Messages

16

Foil SUP / Re: Axis Downwind Boards - inverse relationship of length/volume and width

« on: February 10, 2023, 10:04:50 AM »

This is the way i see it:

When the board rolls the rail sinks,center of buoyancy moves to low side and resists the roll.

Longer board= longer rail= more resistance to roll.

So you can make a longer board narrower without loosing roll stability.

This means nothing when your shape is a perfect cylinder because rolling does not move the center of buoyancy at all...and this Kalama designs are closer to a cylinder than a trad surfboard shape.

19' is narrowish even for a surfboard... would love to try a few of these DW boards to see what width i could handle in chop etc.
Probably closer to 25' even Xtralong 

17

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Axis Hybrid boards

« on: February 01, 2023, 08:48:47 AM »

Some things to consider based on all the variations I’ve built and tested.

I have a 6’2 x 27.5 for SUP only. Used it a few times for light wind winging.
I have a 6’2 x 23.5 for SUP only. Used it a few times for light wind winging.
I have a 5’5 x 23.5 for winging only.
I have a 5’5 x 24.5 for winging only.

My old wing board was 5’0 x 28

All Kalama style boards.

In a back to back wave catching comparison, SUPing tiny knee high waves. I found the 27.5 caught more waves. LESS FALLING. Could be more aggressive positioning for the wave and paddling. What I found is, when you’re almost out of control balance wise paddling, this lack of control transfers to the entire flight on foil. Same results with my buddy doing the same comparison.

Winging my 5’5 x 23.5 wide versus 24.5 wide. The 23.5 is the winner for performance. BUT, I need to be able to put my hands on the deck and just stand up when the wind quits. My knees are shot.
I must avoid sailing on my knees at all cost, so 24.5 wide is my go to. Jacky and my buddy, love the 5’5 x 23.5 wide size. Better upwind, better pumping (better than a 4’10) , lighter. Much higher performance than short and wide boards.

188 lbs

Great info,do you have approximate volumes for these boards?.
Any pics?.
Thx

18

Foil SUP / Re: Weight Matters

« on: January 31, 2023, 09:24:44 AM »

I just sold a 5.0 wingfoil board because it felt too heavy.Lost about 30% of the money i paid for it new
Loved the shape,track placement, the build quality,the specs...but i could not get used to the bigger weight and the sluggish inertia it created.
On a digital scale the difference was a ridiculous  +700 grams compared to what i am used to riding.
Sounds like nothing but it completely changed the feel in any conditions, way less fun and responsive.
In light wind it really affects the bottom end.

19

Foil SUP / Re: Weight Matters

« on: January 25, 2023, 09:30:42 AM »

In some interview with Dave Kalama I remember him commenting on DW boards that were too light were more pitch sensitive, especially when dropping down the bigger steeper bumps.  In some ways, I find that to be true.  While playing with mast positions on my DW board, Having the mast far forward (less nose swing weight) the board becomes a bit more challenging to control, though easier to pump.  Having the mast more rearward, control becomes much easier.  I, myself, prefer to make boards as lightweight as possible. Again, compromise is always the sweet spot.

As  much as i like and respect Dave Kalama i think you should take that statement with a grain of salt.
He is selling hundreds of production boards and as DW said most customers mistreat high tech gear.
Kalama production boards are not specially light, his custom jobs weigh nothing...

20

Foil SUP / Re: Longer Fuselage for Stability and Pump

« on: January 10, 2023, 10:43:57 AM »

My nerdy side says putting the mast smack on top of the central part of the wing should have all sorts of nefarious consequences in drag ,increased stall speed etc.
This central bit of the wing is always creating lift at any speed fast or slow, any interference should matter.
But the guy in the vids (James A. Goulet) says it works fine and his V3 version is quite refined and well made.I tend to believe people that are selling nothing .

21

Foil SUP / Re: Longer Fuselage for Stability and Pump

« on: January 09, 2023, 02:30:52 PM »

https://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/Axis-RadicallyShort--77mm-advanced-fuselage-prototype?page=1

https://youtu.be/cYIIVNXmvTc

22

Foil SUP / Re: Another revelation about the Barricuda style Kalama board!

« on: December 22, 2022, 08:09:16 AM »

Agree Malo is super talented but I can really see the lag in his turns compared to his usual style on smaller boards, 7Kg for 112L is REALLY heavy... a lot of swing weight. They've gone overboard on the dimensions in their V1 effort, too narrow, too thick and way too heavy (the biggest surprise). Not cheap either at 1200 Euro

Is it that heavy?.
Do not think many production boards ,in any shape, get a lot lighter than 7kg at 112liters.
Hard to say because most of them chicken out from publishing weights.
I know that an 85l 5feet bodyboard shaped wingboard is pretty good at 5 to 5.5 kg.
So 7kg for 6.6 and 112l sounds reasonable to me.

