Author Topic: Changing to F-One foils? Would love some advice!  (Read 9752 times)

gyre

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Re: Changing to F-One foils? Would love some advice!
« Reply #15 on: July 03, 2022, 11:00:45 PM »
I've only used a few of the f-one foils, but here's a few random opinions to add to the mix.  I'm not sure if this will help or just make your decision harder :).  I'm mostly on the Takuma 980/1095/1500 and have only tried the carbon F-one foils, not the FCT.
  • At least for winging, I wouldn't think the gravity foils would be as good of an option compared to the other F-one foils.  They're quite a bit thicker and will have more drag.
  • I only used a Phantom 1480 briefly, but I found it was harder to pump and turn than the helium 1500, but I was coming from the kujira foils and the Phantom was on a taller mast and bigger board which I'm sure negatively affected my impression.
  • I demoed the seven seas 1200 and thought it was good, fast and predictable, but a little more locked in than I prefer (I have no idea what size tail or fuse length I was using though).  I also demoed the 790 Eagle and really liked that one a lot.  It turned better and was more fun to ride than any other foil I've used, (I haven't tried any other foil in that size range).  It was surprisingly easy to use since you can adjust the pitch/roll it any way you want and it responds immediately (I find I don't like foils that lock you into a turn).  It does take more speed to get going as you'd expect but stall speed and glide were better than I expected for a foil that size.
  • I don't like the F-one aluminum mast, I find it wobbly for my weight (160lbs).  I think the Takuma mast feels better, but I don't really like it either.  I use an Axis 19mm mast with an adapter to Takuma foils.
  • From what I've seen, F-one's warranty is very good.
  • If I was switching to F-one, I'd be looking more at the Eagle and Seven Seas and less at the Phantom and Gravity lines.  They are a lot more expensive though and I'm not sure when/if they will have FCT versions.
  • I would consider wingtip ventilation in the decision if you can find any good info on that, I find the 1500 helium ventilates quite well.  I tried a ventilating the seven seas and it seemed good too.  I didn't try with the other f-one foils.
  • The latest iterations of the Takuma foils (including the 1210 and 980) have more rounded wingtips.  I still filed down the corners a bit.
  • The F-one Eagle wingtips are seem shaper than the current Takuma wingtips, I'd probably file those down too if I got one.

B-Walnut

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Re: Changing to F-One foils? Would love some advice!
« Reply #16 on: July 04, 2022, 12:38:26 PM »
I've only used a few of the f-one foils, but here's a few random opinions to add to the mix.  I'm not sure if this will help or just make your decision harder :).  I'm mostly on the Takuma 980/1095/1500 and have only tried the carbon F-one foils, not the FCT.
  • At least for winging, I wouldn't think the gravity foils would be as good of an option compared to the other F-one foils.  They're quite a bit thicker and will have more drag.
  • I only used a Phantom 1480 briefly, but I found it was harder to pump and turn than the helium 1500, but I was coming from the kujira foils and the Phantom was on a taller mast and bigger board which I'm sure negatively affected my impression.
  • I demoed the seven seas 1200 and thought it was good, fast and predictable, but a little more locked in than I prefer (I have no idea what size tail or fuse length I was using though).  I also demoed the 790 Eagle and really liked that one a lot.  It turned better and was more fun to ride than any other foil I've used, (I haven't tried any other foil in that size range).  It was surprisingly easy to use since you can adjust the pitch/roll it any way you want and it responds immediately (I find I don't like foils that lock you into a turn).  It does take more speed to get going as you'd expect but stall speed and glide were better than I expected for a foil that size.
  • I don't like the F-one aluminum mast, I find it wobbly for my weight (160lbs).  I think the Takuma mast feels better, but I don't really like it either.  I use an Axis 19mm mast with an adapter to Takuma foils.
  • From what I've seen, F-one's warranty is very good.
  • If I was switching to F-one, I'd be looking more at the Eagle and Seven Seas and less at the Phantom and Gravity lines.  They are a lot more expensive though and I'm not sure when/if they will have FCT versions.
  • I would consider wingtip ventilation in the decision if you can find any good info on that, I find the 1500 helium ventilates quite well.  I tried a ventilating the seven seas and it seemed good too.  I didn't try with the other f-one foils.
  • The latest iterations of the Takuma foils (including the 1210 and 980) have more rounded wingtips.  I still filed down the corners a bit.
  • The F-one Eagle wingtips are seem shaper than the current Takuma wingtips, I'd probably file those down too if I got one.

