Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Bolts for Dolts - materials, sizes, sourcing

« on: September 03, 2022, 10:22:51 AM »

I always get extra bolts from Accu.co.uk.  They have a good selection of metric 316 (aka A4) Torx screws and they sell them individually.  Stock varies over time so there's a longer lead time if they have to make a new batch.  Shipping to California tends to be about $8 is as surprisingly fast.

For the M8 countersunk torx, they can be T40 or T45 depending on whether they're ISO or DIN standard.  Head size can vary too but probably not enough to make a difference on most setups.

Link to 316 M8 Countersunk Torx screws:
https://www.accu.co.uk/32-hexalobular-countersunk-screws?Material=Marine+Stainless+Steel+%28A4%29&Thread+Size=M8+%288mm%29&page=1

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Plastic Buckles

« on: August 26, 2022, 12:38:26 AM »

I'm mostly using the Jayefo belts now too.  I don't know how they're selling them for $9-10, most of that price probably goes to Amazon.

For those who are making or retrofitting their belts, there are higher quality plastic buckles, The ITW SS-40 (picture below, available at strapworks) feel very secure and don't have pieces you can snap off with your hands.  There's also an improved version, the SS-440 that's designed for life jackets and might be better, but I don't know where you'd find one in the US.  The only issue I had was when I poured sand into it and then closed it (I wanted to see what would happen), that caused the mechanism to get a sticky until it was washed out.

3

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 3d printing for wing foiling

« on: August 14, 2022, 11:57:51 PM »

Do you still have room to move the mast forward?
Now I really want to try the 1440 with the 158 (maybe +1.0)    

I'm currently all the way forward on the tracks.  I could get another inch or two by drilling out the threaded holes in the baseplate, and/or by changing the extrusion shims at the baseplate and the fuselage to angle the mast (I'm using an Axis mast and baseplate), but I'm waiting to see if it's necessary before going through the hassle.

I did get a new tail that seems quite promising, The Kdfoil 13R works really well with the 1210. https://kdfoils.myshopify.com/collections/tail-wings/products/r-series-tails  I thought the 1210 worked quite well with the 178 and didn't think it needed to be improved, but it seems even better with the 13R.  Kdmaui's site says that the tail works best on the Kujira's 1210 and below, but I'll give it a try on the 1440 anyway, next time the conditions are good for it.

It's hard to know exactly what the differences are between the 13R and the 178 without switching them out in the same session, which I haven't done yet.  So with the caveat that I'm comparing across different sessions and locations, here a few preliminary observations:

• Pitch and pumping control seems easier, I find it easier to ride higher on the mast with the 13R, which makes it much more efficient
• The roll axis feels better, smoother? easier to transition from one side to another and adjust the angle mid turn
• I think the tail is recovering lift after breaching faster, there were quite a times where I should have fallen and almost did, but somehow recovered
• I think it might have more lift than the 178, making takeoff easier
• The 1210/13R is the easiest setup for tacking that I've tried, I think it's easier to adjust the radius of the turn as I go so I'm tracing more of a spiral and less of a circular arc, and exiting the turn is easy.  I tend to overshoot with the 1440 because it locks into the turn more than I'm used to.

Overall, the foil just seemed easier to control, it's easier to get to where I want to be on the swell, and the 1210 was already a very intuitive foil to begin with.  I liked the 13R tail pretty much immediately.  The only negative thing I can say about the tail is it does whistle, but I don't think it'll be hard to tune that out as it's not particularly sharp right now.  Well, that and I thought I was saving money by going with the 13R over the 158, but now I'm eyeing the 12R Blunt.  Anyone have any experience with that one?  Or experiences with the blunt tails in general compared to his standard tails?

4

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 3d printing for wing foiling

« on: August 08, 2022, 10:45:46 PM »

KD Maui offers free STL files for stabilizer shims here: https://kdfoils.myshopify.com/collections/extras/products/shim-pack

I downloaded the Takuma set, but I haven't used it yet.

