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Topics - surfcowboy

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31
The Shape Shack / Jon Boat Tow Foil - for the country folks
« on: March 29, 2020, 09:00:37 AM »
As I was cutting the rough shape of this foil board a buddy from back home said, "looks like a Jon boat." It surely does.

I thought about it for a day or so and the joke was too good. I modified the shape a bit and just went for it.

It's a 4'1" x 20" x 3" toy that I will use behind the boat and for trying dock starts etc. Not really anything I expect to paddle or surf prone though I'll bet some buddies will. It's also a chance to mess with construction technique before I build my real beginner prone board.

Other than being a little thick, I'll bet it'll be fun behind the boat in a lake. Which leads me to the real point of this. Hilarious redneck decorations.

I'm thinking camo paint or olive drab with a fake registration number on the bow. For traction I want black with olive drab "seats" across it at appropriate points.

Any other ideas that might make this thing completely outlandish at a surf break are welcome. Enjoy.

Here’s the rough Hotwire shape.












Measuring



Sanded to 220, ready to seal






32
The Shape Shack / Cowboy Foil SUP build thread
« on: March 15, 2020, 09:14:58 PM »
I now know why you guys move off of converted SUPs so quickly. The volume at the tail makes it hard to paddle into waves. So, into the shape shack again. I sourced a 4'x8'x4" sheet of 1.5 lb EPS foam locally for $49. Decided I was going to learn to hotwire foam.

Got lucky and got a raw cut which gave me an extra inch of length and width (easy on the comments kids.)

I fudged the nose of the SUP blank with the angled cut to get 6’6” and leave enough width for a tow board. I got my 21” wide (deck) 48” blank. I’ll use the extra off cut from the prone blank to glue on and get me up to 4’6” or 4’8” or so. (TBD after I get some time on the water on the 5’6”)

Here’s the yield:

6’6” X 28” SUP blank
6’6” X 21” Prone blank (which I’ll cut down to a 5’6” or so, post your recommendations for a 53 year old intermediate weekend warrior)
48” X 21” Prone/Tow blank (with a 2” chine that I’ll soften up and match on the other rail) This will likely become a 2" thick wake foil for the summer.

Not bad for $49 and an 90 minutes of measuring and cutting. Let’s order some resin and carbon folks!


33
The Shape Shack / Alternate high density foam
« on: March 14, 2020, 09:13:56 AM »
Went to the local foam supply and saw these. I will get pricing next week but for fins and foil boxes seems like a good idea.









Anyone have info on these? If it's cheaper than Divinycel I might buy a sheet if anyone wants a few blocks. Comes in 1" to 2" thicknesses. I'm also considering it for stringers with a longboard box set in for foils.

34
Foil SUP / Foil first steps - Surfcowboy sets out
« on: March 08, 2020, 09:48:44 PM »
Decided to track my foil sessions and progress. I’m hoping for the same 5 to 10 sessions til I start stringing together some flights. We will see.

After my boat lesson, see other thread, today I went out for a paddle to see about catching some waves. I’ve been lax on SUP for a couple of years and so I’ve decided to be as patient as I can and let my skills and stamina come back over time.

Today there was probably a bit too much swell for me, knee to waist sets. So I just paddled for soft waves and practiced timing my turns and fighting to keep the board straight. I probably went for 20 waves and got close to catching a couple to where I could feel the foil start to lift. I’ll get out in smaller waves with some reform if I can and likely start putting together some short rides (and crashes.)

I’m curious as to what size a beginner should be catching. Seems like knee high is about the top of what is wise lol. Also, hoping to start on a specific foil SUP this week as well as I can now see why the tail sinking is bad for getting your back foot into position. But for now, just trying to be patient and let the muscle memory build.

35
Foil SUP / SoCal Foil boat lesson
« on: March 07, 2020, 06:54:27 PM »
Couldn’t get behind a boat in San Diego so when I got back I gave google one last Hail Mary and lo and behold in AirBnB there was a foiling experience.

Peter DeAvila is an experienced captain with a nice little Whaler and an Infinity 6’10” x 27” FoilSUP and GoFoil Maliko 200 and all the stuff you need. He’s patient, tells you what you need to know, and a great hang.

I went out today and lo and behold I flew!  Conditions were rough and I almost gave up. 2-3 ft swell and 12 knot winds made it hard to stand on the board and taxi. But I got a couple of short flights and felt what I need to feel. There truly is nothing to compare it to. I get it now. The silence, the smoothness, I describe it as sliding over oiled glass.