That's a pretty good breakdown of the two. I will admit, the helium 1500 does ventilate really well and often buys me a second or two of time to correct when I hear the gurgling coming from below. Do you feel like the smaller takumas ventilate well? This is something that I was drawn to with the phantom, reports of it handling tip breaches quite well.

If someone offered you a full set of foils today, money was no consideration, would you stick with what you have? Or would you make a change?

clay

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Re: Changing to F-One foils? Would love some advice!
« Reply #17 on: July 04, 2022, 04:00:10 PM »
At first I was put off by the airplane design, seemed like a lot of screws and a pain to change wings.

After a couple years I think it's the best design - bomb proof, durable, corrosion free, zero play.  If they get masts sorted out they will have the best system out there.
Aloha, I welcome and appreciate all responses of positivity and good feeling.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOIE6FWr1SpWvbPJIIiEgog

StellaBlu

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Re: Changing to F-One foils? Would love some advice!
« Reply #18 on: July 04, 2022, 05:10:21 PM »
I've only used a few of the f-one foils, but here's a few random opinions to add to the mix.  I'm not sure if this will help or just make your decision harder :).  I'm mostly on the Takuma 980/1095/1500 and have only tried the carbon F-one foils, not the FCT.
  • At least for winging, I wouldn't think the gravity foils would be as good of an option compared to the other F-one foils.  They're quite a bit thicker and will have more drag.
  • I only used a Phantom 1480 briefly, but I found it was harder to pump and turn than the helium 1500, but I was coming from the kujira foils and the Phantom was on a taller mast and bigger board which I'm sure negatively affected my impression.
  • I demoed the seven seas 1200 and thought it was good, fast and predictable, but a little more locked in than I prefer (I have no idea what size tail or fuse length I was using though).  I also demoed the 790 Eagle and really liked that one a lot.  It turned better and was more fun to ride than any other foil I've used, (I haven't tried any other foil in that size range).  It was surprisingly easy to use since you can adjust the pitch/roll it any way you want and it responds immediately (I find I don't like foils that lock you into a turn).  It does take more speed to get going as you'd expect but stall speed and glide were better than I expected for a foil that size.
  • I don't like the F-one aluminum mast, I find it wobbly for my weight (160lbs).  I think the Takuma mast feels better, but I don't really like it either.  I use an Axis 19mm mast with an adapter to Takuma foils.
  • From what I've seen, F-one's warranty is very good.
  • If I was switching to F-one, I'd be looking more at the Eagle and Seven Seas and less at the Phantom and Gravity lines.  They are a lot more expensive though and I'm not sure when/if they will have FCT versions.
  • I would consider wingtip ventilation in the decision if you can find any good info on that, I find the 1500 helium ventilates quite well.  I tried a ventilating the seven seas and it seemed good too.  I didn't try with the other f-one foils.
  • The latest iterations of the Takuma foils (including the 1210 and 980) have more rounded wingtips.  I still filed down the corners a bit.
  • The F-one Eagle wingtips are seem shaper than the current Takuma wingtips, I'd probably file those down too if I got one.

Do you feel like the smaller takumas ventilate well?

The Kujira 1095 ventilates extremely well - probably the best I have experienced. The 1440 isn’t bad, but it isn’t like the 1095. On the 1095 you can maintain a lot of lift and speed while throwing a good portion of the tip out. On the 1440 you need to recover pretty quickly or you lose speed and lift and touch down. Can’t compare to the 1500.

gyre

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Re: Changing to F-One foils? Would love some advice!
« Reply #19 on: July 05, 2022, 01:42:59 AM »

That's a pretty good breakdown of the two. I will admit, the helium 1500 does ventilate really well and often buys me a second or two of time to correct when I hear the gurgling coming from below. Do you feel like the smaller takumas ventilate well? This is something that I was drawn to with the phantom, reports of it handling tip breaches quite well.

