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Messages - Pasquales

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1
Been noticing folks showing up with long narrow downwind boards to learn winging at my local spot.. 

After seeing them struggle to balance in flat water, I've recommend they borrow a slower wide SUP board and paddle around.  Usually it takes one/two session with the paddle to sort things out - like being deliberate in movement, counter balancing, knowing the max buoyant point on the board, etc...   After building confidence standing on the board, I then tell them to start with a wing.  Many have said the rush to get the latest gear didn't serve their needs, and would have been better to ask local folks what to start with.  In my observations, downwind boards make it harder for most beginners to lean the sport.     

2
Prone Foiling, Surf foiling, Pump Foiling / Re: Electric Tow Boogie
« on: September 22, 2022, 01:50:17 PM »
Looks like Takuma has jumped into the "tow buddy" market.  The product looks nice, and probably not cheap based on the weight of the darn thing (75 kg, 165 lbs ). 

https://takuma.com/en/accueil/308-etow.html

3
Like others have pointed out regarding early products, I too started on a first gen Naish 4m Wingsurfer and 120 L Crossover SUP foil.  After spending 3 mos trying to learn winging in lite wind and getting no where, it became apparent the board was too heavy and the wing wouldn't work in local conditions.  I remember right after buying the wingsurfer, larger wings were announced for the market. So I  Sold the board and got an Fone 120 L board, then sold the wing and got a 6m slingwing, and started flying  It was a bad experience buying gear then having to off load it.  I realize the initial stuff wasn't optimized for places outside of Maui or the gorge.  But Naish made missteps by not thinking broadly enough about the market and having the necessary line of products available. So I moved on and never went back.

4
I weigh 90 kgs and have the 75 L 5'2" .  Really nice board with top build quality.  At first it took awhile to get used to riding a sinker, but not too bad.  Over all really happy with it.

5
5 m2 wing should be ok to learn, 6 m2 is much easier.  But given you have a smaller wing, try and get a board that is 6.5 ft or less and most importantly not too heavy.  As far as foils, lots of good brands out there.  I'm an Armstrong guy and learned on a 2400 which was like training wheels.  Also know lots of people that learned on this foil. 

Whatever brand you get, and feel free to post a message and ask for a review.  Lot's of experience around here and good advice. 

6
Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Volume vs. Size
« on: September 24, 2021, 10:39:25 AM »
A lot of the advantages of going smaller have changed with new design.  I recently dropped board volume from 105L to 75L, and weigh 90 kgs for reference.  With the new board, longer tracks make a huge difference.  I have the 5'2" Armstrong FG, and ride comfortably with my front foot is not far from the nose of the board.   It's fun to ride in good winds, not as fun in lite winds. If you prefer not to have a sinker , probably body weight +10 makes most sense.


I'm curious to get opinions on volume vs. size in terms of downsizing benefits. There are plenty of boards out there that are close to 6' but only ~100ltrs or less, and others that are 120ltrs at 5' (at comparable widths, just more thickness on the smaller board). I'm still learning and on a 5'8"x29" 115ltr Quatro, and while I love the idea of a smaller board for pumping and maneuverability, it seems like going to a significantly lower volume board that is not meaningfully smaller give me a slight reduction in board weight, but also means I can't slog home. On the flip side, I can get a significantly smaller board (in terms of dimensions) with only slightly lower volume and reduce swing weight etc. but still have enough buoyancy for easy starts, slogs, and paddles (I'm about 80kg dry).

Is there a factor I'm missing here?

I'm a water start capable windsurfer, so looking forward to riding a true sinker on high wind days, but my usual conditions are 15kts with significant lulls, so need a lower wind solution for daily use even long term unless I want to do a lot of paddling.

Thanks

8
I've been winging just over one year, and have been downsizing boards.  The Fone Rocket V2 (120L) was my first, then Quatro (105L), and now Armstrong (75L).  Taking volume out of the equation, I'd recommend the Rocket.  It's a good all around board, and works well in lite winds.  The other boards are good, but are more tapered.  These shapes are good for advanced riders, but are less stable.   Always used Armstrong 2400,  then 1850 or 1250 depending on wind speeds.  For your size, 120 L should suffice for Fone boards.  The stability increase for a larger volume is incremental, so not worth going bigger IMHO.     

Great info.  A few questions.  Does anyone have experience with the F-one Rocket as well?  How would you compare the 2 boards?
 
