Realistically, if you're not a heavyweight, ditch the paddle. No real need for it and you can ride a much smaller board, sub your body weight. But factor in an extra battery, 20-25 mins of constant foiling and the battery is drained.
My light wind dream has been realised !
8M Strike CWC
GoFoil GT2200 with 20" tail
Kalama E3 DW 6'1" x 23' @ 105litres
FD+ set at 130mm from bottom of board (as high as possible, so minimal drag when up on foil)
Me @ 80kg
So what made this session so enjoyable was the total lack of frustration.
I got going in the very first gust that came along, I was about 20 metres from shore in between the moored yachts
No mad pumping of wings or board, just using the FD to get initial board speed from the windless floating starts, then pumping the wing a few times to get out of the water and hear the prop spitting......
In the lulls I was able to pump the wing in a circular loop in front of me to stay up and if started to lose height a few board pumps got me up and gliding again.
Im winging in a harbour type area with lots of surrounding land masses that create fickle winds and large dead spots, but using the cruise control I was able to reposition myself where I could see the "darkies" and grab the gusts to get up and flying. During the periods where there was absolutely no wind and I was just bobbing about on the glassy water I wasn't stressed or frustrated as I knew I was guaranteed to get up as soon as I got a bit of breeze.
I had a heap of runs and came in very satisfied and Im sure if anyone was watching from the shore they would have thought I was a wing Ninja to be up and flying in such conditions.
It's definitely not my skill, I am laying the praise squarely on the right equipment for the conditions
So I'm seriously thinking of ordering the Project Cedrus Foil Drive + with the 80 cm mast and the motor set at the efoil (low) position. These 3 recent videos from Dominic Hoskyns are what convinced me. I really think I will like the efoil position better than the assist position for the conditions I'll ride in, and some of the flat water riding he's doing on his prone sinker boards actually looks like a fun workout. Im 77 kg and I'd just rig it onto my Cabrinha Code 5'0" wing board to start with. I'd definitely bring it on our next trip to see the kids in Australia next Dec. Around $4100 USD shipped to North Carolina (excluding the Project Cedrus adaptor to my Gong foil gear). Tried to join the FD Face Book group but I've been "pending" for a week now.
I promised the wife she gets priority this year with play toys (new hybrid bike and new carbon fiber racing level SUP board), so adding a Foil Drive onto the list will require every bit of my devoted husbandly charm and good behavior
Yeah it does take a while to be included into the facebook group. It's such a positive vibe, I'm loving reading through it. So many are happy to just post their experiences and ideas and just bounce off each other, and this simple setup is clearly so ripe for innovation. Foildrive is a tiny passionate Ozzy group, and it's clear from these threads they're doing everything possible to deliver a positive experience.
I placed my order through KiteAndSup Friday, apparently it was the 4th order Dave received that week! I think you need one too Warwick!
Select to expand quoteCOL said..
Yeah it does take a while to be included into the facebook group. It's such a positive vibe, I'm loving reading through it. So many are happy to just post their experiences and ideas and just bounce off each other, and this simple setup is clearly so ripe for innovation. Foildrive is a tiny passionate Ozzy group, and it's clear from these threads they're doing everything possible to deliver a positive experience.
I placed my order through KiteAndSup Friday, apparently it was the 4th order Dave received that week! I think you need one too Warwick!
It is high on my list however, so is another Fliteboard efoil, sold my Series 1.
