Author Topic: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200  (Read 4362 times)

APPST_Paddle

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JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« on: May 15, 2020, 04:02:43 AM »
Finally got out on my first session with the Flying-V and a GoFoil Maliko 200 setup. Background far as foil, no boat, learned with a kite pretty easily. Obviously kite foiling is a lot easier because of the control of power, etc, but at least I know the weight transfer and general feeling of foiling. I've been kitefoiling for about 8 months (probably 25 sessions or so). I'm 6', 175 lbs for reference.

Jimmy Lewis Flying-V Overview:
-First off, great looking board, I expect it from JL, but man, it's a cool looking board. Foot placement markings are really helpful.
-I'm glad I went with 6'5", it's a bit of a struggle to get going to begin with, but getting my feet in the right spots over the foil is really easy because of the length.
-Plenty of volume/stability.

So, overall I got up on two waves in roughly a hour and a half, one ride was pretty long - 400' according to my watch, and it was basically gliding on whitewater, really worked on keeping it down, so I was probably 9" or so off the water, but smooth glide. The GL 200 as I got a bit used to it on take offs seems to be pretty forgiving on not being exactly centered. Foiling on this small of a SUP is pretty exhausting as well, as with anything you are learning, it's a lot of getting your muscles/body used to it. Long story short, I don't think it will take a ton of time to get to flying on a normal basis, but perfecting it will take some time. I'll keep reporting back, I definitely see some SUP's getting sold because of foiling.

7'6" JL Super Frank Lean
8'2" JL SuperTech 
10'1" JL Black and Blue
14' BIC WS Tracer
6'5" JL Flying-V/GoFoil Maliko 200
Kenalu Ho'oloa 95, Werner Rip Stick 79

Wetstuff

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2020, 07:06:45 AM »
Ya, APPST ...I don't think I have heard a complaint about a JL board.  He obviously keeps a thumb on production and doesn't wander much off his design script. Few brands seem to hold a focus grasping for market share.

Are those dark lines what you called 'foot placement marks'?  Would you mind measuring the distance between? Thanks.

Jim
Atlantis Mistress .. Blue Planet MultiTasker ..   Atlantis Venom

APPST_Paddle

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2020, 12:20:53 PM »
Yeah they are, pretty helpful starting out actually. I'll measure I'm guessing it's roughly 3'.

2nd session today, perfect foil conditions I would say, maybe a bit big in spots with the swell, but mushy waist-stomach high. Got about 5 decent runs, foot placement and being squared up before the wave is the primary key. That and probably good gear from JL and GoFoil.
7'6" JL Super Frank Lean
8'2" JL SuperTech 
10'1" JL Black and Blue
14' BIC WS Tracer
6'5" JL Flying-V/GoFoil Maliko 200
Kenalu Ho'oloa 95, Werner Rip Stick 79

supfoo

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2020, 08:21:50 PM »
Nice setup! I kite foil also, really helps with Sup foiling. Keep in mind if your getting worked on that wing, step down to the Iwa, for more powerful waves. Wish I had that info when I got my setup. That board will feel smaller as you progress. Another good tip is to keep both hands on the paddle when on foil, till you get your muscle memory dialed in.

APPST_Paddle

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2020, 03:31:12 AM »
Nice setup! I kite foil also, really helps with Sup foiling. Keep in mind if your getting worked on that wing, step down to the Iwa, for more powerful waves. Wish I had that info when I got my setup. That board will feel smaller as you progress. Another good tip is to keep both hands on the paddle when on foil, till you get your muscle memory dialed in.