Secondly, has anyone used Axis foils with this new Armstrong board?  It seems that this board may be specifically made for Armstrong foils and may not work so well with other foils such as Axis. 

And lastly, for those in the 95-100 kg weight range and wing foiling in light wind (inland lake conditions). Comparing the 115L to the 132L board, is there that much of an advantage with the bigger volume and longer boards?  Or can a 15+L board be just as effective getting up on foil as the 30-40L+ boards?

9
VB_Foil - Yep lite winds are the norm in SoCal so I'm open to any tips to get low volume boards moving.  It was a real eye opener standing up, then realizing you're standing on a submerged board.  Just a different mental calculation trying to get the water drained quickly and start moving.   

Winddoctor - I'm definitely not one to ask about SUP foiling.   I'd suggest listening to James Casey's comments on SUP.  He's a heavier guy (relative to most surfers which isn't saying much).  His advice - do not to go too low in volume and board size around 6'0" were best.  Of course he rides for SUNOVA and helped develop their SUP line so keep that in mind.

10
First session on the 75 L FG today.  Wind 10-12 knots but only had one hour to test.  Paired it with the 1850 (board setting #5), 72 mast, 232 tail +1.   

At 90 kgs, this board is definitely a sinker .  Took several tries figuring out how to balance underwater, then quickly getting the wing overhead and building speed.   It wasn’t too bad to be honest, before I knew it I was standing on the board taxiing for takeoff.  To help with pumping, one front strap was installed.  This helped big time.  Just needed a couple of pumps to break the surface.   I was surprised by the ease of lift, as normally I’d have to pump much harder on my 105 L Quatro.
 
What really stood out was the handling.  On a couple of rides, I pushed the foil fast and high, trying to ventilate.     As soon as the gurgle sound started, it was easy to correct to get the foil back down.  Turning also feels different. The board seemed easier to lean over and go further upwind.   On gibes the lower swing weight definitely makes a huge difference, making for a much tighter arc. 

The bad part.  The smaller board  exposed some weakness.   Much harder to get standing goofy foot.  Part of this was due to weak wind and not having much tension in the wing to help on the pull up.  But another factor was   the grip pad stops 6 inches from the board edge.  For taller guys especially when getting up from a kneel, a longer grip pad helps.   I tend to put pressure on the top of my back foot.  This helps in balancing when bringing the front foot forward.  On a few attempts, my back foot slid around causing unnecessary falls. Hopefully with more practice and more wind, this awkward feeling will go away.   

Overall, I’m impressed with how loose the board feels in turns and by the initial lift.

11
I just passed the one year mark in my wing foil journey, and checked out the local spot yesterday on my lunch hour.  There are significantly more folks and beginners out in the water, so it's great seeing the scene grow. 

jrobmaui - Regarding your question about sustaining flight.  The simple answer  - Foiling in good wind (above 15 mph) makes staying on foil much easier.  When it is up and down, milking every gust becomes the norm to get up and keep flying.  If you are winging in good wind and still having this problem, it could be due to leaning too far back, and killing the initial power after popping up. It can also be due to leaning and turning the board too far upwind after getting on foil.  This can cause the foil to stall.  So good winds make it easier.  For average days, weight distribution is key.  Try leaning slightly forward when pumping.  When you come on to foil, begin to straighten your arms and body while keeping the wing slightly in front of you.  The pressure of the wing should pull you forward as you continue building speed on foil.  When you feel pressure in your wing, slowly start turning upwind.  One of the biggest mistake is turning too early.
 

12
Just pulled the trigger on a 5'2" 75 Liter.  It's completely different from  v.1, really like how concepts from One and Quatro were integrated.   

13
Good to know Phil's.  Lemme know how they ride, I'm strongly considering getting the both of those sizes as well.  I weigh 90 kgs, so going back and forth.

15
Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: PPC Surge Wing
« on: July 07, 2021, 11:24:44 AM »
Session 2 yesterday on the new 4.8 m, in more typical low end conditions at the local spot (10-15 mph).  I was fortunate to catch the early early afternoon 2 hr gusts, and found the PPC did a good job at keeping my 90 kg body up on foil.  This is primarily what I purchased the wing for.  Don't believe I'll use my old 6 m as much.  So IMHO this  wing is practical and has a wide range 12-30 mph of use.

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