Author Topic: What Wing To Buy???  (Read 2555 times)

Quickbeam

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What Wing To Buy???
« on: March 02, 2020, 02:40:34 PM »
Hi Guys. One more question on gear. I’m now starting to look into Wings and would like your opinion. I’m strongly leaning towards the 6m FOne Swing but if there were any others I would consider contenders they would be the Ozone and one of the Gong Wings. As I’m a complete newbie, I’m basing this on reviews I’ve read and what seems to be people’s general impressions.

So any thoughts on what would be the best Wing, and the best size for me?

And just as a reminder, I’m a complete newbie so this is the Wing I’ll be learning on. I’m soon to be 67 years old and am 5’ 8” tall and weigh approx. 150 pounds.

For other equipment, I have just purchased an Axis foil set, which consists of a 1020 front wing, standard fuselage, 500 tail and 68 cm mast. For a board I have on order a Slingwing Outwit (6’ 6”).

And finally, my wind conditions are pretty light. Our average summer wind would range somewhere between 15 km. per hour and 20 km. per hour (so from 9.3 mph to 12.4 mph).

So any thoughts on the best Wing and best size of Wing for me? Again, based on reviews and owner feed back I’m strongly leaning towards the FOne Swing.

Am I correct in thinking I should be getting a 6m, or do you think I could get away with a 5m? I’m thinking a 5m would be easier to handle but then again it might make learning more difficult given my light wind conditions.

As always, your thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.
Infinity Blackfish 12’ 6” x 23”
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 24”
Infinity Whiplash 12' 6" x 24 1/2"
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 26”
Bark Competitor 12’ 6” x 29”
Red Paddle Explorer (Inflatable) 13' 2" x 30
Starboard Airline (Inflatable) 12’ 6” x 27

gone_foiling

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Re: What Wing To Buy???
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2020, 02:48:12 PM »
Hey Quick, I think you made up your mind already on what to get and basically looking for our support in your decision. Swing is an amazing wing, I don’t see you being upset if you get one. I would go 6 since you mentioned your winds are around 20km/h. That’s light. So yes save yourself frustration and get a 6m. You have great foil, I wish they had 2400 front wing. It would make your learning curve even easier.
 
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Quickbeam

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Re: What Wing To Buy???
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2020, 02:52:17 PM »
Too funny. And yes gzasinets, you're probably right. I guess I just want to make sure before I plunk down my hard earned cash.

Thanks for replying.
Infinity Blackfish 12’ 6” x 23”
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 24”
Infinity Whiplash 12' 6" x 24 1/2"
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 26”
Bark Competitor 12’ 6” x 29”
Red Paddle Explorer (Inflatable) 13' 2" x 30
Starboard Airline (Inflatable) 12’ 6” x 27

PonoBill

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Re: What Wing To Buy???
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2020, 03:48:56 PM »
You really can't go wrong starting with a big wing if your wind is on the light side, and the F-One is the easiest handling 6M I've tried. If I were going to try another brand it would probably be the new Duotones. But I'm not. I'm happy with what I've got and the 6m F-one is very good.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

supkailua

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Re: What Wing To Buy???
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2020, 04:16:53 PM »
I agree, the F-One Swing 6 would be the wing to start on. It is very stable and light, yet powerful in light winds.

Quickbeam

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Re: What Wing To Buy???
« Reply #5 on: March 02, 2020, 06:21:34 PM »
Thanks Pono and supkailua. Pretty sure I see a new Wing in my future. Thanks again!
Infinity Blackfish 12’ 6” x 23”
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 24”
Infinity Whiplash 12' 6" x 24 1/2"
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 26”
Bark Competitor 12’ 6” x 29”
Red Paddle Explorer (Inflatable) 13' 2" x 30
Starboard Airline (Inflatable) 12’ 6” x 27

surlygringo

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Re: What Wing To Buy???
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2020, 09:09:46 PM »
Quick, 6m Swing is a great wing,  but I would like to offer a couple alternatives to getting the 6 and  bolting everything together in May and thrashing it out.  First, if you can afford it and you are comfortable on a skateboard, I would get a smaller wing now and start getting used to how the wing works and how to read the wind in general. When you are learning something new it is always a good strategy to break it down into parts and master them separately. It makes it a lot easier to figure out what you are doing wrong when you have fewer variables. When you move to the 6m on the water you will already have a feel for the wing and will be able to concentrate on the foil. Disclaimer: if you are not comfortable skating don’t try this.

