Messages

31

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 2022 New Wings Thread

« on: October 12, 2022, 08:30:03 PM »

Picked up a 5.5m Takoon V2 while up at the AWSI this year, and love it so much, that I've since bought a 4m and a 7m (to replace my F-One CWC 7m...that I loved, just like the Takoon that much more).

Apparently I'm not the only one loving them...



https://youtu.be/1Ge9SxXQHQo?t=344

32

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Back to this issue of a "loose" connection between Axis carbon mast / black fuse

« on: October 12, 2022, 08:18:23 PM »

Sorry to bring up this "old" topic but.. After 2 years of beating up my 19mm alu mast I'm looking at the carbon options.

We have the "newest" POWER carbon mast in 820cm BOTH in high modulus and "normal" carbon...

And the 860 cm mm carbon (red and black) carbon masts are... Somehow different besides being 40cm mm longer?

Completely different from the "older" 86cm (860mm) carbon mast. The new masts have the same chord width from baseplate to fuse connection, whereas the "older" carbon masts' chord tapered narrower from the baseplate to the fuse connection. The shape of the "Power Carbon" mast is also different than the "older" carbon, with the 19mm thickness area moved back some from the leading edge of the "PC" vs the "older" masts.

These improvements not only make the "PCs" much stiffer than the "older" carbons, but also faster, and track/turn better with the wider wings (ARTs and HPS) than is possible with the "older" carbon masts...especially as you go longer in mast length.

These are the older models?
Are THESE the ones that had too much play at the connection to the fuse?
I suck at epoxy work (and weigh over 90kilos and ride the 999 alot) so not really keen on buying something new that's wobbly from the outset.

Yes, some of the "older" carbon masts needed to be recast, and I've done 10-12 of them. It's really a pretty easy process if you have PVA mold release (available on Amazon), 2-part epoxy, Cabosil, black pigment (optional), and a good fuse to use as your "mold".

Thanx a million for anyone who can clear this up for me!

Hope that helps, and what you were looking for. If not, let me know what I missed.

33

Random / Re: Electric Surf Vehicles in 2020

« on: October 02, 2022, 01:03:03 PM »

My wife and I are in the market for a new car for her. Her engine on her 1999 Mitsubishi full size Montero LS finally blew a head gasket at 250K+ miles. Same engine, same tranny. That was a great snow SUV / Tank. Yesterday we went to the Orange County Car Show. Learn a lot about the variety of hybrid's and full electric's. The new thing is 'P'Hybrid's and they are near impossible to get right now. The 'P' stands for plug-in. Almost all current hybrids can not be plugged in. The engine and brakes charge the batteries only. Till the past year or so, anything that plugged in was fully electric. These new 'P'-Hybrid's have a gas tank filler on one side and and a charging port on the other. You can opt to drive in all electric only mode where depending on the manufacturer you can drive for around 30 miles on the battery. Then plug it in at home. So never needing gas around town. On the highway using gas / electric you'll get around 35mpg. The cars we are looking at are small to mid size SUV's. Right now some / most of the Toyota dealers are charging around $8k over msrp, because they can. A RAV4 'P'-hybrid is around 12 month preorder time, so we were told? KIA's the same thing. Honda... ditto. Plus they are about $10k more than a gas only model.

Of course it has to have a bike rack hitch mount and roof racks. May just get a Subaru No hybrid...

Chevy had the P-hybrid Volt out from 2011-2019, but discontinued it favor of their fully electric Bolt. A foil buddy bought a used Volt several years ago to replace his gas guzzling Jeep something-or-other, and loves it. It really is a very nice ride.

34

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: How does a carbon mast interact in an aluminum fuze?

« on: August 26, 2022, 09:44:48 AM »

I've been using the carbon to anodized aluminum connection for years, and can say that I've never had any problem with corrosion of either part. This includes anodized parts where the anodization has been worn or scratched off.

What I will see on occasion is a build up of salt around the top of the connection (even though all of my gear gets rinsed in fresh water as soon as I'm out of the water) that I at first mistook for corrosion. But after a simple wipe off (and ok, I'll admit it...a taste test), both sides of the connection were perfectly fine, and ready for use.

That's simply my anecdotal experience, w/o an actual scientific evidence to as to whether or not it's possible for corrosion to happen between the parts, and/or what can be done to prevent it if anything.

35

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Foot pressure when foiling.

« on: June 30, 2022, 02:49:33 PM »

I think most of all of that is personal preference...I personally set my foil setups to be very front-footed. I prefer having to keep the nose down as I'm flying at speed for several reasons.

1. I want as much lift as possible on takeoff, to get the board off the water asap, and with the HA wings nowadays, that typically means they lift with with speed vs increased pitch like the lower aspect wings did. With that, I need to wait later for the wave to get steeper, and I drop into it more like a "skateboard ramp drop" as I call it, and want full control of the wing and nose of the board (pitch) with my front foot.

