Messages

16

Classifieds / Armstrong HA1125

« on: June 03, 2021, 11:54:27 AM »

Used three times.  Perfect except for a small scratch I'm too lazy to wet sand.
$750
I'm in South Florida if you're local.

17

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Wing Bladder Repair?

« on: June 01, 2021, 05:44:04 AM »

I helped a friend with a couple of repairs last week.  Easy to do, especially if you have a second set of hands to help you hold things in place while you lay the tape down.  Saved the session.

It is important to put the bladder back in the correct orientation.

For safety's sake,  I would use tape as a temporary fix while a new bladder is sourced.

18

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Outing the Spot . . . . Mavericks

« on: June 01, 2021, 05:33:58 AM »

 

13 @ 12? I'll watch from the jetski.

19

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Windfoiling vs Winging

« on: June 01, 2021, 05:22:44 AM »

Regarding the Exocet RF 81 - I tried to wing on my wind foiling board at first. 
The nonskid had my knees bleeding within the first fifteen minutes.
If that Exocet has a full decked it might work.

20

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Swing V1 vs Strike - User Feedback Yet?

« on: June 01, 2021, 05:07:55 AM »

Everything that Pono said is correct.

I just spent a week with my old Swing V1 in Puerto Rico after a month on my new Strike in SoFlo and the difference in stiffness is extremely noticeable when ridden (almost) back to back.

The Swing pumps like a wet noodle and overpowers quicker in comparison - you have to inflate it to more than the label says to make it behave. Even when you pump the Swing to 9PSI (the recommended for Strike) it still isn't as stiff and stable - and it looks like a sausage at the seams.

With me trying to learn waves (IOW, falling a lot in whitewash) and the reef being a half mile out, I don't feel good inflating the Swing to 9, so I'm going to have to find a new wing for PR.

The only downside to the Strike is that it flips over a lot when you fall.

21

Foil SUP / Re: We should all be Dave Kalama...

« on: May 24, 2021, 12:30:26 PM »

I assume your comment is about Cowperson, but mine is https://www.ponostyle.com/ There's nothing much relevant on it and the last real post was a biscuit recipe last February, but subscribe away.

Well the last couple of hours flew by looking at Maseratis and Biscuits (you never mention flour to cream ratios!)
Not very productive of me.
If the cowboy posts the address to their blog as well, I won't get any work done this week.

Then again, who am I kidding - I'm going to PR tomorrow for work, but I think there's going to be wind in the afternoons.

22

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: windows on wings - to have or not to have?

« on: May 19, 2021, 08:31:41 AM »

Never had windows. 

I can see how on long upwind/downwind cruises where there are boats they would come in handy. Once in a while I will lift the wing over my head and find something on the other side I did not expect to be there.

I don't see the point of windows in waves where your situational awareness is at max and the other things out there are other wind vehicles that move similar to yourself.

Having to worry about creases and folding the wing sounds like a PITA: I don't care about a crystal clear view through the window, just whether there is "something" on the other side or not, so I probably wouldn't be too careful with the rolling up thing.

I'd like to try a Slick, but haven't seen one in the real world yet, and even then it would probably be hard to get one of my friends to let me borrow it since I'm kind of a destroyer of gear.

23

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Oh crap, screwed up in the last step.

« on: May 10, 2021, 11:20:09 AM »

Regardless of the last minute mistake, at least you'll get it done.

My repair would've gone like this:
1) Get resin all over my hands and transfer to every surface in my garage
2) Curse and go look for the acetone
3) Lose patience and try to get everything together quickly before it sets
4) Have all parts set at slightly the wrong angle
5) Curse some more
6) Attempt to sand away the mistakes
7) Wife comes into garage, point out mess and questions why I've been there all day
8 ) Get mad at her for pointing out the obvious
9) Leave everything and go apologize
10) Grab beer, open laptop and order new mast on internet - After all, I needed a taller one anyway.
 

24

General Discussion / Re: Surf Rig - How do you hide your keys?

« on: May 03, 2021, 07:04:03 AM »

I had a Jeep with one of those wireless key fobs.

You can't take the key out of the fob and leave tho fob in the car because the car won't let you lock it with the fob inside.

Solution:

a) Take key out of fob
b) Wrap fob in aluminum foil
c) Leave fob inside and lock car
d) Open car with key

Now I'm driving a Tesla 3, so I take the credit card key with me. But I have to turn my phone off when I leave it in the car or the car will lock, but open for anyone who walks by.

25

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Jumping!!!!

« on: April 16, 2021, 08:21:13 AM »

Thanks for this! I'm not there yet, but starting to think maybe I should try it. 

Not liking my strap positioning at the moment, though.  Every session I put them on and every session I take them off half way through.  They just don't feel comfortable (hurt the side of my feet) and they screw up my jibes.

Where do you have your straps in relation to the foil and how many and what angle for the front?