Second, I think you said in another post that you were sailing on a small lake with a lot of boat traffic.  You already have a lot of new things to keep track of, I would consider a wing with windows so that you have better visibility. Again, I personally like the F-one Swings, but if I were new to windsports I think windows(especially on a big wing) will make it easier to keep track of other boats so you can focus more on winging.

Quickbeam

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Re: What Wing To Buy???
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2020, 11:13:36 PM »
Quick, 6m Swing is a great wing,  but I would like to offer a couple alternatives to getting the 6 and  bolting everything together in May and thrashing it out.  First, if you can afford it and you are comfortable on a skateboard, I would get a smaller wing now and start getting used to how the wing works and how to read the wind in general. When you are learning something new it is always a good strategy to break it down into parts and master them separately. It makes it a lot easier to figure out what you are doing wrong when you have fewer variables. When you move to the 6m on the water you will already have a feel for the wing and will be able to concentrate on the foil. Disclaimer: if you are not comfortable skating don’t try this.

Second, I think you said in another post that you were sailing on a small lake with a lot of boat traffic.  You already have a lot of new things to keep track of, I would consider a wing with windows so that you have better visibility. Again, I personally like the F-one Swings, but if I were new to windsports I think windows(especially on a big wing) will make it easier to keep track of other boats so you can focus more on winging.

Hi surlygringo (great name by the way). Thanks for your response and suggestions. The skateboard is a good idea, but I haven’t ridden a skateboard in many, many years, so I don’t think that is for me. My plan is to play with the Wing a bit in the wind on land, and also spend a fair bit of time on the water with the Wing without attempting to get up on the foil. I am also in the process of taking a beginners sailing class which I hope will help me to read the wind. So your suggestions are all good. I’m just hoping to accomplish the same thing through different avenues.

As for your suggestion re windows. This is where it gets interesting. I’ve always thought windows would be important for me. I’m on a small lake that gets a fair bit of boat traffic. For a while I wouldn’t consider any Wing that didn’t have windows. But two things made me consider a Wing without windows. First off was the fact that many have told me windows aren’t as necessary as I might otherwise think. I have a tough time with this one but I was accepting the logic of those with more experience than I have (I have zero experience). I also came to realize that any of the Wings with windows were not anywhere close in performance to the FOne. It seemed like I was going to give up a lot of performance in my desire to get a Wing with windows and it was this more than anything that tipped me towards the FOne. So I was pretty sure I was going to get the FOne.

And then of course, the new Naish S25 comes out and starts getting some very good reviews. I have been getting every bit of information I can on this Wing and it sounds promising. Only thing I am concerned about is the weight of it. But if the performance of the FOne and the Naish are similar and it is a choice between a heavier Wing with windows and a lighter Wing without windows, then I am now thinking of getting the heavier Naish with windows.

I had a line on a new FOne for a pretty good price that I might have been able to get next week. And now just today I found a Naish dealer who has access to a new 6m in the colour I would want. They have one left (in my preferred colour) and have it on hold for me until tomorrow.

So I’m going to sleep on it tonight, and my decision needs to be made by tomorrow morning. I’m now definitely leaning towards the Naish, but again, I want to take the night and sleep on it. One way or the other, I should have a Wing on order shortly.

Thanks again surly for taking the time to respond. I am so appreciative of all the help I’ve received on this forum.
Infinity Blackfish 12’ 6” x 23”
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 24”
Infinity Whiplash 12' 6" x 24 1/2"
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 26”
Bark Competitor 12’ 6” x 29”
Red Paddle Explorer (Inflatable) 13' 2" x 30
Starboard Airline (Inflatable) 12’ 6” x 27

Caribsurf

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Re: What Wing To Buy???
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2020, 04:29:39 AM »
I think a window in the learning process is the way to go. I have both  Duotone and F-One wings.  I learned foiling on the Duotone and the window helped me a number of times (boats, channel markers, windsurfer). When I foil with the F-One I have to keep reminding myself to raise the wing overhead and take a peak...not really a big deal, but not as natural as looking through a window.

One other thing I recommend is go with a larger wing and large foil.  I started with 4m Duotone and 4.2 F-One and now wish I had gone bigger.  I added a Duotone 5 m and the difference was huge for me and much less work getting up on the foil.  Now I am looking for a bigger F-One which I use for travel since it packs so small.  I am currently in the Caribbean and using the 4.2 F-One and wish it was larger. 
Hobie Raw 8'10"
Jimmy Lewis Kwad 8'7"
Naish Hover 95 liter 5'7"
F-One Rocket foil board 5'5" 90 liters
Fanatic Aero 1250, 1500, 1750 HA foils
CabrinhaMantis 3.5, 4m 5m. F-One Strike 7m CWC
Hobie 14' race board

 


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