Windsurf Foiling Discussion

[Bobson]

Question #1 Is the notion of a moderate aspect front foil coming in at 1500cm2 still best advice, or can the surface area and/or aspect ratio be hedged toward a somewhat more challenging learning curve ( that would be okay by me ) with the intent to use it for a longer period of time as my skills, I hope, progress?

Answer #1 My Starboard 1100 front foil I believe is really the cat's meow. It lifts early which helps for low end 10+ kts but also has pretty good top end 23kts. It's more high aspect than low aspect. I've tried the 1700 down to the 800 and I would say 1100-1300 would be the sweet spot for doing it all for a long period of time.1700 is fairly flow and the 800 is just for speed and falls off the foil very early.

Question #2. Is there one or two or more particular manufacturer's of foils that seem to have the longevity dialled in, such as rigidity and ease or user friendliness of assemble/disassemble over time of the hydrofoil system? I see screw lubricants as being essential, as are either SS or titanium screws dependent on funds remaining after purchasing the foils, mast, fuselage, and impact insurance ( hah ).
Thanks for anything offered up in advance.

Answer #2. As I've only used Starboard I would say them. I've seen the older Slingshots and I would say not as well made or long lasting. They have newer Fantasm which are much better. If I was starting fresh I stay with the Starboard as they all their stuff fits together before they made the latest fuselage (Evolution) which now takes a new front foil (stupid money grab). I think the SAB foils look nice but having never trie them I'm not sure, they just look great and are very popular in the Gorge.

Hope this helps. I've had a lot of sessions and take my foils apart every 1-3 sessions and lube them up and sand off any dings. You are more than welcome to try any of my Starboard foils if you find yourself in Victoria. As well, I'll be up at Nitinaht and China Creek a lot this summer. Looking forward to another Windfoiler out there soon.

[smartang]

Sab will be hard to beat for top speed and high speed stability at that price point. New mast is only 13.5mm thick at the base.

[Tsawwassen]

Looking more right now at opening up the low end which for me means 10+ knots ish that English Bay gets reasonably often each month.

I think for light wind foiling anything smaller than a 1500 is going to be challenging, almost frustrating, that's what I found anyways. I have the Sabfoil 1100 ( 2100 sqcm ) and the 790 ( 1550 sqcm ). You can take it for a test drive if you want. I have the aluminium 95cm mast and 900cm fuse, which is great for wind foiling that I don't use anymore.

[otisdadog]

Hello All,

I'm moving back to the island this summer after 5 years away and looking forward to getting back on the water, I'm in the process of reading through this thread as there is a wealth of knowledge here, but the one question I have, which is a loaded one, what is a recommended board/foil setup for starting out in windsurf foiling. Also if anyone has a beginner setup for sale let me know.

Looking forward to seeing you guys on the water.

[grantmac]

Hello All,

I'm moving back to the island this summer after 5 years away and looking forward to getting back on the water, I'm in the process of reading through this thread as there is a wealth of knowledge here, but the one question I have, which is a loaded one, what is a recommended board/foil setup for starting out in windsurf foiling. Also if anyone has a beginner setup for sale let me know.

Looking forward to seeing you guys on the water.

Looking for just board and foil or also sails etc? What do you weigh?

[otisdadog]

Hello All,

I'm moving back to the island this summer after 5 years away and looking forward to getting back on the water, I'm in the process of reading through this thread as there is a wealth of knowledge here, but the one question I have, which is a loaded one, what is a recommended board/foil setup for starting out in windsurf foiling. Also if anyone has a beginner setup for sale let me know.

Looking forward to seeing you guys on the water.

Looking for just board and foil or also sails etc? What do you weigh?

Just looking for board and foil, I weigh 185lbs.

[grantmac]

How experienced of a windsurfer are you? More of a go-fast guy or maneuver oriented?

[BigD]

Hey FOLO!

I think the Starboard, Sabfoil/Moses 790 or Slingshot Phantasm PFI 730 or Infinity 76 will work well for you. Seeing as you have a track system the Moses or Slingshot will be compatible without a track adapter.