I do a lot of 3D-printing. I burned out doing software and needed to do something else for at least a while, so I quit my job in December and started a company. I was initially doing a mix of software consulting (to pay the bills), 3D printing-related projects and of course all the paperwork to get the company going. I wanted to do a Patreon, but there are legal issues related to Patreon if your Finnish (like me), so I decided to just try to sell the models for a reasonable price on MyMinifactory and make Youtube videos to introduce the projects. So, my Winging-related prints are not free, but I hope they aren't too expensive. This summer has been 50% trying to improve my winging (lots of time on the water) and 50% working on the 3D-printing projects and videos.

My first three "products" are all Duotone-related. There's a pump/valve adapter (since Duotone uses their own valve and doesn't include an adapter for generic pumps with their wings) and there are some 3D-printable front/back ends for wing booms. I like the hockey stick boom project because you're essentially recycling one man's garbage into a $200 carbon boom and spending less than $10 on the materials (and $10 for the 3D file unless you feel like making your own). They haven't sold much at all, so definitely not a viable business, but I guess there aren't that many Duotone wingers with 3D printers who are also aware of my work quite yet.

The next project in my release queue is pretty close to ready. It's a screwdriver handle that is specifically designed for hydrofoil assembly/disassembly, so it's not brand specific and should be useful to all types of foiling (and probably even some applications outside of foiling). I made the first prototypes about a year ago and I have had a couple of friends testing them. You need some screws and of course tool bits from the hardware store in addition to the 3D printed part. It could definitely be also made (better) with more traditional manufacturing, but the 3D printed versions work great too.

I wouldn't mind working with foil companies to allow them to ship their foils with my "GyroKey". The L-shaped Torx driver that I got with my Takuma Helium had very loose-fitting Torx heads and it even got a little bit rusty only after a few weeks of use, so I just decided to make something better myself. It would be nice if foils came with really good assembly tools. I still have the "legendary" F2 footstrap screwdriver and it still works after decades of use installing footstraps. Starboard had a  "Tiki Tool" for footstraps, but I think they discontinued that pretty quickly (mine just broke all too easily for some reason).

I can definitely relate to the software burnout.  My job seem seems to get harder every time it looks windy outside, but it's also what is paying for a very expensive foiling addiction.  Good luck with your company!

Here's a link to the hockey stick boom project for those who are looking for it:
https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-hockeyboom-wingfoil-boom-duotone-slick-compatible-233110

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 3d printing for wing foiling

« on: August 08, 2022, 10:11:50 PM »

Did you try the 1440 with the 220 and negative shims? I stopped at -2.0 ... it got faster and looser every time.
Do you think I could go beyond -2.0? - or stepping down to the 178 stab will be the better option?

That's a good question, I have no idea what the tradeoff are between smaller tails and shimming.  I used the 1440 for about 15 minutes before swapping in a smaller tail, I'll try shimming the 220 the next time I have good conditions for testing.  I uploaded some additional negative shim files, so you can now test all the way up to 5 degrees without stacking the shims. If you use the thicker shims, make sure your screw is long enough though.

I had a chance to do a bit more testing, here's what I found.

• The 1440 with the 220 at -2.0 shim does feel looser, it also caused my to shift my stance back a lot further than I normally ride, maybe 4 or 5 inches.  Even with the shift back, it felt more back footed (the rear foot was doing more to control the pitch and turns than I'm used to).  The turn radius also seemed longer than I like.
• I tried the chopped SPG race tail at -3.0, that was interesting.  Much loose which was nice, I like how it felt while moving slow, but it required a lot of back foot pressure to keep the board level.  The main issue is the nose just dived in the turns which made the setup impractical.
• I reduced the  angle to -1.5 with the same tail, that felt both more locked and and more back-footed than I like, but ok otherwise.
• I tried the 178 tail with a -1.0 degree shim, and that felt pretty good.  Still more back-footed than I'm used, I'm still not sure how I feel about that.