I’m going to head out and get into some whitewash and see what’s what. If a buddy goes out with Peter, I’m sure I’ll tag along for some more boat time but on any smooth day, this will get you sorted. I had a ball even on a rough one.

I was staggered by how slow the Maliko takes off. 5 knots and I was in the air. At that speed, I never felt in danger and could safely bail whenever I got a bit off. (A lot of the time lol) I can see how in waves people might think this is hairy but on a big wing, behind a boat, you can learn at an insanely slow speed. Really cool.

If you’re in LA and want to see if foiling is for you, check this out. Oh, and yeah, I’m sore from head to foot. This sport is a workout.

36
Foil SUP / Wing surfer center fin - recycling
« on: February 22, 2020, 03:44:10 PM »
Heard that I'll need a center fin to keep a SUP upwind when I finally start to try that.

Today I recycled a Perfect Storm fin that I broke off my wavestorm.

I'm going to try strapping it around the middle of an old inflatable too putter around the marina. Might also be good for my mother-in-law who wants to try to wing but doesn't want to foil... Yet.



It's got a 1 1/4" wide slot for a webbing strap to get cinched through. We will see if the base plate will keep it upright. Might have to glue on a wider plate.

37
Training, Diet, and Fitness / Gotta get back to SUP
« on: February 22, 2020, 08:19:46 AM »
Did a session with Tom in SD last week. (Soooo appreciated btw, thank you) and it was my first Surf SUP session in a year. Lots of reasons but mainly I’ve wanted to focus on prone skills.

One, your surfing translates. I am a far better SUP surfer for taking the last two years off. And two, while different, I will now maintain that standup surfing requires a level of fitness that is actually beyond prone surfing. Sure, my shoulders and back are stronger for long boarding these months. But my body and heart were way more worked in 90 min of SUP on a shorter board (7’5”.) so while I’m about to start a foil adventure, I’ll also be SUP foiling for sure and hope to build another 9’-ish SUS board too.

Both or all 3 kinds of boards will be on my car this year.

Pono, that SD paddle out is a bear, no?

38
Foil SUP / Bump Cap - less kooky foil head protection
« on: February 11, 2020, 08:34:26 PM »
In what is my weirdest build yet, I’m customizing a bump cap for foiling head protection.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RXVVTL1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It’s a plastic shell that fits into a baseball cap and provides just enough protection to keep you from getting stitches (maybe.)

I’ve sprayed mine black, out it under a trucker cap for water use and am putting some 1/8” EVA inside it. (Hobby Lobby or any craft store sells this for a buck a sheet.

I’ll post up pics and results as I get it done. But it looks like you’re just wearing a cap. I’ll probably try to get a strap or at least a lanyard on it to keep it in place a bit but I dig it so far and even without it’s worth wearing I think.

Will it protect you from a cracked skull? Does it cover all your head? Is it approved by any agency? No.

But it’s surprisingly effective and will certainly be an unobtrusive improvement over my bare skin. Check it out, if you do nothing but put it in your cap it’ll stop stitches or a fin cut. If you pad it at all you’ll be pleasantly surprised and it could keep you conscious from a hit.

I’m trying Super 77 spray glue first to hold the EVA. Maybe also could source some EVA with that sweet 3M adhesive?

I’ll keep you posted on mods and how it works. I think I might even wear this surfing if I can make it reliable in the water.

I’ll also try to share my padding templates.

39
Foil SUP / San Diego Kook out - first foiling spot?
« on: February 11, 2020, 08:21:51 PM »
Hey guys, I’m going to be in SD for a week starting Friday. Going to do a boat session Friday or Saturday and then I need a spot (hopefully near Pt. Loma) where I can kook out in small waves. (Forecast permitting.)

I was thinking of finding an empty stretch of whitewater at Pacific Beach. Anywhere else I should look?

Also, I’ll be bringing a stack of gear so if anyone wants to meet up I’d love to do it if we can work it out. (Linter, I’ll be warming up your phone to hang for sure. Tom, you around?)

40
Foil SUP / Gong Allvator - Review thread
« on: January 13, 2020, 05:53:37 PM »
And so it begins...

I just ordered a Gong Allvator XL foil with an extra 45 cm mast for myself and my main surf buddy to learn to foil on.

Why you might ask did I choose the Gong?

Partly because no one else will admit to having one and really do a decent review. Same for the Alibaba foils. So frustrating that no one will really tell people whether or not they are a valid option for learning to foil.

