The two upper wing sections are the stabilizers so, unlike the Falcon design, no fuselage or tail wing is needed.  Inspired by the Synergy aircraft design below which I find amazing.  Part one is printing now.

4

Random / Vision Pro

« on: June 06, 2023, 07:15:28 AM »

Obviously, I didn't need a whole lot of selling. All they had to do was come to the table and I was pretty much ready to go, but sheesh Apple!  I'm not sure if I was more impressed by the technology and the hardware or by the messaging. Never once VR, no metaverse, no goofy avatars, no cartoony home worlds,  no fluff at all. Only the lightest mention, late in the presentation, about gaming. So well done. I see this thing changing computing, changing work, changing entertainment, changing communication, changing content creation, changing education, changing collaboration. So many things. Did you watch it? What did you guys think?

5

The Shape Shack / Falcon Foil

« on: May 27, 2023, 08:39:37 AM »

Hey guys,  This Falcon looking guy has a 620 mm span with 1750 Volume.  The same cambered low Reynolds airfoil for top, bottom and both returns, merged with a symetrical airfoil at the very center of each return to allow the transition so that  both wings can be providing positive lift.  The vertical sub mast is that same Low Reynolds symetrical profile.  It prints in only 3 parts and contains continuous internally bonded carbon tubes tip to tip on the lower wing and half tubes on the upper wing.  Should be ready for testing in a couple weeks.  Thanks for looking!

6

The Shape Shack / Infinity Tails

« on: April 19, 2023, 05:43:44 AM »

I am pretty stoked on the concept of the Prantl style box wing adapted for use as a hydrofoil tail.  I see a lot of potential benefits.  Optimized for lowest possibe induced drag / wake turbulence / Management of vortices.  Compact form factor: The 230 mm wing below has similar span, area and voume as my Axis 400.  Yaw magement (3 vertical symetrical airfoil sections).  Safety.  Prints are extremely stiff at any thickness due to the 3 vertical elements.  One piece, 30 minute prints at $5.00 cost.  Ready to ride with no joining.  Light sand and seal suggested.  Lighter than same size (combined lift generating span) carbon laminate wings with hardware.

This latest one connects the fuse to only the center vertical stabilizer, uses matched cambered profiles at -.75 degree incidence for the horizontal elements and symetrical vertical elements (all designed for my Reynolds case - SLOW, OLD and COLD).

I will have a bunch of variations advanced out and ready for input by Gorge summer (assuming that is still a thing).

7

The Shape Shack / X,Y,Z

« on: February 23, 2023, 02:58:36 PM »

New addition/option. 

I asked Project Cedrus to send me the CAD for their mast attachment and I have used that to make the adaptor (will be milled aluminum) pictured.  Two of the solid 12 mm carbon rods will pass through the adaptor, it will have the two normal 8 mm screws passing straight through to the Cedrus mast from the bottom, and the carbon fuselage will now screw directly into the aluminum adaptor as well with a 6 mm screw from the back for  full X, Y, Z stabilization linking the aluminum adaptor to full carbon in all directions.

8

The Shape Shack / Modularity

« on: February 14, 2023, 06:53:48 AM »

A bit more on modularity. Here are two hubs and two wingtips (all interchangable on the same carbon rods). This results in a 4 sizes from 1300 ( same as posted here earlier) to 920 as pictured with volumes from just under 2000 to just over 1200 (merged in photoshop, so not exactly to scale - apologies). Small changes at the hub result in big volume changes so that is a great way to easily shed size, lift, drag etc. One great benefit is to be able to A to B compare design factors in the same session without introducing any outside variables. Same wingtip, less washout for example. Same wingtip with sharklets. Really anything that sparks your interest.

9

The Shape Shack / Progress, revelations and musings

« on: February 05, 2023, 03:32:41 AM »

Hi Guys, My 1300 Alien front wing is fully printed.  The 1150 is printing now and the 1000 is waiting in the...its waiting.  In the images, the parts are raw, not yet sanded and are press fit with the carbon join rods.  My 1300 is shown below with an Axis 1310 for reference (I am stoked to try that wing as well).  I have been having a blast with this project.  So many revelations.  Through internal ribbing and the carbon joinery I am really pleased with the strength, weight and stiffness that is possible. 

It makes me certain that an alternate mass production method is inevitable for foils.  Using newer compound materials and existing mass produced carbon products for joinery and fuselage, a whole new world of possibilities open up and could be done for a fraction of current prices (few hundred bucks for wings and a fuse). 

I have two alternate wingtips designed for each of these three wings so the pictured 1300, for instance, could be tipped as a 920, or 1070 as well. 

I have reworked the hub as well, so the latest version has a carbon ferrule system for the fuselage so that the joint and support is now solid carbon.  Again, all done from inexpensive mass produced carbon parts. 

Almost all of the weight will now be centered under the mast which excites me in terms of overall rig balance. 

Thanks for looking!