I know that people are building ultralight custom DW boards but IMHO most of them will be waterlogged throwaways in a season.

1.0 density EPS + light glassing + long lenghts + paddles = a great  recipe for dings.
It only takes 1 little ding for the EPS to start sucking water.They are often really hard to see.

I am very tempted by this shapes, i think that something like a 6 x 16 x 85l could work pretty good for Upwind/Downwind wingfoiling in my unreliable wind conditions and be a fun pronefoiler in some spots.

Might perpetrate a DIY thingy along those lines next year as i will have more time off.

23

Foil SUP / Re: Another revelation about the Barricuda style Kalama board!

« on: December 21, 2022, 02:37:41 PM »

Just because...
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wc4eLNi0NIs&feature=shares

I was just watching that one on Insta
I am guessing that is the 6'x 18"  92l Cruzader,smallest one.
Looks super responsive in pitch, would love to give that one a try with the wing to see how much advantage it gives on getting going and how much playfulness you give up vs a flat,shorter shape.

Not sure, but there was another video posted recently which showed the board details at the end and it was the 6'6 x 19 112L. Either way, shows what can be done, although no footage of Malo actually paddling one slowly in non foiling mode, which would be good to see too...

If that is the 6.6 then the liveliness of the board is even more impressive.
As for the non foiling paddling...Malo can probably paddle on a  beachball and make it look stable

24

Foil SUP / Re: Another revelation about the Barricuda style Kalama board!

« on: December 21, 2022, 09:13:30 AM »

Just because...
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wc4eLNi0NIs&feature=shares

I was just watching that one on Insta
I am guessing that is the 6'x 18"  92l Cruzader,smallest one.
Looks super responsive in pitch, would love to give that one a try with the wing to see how much advantage it gives on getting going and how much playfulness you give up vs a flat,shorter shape.

25

Foil SUP / Re: To those who have paid their dues on foil in the surf:

« on: December 21, 2022, 01:29:16 AM »

My experience with SUP Foiling has been humbling.
SUP can be totally frustrating unless you already have experience.Lots of people here have been SUP surfing and DWnding or racing for many years.They can ride anything and make it look easy.Mast stability helps but does not cure all.
If you don't have experience go 120l.
Or at least give a 100l board a test before buying.
Even the slightest chop will make you flail and drop noisily in the drink to the delight of beachstanders and other surfers.
And when you screw up a lot in a line up you become non-existent as far as priorities go...

BTW i have prone paddled a Naish Hover S25 85l (26in width) many times without much problem.And i am not big.
It felt awfully corky when dealing with foamies on the paddle out but worked fine in general.

26

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Weird problem at Ka'a

« on: December 12, 2022, 10:09:25 PM »

Pretty much all new wings have slippery handles.
In the production process they get covered in some sort of lubricant (silicon base?,dunno...) , it washes off in a cople sessions but the first 2 hours are usually awful.
I never remember to do this but you can probably prewash the handles with warm water and diluted detergent to get it off.

27

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: New Winging specific boards from Naish.

« on: December 05, 2022, 09:36:40 AM »

Over foiling isn't really a problem with kiteracing and if you are overfoiling often then you are doing something wrong. Kiteracing boards have quite a lot of nose and tail rocker. Nose rocker to get going without pearling (and occasional touch downs ie: blasting through steep swell when going hard to windward at full speed) and tail rocker to prevent nose down riding when at speed to counter the change in AOA from the rider going fast. I have a TFB kiterace foil board and when I get on foil initially or going slow (like stalling a bit when coming up to the start line) the board rides VERY nose up with your front leg quite bent. As you gain speed the nose starts coming down and at full speed the board rides level with the water surface (for the most part) with the nose rocker ready for those head on swell faces. The whole thing feels very balanced. Small HA foils for winging also benefit from a similar board design although such extremes in rocker probably not needed as speeds aren't as fast. I've rode a lot of wingboards that ride nose down at speed. NJS and Camet make custom wingrace boards that have a nice, balanced feel at speed but it's good to have production options so I'm pleased to see Naish marketing a board for wing racing.

This makes more sense than my overfoiling musings

28

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: New Winging specific boards from Naish.

« on: December 05, 2022, 03:11:25 AM »

IMHO Kiterace foil boards usually have a lot of nose up rocker because they ride very long masts ,1m and up.
So when they overfoil the nose falls from very high and hits the water at a very steep angle.
With an 85cm mast ,common in wing, we do not need so much rocker up front.

29

The Shape Shack / Re: Dave Daum Build Series - Foilboard Construction A to Z - Q & A

« on: November 26, 2022, 02:39:52 PM »

I have used long (7in) jigsaw blades, on foam they worked great.

30

Foil SUP / Re: Something new?

« on: November 26, 2022, 05:04:40 AM »

You could talk to this guy:
https://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/Axis-RadicallyShort--77mm-advanced-fuselage-prototype

His latest version is pretty close to what you are planning i think.