I splurged and went for the Phantasm 103W Carbon Mast with PFI 730 wing. For my weight, the stiffer mast made a big difference in stability when jibing. The PFI 730 is more refined and has a better wind range and higher top speed than the Infinity 76. I used to have the older Infinity 76 system and I agree it isn't as well built. I bought the Slingshot PTM 926 front wing which should be great for lighter wind and for winging. The phantasm fuse is also compatible with many Sabfoil front wings.

If I was starting out on a budget I would either get:

The Phantasm with aluminum wide mast and PFI730 wing:

https://www.windance.com/Slingshot-Phan ... -WS/57003/

If you can afford it get the 103W carbon mast and you'll be set for life!

OR

Moses/Sabfoil 790

https://www.sailworks.com/the-gear/foil ... dfoil.html

Pros:
-a bit less expensive
-variety of front wings are available for the fuselage
Cons:
-a bit of an older design
-carbon masts get expensive and may need adapters

OR Budget option, used Infinity 76

https://www.mackiteboarding.com/slingsh ... mast-used/
*Make sure it's the windsurf fuselage, ad doesn't say!


* Either way don't go shorter than about a 95cm mast for wind foiling, the trend seems to be longer and there is no much disadvantage unless you're in shallow waters. More time to correct mistakes in jibes and swell.

* You don't need a foil any bigger than 1500ish except maybe for winging. I've tried the Infinity 84 and the Moses 1100 and while the have lots of lift they have a ton of drag as well.

See you out there!

seeking comment on any or all of the following;
This is from a foil newbie, somewhat decent long-term windsurfer ( though I've been skiing more during the border closure these past few years ).
I've got a windfoil platform coming soon to my feet, and it has a double track for foil mounting. This platform has been confirmed by shops as being respectable for entry winging.
With all of the advancement in foils;
Question #1 Is the notion of a moderate aspect front foil coming in at 1500cm2 still best advice, or can the surface area and/or aspect ratio be hedged toward a somewhat more challenging learning curve ( that would be okay by me ) with the intent to use it for a longer period of time as my skills, I hope, progress?
Question #2. Is there one or two or more particular manufacturer's of foils that seem to have the longevity dialled in, such as rigidity and ease or user friendliness of assemble/disassemble over time of the hydrofoil system? I see screw lubricants as being essential, as are either SS or titanium screws dependent on funds remaining after purchasing the foils, mast, fuselage, and impact insurance ( hah ).
Thanks for anything offered up in advance.

Answering grantmac's question from the post below here ;
Windfoil is the immediate priority to learn foil riding. Looking more right now at opening up the low end which for me means 10+ knots ish that English Bay gets reasonably often each month. Carvy rides would be the preference, going fast is always fun but I am not interested in racing. Maybe winging in the future but it'll be up against my wave windsurfing gear as to what wins out then.

[tempy]

I did an interesting and productive experiment over the weekend.

I have been running the infinity 76 on my Roberts Frankenfoilboard (6') and have it pretty dialed in.

On the weekend I put the H5 (I think that is it) front wing on the short kite fuselage (essentially the kitefoil setup).

I put it in position C (as far forward as you can get (I have a tuttle setup), and it looks a little "odd".

I needn't have been concerned. It was remarkably stable and I was surprised how balanced fore and aft it felt.

Of course it was a lot "turner" and a lot of fun.

The downside - you need wind to get it moving and it obviously has a lot less lift than the 76, so I was running a bigger sail. Also you need to keep speed up in the turns otherwise it would stall - but that was what I was wanting to do - try and simulate more of a faster, tighter windsurf gybe.

All in all, it works and I will be using it when the wind is over 20 now as my go to setup and try and crank some faster tighter turns.

Of course, now someone told me there is a hoverglide alu mast adaptor for phantasm bottoms and I should try those ...

[juandesooka]

I used slingshot for sup foil....the H2 was my favorite when the waves got big enough. Probably halfway between 76 and h5...may be a good mid option, Probably find them cheap now

[grantmac]

I have an H2 kicking around if you want to have it Tempy.

[tempy]

Thanks guys. I have the original H2 as well and it sits on a shelf - Infinity 76 is far superior. The smaller H5 advantage is smaller wing for higher wind - the H2 gets / got squirrely in any kind of wind.