I'll probably stick with the 178 tail for now and fine tune the angle, there seems to be a trade off between looseness and foot pressure.  Usually I prefer to have enough front foot pressure so I can control the pitch entirely using my front foot (which is why I use a positive shim with the 1095).  But I'm probably willing to give some of that up to get a looser feel, I need more time on the water to get used to a more back-footed riding style to see how I like it.  I'm still hoping a smaller or more chopped tail will give me the best of both, but I'm sure there are other factors in the tradeoff equation that I don't understand fully.  There's also the extra hole to shift the stabilizer forward 30mm mod, but I'm not ready to try that yet.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 3d printing for wing foiling

« on: August 01, 2022, 10:51:34 PM »

Did you try the 1440 with the 220 and negative shims? I stopped at -2.0 ... it got faster and looser every time.
Do you think I could go beyond -2.0? - or stepping down to the 178 stab will be the better option?

That's a good question, I have no idea what the tradeoff are between smaller tails and shimming.  I used the 1440 for about 15 minutes before swapping in a smaller tail, I'll try shimming the 220 the next time I have good conditions for testing.  I uploaded some additional negative shim files, so you can now test all the way up to 5 degrees without stacking the shims. If you use the thicker shims, make sure your screw is long enough though. 

7

General Discussion / Re: ART Foil

« on: August 01, 2022, 01:03:28 AM »

You inspired me to hang up some of my foils.  I feel like something is missing though, I just can't figure out if it's a KDfoil 13R or Takuma 158  .

8

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 3d printing for wing foiling

« on: August 01, 2022, 12:24:08 AM »

Hi, Thank you so much for sharing these. I printed the takuma shims and they are session (life) changing The F-one "handle" works really well, too.
Big thank you from Canada.

Awesome, I'm glad it's been useful.  It's also good to hear that I'm not the only one with a Takuma foil, F-one wing, and a 3d printer .   I just got a 1440 and used it for the very first time today.  I'm still getting used to it, it feels more locked in than I'm used too so I was trying different tails to try to loosen it up.  I tried swapping in a Unifoil race stabilizer chopped down to 14" and the 178 tail.  It felt faster and easier to turn with the Unifoil but still very locked in, the 178 felt looser and it's probably the one I liked the most.  But I'll probably chop the unifoil tail down another inch or two and see how that does.

I like a +0.5 or +1.0 degree shim on my 1095+178.

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

« on: July 25, 2022, 11:16:30 PM »

This lazy winger setup looks interesting, I haven't tried it though so don't have a good sense of how it compares to a traditional setup -

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 3d printing for wing foiling

« on: July 20, 2022, 01:18:25 AM »

Good stuff. I make baseplate shims, tail wing shims, repair bits, and parts for foil drives. There's a small group of people that share files and ideas on Whatsapp for what's called Faux Drives. I'm a member. We're all building foil drive clones and similar stuff. I'm making battery boxes, drive mounts, folding propellers, etc.

The files aren't shared on Thingiverse (yet). There's a concern in the group about harming the Foildrive business that all the ideas come from. But if that's of interest I'll see if I can get you included. There's a lot more discussion than just 3D printing, but it's a lively group with an excellent bunch of inventive people.

Here's my rather sad-looking "print farm". I'm reassembling and modifying some of the printers since I boxed most of them up in flat rate boxes to ship back from Maui. I've been ignoring them recently for motorcycle projects. I need to circle back and get them all running.

The board picture is pretty lousy, but it's my faux drive on an axis mast mounted on a hollow Flying Dutchman reject board Mark gave me.

I'd definitely be interested in joining the FauxDrive group, I've been wondering how I'm going to survive the winter and a FauxDrive sounds like the perfect solution .

Your workshop looks awesome, I'm jealous of all the unused horizontal surfaces .

11

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 3d printing for wing foiling

« on: July 20, 2022, 12:59:46 AM »

Thats great, im akways amazed how clever some of you guys are.

Tell me about the f one front handle support, looks just like what ive been looking for?