With the 1500 Helium, I like ventilating the wingtips just to see the streaks it makes in the water.  I don't do that with the 1095 since I sometimes lurches when the wingtip ventilates.  I suspect it tends to happen at shallower angles when the wing is more parallel to the water surface and not when carving hard, but I'm not really sure.  It doesn't lose lift or throw me off the board but I don't think it's as smooth as the 1500 during ventilation.  I think Erik from the Progression Podcast mentioned that when he ventilates the 1095, he unweights the board and it recovers on it's own.  With the 980, I find the wingspan is small enough that I don't ventilate the wingtips so I'm not sure how it does.

If someone offered you a full set of foils today, money was no consideration, would you stick with what you have? Or would you make a change?

That's a dangerous way to think ;D When it comes to the larger foils, I haven't found any that I think I'd like more than the Takuma foils (In my case, I'm optimizing for a vague 'fun to ride' factor, not any single parameter like speed, glide, etc).  But my experience with other foils is pretty limited.  There are definitely companies with better overall systems and quality control when it comes to the overall system (probably most of them).  If I get a smaller foil, which is something I'm not sure I need yet, I think I'd want something higher aspect than Takuma has, so something like the Eagle 790 (865mm wingspan, 790cm2 area), Axis 899 (899mm wingspan, 830cm2 area), Cabrinha 800 (900mm wingspan, 800cm2 area), Lift 120 (889mm wingspan, 775cm2 area), or Eagle 890 (925mm wingspan, 890cm2 area).

Hdip

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Re: Changing to F-One foils? Would love some advice!
« Reply #20 on: July 05, 2022, 12:54:59 PM »
I found a deal for you on the LAFC discord. Not my sale.

Complete F One foil set up for sale. 85 cm mast and two Front wings. 2200 gravity and 1280 phantom. Only used it Twice all hardware parts included. I paid 1800 and selling it all for 1400.


Hwy1north

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Re: Changing to F-One foils? Would love some advice!
« Reply #21 on: July 06, 2022, 01:53:19 PM »
Late to the discussion... if it were me given what gear you have, I'd recognize that the Helium 1500 is a really good windwing foil and that the Kalama is too big.  So I'd first get a nice 80-90 liter or possibly 70 liter wing board at around 5'2".  Then I'd get a 1095 for suping (on the Kalama) and winging (on the new wingboard) at higher speed and/or waves with more push where the 1500 doesn't feel as good.  Onofoil makes a really good tail for winging and the KD 13.5 is unreal in waves.  Sometimes a new tail is all you need.  Finally, I'd get a Nolimitz carbon 85 mast.  I always detune the trailing edges of wings.  The 1095 has a nice round wing turn up like the helium is supposed to, so it's safer than some wings without a turn up.  I've found when I land on my foil, it's often the tail that is doing the damage, so don't leave it sharp either. 

-That said, you don't know what you're missing until you try something different!

B-Walnut

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Re: Changing to F-One foils? Would love some advice!
« Reply #22 on: July 08, 2022, 07:07:16 AM »
Late to the discussion... if it were me given what gear you have, I'd recognize that the Helium 1500 is a really good windwing foil and that the Kalama is too big.  So I'd first get a nice 80-90 liter or possibly 70 liter wing board at around 5'2".  Then I'd get a 1095 for suping (on the Kalama) and winging (on the new wingboard) at higher speed and/or waves with more push where the 1500 doesn't feel as good.  Onofoil makes a really good tail for winging and the KD 13.5 is unreal in waves.  Sometimes a new tail is all you need.  Finally, I'd get a Nolimitz carbon 85 mast.  I always detune the trailing edges of wings.  The 1095 has a nice round wing turn up like the helium is supposed to, so it's safer than some wings without a turn up.  I've found when I land on my foil, it's often the tail that is doing the damage, so don't leave it sharp either. 

-That said, you don't know what you're missing until you try something different!

Better late than never!

I do like my board, there are some unspoken benefits to bigger wing boards and for now I still think mines great. It doubles as perfect training for SUP foiling since the performance will be the same.

I'll definitely check out those stabilizers and the mast option. They sound like good upgrades for sure! The helium 1500 is a lot of fun too. I'd have a hard time getting rid of it and really see it as sticking around. Especially with each day I get better on it, I feel like I enjoy it that much more!

 


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