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I have a 4.2 Slingwing and a 5 Wasp. I like them both and I am going to get a 3 meter. Yesterday I went out on the wasp and the wind was about 15 knots on the low end. Shortly after that it picked up and the gusts were going a few knots above 20. I know the suggested wind range on the 5 wasp is ideally up to 20 and then more expert riders beyond that. What I found was that I did not want to be sheeted in but rather sheeted out to cruise at a controlled pace (that was also easier on the arms) on the large Infinity 99 foil. When I was slightly sheeted out in the large gusts the wing would back wind and be harder to control.  I went in and changed to the Slingwing and the wind picked up more and was gusting over 25 knots. With it I could sheet out and the wing remained easy to control and I could play on the swells and S turn all while comfortable, no backwinding. My question is to those that have tried smaller sizes like 4 and 3 that do not have the inflated trailing edges, is it normal behaviour for the wing to backwind when lightly sheeted in when used at the top end of the wings wind range? By the way this is not a criticism of the wasp, I really like it from about 12 to 20 knots but rather since I will be using the new wing in strong gusty winds wanted to know what others had experienced. I realize that I could just get a 3 metre Slingwing but plan on also using it with a mountain board and like the shorter wing span of ones like the wasp so it will easier not to drag a wing tip on  the ground.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Wing surfing in the cold
« on: November 04, 2019, 08:54:24 AM »
I had an interesting session yesterday. It was 41F or 5C and marginal to start with for my setup. I would not kite or windsurf in that temperature as my hands would get cold quickly windfoiling and I spend to much time in the water kiting foiling. I spent almost no time in the water and my hands did not get cold for about an hour (wearing gloves). I suspect I could have gone longer but a squall blew in and and with it snow and high winds. Windfoiling in the squall would have been difficult and kite foiling I would have had to drop the kite to safety. With the wing I just sheeted out and pointed just off the wind a bit and continued to foil in complete control. Had a really fun session in what should have been awful conditions. I would not want to go out in any colder, not because I could not but rather it is not much fun colder than that. The wing has allowed me numerous sessions that I would have not enjoyed with other equipment.

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I received my Slingshot Infinity 99 wing this morning and it was good timing as it was windy today. I have been foiling with my Infinity 84 and was liking it. I like the 99 even more. I get up on foil, I am guessing, a couple of knots sooner and am able to keep going much longer when the wind dies down. It also feels a faster on the low end and seems to pick up speed quicker. No problems with breaching while going faster and went upwind great. There was nothing that I did not like about it. Keep in mind that I have only about 4 sessions up on foil with the Slingwing so my experience is limited. It does seem to make everything easier.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Slingshot Slingwing
« on: August 11, 2019, 06:24:29 AM »
Hi. I am long time reader but never really had much to add. Since I managed to get hold of a Slingwing I thought my experiences so far might be of interest. I am a kite foiler and windfoiler. I am not great at either but but can do both. I weigh about 80 kg. The first go on the wing was in about 10 to 15 knots on an 11 foot single fin SUP. I could hold ground but could not make much headway upwind unless it was closer to 15 knots. I found I had to stand back a little on the board and hold the wing slightly behind me to make headway up wind.

The next session I was on 7' 10" by 30", 138 litre sup and the wind was 8 to about 12 knots. Anything above 8 knots and I could easily go upwind, although not high. No problem getting back to where I started.

My third session was in winds from above 17 knots gusting to close to 27 knots. I was on the foil board with and Slingshot Inifnity 84 foil wing and a 60 cm. mast. I was surprised how easy the wing was to manage in those strong winds. I had pumped up the trailing edge a little harder than the rest of the wing. No problem going upwind with the board on the water. After going upwind for a while on the water I attempted to pick up speed and fly the board. Shockingly the board jumped up on the foil and I was easily able to turn further upwind and keep flying. I was doing all this in a bay on a large lake so the wind was very gusty and the waves were small. It was very encouraging. I fly a few more times but did not have the energy for a long session as I had kited in the high winds first. I cannot imagine how hard it must be to have never foiled first and try this. Even with the foiling experience the first flights required a lot of focus.

The fourth session was in very gusty conditions. I am guessing 10 to low 20's. Again no problem holding ground but flying was a problem. Not sure if the wind was to low or the wing was the problem. I did not pump up the main portion enough and it was flexing a lot when I tried to get up on the foil. I did manage some flights but nothing extended this time.

I am not sure what my low end will be on this setup but right now I am guessing I will need 17 knots or above to get flying. On my third session the white caps were being blown air born at times and I still had no problem with controlling the wing. I also found on my last session that if a wing tip was dropping to towards the water if I pushed up on my front hand the wing tip would pop up and avoid hitting the water. It saved me from a lot of crashes. At least for now the 138 litre board is perfect for me and makes everything easy. I do think that I will want a larger wing next year to get foiling in less extreme winds. I am also wondering if a larger front wing on my foil would get me flying sooner with the Slingwing. I am quite pleased with the wing and am really enjoying it so far. Hopefully my experiences will be of use to those reading. If you have any questions please ask.

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