I could try the Iwa, my friend has it, but frankly, when the surf is good (this weekend) I'm still going to regular SUP. Tool for every condition, ha.
7'6" JL Super Frank Lean
8'2" JL SuperTech 
10'1" JL Black and Blue
14' BIC WS Tracer
6'5" JL Flying-V/GoFoil Maliko 200
Kenalu Ho'oloa 95, Werner Rip Stick 79

APPST_Paddle

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #5 on: May 24, 2020, 10:54:58 AM »
5 sessions in, totally hooked. I'm pretty sure my normal SUP's are going to be sold off for the most part. Perfect conditions this AM, no wind, incoming tide, thigh/waist high hump in the inlet, barely breaking just a nice long bump. Getting good consistent 20-30 second runs on foil, a few quick observations:

1. Gear matters, really glad I waited awhile and grabbed a solid GL and Jimmy Lewis setup. Probably could have gone with the 5'11" Flying-V, but for now, the 6'5" will work.

2. Wave selection/rest between rides is key. When you are learning obviously your body doesn't have the muscle memory, and it's a lot work on you, when you fatigue or are breathless your stability gets off. Getting a nice little bump that isn't going to pitch is important, I really can't imagine doing a beachbreak at this point. Actually I tried this morning because the park where the inlet is was closed until 8 AM, night and day difference. You have to have a wave that is basically not breaking, especially when learning.

3. Foot placement is the main factor on success it seems. You will learn weight balance with the foil from boat/kite whatever, that's a prerequisite. The main thing with the SUP is getting your front foot on the stringer at take off and back foot on the foil (although it can be a bit off center). JL with the marks on the pad helps initially to get a feel.

If anyone is debating getting into it, do it, it's the most fun I've had since learning to kite. It's also a phenomenal workout.

7'6" JL Super Frank Lean
8'2" JL SuperTech 
10'1" JL Black and Blue
14' BIC WS Tracer
6'5" JL Flying-V/GoFoil Maliko 200
Kenalu Ho'oloa 95, Werner Rip Stick 79

SUPdad

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #6 on: May 25, 2020, 01:08:34 AM »
Cool!  My big JL board was a real help to figuring it all out. Definitely good boards. And, yes, those foot marks were VERY helpful in the beginning. I started from scratch so it took me a little longer. 13 sessions and many crashes before I caught a wave...hooked from that point on with zero desire to surf a regular board. ;D

APPST_Paddle

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #7 on: May 26, 2020, 09:57:31 AM »
Cool!  My big JL board was a real help to figuring it all out. Definitely good boards. And, yes, those foot marks were VERY helpful in the beginning. I started from scratch so it took me a little longer. 13 sessions and many crashes before I caught a wave...hooked from that point on with zero desire to surf a regular board. ;D

Yeah, so I'll say this - having good overall SUP skills such as stability on a smaller board, already paddling with a staggered stance into a wave, J-stroke, etc. is one portion of the equation, knowing how a foil reacts to foot pressure is another (got that from kiting), and then lastly, and this is key, wave selection. Wave selection is probably the biggest key - case in point, I went out off the main peak I normally SUP surf, on a waist high day. No one around, etc. but I couldn't really take a wave because they were all dumping too quick to get up on foil at my skill level.

I left and went down to the point/inlet break where the waves barely break, just long bumps of water moving in, a bit smaller and had a blast. Probably caught 15 waves on foil, no issues. Just keep this in mind learning, wave selection is probably the biggest success factor IMO.

PS - I'm not sure 5'11" would make that much of a difference compared to the 6'5".
7'6" JL Super Frank Lean
8'2" JL SuperTech 
10'1" JL Black and Blue
14' BIC WS Tracer
6'5" JL Flying-V/GoFoil Maliko 200
Kenalu Ho'oloa 95, Werner Rip Stick 79

PabstSUP

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #8 on: May 26, 2020, 11:07:11 AM »
Thanks for the review APPST.  I've been thinking about getting in but have been holding off for a while.  Now that Summer is here with small waves and long rollers that tend to not break around the inlet near me it seems like this could be the right size setup for me (6'3", 190, no issues with winter gear on a 110ltr board). 
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APPST_Paddle

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #9 on: May 31, 2020, 07:14:33 AM »
Thanks for the review APPST.  I've been thinking about getting in but have been holding off for a while.  Now that Summer is here with small waves and long rollers that tend to not break around the inlet near me it seems like this could be the right size setup for me (6'3", 190, no issues with winter gear on a 110ltr board).

