Author Topic: Help spend some dough, Ray for me  (Read 4242 times)

water, man

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Help spend some dough, Ray for me
« on: February 19, 2022, 05:08:20 PM »
Hi Zoners,

My wife and I are both kite foilers spending winters in Baja.  Last summer she said she wanted to try winging so we picked her up an 88l Armstrong with a v1 1550/300 set up.  Happy to keep kiting, she has yet to give it a go, so I took it out for a try.  I didn’t expect this to happen, but I am digging it.  So much that I have winged more in the last several weeks than I have kited and I am stoked to get a more advanced set up for myself.

I am a 175lb proficient foiler, but High Aspect wings are a new realm for me.  (I kite either a classic lift 150 or more recently a MFC hydros 1000 that I set with a red shim) On our windy days, I ride the hydros 1000 on the wing board, but its too much work or not possible if the wind drops.


New to Armstrong, I am impressed with their quality, so I am happy to stick with them.  I am close to set on the 60 liter board, but I am confused about what wing set.  It seemed to me that after riding the 1500 to learn, the HS1250 would be a better option for me to get better glide.  But now it is occurring to me that wing boarding is more about that glide than it is with kiting, so perhaps high aspect is where I should look.

That has me checking out the HA 1125.  But then, I start to get conflicting  and confusing info from reviews and charts, so I come to you and your experiences.  I know and like the idea that I can always change wings, but I am already down a rabbit hole of expenses I didn’t see coming, so what’s the best next kit for a guy like me?

Cheers for the help!

red_tx

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Re: Help spend some dough, Ray for me
« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2022, 06:40:54 AM »
Good problem to have.

Go Foil:
RS 1150, or GT 1050/1250.

RT tail - short.

-red

Hdip

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Re: Help spend some dough, Ray for me
« Reply #2 on: February 20, 2022, 07:42:01 AM »
If the wind is good I think you should go with the 925. The 1125 might be to wide. I do see most wingers on the 1250/1550 though. Not a ton of Armstrong around me though.

surfcowboy

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Re: Help spend some dough, Ray for me
« Reply #3 on: February 20, 2022, 09:57:14 AM »
I'd DM some people on Instagram. I think foilingthegreats rides HA Armstrong.

And don't switch brands. Everyone makes good stuff now. I have crappy Gong stuff and it's "close enough" to learn on. I might switch if their HA (coming soon) is lame and I outgrow things. But the whole "my brand is better" is tiring.

If you travel, take a trip to where you can demo a few things and buy there.

Speaking of. There's a shop in LA that has demos of tons of stuff. I'll not name them due to them not being a sponsor. But you can fly to LA, and prone surf and try wings right near them.

In Summer, there's enough wind to check out gear too. If you're investing $5k+ in wing gear planning a short vacation around it isn't a terrible idea. Same with La Ventana, Maui, or Hood River.

Or FL, Houston or Michigan for that matter. Go where the gear is.

water, man

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Re: Help spend some dough, Ray for me
« Reply #4 on: February 20, 2022, 01:03:32 PM »
Great points and I really appreciate all replies.  Yes, the staying on one brand is getting to be more important than ever: two kiting quivers, now two winging quivers…


Try before I buy will be great, although that possibility has evaded me on so much gear through the years.

PonoBill

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Re: Help spend some dough, Ray for me
« Reply #5 on: February 21, 2022, 11:51:57 AM »
You're on your way to being a wing junkie. The first hit is free. As much as I like Axis I agree completely with cowboy--stick with the gear you have until you start really feeling that it's limiting you. If you're honest about it, that's a long way away. the modular aspect of Axis and the unbelievable array of options is both a huge benefit and a barrier to improvement. I'm always willing to buy instant improvement--at 75 it's only reasonable. But too much switching retards progress.
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.

water, man

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Re: Help spend some dough, Ray for me
« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2022, 08:11:13 PM »
Is there something that can be put into writing that explains  the size and shape differences of high aspect versus the mid aspect kiting foils that I know well to help me with my choices for winging?

I put my ‘kiting’ MFC hydros 1000 on the wing board and it was fun in high wind. As the wind dropped off it became more work to keep going and then to the point it as too difficult to get going.  However, am I correct in the assumption that the 925 high aspect recommended by Hdip and others is 75 cms smaller in surface area than my hydros 1000?   The Armstrong chart says it should be good for light wingers in LIGHT wind, and I wonder what a light rider is in lbs as well.

Cheers!

PonoBill

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Re: Help spend some dough, Ray for me
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2022, 12:11:10 AM »
Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Lift from a foil is a function of surface area, X whole wad of design elements combined into a factor called the coefficient of lift (including foil thickness, shape, aspect ratio (sort of) and other elements) X velocity squared. All the factors in the formula affect both drag and lift, so simply saying "more surface area equals more lift" is horse shit. No easy answer.

Sorry.
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.

VB_Foil

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Re: Help spend some dough, Ray for me
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2022, 05:40:14 AM »
Welcome to the wing froth!~

I've progressed from the 1550V1 as my first wing foil setup and now predominately riding the 925 (own the 725-1325, 1250,1050,850). I weigh 143lbs (63 kgs) and ride the 60L FG board. 

If you are in winds averaging at or above 15 mph, I would go 925 all day!  It also sort of depends on what kind of riding you are doing predominately.  If you are doing DW runs and riding swells, with wind up/down and some current, then the 1125 would be a good call.  If light winds, then the 1325 is great, a bit of a hang-glider. 

The 925 is the easiest to ride of the HA range I would say.

I recently switched out from the 925 to the 1050 on a great chest high tightly packed windswell (current against wind at a channel) and I couldn't wait to get back on the 925.  The extra glide is addicting.  The extra time to chill in your transitions and not worry about coming down just really goes well with winging. 

Comparing HA to Mid Aspect surface area is not apples to apples.  An HA wing with smaller surface area will have more glide than a larger surface area MA wing.  The MA wing will typically have easier lift-off / early lift. 

Hit me up with any questions. 



I’m a 5’9” 65kg rider:

Boards:
   4' 27L Armstrong FG Wing/Surf
   4’5” 34L Armstrong FG Wing/Surf
   4'11" 60L Armstrong Wing/Sup
  
  

Foils: Armstrong HA525, HS625, HA725, HA925, HS1050, HA1125, HS1250, HA1325
Wings: BRM 2M & 3M, FreeWing Nitro 4M, OR 5M & 7M Glide

 


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