Messages

16

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Gong 2021 boards - 9 models!

« on: January 09, 2021, 12:14:57 AM »

One wonders how much of this has actually been prototyped and tested? It's an impressive line-up with lots of good ideas but personally I'd be a little cautious about spending cash on a possible CAD experiment.

Would be nice to get some more info on their product development processes.

17

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 7M Airush/Starboard wing

« on: December 29, 2020, 11:42:58 AM »

Oh nice they fixed the loop leash attachment.  Imagine using a Lark's head knot for a surfboard or kite leash. Now if only I could find the secret dump valve on the strut of my 5m that they talk about on the website.

Dumpvalve is there on all but the very first one shipped! I have a 6m without the dumpvalve as well.....I tried to justify it with the weight saving...didn't work.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 7M Airush/Starboard wing

« on: December 28, 2020, 11:37:20 AM »

Airush have modified the leash attachment as per pic. You can now either hard-loop it or use the larkshead knot which admittedly only makes sense if you are switching the leash between wings as I've been doing.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 7M Airush/Starboard wing

« on: December 27, 2020, 12:23:39 PM »

Regarding the leash attachment in this wing, the recommended larkspur/knot is absolutely foolish.  It seems Airush got their inspiration from kite and bridle attachments.  It works great in that application where it is constantly under tension, but is terrible for a wing leash that is never under tension other than when the kite is flagged out on the leash.  My workaround was to feed the leash through the leash mount loop then larkspur it to itself. This will never come loose and fly away.  I can't believe Airush chose to use the setup they did.

Well I tried uploading a pic of my knot to this old forum, but nothing.happens when I do, so you will have to play with it until you figure it out, which isn't difficult.

Repeat: All you have to do with a larks head knot is pull it tight once....The guy at factory who assembled PonoBill's wing didn't and Pono Bill forgot to check it before pumping up - that's all there is to that story.

Where does this nonsense, that it only works on kites because its under constant tension, come from? When you attach pigtails to your kite there is absolutely no tension and if you forget to pull them tight before you leave your kite, to get to your bar, then yes, they might fall off, as kite is flapping in the wind before you get it launched....but that doesn't happen - if you just pull it tight, once...

20

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Gong 2021 Wings Announced - 5 Models

« on: December 26, 2020, 10:10:39 AM »

I think Gong is paving the way for the more serious wing companies to come up with more specific designs - and good on them.

Wrt the quality issues, most the first gen wings from established kite companies have stood up pretty well as they have a lifetime of inflatable kite know-how built in to wings. But winging is creating new challenges as we pump and twist the LE's and struts way beyond what happens in most kites.

Exploding LE's is down to poor design, bad stitching, and in some cases, bladder actually rotating and scruffing against the LE and eventually wearing thin and popping.

21

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 7M Airush/Starboard wing

« on: December 22, 2020, 09:12:54 PM »

The larks head connection is surely the simplest way way to connect a leash and if it was so terrible, I don't know how it has survived 20+ years on the kites???

Sorry, I’m calling you out for that statement.

They work kiting, ONLY because the high loads LOCK the larks head. The leash has NO load to lock it in.

In fact, if you have kited for 20 years, you would know larks heads do release on brand NEW kites sometimes. That’s why some bridles have larks head locking plastic sleeves, like Cabrinha for example.

Clearly I must be doing something wrong  - never had one come undone, kiting or winging (since 1999), my bad.

22

Foil SUP / Re: Takuma LOL v KUJIRA

« on: December 21, 2020, 09:13:20 PM »

Piros - not sure I'm understanding the effect of the shimmying you are doing? If you shimmy the mast-plate you change angle of attack in relation to board - I don't understand how this affects pump and glide once up and foiling? Unless it's to alleviate nose-down board or similar?

I know it sounds weird and I wasn't sure until I tried it myself. I'm talking about a 4-6 prone board not a Sup . I'm still riding the board flat , it does not trim the board when I'm surfing or gliding across a dead section my board is parallel to the water. Clay pretty well hit it on the head the pump ability just becomes so much easier and more lift on take off.  Cyril from Takuma says that angle at the board is better with a shim . You can find a more active position.

Ok - you are referring to the angle of the board in relation to foil. It can affect take-off (on SUP foilboards as well) if it is too nose-up the foil is actually pulling board down onto surface of water causing drag until you break loose and have lift-off. While in flight I find that balancing angle of board and swing weight can have quite significant impact on how the pump action translates into foil.