Yeah definitely, e-mail Marlon Lewis (Jimmy's son) he will get you setup right, I think you would have no problems, again I think I could have gone smaller. Stability is a non-issue on the 6'5". I think 5'11" in the small stuff would be a bit hard to get going, but I definitely wouldn't want anything bigger from my brief experience. PM me if you have any questions.
7'6" JL Super Frank Lean
8'2" JL SuperTech 
10'1" JL Black and Blue
14' BIC WS Tracer
6'5" JL Flying-V/GoFoil Maliko 200
Kenalu Ho'oloa 95, Werner Rip Stick 79

APPST_Paddle

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #10 on: June 02, 2020, 02:01:18 PM »
Ha, I'll say this on the 6'5", I'm probably 10 sessions in, and another prone foiler already said you need a smaller board.

It will be great to learn/progress on, but I could definitely see cutting some volume and length down. It's a great board, don't get my wrong, it's getting me going in knee high rubbish and is really easy to control, but........yeah progression will take over at some point.
7'6" JL Super Frank Lean
8'2" JL SuperTech 
10'1" JL Black and Blue
14' BIC WS Tracer
6'5" JL Flying-V/GoFoil Maliko 200
Kenalu Ho'oloa 95, Werner Rip Stick 79

APPST_Paddle

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2020, 05:38:26 PM »
Keeping this going - got out for a session this AM after a few weeks without because of work/lack of waves. Again, I'm sure this has been stressed but wave selection/type is everything. Spent the first 45 minutes or so struggling at one spot with a bit steeper waves, a bit bouncy and disorganized due to current/tide. Went back to our normal spot and even though it lacked size (knee high or so) it was definitely much easier. I can see wanting to get into bigger waves but definitely nothing steep, just a bigger wall of water, and by bigger I mean like stomach high tops at this point.

I think I'm going to maybe plateau a bit with just riding along, basically setting the trim and going in one direction, mainly working on keeping it going in the flats, etc. I'll keep updating this thread as I go, 12 sessions in now.
7'6" JL Super Frank Lean
8'2" JL SuperTech 
10'1" JL Black and Blue
14' BIC WS Tracer
6'5" JL Flying-V/GoFoil Maliko 200
Kenalu Ho'oloa 95, Werner Rip Stick 79

APPST_Paddle

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #12 on: July 17, 2020, 06:16:43 AM »
Now 15 sessions in - great sessions this week with a little tradewind swell moving through. Pretty much have a good handle on pumping now the rhythm of it, and started to work in some turns to stay on the wave. It's a very conditions based sport, haven't tried a beachy yet, but......plenty of inlet breaks around here no real need to. Rides are starting to get into the 500' and up range, had one for 35 seconds according to Apple Watch.

Great sport, very addictive, not sure I'm going to go back to a ton of normal SUP surfing.

A guy with a drone captured this pic this week (I'm in the middle).
7'6" JL Super Frank Lean
8'2" JL SuperTech 
10'1" JL Black and Blue
14' BIC WS Tracer
6'5" JL Flying-V/GoFoil Maliko 200
Kenalu Ho'oloa 95, Werner Rip Stick 79

Beasho

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #13 on: July 17, 2020, 07:16:07 AM »
Great progress.  Keep at it.  Nothing can replace time on the water (maybe a little boat time helps too).  aka NEMAS - NEver Miss A Session

APPST_Paddle

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Re: JL Flying-V 6'5" and GL Maliko 200
« Reply #14 on: July 17, 2020, 08:08:58 AM »
Great progress.  Keep at it.  Nothing can replace time on the water (maybe a little boat time helps too).  aka NEMAS - NEver Miss A Session

Ahh, no need for boat, I've got a kite.
7'6" JL Super Frank Lean
8'2" JL SuperTech 
10'1" JL Black and Blue
14' BIC WS Tracer
6'5" JL Flying-V/GoFoil Maliko 200
Kenalu Ho'oloa 95, Werner Rip Stick 79

 


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