VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

KC7777 wrote:Ok....just read both Wing Foil forum discussions.

A couple of questions.

Looking to potentially get into Wing Foiling....really only if it makes sense for a watersport in the lighter wind areas where I hang out in summers....eg we stay on waterfront at Hornby Island most of July and Kootenay Lake most of August.

Hornby often has a steady 10-12 summer breeze in Lambert Channel, would launch from the Hornby ferry spit across to Denman.

At Kootenay Lake we stay right on the lake and its breezy...eg 7-10 most days, very long reach (3 km), with decently steady wind with very smooth rippled water. I would need to paddle out a bit as the wind becomes steadier about 100m offshore (we’re in a bit of a bay).

We have a ski boat that I could practice behind for foiling.

Also got a 11'2" SUP to practice winging on.

Me: 165 lbs, windsurfing experience, some SUP surfing, limited ws foil experience.

Thinking of the following for a Wing Foil set up....for light winds (for now)....and maybe the odd foil SUP surfing on small waves:

Wing Board: I like the looks of the Armstrong 6'6" (132L)...ya I know its big (I'm around 77kg in rubber). I know most will say go smaller. But the goal is to ultimately just cruise around on a Wing in low winds and I want to learn...quickly, in lighter winds. And the Armstrong board chart shows the 6'6" Wing SUP as the suitable SUP size for my weight for foil SUP surfing.

Say I need smaller wing after learning....sell the big wing for $500, buy a new smaller wing for $1,000....so out $500...but I bet the bigger wing reduces learning time by `3-5 hours....well worth it ?

Wing: Armstrong A-Wing 5.5M or Duotone Echo 5.0M?

Either would be nice, but you're wanting low end punch so go 6M for either.

Mast: go right to the Armstrong M85 (ie not the M72)? Will it matter in really flat water?

M85. Yes, length makes a difference as you breach less.

Foil:....hmmm.... HS1850 for all around....or.....the CF2400? I saw a vid of a guy learning on the Armstrong 6'6" and the huge CF2400 front foil wing. Seemed pretty stable and much easier to learn on. Slower yes. But not looking for speed or jumps. Could always add a smaller, higher-aspect front wing later. My goal is NOT high speed right now. I can do that windsurf foiling on my AFS foil. If the light wind works then would get a smaller HS front wing and smaller tail wing?

The 2400 will get you up in very light air but the 1850 won't be too far behind and will be faster, but you need a little technique (won't take long). Slow is boring super quickly. The 6.6 will be a great, stable board and will get you progressing very fast. It's super light. But be careful with it off the water like any carbon board.

Re the rest of the Armstrong foil set-up...the TC60 fuselage and HS232 tail wing seem a no brainer for the 1850. Not sure with the CF2400, maybe the CF300 tail wing?

CF300 will give you more low end, more stability, more drag.

And WTF? is Armstrong's A+ system...are their new fuselage's the A+ system. The retrofit video drilling into the carbon wings looks sketch?

The A+ system addresses a potential long-term wear issue with the fuse to wing connection. It adds a few more screws or barrel nuts to prevent any potential unwanted play and strengthens the system for hard jumping/high aspect wing loads. The new fuses are the A+ ones. The old system is just fine for most users, is forward compatible with the new wings and still kicks ass. There are a few simple tricks to make the old system play-free (if there is any).

Sorry if any questions seem stupid. Just started researching. I'm gonna talk to Armstrong too. Dang it’s pricey. I'd be selling a flatwater or surf SUP to finance a few of the $.

PS....here's a vid talking about the huge CF2400....he talks about using a giant front wing at 1:37 for low speed, high lift when learning wing foiling in light winds? And at 1:58 is the breezy conditions we often see on Kootenay Lake in summer? Which is why I'm looking for a light wind set up.

Thoughts/comments appreciated?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xei291TON-0

Thanks,

Keith

BigD wrote:Slightly off topic but... Winddoc do you think the HS1850 would cross over to windfoiling as a dual purpose wing or would it be too slow? Armstrong doesn't seem very interested in windfoiling, too bad as as crossover wing would take some of the bite out of the pocket book and their foils look sexy

Ok....just read both Wing Foil forum discussions.

A couple of questions.

Looking to potentially get into Wing Foiling....really only if it makes sense for a watersport in the lighter wind areas where I hang out in summers....eg we stay on waterfront at Hornby Island most of July and Kootenay Lake most of August.

Hornby often has a steady 10-12 summer breeze in Lambert Channel, would launch from the Hornby ferry spit across to Denman.

At Kootenay Lake we stay right on the lake and its breezy...eg 7-10 most days, very long reach (3 km), with decently steady wind with very smooth rippled water. I would need to paddle out a bit as the wind becomes steadier about 100m offshore (we’re in a bit of a bay).

We have a ski boat that I could practice behind for foiling.

Also got a 11'2" SUP to practice winging on.

