Topics

1

Sessions / Karma

« on: July 30, 2020, 02:58:09 PM »

I had a fairly forgettable sunrise morning out SUP foiling at my local yesterday - except for one remarkable moment.

Its a beach break, but this morning I found a peak that was breaking fairly repeatable on the sets.  This peak had just 3 other people hanging around roughly the same spot.  I'm sitting on the board relaxing waiting on a set when I notice something floating a few hundred yards further from shore - turns out to be some mostly deflated helium balloons.   So I decided to paddle out and go grab them, which I like to do whenever I see trash in the water.  I have a spot in my wetsuit that I stash trash during a session until I can bring it to shore.

So I spent a few moments sitting on my board deflating the balloons and wrapping up the ribbon to stash in my wetsuit.  Literally the moment I gathered my paddle and stood up, here comes a single massive wave that is coming right to me.  Mind you, this is more than a hundred yards outside the normal set wave takeoff zone I was harvesting.  So I spin and grab it and ride it perfectly in the pit - breaking fast right to left all the way past on the outside of the next peak over, and right through the peak after that - with everyone hooting for me.  There literally wasn't another wave even close to that size and quality in the hour before or the hour after, and it was the only one in the set.  Nobody else could have possibly been in the right place for it - and given that it was a beach break it would have been impossible to know where to be for such a wave.

I think I believe in Karma now.

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Classifieds / WTB: Gofoil short mast 24.5"

« on: June 24, 2020, 10:35:56 PM »

Need one of these for a project - can be thrashed if it isn't broken.  I'm going to cut it up anyway...

3

The Shape Shack / idea: foilboxes set with carbon stringer + bonus foilSUP design images

« on: June 18, 2020, 11:50:06 PM »

I'm thinking about a construction for a foilboard where the boxes are set in at the same time as building in a dual carbon stringer.  The idea would be to route out slots for the foilboxes (without any PVC foam), then hotwire the shaped board into three pieces the long way.  Then layup the stringers and install the foilboxes at the same time.     I would vacuum bag the blank+stringerlayup+foilboxes to get a good adhesion to put the three pieces back together.  The point of all this is to be able to use 1lb foam (divinycell sandwich deck).  What do you guys think?




Or, I am also thinking of possibly splaying out the hotwire cut to give the board some stiffness underfoot while paddling


images of the shape I'm thinking about - pretty much a hybrid between Dwight and Kalama designs with what I think is a little more fair lines.  Blue coloring is just an idea for paint scheme I'm playing with.

4

Foil SUP / The case for a front footstrap - why anything else is holding you back!

« on: June 08, 2020, 10:21:07 AM »

clickbait title alert!

I spent my first 200+ sessions foil SUPing without any footstraps.  Then I finally got a new board that has inserts, so I decided to throw on straps - lo and behold getting up on foil seemed to get easier.  After several sessions I found the back footstrap to be super limiting and took it off.  WOW!  so much better and I never missed it (I'll explain more below).  So I bought some NSI sticky mounts and hacked up the pad on my older board so I could add a front footstrap.  After several sessions and some very carefully orchestrated A/B testing I think I can confidently say that (for me) a single front footstrap is the perfect setup.

About that carefully orchestrated A/B testing...  First session out with my old board and front strap (100+ sessions without straps) - I was catching EVERYTHING.  The ability to push forward and up with my front foot to "pop" into the wave and up on foil is magical.  I kept lining up further and further outside and kept right on catching everything.    Then all of a sudden just as I was popping particularly early into a nice set wave, my front foot flew forward and the NSI sticky mount came off.  My fault for not prepping the surface well enough - I was in a rush the night before.  So I was forced to spend the rest of the session strapless.  It was incredible the difference - I was pretty well calibrated from an hour or so of riding the exact same conditions.   I couldn't grab waves nearly as far outside, and getting into the wave and up on foil was taking noticeably more paddle strokes and effort.  So for me, it was case-closed: front footstrap makes catching waves easier

As far as the back footstrap goes, I've got two serious issues with using it:

1) For the board I've been riding, the flatwater floating balance point of the board is about 6" forward of the foil's center of effort.  That means that if I put both feet in the straps and try to paddle around, I have to have weight quite biased to my forward foot or sink the tail.    Works a lot better to have my front foot in the strap and my back foot about 8-12" forward of the flying position.  With the strap installed, I've got the ball of my foot on the strap screwhead.    Getting into the back strap has to happen just at the right moment, and was prone to frequent error for me.  This is coming from a life-long windsurfer, so I'm used to straps. 

2)  On my strapless board, I have a back foot bump indicating proper flying position.  However, I've found that on certain wave conditions, the foil flies better with my foot 2" forward - yes it makes a difference! 

3) For pumping there is a dramatic improvement by sliding the back foot further forward around 4-6".  This for me is the biggest problem with the rear strap - it's in the wrong spot for pumping!  Furthermore, there is no need to "pull" the board up on the back foot during pumping - it may even be a detriment to the way the water flows over the foil.  On a good pump, I'm fully unweighting the back foot.  Its really hard for me to do that just right with a back footstrap.  On the flip-side, there is a nice benefit on a SUP to being able to pull upwards on the front footstrap.  It seems to help the board pitch upwards and counteracts the extra weight in the nose versus a prone board that pitches up by itself.

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.  Based on the way I ride, and my careful testing, I'll be running a single front footstrap on all my foilSUP boards from now on.

5

Foil SUP / Cheaper and more durable alternative to kenalu Mana paddle?

