Messages

1

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: New Slingshot wingboard and boomed wing

« on: February 13, 2022, 01:36:55 PM »

I would much rather purchase a FSM!
Enjoy your retirement, and thanks for being a pioneer and innovator, you contributed so much to this sports’ development!

+1!

Good wing boards were super hard to come by early in the pandemic and it was great to have Dwight delivering cutting edge boards when the supply chain was overwhelmed.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: The ART 899 and 799 thread

« on: January 04, 2022, 02:12:53 PM »

Excited but concerned on recently ordering an 899 with UltraShort and Progressive 400.  I'm only about 1-2" forward from the back of the box on my Dwight board with F-one Phantom 940.  Hoping I don't run out of box with this new combo, since I expect going higher aspect with the wing trailing edge already quite a distance away from the mast centerline.  Any experience or reference to help ease my mind?  I'm about 75 kg. 

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: windows on wings - to have or not to have?

« on: May 21, 2021, 09:49:18 AM »

As someone who doesn't often have access to teamrider pricing on gear and tries to get maximum mileage out of everything I own, I was initially highly resistant to getting any wings with windows for all the disadvantages, most importantly, wing longevity and repairability.  I never had a problem winging most places without them.  I couldn't justify a need personally, but upon getting my first wings with good windows (Wasp v2),  I have greatly relaxed my opposition and found the benefit can outweigh the negatives.  I found for wave riding, and especially short period wind swell,  having direct vision of the terrain directly downwind of you with wing fully sheeted is a massive benefit to getting the most out of every peak and ultimately getting the longest rides.

Side note, can someone explain the logic of some brands putting a window in the middle panel of the wing instead of next to the strut?  The wasp v2 seems to have the most logical location of all the wings I have tried.  It is the right size, right location, and rectangular to provide the widest field of view with wing in flying position.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Y Handle/ straps between strut and leading edge

« on: November 24, 2020, 02:50:58 PM »

I have Ozone wasps and looking to eventually upgrade to something with stiffer handles, but found limited alternate choices that have Y handles.  I see only Ozone, Slingshot, and Armstrong.  BRM has attachment loops for DIY and Airush has Y straps that don't seem to be usable as handles due to position, but I have never seen one.  Are they positioned to be useful on the slingshot?  I have demoed wings without the Y handles and learned that for me, they are pretty important to have.  I find the wing has a lot more stability when using the lower Y handle instead of the strut handle and it aligns your front wrist to nearly mirror opposite angle to your back hand, similar to angles used on bicycle handlebars when riding with wing powered in the normal position.  On wings without them I have to twist my front wrist to an uncomfortable angle to fly the wing at normal position.  It works but feels awkward.  Also the Y handle hand position naturally biases the wing up slightly, matching the normal flying position so it just feels so much better balanced. Hand change during gybes way easier as well since one hand isn't stepping on the other.  Has anyone else used Wasp Y handles, and got used to it, but now happy using something else?  I don't think I can adjust to what seems to be standard on most other wings, but I'm tired of this tiny one pump hose!   

5

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: wing leash

« on: October 28, 2020, 03:01:53 PM »

I'm a big fan of the bicep leash.  Had a runaway wing when learning using stock Ozone wrist leash where velcro strap doesn't double back through a ring like most leashes  (workaround is to reroute the leash though the big pull ring on the wrist strap).  One wrist hit the other when switching hands and the velcro very quickly and easily released before I could grab it.  After experiencing that I figured there must be a better way.  With bicep leash, there is no interference switching hands.  Huge improvement.   

6

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Microboom

« on: June 09, 2020, 09:03:14 AM »

Anybody else experiencing knuckle damage? Now at least I seem to be getting calluses but initially I was getting abrasion from the strut.

Me too on the Ozone when I forget to wear gloves.  I think I get it when flying the wing depowered.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Fanatic Sky Wing Foil Boards

« on: June 08, 2020, 03:18:27 PM »

I have had a well timed opportunity to demo the 95L 5'4" for a few sessions now in a variety of conditions.  I am about 165lb. I have outgrown my 116L foil sup, for winging at least, and am awaiting an 85L board from DW.  This has been my first ride on a dedicated wing board but I am pretty stoked by all the known benefits, especially swell riding and to finally be able to pump without hitting the nose on the water.  I was a little concerned about going lower volume for knee starting but it has been no problem even in the wildest wave and chop.  It is all technique and once you can do it correctly it quickly becomes confidence building.  I thought the handle cutout on the bottom would be helpful, but found it only to be useful in certain situations and awkward in others such as walking downwind/ cross off/ swirling wind with wing and foil.  I can more easily stabilize the wing overhead by carrying the foil on my shoulder with the wing pressed against the top of the board (at the expense of shoulder pressure).  I found overall I'm not a fan of the concave deck.  It benefits from slightly more turning leverage at the expense of foot comfort.  It hurts to keep my foot bent up like that for more than a few turns.  Otherwise, the board is great.  I like that they flattened the tip of the nose, since I always seem to get nose damage on boards that are pointy and bump into something.  Hopefully it will spread the impact load.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Toeside - check, Jibes - check, Harness time?

