Axis Foils

[Admin]

Stoked to have some Axis foils on the way!  I recently spent a little time on a 28.5" (72.4 cm) GoFoil mast and found that a lot more comfortable (less twitchy) than the 32" that I have been using.  It makes leveling out so much nicer.  I didn't want to go back to the longer mast .  I ordered 3 masts (all right around 100 bucks) to dial that in (60, 68, 75).  I see a lot of riders on ~65 (25.6") and I want to check that out.  It is amazing how a (seemingly) little mast length can change things.  I really like the simple modualrity of the Axis design.  It will be cool to check that out and see how these things work.   More parts!  Chan is thrilled .

[Dwight (DW)]

I hope you ordered a base plate for each mast. That’s how I roll. I have a rack of masts in my van. Grabbing the length needed for the conditions.

You’ll want to cut up a beer can and use that to shim the base plate to the mast tight. Hammer it on. Then never take it apart. They don’t fit tight by design anymore, from most brands. Too many kooks complained about not getting them apart when they were designed tight. I know of only one brand that press fit the base plates on the mast and supplied them with each mast.

[Admin]

Hey Dwight.  I hadn't thought about that.  Are you changing mast length a lot?  I was thinking I would experiment a little and see which felt best and then stay there for a while.   What length have you been using with the wing?  What foil sizes?

[Dwight (DW)]

My experience is all surfing based....still no 5m Duotone.

I use a 70cm mast on Neil Pryde’s biggest wing most often. I’d switch to 75cm on bigger days or wind blown days, if I had one. That’s when the wing breaches are more likely. 65-70cm reacts quicker surfing.

With my Axis 102 I’m using the 75cm. The idea is to wing sail it. Maybe SUP surf it on small days. I think wing sailing downwind will mean sloppy seas, so longer is better. Maybe even 80cm. I’d cut one to hit 80cm. Don’t care for 90cm, unless kite racing. So far, I’ve only taken the Axis for a spin with my kite. It didn’t like being driven by a kite. Too stiff handling for such a small board (20” wide). The big NP wing is much looser, but it’s smaller.

There is no need to be higher than necessary. I just want to foil with minimal ricochets off the water. Whatever mast it takes to hit that goal. Although when mixing in wind power, a longer mast lets you heel the board over steeper and that makes it point much higher upwind. That’s why I go long for racing upwind.

I windsurf 80cm mast. Custom cut for Slingshot Infinity 76 wing.

So you need a full rack of masts in the van 

[Admin]

Great info.  I am stoked to check out the different sizes.  I had a great day on my old 82 cm mast today (really nice 20-25 on my 4 meter wing) but I have to be very gentle with my front foot.  Push down and let up a little too much and it can really go drive-wild.  The 72 is much more mellow like that.  Don't get me wrong, it is exciting to feel that acceleration but I could stand a middle ground .  Our group was ear to ear grins today.  This sport is stupid fun!

[PonoBill]

I needed either 5 more mph of wind or a 5M (I sound like a broken record--is that even a useful metaphor anymore??) but yeah. Now that we're getting up and going long distances on the foil it's getting downright giddy.

[Admin]

Cool video from Axis.  Adrian talks about their mast and shows the connection system.   Nice.

[Admin]

I was very stoked to see my Axis stuff at my door today.  No wind today so a great afternoon for tinkering. 

I am very happy with how this stuff all assembled and there were a few surprises as well.  The slightly larger Axis wings (1020 and 920) are insanely light in comparison to my GoFoil wings (Go Foil M200 and Iwa).  This got me pretty stoked when I was setting up because I thought it was possible that even with the aluminum masts/fuselage of the Axis that the weight might be pretty close.  But I was really surprised that my largest complete Axis assembly (wings, fuselage, mast, board mount and hardware) ended up being 1.4 lbs lighter than the complete carbon Go Foil.  I believe the 1020 wing is actually bit larger overall than the M-200 and I have the 500 stabilizer and the longest Axis fuselage.  On the other side I do have the Tuttle adapter on the GoFoil.  So, not an exact apples to apples match but similar enough that I found it interesting.  So stoked to check this out on the water!

[Dwight (DW)]

I thought my SUP was more stable with the Axis under me, than any other foil I’ve tried. I’d be curious if you feel any difference.

I did try the 440 rear wing with the 102 and didn’t like the feel. The 500 rear felt better matched. I know some people love smaller rear wings, but I like my loads more balanced between the wings. I dislike putting my rear foot behind the mast to make a foil trim out.

I would like to try a shorter fuselage. Maybe I’ll get one when I splurge on the 1000 front wing.