« on: May 06, 2020, 10:16:33 AM »

I am absolutely loving my mana 90 paddle for foiling, but I've now ruined several paddles by hitting the foil while I'm paddle pumping.  I can't afford to buy another Mana that I'm just going to crack again.  Any suggestions on an alternative that'll still feel great in the water? - a bit heavier would be a fine trade-off for durability.

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Foil SUP / Foilsup on a 40L board ??

« on: April 26, 2020, 09:36:51 PM »

yeah, not really.  I think I'm going a little crazy with the beaches closed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SihID4P3y50

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The Shape Shack / favorite source for 4-6oz carbon cloth?

« on: March 29, 2020, 05:08:34 PM »

Where are you all getting it and what is it costing per sq yard?  Looking to buy several yards at once

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The Shape Shack / Nose Job on a foilboard

« on: March 23, 2020, 01:06:52 PM »

To quote Clamsmasher on another foil forum:
"I’d had a few drinks, I noticed the hacksaw trying to get my attention from across the bar, tryed to ignore her..but the jungle drums were beating and we both woke up feeling used."



So, yeah, I cut about 6" off my 7' dwight board.  The paddling balance point was always a bit further forward than the foil balance point, so I figured let's move things back a bit.  Also hoping to reduce the swing weight.  Oh, and the nose was taking on water anyway.



Did some shaping with my new Bosch dual mode rotary orbital sanding (seems to be a direct competitor to the Festool Rotex 150, and perhaps a bit better - certainly cheaper!).  Next up is some epoxy filler and lots more sanding to clean up the transitions between old skin and foam.

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Foil SUP / It could be your board!

« on: January 27, 2020, 10:09:51 AM »

My 7’x29”x120L foil specific SUP board is in my garage drying out prior to a repair.  I’ve been borrowing a prone board from my buddy.  Wow, prone has NOT been an easy transition.  I finally caught a wave, stood up, and foiled after about 10 sessions of failure.  I’ve been wanting to learn, so I promised myself I wouldn’t SUPfoil until I learned - that’s the only way I made it through 10 awful sessions…  Anyway, I decided to celebrate my recent success by taking out my old converted foil SUP.

HOLY CRAP - it rides so poorly!  I can’t believe I ever learned to foil on this thing.  It is a converted 8’5”x29”x120L starboard SUP with a Tuttle installed.  Comparing directly to my foil specific board, it is super slow to paddle, balances way worse, hard to turn to catch a wave, really hard to get out of the water, and has so much swing weight that turning the foil on the wave is a bear.  And not only that, it is noticeably slower in a straight line even with the GL210 (?!?).

I’m still not rushing the repair because I want to get some more sessions prone foiling.  My motivation to keep proning is even higher now since there’s no way I’ll go back out on my old converted board.  So if you're hitting a wall with your foiling, the board could be a part of the issue.

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Classifieds / WTB - GoFoil GL180 front wing, ~45L foil-surf board

« on: January 17, 2020, 11:15:50 PM »

The title says it all.  Longshot, I know, but who knows.

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Foil SUP / Anyone foiling Santa Barbara?

« on: December 27, 2019, 10:55:33 PM »

I'm spending the coming week there house-sitting for a friend and looking to get out there.  I don't know the area well at all, so any recommendations would be most appreciated, feel free to PM me if you don't want to blow up your secret spot 

12

Foil SUP / Steep and Hollow

« on: November 24, 2019, 09:54:59 AM »

Anyone figured out the trick to late drops into steep and hollow waves? 

I've been surfing a spot lately that breaks this way (and having a ball by the way).  Its incredible to drop late and outrun the section that looks totally unmake-able on a surfboard or SUP.  I'm having to retrain my brain that screams "bail out the back!"

What I'm struggling with is a complete inability to ride the middle/top of the wave where it is steep.  The only thing that has been working is go straight down the wave to the flat and use that speed to get in front of the wave on the mellow part of the shoulder.  I'm really wanting to make a bottom turn and get back into the middle of the pit to either make a top turn or trim for speed, but that ends in complete disaster so far. 

I'm starting to wonder if a much smaller wing is the ticket.  Or maybe just get a lot more athletic on the turns to get the board more vertical up and down the waveface.

13

The Shape Shack / CNC routing foam block for hire in SF Bay Area?

« on: October 05, 2019, 05:29:39 PM »

Anyone know if there are any shops that will CNC route a blank close to SF Bay Area or Santa Cruz area?

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Classifieds / Paddles: KeNalu Molokai xtuf 79.5" Werner 82"

« on: October 05, 2019, 05:04:07 PM »

$150 KeNalu is a big bladed paddle, great for surfing with a powerful catch to get you in early. XTuf stiff blade, ergo handle.  79.5" from tip of blade to top of handle.
$100 Werner, probably about 85sqin blade.  The shaft is fairly stiff and has a slight ovalization that feels great in your hand.  There is a split in the blade, it hasn't gone soft.  82" from tip of blade to top of handle

You pay shipping or pickup in SF bay area

15

Classifieds / Naish 8'8" x 32" x32LE full carbon

« on: October 05, 2019, 04:58:46 PM »

$600
Nose was professionally rebuilt by my windsurf repair guy after the board broke a couple ribs on a particularly big day at OBSF.  Perfect repair and the board is still super light.  It paddles like a dog, but comes alive on the wave - slashing top turns and carving bottom turns.  I had so much fun on this board that I'd rather keep it but I only ride the foil anymore.  Naish day bag included, zipper works but the pulls broke off. I don't know how to ship a board, so local sale in the San Francisco bay area please.