« on: June 02, 2020, 12:55:00 PM »

My low cost option for a “Lightweight wing specific harness”, is this.
A $20 weight lifting belt (Harbinger 5), a $20 spreader bar (dakine maniac hook).
And a 2” web strap w/buckle $3, to keep weight belt closed.
I have been using this for a few sessions and it is working out great so far

The Leash lok option seemed a bit narrow for me.
I’m probably going to purchase a ozone connect pro in the future unless something new & better comes to market.

Good idea.  Looks similar to Home Depot/ Husky padded belt.  Make sure to open the hook wider or it can be challenging to unhook.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Toeside - check, Jibes - check, Harness time?

« on: May 05, 2020, 11:49:38 AM »

Recommend opening up the hook more for easier unhooking:

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Upwind on foil

« on: April 28, 2020, 09:58:46 AM »

I agree on all the tips provided and wanted to add the significant advantage of a harness line simply because it transfers the majority of the pull lower and closer to your center of gravity so you can essentially sit back more.  Same goes without a harness line though,  the more you can sit back and hang your weight from the wing and the more tension you can put between you and the wing, the more that force can be converted to pointing higher with more speed at the expense of your arm longevity 

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Toeside - check, Jibes - check, Harness time?

« on: April 26, 2020, 06:12:56 AM »

Is that the Dakine Maniac Retro?  Looks like it is the same width as the leashlok belt?

Yes it is and it's close enough 😀

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Toeside - check, Jibes - check, Harness time?

« on: April 25, 2020, 09:20:36 AM »

I wonder if the retractable leash is stout enough for crashes. If it were to break, is it likely your board + foil would get away from you?

I have not tried it in the waves yet but so far it is great, especially since the extended length of the leash is much longer than any coil leash I would feel comfortable using.

I like this hook better:

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Toeside - check, Jibes - check, Harness time?

« on: April 20, 2020, 09:05:05 AM »

How does a hook stay open when put on a belt like that?  Seems like it would roll down via gravity making it difficult to hook and unhook?  I have the same leashlok belt.

I tried my harness in light wind, the line was coiled up from being in the packaging making it ridiculously hard to hook and unhook.  Still i got the feel of being hooked, lots more power, I wish I had chosen a smaller foil or kite.  Bit of a learning curve and surprisingly easy to try, felt like my ability to micro adjust was compromised and I fell a couple times.  Toeside was impossible with a coiled harness line and I suspect I would have been overpowered and struggled not to fall on top of the kite.  Fun to try something new and stoked to keep going...

Once you put on the belt and snug it up like an ordinary belt, the hook just sticks out ready to hook in.  The strap holding it to the belt already keeps it from rolling on it's own.  That F-one harness line is wrapped in clear tubing which comes off a spool so the shape will remain set until it gets used a lot more.  Instead, you can use any line of rope, just make sure it weighs enough to hang down from it's own weight and not get blown away from the wind or it will be difficult to swing it into the hook.  You will figure it out pretty quick.  Once riding it's just a matter of sliding the rope back and forth in the hook to trim the wing.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Toeside - check, Jibes - check, Harness time?

« on: April 19, 2020, 03:13:46 PM »

Foil winging truly is a melting pot of different sports and it's cool to see different perspectives from people coming from different board and sailing sports.   For me, snowboarding to kiteboarding, riding switch/ goofy etc feels natural, automatic, and totally necessary. Riding an entire session without changing stance seems awkward and exhausting!  I can't wait to get more water time on some downwinders.  You are doing great!

Once I learned to keep the wing under control, adding a harness and harness line seemed like an obvious upgrade to distribute the pull down closer to my center of gravity for increased upwind performance and arm endurance, same as kite and windsurf.  I totally recommend it.  I started with my kite waist harness but decided it's a bit overkill for wing since there isn't the same surge of force like you get from a power stroke on a kite.  I recently made a simple waist belt with harness hook from a Dakine option spreader bar.  Loving it so far.  I normally climb on the board with a pushup so the hook won't hit, but the hook is flexible and can easily be slid to the side for prone paddling or climbing on.  I prefer to hook in after up and foiling as to not interfere with pumping the wing to get up first.

15

Foil SUP / Re: Foil Videos

« on: March 18, 2020, 12:59:08 PM »

We had a stellar day of foiling this week, usually this spot is very poor to marginal, the bars have been really good recently:

Great video as usual!  Thanks for sharing.  Can you share the video cam mount setup?  Looks like 360 cam on pole with pole looped to the paddle so can be extended out?