26

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Armstrong HA1125

« on: April 15, 2021, 10:25:34 AM »

I have two sessions on the HA1125 and I didn't want to post my thoughts until I had at least one session in higher winds, but it seems like that isn't going to happen anytime soon, so I'll go ahead and post about my two low wind experiences. All wind speeds I took from the National Weather Service weather buoy from my spot for the times I was out wing dinging.

Stats: 10 knots windspeed with gusts to 13 (14 at times).  I'm 155# and both times used a Strike 5.0

Rode back to back with a HS1850, first session HA1125 first then HS1850, second session reversed (that way being tired doesn't affect the outcome).  Both were on 72cm mast, 60cm fuse (old style) 232 rear, 0 degree shim.

Top speed: 18.1 knots on the HA1125, 16.5 on the HS1850 (Recorded on Apple Watch)

Takeoff:
I was on foil all the time with the HS1850 - one or two pumps and you're up. 
The HA1125 requires more finesse: a combination of more patience, pumping the wing with a shorter stroke and maybe a tad more downwind angle.

I think the wind was marginal for the HA1125 and I expect it would be much easier to get it going with a solid 14 knots of breeze. I could take advantage of a 4-5 second gust to come up on foil on the 1850, the 1125 needed a 7-8 second gust - this seems like an eternity when the wind is low.

The 1850 comes up gradually and is easier to control with the front foot, the 1125 comes up fast and will porpoise if you're not paying attention, so you need to be subtle: rear foot while coming up to speed, then front foot gradually to control trim.  Think of it as feathering the throttle instead of stomping on the accelerator.  A longer mast would probably be helpful (more on this later).

Pumping: The 1850 can ride higher in the water, for some reason.  This means that pumping the foil is easier on the 72 cm mast as there is more "room to play" between touching down and breaching. The 1125 will breach easier so I found myself keeping it lower in the water.  This means the board slapped the chop more and I had less space to pump the foil.  A longer mast would probably solve both those issues and probably improve the low end a little.

Gybes:  I'm at 50% on foil for the 1850 (so take my comments with a grain of salt), Could not stay on foil for any on the 1125. The 1125 comes off of foil abruptly and then slows down almost immediately.  With the 1850, you can feel the foil start to drop and it is easier to recover. Also, I can touch down and just kiss the surface of the water and come back up on foil immediately after the foot switch.  Cannot do that yet with the 1125 (maybe need more wind).  The arc of the turn has to be wider with the 1125.

Glide:  Both of these wings will handle the lulls really well and won't come off foil easily.  If I put the Strike in neutral I can pump the 1850 for longer, again some of that may have to do with the mast height.

Upwind angle:  Substantially higher with the HA1125.  The Strike and the 1850 or 1550 are pretty amazing but  the HA1125/Strike combo is unreal.  I had no worries going deep downwind to get on foil because I knew I could just motor back upwind once I got the thing flying. 

Speed:  If the 10% speed increase I mentioned at the beginning of the post holds in higher winds, I should be able to easily improve on my previous speeds. I'm expecting 25 knot straight-line speeds in 18-20 knots.  Maybe not spectacular but super fast for me. Maybe I can keep up with the windfoilers in straight line speeds and the kitefoilers in wind angles 

In conclusion, for where I'm at - learning to ride small waves and perfecting transitions, I'll stick to the HS1850/1550 because they are sharper turning and more forgiving and will come up on foil easier when you make a mistake.  But for higher winds, higher speeds and upwind/downwind cruising angles in the bay, the HA1125 will be the foil to ride.

27

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Winging in Waves ADVICE

« on: April 13, 2021, 12:31:12 PM »

I want nothing to do with 10ft @16s. 

Having said that, in the tiny conditions I'm learning in I can relate to the feeling of getting left behind by the wave, then stalling, dropping off the foil, and being unable to get out of the way. 

With a windsurf board you can just angle, sheet in and go.
With the wing and foil it's more like either being too low and stalling, being too high and breaching or being too angled and getting taco'd.

The local guys that are learning riding bigger waves seem to be kinda shoulder hopping onto the wave and staying further away from the lip on the top turns than they would if they were prone surfing or windsurfing. That sounds kinda lame, but they are getting better all the time, so more power to them.

With your big wave and prone foil surfing experience I would have thought it was just a matter of putting the wing in neutral and the rest is surfing, but what the hell do I know ?!?

Please give us some pointers when you get it figured out.

28

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Armstrong HA1125

« on: April 08, 2021, 02:36:32 PM »

Well - the wing came in but the fuse did not.
And there’s no wind to try it out anyway.
All I can do is look at it.
(That’s an HS1850 for scale)

29

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Wing Quiver - 5m plus 3m or 4m?

« on: April 05, 2021, 06:11:11 AM »

Thanks.  Emailed them to see if they have 3.5

Love my 5.0. Super light, stable and trucks upwind.

30

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Wing Quiver - 5m plus 3m or 4m?

« on: April 04, 2021, 03:30:00 PM »

My new quiver of Strikes is 2.8, 3.5, 4.2, 5.0, 6.0

Where did you get the smaller strikes?  I can’t find them anywhere!