Foiling Statistics - Kai vs. Iwa vs. Maliko

[Califoilia]

Quick Assessment on this data:  Note the Maliko 200 is Comfortably flying below 10 mph.  See Dotted Line However the IWA is sagging.  This highlights the Low Speed advantage of the Maliko and the fact you have to keep the IWA moving FASTER to enjoy it.

This is quite interesting to me, as I've had a similar but different experience with the two wings.

Yes, the Maliko picks up every little blip of a bump easily, but I find that at those low speeds and because of its size/shape that it is about useless in the turning department, and I have a much more difficult time maneuvering it to get it where I want it in those tiny swells to pick up the real energy in them at the top...and thusly don't get as much distance, or fun out of it.

Conversely, the Iwa is a little more difficult to get into some of those tiny bumps (really need to pump it into them), but once on them, I find that it's much easier to pump it to speed in order to maneuver it to the part(s) of the little swell I want to be in which makes for much longer rides, and a much more fun time on it.

With that, having not used it for such yet, but I can see why the Maliko is considered a "downwind" wing, as I can see myself picking up the small ocean swells, and staying in them much easier since they don't/won't die out so much as a similar small set waves do as they approach the beach as we try to surf them.

But this all might just be related to the different styles or things we're looking for or attempting with our foiling. Right now a couple of us are in the "let's try to surf this thing like surfboard" mode (even on the smallest of waves), and trying to get as many turns in as quickly as possible on them (hence the advent of the "angledfoil"), and not so much looking for top speed or the longest rides out of them.

Great thread though, I love all the data being gathered that hasn't been done before even in SUP surfing for different boards/shapes, but maybe that's just due to the similarities in boards compared to those of the various foils out today. Would be fun to see some numbers of some other foil brands out there as well. A friend flies a Cloud Nine, and he just kills it on one peak we ride, but has trouble getting it to work as well in the other ones that we frequent, so that's always been a big "Hmmm" in the back of my head as to is it him (his style) or the foil and/or board combination he rides. I think your studies would help answer those kinds of questions for us. 

[Beasho]

Yes, the Maliko picks up every little blip of a bump easily, but I find that at those low speeds and because of its size/shape that it is about useless in the turning department, and I have a much more difficult time maneuvering it to get it where I want it in those tiny swells to pick up the real energy in them at the top...and thusly don't get as much distance, or fun out of it.

I am going to have to take exception on the turning of the Maliko.  This summer I found that in small surf you can cut hard fly back towards the white water, pop the lip and cut turns anywhere from 120 to 160 degrees and come out FLYING WITH SPEED.  This thing rips.

Add to this my daughter with NO Surf and NO behind the boat Water-ski experience.  She weighs 118 lbs and in less than 10 sessions was turning harder behind the boat than I was willing to.  I was pushing back on Jeff Clark and Haley Fiske about the fact that if a little kid can hold down the Maliko then grown 200 lbs men have no excuse not to be able to handle this foil.

Hers is a video with Trace overlay of Speed and Cutback angles

[Califoilia]

I am going to have to take exception on the turning of the Maliko.  This summer I found that in small surf you can cut hard fly back towards the white water, pop the lip and cut turns anywhere from 120 to 160 degrees and come out FLYING WITH SPEED.  This thing rips.

Maybe, might be the "different styles" thing I was talking about as well...both experience wise (you've still got a lot more than I do, and a lot more time on the Maliko), and what we're looking to do differently on or with the wave.

Also I see you're on a smaller board than I'm currently on, and will report back with subsequent tests after I get this one on the water...

...16" shorter than my current board.

[sharksupper]

I've been riding the Maliko 200 a lot lately.  With my new 6'5 I can make it turn very sharp (because I'm not hitting the nose/tail/rails on the water).  I was actually playing with sharper turns in my session this morning and was amazed at how well I could flick it around on top the of the wave.  The great part of this bigger foil and sharp turns is that you can almost stall out at the top of the wave and just keep foiling!  Any foil you can lean over and then pitch (pressure on the back foot) will turn crazy fast.  That's the kind of turning I'm talking about.  If we're talking about just slight leans and no pitching to make it come around fast, then the Makiko certainly does turn a little slower that way than a smaller foil with curvier tips.  It also takes a little longer to get to lean over to start a decent turn because it's flatter.  If you want crazy fast turns lean it way over and then load up the back foot as much as you dare!     … that's usually about the time I explode in my bottom turns  lol.  So fun!!!!

[Califoilia]

Yeah, I think we're on the same wavelength sharky. My current board is more old-school surf type with flat rails if you will, and I've hit them a couple times leaning it over too far, and skipping the board/foil off, and out of the water (as the best I can describe it) as a result. Not to mention I've got an additional 10" of board out in front of me to contend with than you, and Beasho have right. New board will/should change all of that, as it's going to have sharply beveled rails, and will actually be 5" shorter than what you're riding now. Excited to see how much a difference all of that will make....or not.

