Interested to hear what wind people use a 3m Wing in.. :)

[surfcowboy]

Def all about you weight, skills and conditions. I ride my 3.5m in 15+ if that’s real 15mph with gusts.

I ride easily yesterday on a 5m in conditions that iKite said were 10mph with gusts to 15. Never had a moment I couldn’t get powered. By the time the foil drive is gen 2 or 3 I’ll bet we all have tiny wings.

[Wingingtanuki]

Oh boy, this will be long winded:

70kg rider

3.5 Strike & 5-7" 90l board: 16 knots steady w/1850&232stab 17knots steady with 1550-flying V
add one to two knots of wind if using a shorter length board (4-10" 89l)

Add a few more pounds of weight to the board and that's another knot required to fly.  If I had pizza and beer the night before, add one more knot to get going. 

4.0 Duotone Slick is about the same as the 3.5 strike.

5.0 Strike is around 11 knots steady with the bigger board and foil - 12 knots with the smaller combo.

Long gusts with less steady winds are about the same as above, but if the gusts are too short to get up on foil with two or three pumps, then it just becomes an exhausting game of flappy bird.

Sometimes in low wind I can get flying against the current but not with it at a knot less than stated above, but  then you have to be really careful to not fall off foil when going with the current.

I really appreciate the idea of trying to use a small wing as much as possible because even though I thought of getting one of those big 'ol CWC Strikes to see if I could get going in 8 knots, I realized, at some point you end up with diminishing returns and a big, heavy sheet of cloth in front of you and it might be time better spend fishing or practicing wing handling on a skateboard.

[Dontsink]

Oh boy, this will be long winded:

70kg rider

3.5 Strike & 5-7" 90l board: 16 knots steady w/1850&232stab 17knots steady with 1550-flying V
add one to two knots of wind if using a shorter length board (4-10" 89l)

Add a few more pounds of weight to the board and that's another knot required to fly.  If I had pizza and beer the night before, add one more knot to get going. 

4.0 Duotone Slick is about the same as the 3.5 strike.

5.0 Strike is around 11 knots steady with the bigger board and foil - 12 knots with the smaller combo.

Long gusts with less steady winds are about the same as above, but if the gusts are too short to get up on foil with two or three pumps, then it just becomes an exhausting game of flappy bird.

Sometimes in low wind I can get flying against the current but not with it at a knot less than stated above, but  then you have to be really careful to not fall off foil when going with the current.

I really appreciate the idea of trying to use a small wing as much as possible because even though I thought of getting one of those big 'ol CWC Strikes to see if I could get going in 8 knots, I realized, at some point you end up with diminishing returns and a big, heavy sheet of cloth in front of you and it might be time better spend fishing or practicing wing handling on a skateboard.

My experience is very similar to yours.
75kg suited up, 5.2/85l straight tail board ,Kujira1210 foil.Takoon 3.5m.

The Takoon is not specially grunty but in 15kt steady it is  fine.

If the wind is gusty (as it usually is) and the 15kt or more gusts are shorter than 3-4 pumps as you say  then i am better off with the worn out Starboard Freewing V1 4m.Pulls like a truck.

Sea state is a big factor too,flat and protected water makes me feel like a pumping  superhero.

Worst sea state scenario is  xchop  due to gusty/shifty wind or reflecting shore ,it  drives me nuts, better to carry more surface even if it means being a bit overwinged once up.

Compensating light winds with bigger wings gives diminishing results IMO,  my biggest is 5m and i very often wish it was a grunty 4.5m.

[spindrift]

It has been a couple years since the 3m wing question was posed. Wings have changed drastically. Can you still get low end out of the 3m? What 3m still offers some give in a gust when used in high wind?

[Wingfoil2001]

19Knots is when I get the SLS 3mtr out, they don’t pump very well, they do pump but different to a bigger wing. Being so small so really need to be powered but once your up are brilliant.

The SLS doesn’t get back winded like the older Slicks, I mainly use mine to get back upwind for swell riding so always use a harness. At 80kgs it is my middle size wing, I drop to a 2.5 once the wind hits 22 knots or a 4 mtr in the lighter stuff.

Once on a swell these small wings almost disappear, they are so small and light you can really concentrate on the swell lines rather than handling the wing.

[Badger]

I'm comfortable with my 4m to around 25 mph(22 knots) but have used it in winds up to 30.

I would love to get a 3m for those 25 to 35 mph days but after buying a new board, foil, and two new wings this year, I can't afford any more gear.

.

[ninja tuna]

The downwind boards for winging could really change when you could use a 3m wing. I had read about someone using a 3m with their downwind board and a big foil to get going early. 

[Badger]

The downwind boards for winging could really change when you could use a 3m wing. I had read about someone using a 3m with their downwind board and a big foil to get going early.

That has definitely been the case with my Kalama DW board. It gets up way earlier than I ever could with my previous board thus extending the low end of the wind range for any wing size.

The Axis PNG 1300 for light wind has also been a game changer. Combined with the Kalama, I've been using a 5m wing in conditions that previously required a 7m with my old board and BSC 1060.

While a 3m wing would work with a big foil, it would be very slow. I'd rather be on a smaller high-speed foil for those winds.

[ninja tuna]

You are seeing the difference on a board that is 6'1'.  I am planning on using mine on my new 7'7".  these new longer boards are real slippery through the water.   They get speed real quick. I can almost get up with a 5 in 8-9 mph.  Only tried once so far and almost got it so with a little technique adjustment and refinement I should be able to.

[lakemichiganwingfoiler]

I bought a mantis 3.0 thinking I would hardly use it, but wanted it for big winds 25+, but I have already used it a ton. I use my 4.0 mantis gusting up to 20, if the gusts go bigger I go to my 3.0. But I size for gusts, I don’t like to ride over powered with wings flapping and all that jazz, as long as there are gusts above 15 I can get up with my 3.0. I am 75 kg my board is 75 Ltrs, and foil is 1150 surface area. I am in fresh water, with waves and swell.

[B-Walnut]

Thanks people, interesting read as always. My main concern was I get a 3m and rarely use it due to my main conditions being 10 to 25 knots. It sounds like 20+ is doable now and possibly 16/17 + in the future for my 78kgs... Happy flapping peeps!!!

For what it's worth, I changed my board, have a variety of foils and now ride my 2.5m almost every day. 85kg riding in my 2.5m in winds down to 15 knots.