Yes, I am 50% sure I will end up owning another foil at some point. (Likely something red that rhymes with “Praxis Boils”) but I just couldn’t see spending that much bread on my starter wing while I figure out what wings do in the first place. The Gong is big and slow and cheap to fix/replace while I learn how shallow the rocks are at my local breaks.

I am 100% sure that I can get a decent return on this if I should sell it.

I am also 100% sure that I will hack and mod the hell out of this thing so I appreciate the modularity of their stuff.

Paid just under $600 shipped to SoCal.

The plan is to share this with my buddy til we decide if we want to keep on. If we dig the Gong, then he will buy a rig and I’ll probably add another wing (pro high aspect?) and likely another, smaller stab which I can ride while I hack the original in various ways. For $600-700 each we can have a few wings, stabs, and masts to experiment with til we know what we are doing or what we really like.

He’s also mainly a proner and much better than me so it’s likely we will run different wings in the same conditions.

I am not an ambassador. I have no attachment to being right, and clearly am skeptical of this thing. I also don’t have any ego about what gear I own. Hopefully this will be a good source of info beyond “yeah they work” which is all I’ve gotten from English speaking foilers.

If this is the foil version of Jimmy Styks we are all about to know and it will be announced plainly. And if you own one, or have, feel free to contribute to this thread as well.

I’m preparing my friends and family to lose me to #foilbrain. Wish me luck.

41
Foil SUP / Technique question - slowing down?
« on: January 08, 2020, 11:42:33 PM »
Just had a weird thought. Am I right that there’s no good way to stall a foil? Do they just breach?

How do you slow one down? Can you, or are you just along for the ride? lol

42
Random / Pluto TV free surf video channel
« on: January 05, 2020, 03:40:40 PM »
If you have a streaming tv box (or web or mobile browser even) you can get free surf movies on Pluto TV. Ad supported just like regular TV so no catch.

YouTube is great, but sometimes I just want to watch a long form film jut run for me with no thought to choosing lol.

43
Foil SUP / Small persons guide to foil gear - 120lbs to 160 lbs
« on: January 04, 2020, 08:07:47 AM »
Ok, it had to be done. Mainly because I’m finally going to dip into this sport over here. (Finally to a place where a small injury won’t endanger my business and family to be honest.)

For those of us under 160, what’s a good size to learn to surf foil on?

Do we go big 1500 cm+ and keep it for downwind or tiny days when we are better? Or do we pick something smaller that will be more appropriate day to day?

I can’t believe  that steamroller and I would find the same foil “right” in the same waves. lol

I’ll remind you all that BluePlanet sells a 65cm wingspan foil as a starter foil and a lot of folks here learned on Takumas and smaller Naish wings. Was that just a bad idea that we’ve moved on from now? (Robert, not implying anything here btw, I just trust your knowledge 100% and so it interests me that you had that foil on the market as a starter. Though I know that your ideas may have evolved as well since your “real” recommendations are the larger carbon foils.)

Can we smaller framed folks scoop up these deals now that y’all big boys have moved on, or should we be learning on larger wings too?






44
Foil SUP / Used foil wings - what’s good, what’s to be avoided
« on: January 04, 2020, 07:56:59 AM »
On the “first foil rig” thread I realized that I had a solid question forming that bears discussion.

Now that we’re seeing deals on used and close out gear, what’s good?

Also, what’s to be avoided.

Specifically, what gear is now not cutting edge but still worth a look?

GoFoil, obviously. But for example, a ton of people 2 years ago were learning on Naish L foils. Are those too hard compared to the newer XL+ wings, or are they a solid choice for a beginner?

Those further down the road, pitch in what you know please.

Hers what I’m seeing out in craigslist land.

Naish L
Slingshot 76
Cloud 9 S24
Ride Engine (everything)

These are all over. Are they to be avoided? Is the inexpensive option now just an XL Gong as opposed to any used “L” sized foil and leave these to the soon to be giant ranks of wake foilers on all the lakes?

Post up!

45
Ok to gather some info in one place (I have no horse in this race, I just love organized data) I propose putting you stats for minimum and comfortable wind ranges for tour size and rig as a way for folks to easily start to calculate flight info.

Example, clay said that on his 7 m kite wing at 200 lbs and 1700 foil wing he couldn’t foil at 15 mph but 20 mph wains worked.

At 15mph on a 2400 foil it worked with some effort.

If this seems helpful, post up.

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