Wing aerodynamics question.

[surfcowboy]

Pono, thanks for the note on the BRM Cloud. I had one and never could quite dial it. (Didn't give it much time really.) But what you say tracks. My F-One wings seem to go upwind better for me. (With the taco you describe too.)

[PonoBill]

I don't really track kite design, or know much about it, but it seems to me that kites are not really used as wings, except maybe the ram-air versions. They are at their maximum power with an angle of attack that would stall a wing. To me, that suggests that lift as a wing is not a big part of the equation. A big leading edge probably prevents wind from escaping over the front edge of the kite and increases the power.

Hand wings surely have a kite-like aspect, especially going downwind. On a broad reach the BRM wings seem very powerful. but on a close reach, where wing lift is most important, they seem to underperform.

Looking at the most developed sailing form--the AC foil trimarans and similar boats, a great deal of research resource gets spent on making sail design more winglike. The diameter of the support mast is a big part of getting the wings to perform. From what I've read a lot of effort is spent on making the "sails" self-supporting, which permits the mast to be thinner to reduce parasitic drag. Stayless full-on two- or three-piece wings are becoming common. I doubt we'll see that--at least not in my remaining time in the sport, but even Alula is a step in that direction. The fabric is surprisingly stiff given how thin it is.

[burchas]

...the Ocean Rodeo Alula wings. They seem quite good, I may spring for one, and they seem to go upwind very well. I've always considered my F-one Strikes to be particularly good upwind...

Really gunning for OR 4M A series. The F-One Strike CWC 6m is my only wing since my 3.5M Swing was decommissioned. After riding few wings (Duotone slick, Armstrong A, Cabrinha X2) in overpowered conditions I have to say the F-One really holds the bar very high. I'm hoping the OR handling is similar to the F-One than the other mentioned wings, With the Added stiffness, smaller leading edge and better weight this wing sounds like a real next generation wing.

[PonoBill]

The 6M CWC is my favorite wing. I use it when I shouldn't, and my shoulders spend the rest of the day explaining that the 5 and 4.2 are perfectly good options.