Mike

It's still a bit of a work in progress, but I find the support makes the wing easier to control when flagging from the front handle.  I've been happy with the way the Strike handles work when using both hands and this addition doesn't change that.  I've experimented with adding rigid supports to other parts of the handles, but those all had tradeoffs that I didn't like (except on my V1 swing wings, where a rigid support keeps the narrower, worn handles from crushing my fingers together, but this hasn't been an issue with the Strike handles).

The support isn't very rigid, but it improves control over roll and pitch.  This makes it easier to keep the wing level and lets you pull a bit of power from the wing while flagging.  I find it also make it easier to fly when you're hooked in and flying the wing with one hand, which I'm still learning to do. 

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 3d printing for wing foiling

« on: July 19, 2022, 12:42:57 AM »

These are all really cool. Great work man and thanks for sharing.

Thanks!  I've been reading this forum for years and learned so much from all the posts on here, including yours, so I'm glad to finally have something to share.

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

« on: July 19, 2022, 12:01:12 AM »

For the harness line, I prefer a simple 5mm cord with loops sewn to the ends.  It's easy to tie it to the handle when I want it out of the way, and it isn't as annoying as a heavier line with a plastic tube when pumping.  I just tie extra knots in it if I want to shorten it.

For the hook, I use one 3d printed one out of a hard TPU rubber, the rubber is less likely to damage my board and I like the way it flexes slightly to take up a small amount of slack.  I use the hook with a $9 Jayefo weightlifting belt that Jeff Clark recommended here, it's been working well (it works well for pulling snow sleds in the winter too).  I bought several and leave one attached to each wing.

14

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / 3d printing for wing foiling

« on: July 18, 2022, 11:08:37 PM »

I've been uploading some of the 3d printing designs I've been using with wing foiling to Thingiverse recently.  I think quite a few of us have 3d printers so I hope some will find the designs useful.

https://www.thingiverse.com/walter/collections/foiling

I'm also curious as to what others are printing.  With the sport being in the early stages and with so much gear involved, there's a lot of opportunities for 3d printers to be used.

15

Foil SUP / Re: Changing to F-One foils? Would love some advice!

« on: July 05, 2022, 01:42:59 AM »

That's a pretty good breakdown of the two. I will admit, the helium 1500 does ventilate really well and often buys me a second or two of time to correct when I hear the gurgling coming from below. Do you feel like the smaller takumas ventilate well? This is something that I was drawn to with the phantom, reports of it handling tip breaches quite well.

With the 1500 Helium, I like ventilating the wingtips just to see the streaks it makes in the water.  I don't do that with the 1095 since I sometimes lurches when the wingtip ventilates.  I suspect it tends to happen at shallower angles when the wing is more parallel to the water surface and not when carving hard, but I'm not really sure.  It doesn't lose lift or throw me off the board but I don't think it's as smooth as the 1500 during ventilation.  I think Erik from the Progression Podcast mentioned that when he ventilates the 1095, he unweights the board and it recovers on it's own.  With the 980, I find the wingspan is small enough that I don't ventilate the wingtips so I'm not sure how it does.

If someone offered you a full set of foils today, money was no consideration, would you stick with what you have? Or would you make a change?

That's a dangerous way to think When it comes to the larger foils, I haven't found any that I think I'd like more than the Takuma foils (In my case, I'm optimizing for a vague 'fun to ride' factor, not any single parameter like speed, glide, etc).  But my experience with other foils is pretty limited.  There are definitely companies with better overall systems and quality control when it comes to the overall system (probably most of them).  If I get a smaller foil, which is something I'm not sure I need yet, I think I'd want something higher aspect than Takuma has, so something like the Eagle 790 (865mm wingspan, 790cm2 area), Axis 899 (899mm wingspan, 830cm2 area), Cabrinha 800 (900mm wingspan, 800cm2 area), Lift 120 (889mm wingspan, 775cm2 area), or Eagle 890 (925mm wingspan, 890cm2 area).