Me: 165 lbs, windsurfing experience, some SUP surfing, limited ws foil experience.

Thinking of the following for a Wing Foil set up....for light winds (for now)....and maybe the odd foil SUP surfing on small waves:

Wing Board: I like the looks of the Armstrong 6'6" (132L)...ya I know its big (I'm around 77kg in rubber). I know most will say go smaller. But the goal is to ultimately just cruise around on a Wing in low winds and I want to learn...quickly, in lighter winds. And the Armstrong board chart shows the 6'6" Wing SUP as the suitable SUP size for my weight for foil SUP surfing.

Say I need smaller wing after learning....sell the big wing for $500, buy a new smaller wing for $1,000....so out $500...but I bet the bigger wing reduces learning time by `3-5 hours....well worth it ?

Wing: Armstrong A-Wing 5.5M or Duotone Echo 5.0M?

Mast: go right to the Armstrong M85 (ie not the M72)? Will it matter in really flat water?

Foil:....hmmm.... HS1850 for all around....or.....the CF2400? I saw a vid of a guy learning on the Armstrong 6'6" and the huge CF2400 front foil wing. Seemed pretty stable and much easier to learn on. Slower yes. But not looking for speed or jumps. Could always add a smaller, higher-aspect front wing later. My goal is NOT high speed right now. I can do that windsurf foiling on my AFS foil. If the light wind works then would get a smaller HS front wing and smaller tail wing?

Re the rest of the Armstrong foil set-up...the TC60 fuselage and HS232 tail wing seem a no brainer for the 1850. Not sure with the CF2400, maybe the CF300 tail wing?

And WTF? is Armstrong's A+ system...are their new fuselage's the A+ system. The retrofit video drilling into the carbon wings looks sketch?

Sorry if any questions seem stupid. Just started researching. I'm gonna talk to Armstrong too. Dang it’s pricey. I'd be selling a flatwater or surf SUP to finance a few of the $.

PS....here's a vid talking about the huge CF2400....he talks about using a giant front wing at 1:37 for low speed, high lift when learning wing foiling in light winds? And at 1:58 is the breezy conditions we often see on Kootenay Lake in summer? Which is why I'm looking for a light wind set up.

Thoughts/comments appreciated?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xei291TON-0

Thanks,

Keith

superdave wrote:Hey Keith, get into winging. I've got the Armstrong 6'6" (100kg wet) and 3.5 m and 4.5 m A-Wings so thought I'd chime in. I wanted a big stable board that could be used for winging/SUP foil. The 6'6" is strong and light. The carbon is high quality and the bottom and rails are extremely ding resistant for a board of its weight. The top of the board outside the deck pad is much softer (inegra glass I think) and will end up with shallow dents from face plants. I totally believe in the shape of the 6'6" - it just works so well off foil and on. I can't believe how many times I've touched down on the tops of swells when pumping and just bounced off the ocean. Same for the rails, tapped the surface so many times on jibes in lighter wind and the board just doesn't stick to the water. I think it's a light wind weapon...to be determined in the coming months!

Wing size/brand is a tough one and I have pretty limited experience with different brands (Ozone V1 4 m was my first wing). Increased size and weight are not good attributes (ALUULA anyone?). I expect you might find the 5.5 m Armstrong to be a bit big and heavy (especially for learning), but possibly necessary to go into the 7 knot range. A smaller wing will be much easier to pump, so the low end performance gap narrows. The smaller wing will also be easier to handle through transitions, which will reduce crashes and re-starts. There is probably only a 2-3 knots improvement in low end with each size of the A-Wing and each size up is noticeably heavier. I would lean towards a 4.5 m A-Wing for your weight, it's a very powerful wing. I know the channel at Hornby and I expect I could get going on my 3.5 m most days thanks to my big board...and if I couldn't at least I could float back to the beach.

I don't have Armstrong foils but the 2400 is a big foil with some drag for sure, especially the V1. I wouldn't be surprised if you could pump up on the HS1850 in less wind once you have your technique dialed. Definitely go 85 cm mast.

firstonlastoff wrote:I just sold off all of my really big ( traditional ) gear. Hadn't used that in about three years or so. Just have two wave boards and several small windsurfing sails left in my basement, and I will keep that gear and keep sailing it.

I am watching and lurking. All foiling looks like fun, just the dollar barrier & recent border closures are why I am hesitating buying in. I definitely like the smaller boards for wing-foiling and wind-foiling.

I really want to be abler to ride in the usual summer breeze wind strength at Jericho, so that will be the ultimate decider for me, either wing or wind foiling.

@KC7777, my ski quiver is now almost as big as my wave sail quiver. Where did I learn to do that ? I didn't get a single day in at the frozen water places in BC that have power-on-the-up services, all self-powered locales for me this winter ! Bibby Tour and Shifts !

KC7777 wrote: Re wing foiling...I'm fighting between "just buy it" and "don't just jump into expensive gear like KC7777 did in the old days".....