[sharksupper]

Yeah, I think we're on the same wavelength sharky. My current board is more old-school surf type with flat rails if you will, and I've hit them a couple times leaning it over too far, and skipping the board/foil off, and out of the water (as the best I can describe it) as a result. Not to mention I've got an additional 10" of board out in front of me to contend with than you, and Beasho have right. New board will/should change all of that, as it's going to have sharply beveled rails, and will actually be 5" shorter than what you're riding now. Excited to see how much a difference all of that will make....or not.

OMG, it's going to be like night and day with the shorter board!  I'm having a blast on the 6'5 vs the 8'5 surf SUP I converted.  I'm still struggling with the paddle out slowness and catching the waves as well as I did with the bigger board, but overall I can tell short is the way to go.  I also had to readjust to the more sensitive pitch with the shorter/lighter board, but not too bad.  Can't wait to see your board finished, looks crazy! 

[Beasho]

Two things made the Hard Turning possible for me:

1) Footstraps

2) The Switch in my Mind - "I am going to start turning"

I was turning 'well' on the Iwa and the Maliko but NOT hitting the whitewater.  Then I watched the video below and said to myself "I am going to do that!"  And magically it just started happening.  I can now cut back HARDER against whitewater than I was ever able to on a surfboard because I never had the speed on a surfboard, nor the stones when I had the speed, to pull it off. 

The beauty of the Maliko is that the speed is actually still pretty slow.  Add to this the un-weighting that happens at the top of the wave and it all comes together.  Total adrenaline rush and unbelievable to pull this stuff off in 2 to 4 foot faces.

[frenchfoiler]

Two things made the Hard Turning possible for me:

1) Footstraps

2) The Switch in my Mind - "I am going to start turning"

I was turning 'well' on the Iwa and the Maliko but NOT hitting the whitewater.  Then I watched the video below and said to myself "I am going to do that!"  And magically it just started happening.  I can now cut back HARDER against whitewater than I was ever able to on a surfboard because I never had the speed on a surfboard, nor the stones when I had the speed, to pull it off. 

The beauty of the Maliko is that the speed is actually still pretty slow.  Add to this the un-weighting that happens at the top of the wave and it all comes together.  Total adrenaline rush and unbelievable to pull this stuff off in 2 to 4 foot faces.

The new longer mast might help as well ? I guess I will figure out soon !

[Califoilia]

Two things made the Hard Turning possible for me:

1) Footstraps

Yep, I think there's something to that as well. I've only be running a front strap, but the guy who's really tearing it up out there with us turn wise does use two. Another change I'll be making with the new board.

2) The Switch in my Mind - "I am going to start turning"[/b]

Doing that, just struggling with it a bit more on the Maliko than the Iwa is all I'm saying.

I was turning 'well' on the Iwa and the Maliko but NOT hitting the whitewater.  Then I watched the video below and said to myself "I am going to do that!"  And magically it just started happening.  I can now cut back HARDER against whitewater than I was ever able to on a surfboard because I never had the speed on a surfboard, nor the stones when I had the speed, to pull it off. 

The beauty of the Maliko is that the speed is actually still pretty slow.  Add to this the un-weighting that happens at the top of the wave and it all comes together.  Total adrenaline rush and unbelievable to pull this stuff off in 2 to 4 foot faces.

Yes, the whitewater turns are more of what I'm talking about wrt the two wings.

So btw, I lost count of all of the Malikos in the video...how many did you get?   I kid, I kid...just goofing on ya a bit Beasho. Old FD humor/personality that gets me in more trouble...but still can't help myself.

[Califoilia]

The new longer mast might help as well ? I guess I will figure out soon !

I'm with ya on this one FF. Only makes sense that the more mast/wing you have in the water, the more you'll be able to lean it over from height w/o blowing it out.

[Beasho]

More data coming together.

I have started to stitch together the individual waves with the subjective summaries shown on the first page.

What this means is that I can attach Average Wave Size, Fun, Wind, Chop and my Anecdotal notes to the specifics of Speed data as measured in 25,000 record chunks for each session by the TRACE.  I then isolate JUST THE WAVES Caught.

Wrap it up in Power BI and then start to Group and Categorize. 

Here is an overview of the West Coast Activity as measured by 19 sessions at 2 spots.  The lower left hand corner shows the distribution of SPEED vs. FOIL.  The average of 11.9 mph for the Maliko 200 is shown in Blue vs. 13.5 mph for the IWA and 13.8 MPH for the KAI.

The Standard Deviations get interesting because the + / - 1 STD Deviation measures show the bands of speed that the Foil is flying ~ 68% of the time.  +2 Standard Deviations should serve as a comfortable upper limit.  Beyond these speeds may be considered small percentage of hyper flight.  Although the MAX speeds are still much higher even if just for a fraction of a second.