23

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: 7M Airush/Starboard wing

« on: December 21, 2020, 09:03:10 PM »

I've ridden all the Starboard Airush Freewings from 6m down to the 2m and think they are great allround wings, especially in the smaller sizes. The 5m Freewing was deemed best allround wing recently in the Supboardmag's test of 13 wings.

These early days the big wings will be cumbersome and at some point we might find that manufacturers will stop producing anything over 6/7m as better foils and rider-technique compensate for the horse-power. Who remembers the 16-18m kites?

Wrt the leash, the swivel is very useful if you are learning to tack and tend to only do them one way (which is what typically happens). Granted, if you only need to jibe, it's superflous, but it's hardly in the way?

The larks head connection is surely the simplest way way to connect a leash and if it was so terrible, I don't know how it has survived 20+ years on the kites???

I hear you on the handles and general size of the thing - have you seen a v1 Duotone 7m?

24

Foil SUP / Re: Takuma LOL v KUJIRA

« on: December 21, 2020, 04:39:13 AM »

Piros - not sure I'm understanding the effect of the shimmying you are doing? If you shimmy the mast-plate you change angle of attack in relation to board - I don't understand how this affects pump and glide once up and foiling? Unless it's to alleviate nose-down board or similar?

25

Foil SUP / Re: This is why we're doing this:

« on: October 31, 2020, 04:11:13 AM »

The guy on the Ensis wing makes it look so nice and surfy. Wonder what foil he is using..... And is he even wearing a wing-leash?

26

Travel, Trips, Destinations / Re: Roll the dice on long flights ...feeling lucky?

« on: October 29, 2020, 01:50:36 AM »

The biggest gamble is whether you can actually get on, and complete, your booked flight.

We're hearing horror stories of flights cancelled, delayed, country red lists, quarantine, exemption permits requiring bribes, PCR test required/not valid/expensive/expired by the time people arrive at their destinations etc. Rules are changing daily and check-in staff are supposed to enforce them - it's chaos, and 90% of potential flights are not being booked because of the mayhem.

The Covid virus is the least of your worries.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: wing leash

« on: October 09, 2020, 11:51:40 PM »

Left handed here. Ride regular stance but switch all the time. Always a coil leash, always on the right hand. Just started that way for no particular reason and stayed with it ever since.

Only time I completely change the wing leash is when I add a 3 ft extension and attach the wrist cuff to my board leash waist belt instead of my right hand. Required for behind-the-back tacks, .....which I might start up again since the fingers are doing pretty well.

Was wondering how the behind-the-back tack worked - I was inspired to try one the other day and thankfully tried on land first with my normal wrist leash. Glad it was on land first, as the leash wrap-around bondage salad made me realise a wrist leash would never work unless you made it extra long and pre-wrapped your leash prior to attempt.

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Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Re: Which type of foil makes tacking easier?

« on: October 07, 2020, 11:51:45 PM »

What Dwight says + some sweep in foil makes the foil roll and yaw less which makes the transition from powered up with both hands on wing to releasing back hand more manageable.

29

Random / Re: A water person's movie: My Octopus Teacher

« on: September 24, 2020, 10:38:13 PM »

This one is also quite good...

30

Foil SUP / Re: Foiling: A swell is a swell is a swell or is it?

« on: September 21, 2020, 10:29:37 PM »

A swell is generated by wind pushing down on the surface of water. Each swells travels at slightly different speeds hence they catch up to each other over distance and build in size and power.

So the more wind that helped generate the swell + duration of that wind + the distance that swell gets to travel + depth will determine it's power and how much energy your foil gets to take advantage of.

On a lake those little swells typically don't get to catch up to each other and will be small and close together and are hardly discernible when trying to foil them. Once you are in the ocean the depth and distance swells have travelled will very quickly give you some energy to work with.

Maliko has open ocean swells where the NE trade winds have travelled long distances giving solid energy. I call those open-fetch downwinders and they are great for wing-foils and longer SUP's (17ft). No-fetch downwinders, like Maui southside or Cape Town Big Bay run has off-shore winds at the start and swell builds as you go down the course - they are super fun on 14ft SUP's and paddle foils as swells are steeper and easier to catch.