2. Having to keep pressure on my front foot when flying, also helps with turning, as I will simply put a little more pressure on the nose as I'm rolling the board over, and I have much more feel of the board as it's picking up speed in the turn, and it's simply a matter of applying or reducing pressure to keep it tracking through the turn level. Once I'm turning back up to the face or towards the whitewater to make my cutback, I simply release almost all pressure, and let the wing release completely as it then starts automatically climbing back out of the turn to get back to height immediately.

3. Being on a standup and with the higher aspect wings, it's almost imperative to have the pressure under my front foot when pumping. This is b/c with the higher aspect wings, we can no longer try to "Ollie" the board up, but have to be able to push the nose down at height just as the glide is beginning to dissipate  to pick up speed, and then almost immediately after that slight push down, I have to get off of the board right away to unweight it to allow the wing to then climb back up to height for the next glide period. If I'm back-footed, and/or further back on the board, I can never get it leveled off quickly enough, or be able to push the nose down to gain the necessary speed the higher aspect wings need to fly/glide correctly.

4. It should be noted that I also ride what had been AXIS's shortest fuse (they just released an even shorter one that I've not throw on my kit yet), and as such the shorter fuses are more pitchy than longer ones, and being on a 5'1 board, the only way I've found to be able to control that pitch is with very subtle adjustments with my front foot holding and releasing pressure with it quickly and somewhat often.

JMO and what I personally do...OMMV as will their personal preferences and feels while foiling.

36

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Axis 1099

« on: June 30, 2022, 02:17:48 PM »

The setup is just a little more twitchy and less forgiving on the pump - but still pumps perfectly fine.  The surfing is just so much better and the downsides are barely a downgrade.

When you get your new Power Carbon High Mod mast, that "twitchy and less forgiving on the pump" feeling will go away. The new masts are freakin' incredible!

I alternated tails between KDFoils 12, 13.5 and 15 as well as Axis 350P tail (very similar to 13.5" KD).

The 15" with 1099 is a dog even though its a really great tail
The 13.5" and 350P ride fantastic and really make the foil super fun
The 12" is a game-changer

I've not ridden the KD tails, but have found that going smaller on the tails with the ARTs (and now even my BSC wings) is where it's at. Have been on the 350 with them, and next outing going to throw on the 325P, and who knows, maybe the 300P at some point.

Also, if you ever down this way, let's get you demoing the new "Advanced" fuses...they too are "game-changers" as well as you say.

37

Gear Talk / Re: Hankering back to my old Laird Pearson Arrow- what's the modern equivalent ?

« on: June 29, 2022, 07:59:32 AM »

Well this is kind of a combo reply to two threads...this one here, and really the Sano is an unfoilable salad garden one.

So still getting tangled in the weeds at 4.9' high tide the last Friday, figured that if I wanted to stay in the water (with my sanity), a change was going to have to be made, and pulled the Laird/Pearson Arrow out of the rafters where she had waited patiently for 5 years, and threw her in the back of the van.

Yesterday was she made it out of the van when at the 3.5' high tide and watching the only two foilers out (amongst the 12 or so SUPers) spend 90% of their time stuck in the grass, it seemed pointless to even venture out "winged up"...even though the little 2-3' peelers looked like perfect foil waves. 



Well let's just say that it's only sorta "like riding a bike". Without the big foil keel hanging under the board, the wobbles were sumpin' fierce, and just paddling out to the lineup, I must have looked like a baby giraffe trying to take its first steps as I tried to balance the board on the way out.

Once out, it was more like trying to turn a battleship than a surfboard to turn for the incoming wave, and once on the dang thing...what an eerie feeling it was having the entire length of my 5'1 foil board way out in front of me while trying to keep the nose from pearling, and to get the thing somewhat turned and headed down the line. 

It took a few waves to gain at least a little familiarity with her again, and she did treat me well enough that it was enjoyable enough all things considered...but man, I sure did feel like a kook out there for most of the session, and wow I'm sore. Didn't know that "sup muscles" were so different than "foil muscles".

38

General Discussion / Re: Summer days gone by

« on: June 21, 2022, 09:26:31 AM »

Wow, 2008. I was still rescuing kittens out of trees, and only dreaming of getting to the beach more than once or twice a month...maybe

Great video though, thanks for posting...did bring back great memories of a couple years later. Did anyone else see the early foil adapter at the 1:35 mark trying to "pump" up on foil...or is that just me being foil-brained now? 

39

Prone Foiling, Surf foiling, Pump Foiling / Re: Axis 1099

« on: June 14, 2022, 10:43:34 PM »

Old thread, I know.  --- Just gotta say the 1099 has become my favorite foil as of late.