[soepkip]

I have a Neil Pryde foil, Gofoil with 29.5 mast plus plate adapter and and an Axis 1020.
I think the NP foil is just as stiff as the Axis and the Gofoil is just a little less stiff.

All the other brands I tried including the Gofoil 28.5 mast were a no go for me.
I want to have a small board and that is only possible (for me) with a stiff foil.

The baseplate of my NP foil is stuck permanently on the mast and I really like it that way, I think the same will happen with my Axis mast and plate eventually.
I guess I will have to order 2 more baseplates for my 2 other masts to be ready for that.

Perhaps I should go the beer can shim route to get rid of the last bit of play between the mast and the plate...

I have the standard fuselage  and the 440 , I wanted to get the 400 first perhaps I should get the 500...
I  also want to get a shorter fuselage, hope the new fuselages will come out soon.

[Admin]

Interesting.  The standard Fuselage (~20.5 inches) on the Axis is 2.5 inches longer than the fixed fuselage on the GoFoil (~18 inches).  3 inches of "fuselage" is fused to the stabilzers on the GoFoil so I am measuring each to the junction of the actual wings.  From the specs the Axis Short fuselage is very similar in length to the Go Foil's fixed fuselage (.4 inch shorter).  The specs are a little odd here because they measure the whole of the fuselage including the mounts (which sit on the wings)  which would make it tricky to compare to another brand.  The 500 stabilizer looks a bit smaller overall than the Iwa all in (but the dimensions are very different shorter, larger chord, etc). 

The Axis wings are really impressive.  The max thickness is more constant than on the similarly sized GoFoils and the max thickness is a bit further from the leading edge as well.  The go Foils (M-200 and Iwa) are are thicker than the Axis at the mid line but thin more quickly as they move outwards.  I wonder if the 1020 will lift a bit more than the M 200.  Most interested to see if it is less work to keep flying when it is marginal.

Soekip, what was not working for you on the GoFoil 28.5.  I am not understanding what you wrote.  Does that mast flex more than the 29.5?

DW what are your plans for the 1000? 

[Dwight (DW)]

I think the 1000 and 900 wings will work better being powered by wind. They won’t fight the speed.

I also geeked out on comparing wings in the beginning. Calipers on all my wings, noting thickness, max draft location, spread sheets, etc. My hope was that I’d learn something and be able to look at a wing and tell if it would suit me. Boy was I wrong!

I even dreamed of finding one brand that would work for all my sports. Jacky and I would share the foil quiver parts, and we’d be set. I was wrong again!

I have to ride everything and pick and chose the cherry wings. The best I can hope for is to reduce the foundations I work with. Neil Pryde and Axis for surfing, kiting, winging, and Slingshot for windsurfing.

Did you notice Adrain said the Axis 900 was designed for windsurfing. It just happens to be awesome for downwinding. Big clue right there. Wing ding wing! It won’t fight the speed. It should run smooth and steady being pushed hard.

[Admin]

That 900 is a beautiful looking wing but it is much smaller (1184 outline).  That sounds like a lot of work!

[daswusup]

I think the 1000 and 900 wings will work better being powered by wind. They won’t fight the speed.

I also geeked out on comparing wings in the beginning. Calipers on all my wings, noting thickness, max draft location, spread sheets, etc. My hope was that I’d learn something and be able to look at a wing and tell if it would suit me. Boy was I wrong!

I even dreamed of finding one brand that would work for all my sports. Jacky and I would share the foil quiver parts, and we’d be set. I was wrong again!

I have to ride everything and pick and chose the cherry wings. The best I can hope for is to reduce the foundations I work with. Neil Pryde and Axis for surfing, kiting, winging, and Slingshot for windsurfing.

Did you notice Adrain said the Axis 900 was designed for windsurfing. It just happens to be awesome for downwinding. Big clue right there. Wing ding wing! It won’t fight the speed. It should run smooth and steady being pushed hard.

DW- I love the Slingy Infinity 76 with the 29"mast for kiting. I feel like I am doing a totally different sport than most of the kitefoilers I see. I like to go slow and completely shut the kite off and pump around downwind in search of bumps to slash. I also ride the time code 68 to do this but prefer the 76. There is a magical wind speed where there is no pull from the kite and I feel like I just pumped out to the middle of the lake. Most other kiters seem to be on smaller foils with a longer mast going really fast. That's fun too but once I outrun the bumps, I feel like I am throwing away a precious resource.

[soepkip]

Does that mast flex more than the 29.5?

Yes, a lot more