10

The Shape Shack / Print to Ride

« on: December 24, 2022, 03:40:51 AM »

Getting pretty stoked on what is possible in a print to ride scenario.  Here is an exploded concept of a tail wing and fuselage pedestal.  The whole thing can be printed in carbon in one shot and press fit into the fuselage pedestal shown at bottom.  The carbon rod(s) can be inserted into the printed cavities to get your desired flex.  Cavities that follow the wings curves are easy to set up in software and easy to print as well.  Thanks technology!  Stock carbon rods are available in all sizes and are super cheap so no sense trying to duplicate that.

11

The Shape Shack / Vunderfoil

« on: December 10, 2022, 09:50:08 AM »

Stoked on this.  I set this up in Fusion 360 so we are ready to iterate really easily.  It took awhile to get those .dat files from Airfoil tools to format, but I finally worked that out.  We can now import 100% design accurate sections into Fusion or Gravity Sketch with no tracing.  Now we are set up to dump any section straight into this file and it will copy out hands free to our four control loops.  We can basically hot swap sections.  The more you consider foils from a design perspective, the more you realize that the section is running the show. Changes now can happen really quickly.  This is a 400 mm symmetrical NACA 9 tail but within a few minutes it could be a 1300 cambered front wing with a different section, different outline, countours, washout, incidence,  you name it.  ...and my oven showed up yesterday . 

12

Foil SUP / Something new?

« on: November 24, 2022, 10:06:39 AM »

Here is a concept I was playing with this morning. A foil that incorporates the mast connection to the front wing directly, freeing it from the fuselage.  In doing so we could add stiffness, strength and lose a lot of weight from the fuse head and the fuselage.  I would imagine we could use greatly reduced carbon box tube (as pictured) for the fuse, as it will have no mast load or load from the front wing.  Interested in your thoughts.  This one (my first try) is a 1080.  The mast opening is to scale for an Axis carbon mast.   It needs a lot of simplifying and smoothing, but these are the broad strokes.

13

The Shape Shack / Dave Daum Build Series - Foilboard Construction A to Z - Q & A

« on: November 18, 2022, 12:11:54 AM »

Hi Guys, As some of you know, I had called Dave Daum at Kings Paddlesports to make some new Foiling Carbon dream boards (Swim Missiles thread) come to life.  That has been a super enjoyable and informative process for me, so I asked Dave if he would consider doing a Master Builder presentation here on the Zone, and he has agreed to do that. 

Dave is going to chronicle the build of our boards as an example, but the series will not be limited to these boards.  He is wide open to discussing other build types and construction techniques, as well as engaging your comments and questions.  We will start this as a thread here but we can build it out and add some structure as needed.

Thanks Dave and thanks to all who will tune in and participate!

14

The Shape Shack / Foil Madness

« on: November 07, 2022, 04:57:21 AM »

Hi guys,

I have been geeking out with a new VR headset (Quest Pro) and I am learning Gravity Sketch (free app).  I am a beginner with GS, just through the tutorial, but it is so cool.  You can freely create and manipulate objects in your real world environment.  Finished files can be sent on to manufacturing, 3D printing, mold making, etc.

I downloaded a foil section to play with from one of the thousands available online.  Imported the image to GS, Traced it, duplicated it and surfaced it (and then detached the surface).  Each section can be morphed, as can the whole.  It can be sliced, or cut into for attachments, hardware etc. 

These new headsets allow you to work in a variety of virtual spaces (grey loft in images) or in your real world environment.  You can switch back and forth as desired.  Manipulating a virtual object freely in your real world environment is shockingly cool (or maybe that's just me? ).  Oh, and you can collaborate in real time with others anywhere in the world and switch off model control, etc.  Spectacular!

15

Prone Foiling, Surf foiling, Pump Foiling / Swim Missiles

« on: October 18, 2022, 04:36:13 AM »

Hi Guys,

Stoked to be getting started on something new.  I have been enjoying a lot of pool time this year and I want to move that into the beautiful outdoors and make better use of our Gorge waters.  Roll Columbia!  Chan wants to keep me company so we are having two swim missiles shaped . The basic idea is a reduced prone paddleboard with foil tracks.  I wont be standing or kneeling at all, so these will be belly boards.  My goal is to have them be as fast paddling as possible with no real standing balance or leg pumping requirements.  When/where foiling is possible, that will all need to be done with arm power, board and foil efficiency, and swell assistance.  I do think and hope that some pumping assist will be possible (once foiling) with arms and upper body motion, but the extent of that remains to be seen.  I don't envision 18 minute foiling stretches but any foiling glides sound like a great bonus right now.  This will all be fast in comparison to my 1.5 MPH in the pool .  Flat water cruising sounds fun as well. 

The Axis 1310 is what I am leaning towards on a 75 carbon mast with a standard Fuse. Axis guys (Evan and James) suggested those for my purpose.  Open to opinions.

The smile at the end of the last clip has me stoked.  I am hoping we can get there with improved design and somewhat less scramble.  Anyways, here goes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tvNaN6XehI&list=PL852iqhMMbWICtOAUgPaACurDd0EyJZsO&index=1