Have to agree. It took me a while to get its placement dialed in, but having moved down from the 425P, to the 400P, and now to the 350P it's really come to life (all on a crazy short fuse).

I'm going to give the 325P a shot when we get a little bit more than the 2-3' mush we've had recently it to see what happens, as smaller stabs seem to work better with these ART wings for whatever reason(s)...at least in the surf anyway.

40

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Wing Board Tail Rocker - Thoughts

« on: June 05, 2022, 10:19:11 AM »

Pono, and now you have me thinking more about volume. No I am not a physics expert like you sir.

So then, in my lesser brain, I imagine pushing a V shaped wedge down into the water takes less effort than pushing a flat shape (With the same volume).

no?

-r

Not Pono, but yeah, that was my thought(s) with the more "Kalama styled" pin tail on my latest board above.

Like you, not a "physics expert", but it seems to work. This little board (5'1x27x102) paddles well and catches waves much better than my same-sized previous board with a kick tail, and more like my 6" longer 5'7x27x103 board with a kick in it also.

Califoilia, Looks awesome. Are you able to Stand up Foil Surf it, or Wing or both?
-r

That's a sup foil board that I have tried winging with, but find that the boxes and strap are a little too far forward to make it the perfect wing board.

So I use the flat tail board w/the chines out the back for winging, since it's boxes are about 3-1/2" further back than where I want them for the surf...

...the screws sitting on the board is where I'd typically have the front of the baseplate in the surf, even a little further forward depending on wing choice for the day. The chines out the tail are not a problem with this board for winging, since I'm not standing around trying to balance waiting on a wave the same way I'd be doing it in the surf.

41

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Wing Board Tail Rocker - Thoughts

« on: June 05, 2022, 09:52:35 AM »

Been doing flat tail rockers since my first foil shape attempt long ago....


Started going no tail kick last year after DW made great sense on why we don't need them...


Found that chines all the way back out the tail made it tippier(?) and more work than was comfortable in windy/whitecap days so added some flat to the tail...

...that removed all of that. Love this board!

42

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Axis black fuse M6 thread repair.. Helicoil stainless? Depth?

« on: May 09, 2022, 04:50:14 PM »

Axis has the 1050, 880, and 999 all using the 6mmx14mm screws up front. But I've found the same thing that you did, that the 14s are just a tad too long for the ART wings.

43

Foil SUP / Re: A few questions?

« on: May 07, 2022, 11:28:09 AM »

My normal setup for wing 1350cm3 is 5'  75L and today was 6'9 120L and it felt big.

Yeah, since you're an experienced foiler, you should have no problem flying a 1350 in small surf. I'm typically on 1290 or less in everything in the surf (currently having a blast on the Axis ART 899 and 999 wings with SAs of 850 and 1038 respectively, even in knee high mush with the 999)...on a 5'1x 102L board.

When foiling I was moving my feet and weight forward to keep the board down and didn't breach once. I struggled with when taking off going straight turning to trim the face I ended up doing a 180 turn facing out to sea ..lol ...and gliding for a few seconds.. ha. Mostly it just felt big. I'll try my normal wing next time . Just interested what size people use in small waves at my weight

I think you'll find much more success with your smaller wing, especially if you can find a smaller board (a foot shorter than the 6'9 at least, and less volume - 105 or less) to go with it.

I see more folks starting out in the surf struggling with too large of a board, more so than too large of a wing. Bigger board are like you say, just so cumbersome, and oftentimes have a mind of their own, and with so much board out in front of the mast, pitch becomes much more accentuated than that on a shorter board.

44

Foil SUP / Re: A few questions?

« on: May 06, 2022, 02:40:25 PM »

Kind of hard to recommend anything w/o knowing what the "far too big front wing" was, and why you think it was too big (breaching too much or something eles?).

Sounds more like a matter of moving everything back in the boxes, b/c if they're indeed "small waves", better having "no problem...getting airborne," than it is struggling to get off the water and keeping it in the air with too small of a front wing.

You're not a fly weight at 78 kgs (just about 5 kgs less than myself), and have a long enough board (my surf sup is 5"1), so you should have plenty of weight and length to control the pitch (which I'm just guessing to be your problem) in pretty much any size wing in "small waves"...if everything is setup properly that is.

45

SUP General / Re: Kalama Ez2 vs E3 SUP

« on: May 05, 2022, 11:01:56 PM »

Switched it to a quad and the board lit up like a star in the night.

Hmmm, that sounds familiar...

Heard from the shop and Kalama on the situation.

Dave swears that board was designed to be a quad and should be run as a quad.

One thing I learned long ago...was to listen to a shaper who's actually surfed the board I was buying from him.