A friend's Naish foil rig

[SUPeter]

Hello,
I have a buddy who has been learning to wingfoil on a newer Naish rig. Every time I have tried this set up it feels very pitch sensitive and hard to control in comparison to my own foils as well as my Axis foils. This has not made his learning very easy and , as much as I hate to, I advised him to possibly change manufacturer. After trying an Axis advanced fuselage , I gained an insight into what the problem might be. The front foil is too close to the mast on the Naish rig.   I put my buddy on an Axis rig and he actually did better.  Anybody out there have any insight.? Im thinking of having a machinist make an extender piece to bolt on, in between foil and fuselage. Or… does Naish make different fuselages ? Not quite sure what to do.

[Admin]

Gear can definitely slow or stall the learning process.  Naish offers a wide range of foils and foil bits.  Do you recall the specifics of his setup, and his weight?

[DavidJohn]

Naish do make different fuselages but the stock set up should be fine.. Both myself and many friends use Naish foils and have no problems..
I’d also be interested in what foil and his weight.. I think one of the biggest mistakes people can make is to try and jump the learning process and attempt to use foils that are either too small or too high aspect for their ability.. I wonder it that’s happening here.. It might also be a set up issue or board compatibility thing..

[SUPeter]

Thanks all,
He weighs around 155lbs , I think. He started with the “Jet “ foils and is now on the HA 1400.  His initial foil of choice was the 1650 Jet series. His board is a 95L Naish carbon pro Hover .  I rode this 1650 and it felt very pitch sensitive compared to any of my Axis foil rigs. . Not something a beginner needs to deal with. Any advice? I’m seriously considering contacting a machinist to make a stainless steel adapter which would extend the front foil out an inch or more.

[DavidJohn]

I have that Jet 1650 and it’s a nice easy to learn foil but pretty slow and not a performance foil.. It’s a surfing foil and not a good choice for winging.. The HA 1400 is a big jump from the 1650 being much faster and requires more control.. It’s a great foil and at his weight it should be perfect.. I’m thinking he just needs more time and I wouldn’t bother make any adapters.. Naish know what they are doing and there’s no need to mess with it.. I’ve got that 1400 and know two friends that only use that size foil.. It’s a great wingfoiling foil.. Does he have it positioned up near the front of the boxes? The Axis foils need to be positioned near the back of the boxes.

[clay]

I would get the adapter made, I've learned way more trying stuff like this than changing brands.

If that doesn't work I'd try a bigger thicker stabilizer.

In the long run I'd rather know why something didn't work rather than just give up on it.

When all that doesn't work is removed we are left with what does.

[Admin]

Thanks all,
He weighs around 155lbs , I think. He started with the “Jet “ foils and is now on the HA 1400.  His initial foil of choice was the 1650 Jet series. His board is a 95L Naish carbon pro Hover .  I rode this 1650 and it felt very pitch sensitive compared to any of my Axis foil rigs. . Not something a beginner needs to deal with. Any advice? I’m seriously considering contacting a machinist to make a stainless steel adapter which would extend the front foil out an inch or more.

The Jet 1650 is a super swept wing (below).  This pushes the center of lift way back if all other elements remain constant, in comparison to a less swept wing.  That foil would position the center of lift closer to the mast than an Advance style fuselage with a less swept wing.  In that instance if the rider did not make some significant body/gear adjustments, this could feel very unstable.

The position of the mast in relation to the foil is not the issue.  The relationship between the lifting forces and the center of gravity is the major issue.  The center of gravity is also the center/origin of pitch, yaw and roll.  That is super important because in our sports (unlike almost all other wing uses) the center of gravity is almost entirely based on the position our weight.  So as we move, so do all of the above axes, pitch included.