I have the ha1400 and I'm able to use it in fairly light winds. I weigh 155 lb and I would like to get a smaller wing for higher winds. I'm wondering if the 1040 would be a good choice or if that's too much of a step down. I can only afford one. I generally use a 4m wing and an 85 l hoverboard. Can anybody out there using both the 1040 and the 1240 give me some insight.
Thanks.
1st, you belong in SUP website for foils.
OK, there is NO jump between your 2 mentioned Naish foils.
You need to get down to 914 or even the 2 smaller kite foils to feel a 3 knot difference for foiling up out of the water.
Your 2 mentioned might have a .5 difference in boat speed needed to foil.
Plenty of guys will soon tell you you need the 1040 because THEY use wingfoils that are 1600 up to 2400.
You already KNOW a 1400 is plenty for winds from 8-13 knots.
I should mention a handful of wingers here in BerkeleyCa have learned on 850 sq cm foils, even in 8-13 knot breezes. Of course, they prefer 10-20.
I windfoil on 1220 and 600 foils.
The 600 gets used any time gusts are over 14 knots.
The 1220 get's use 1 out of 5 days when it's lighter. 72 kg. rider.
It takes about 2 knot more boats peed with the 600 over what is needed for the 1220.
With foiling, the lower the drag, the faster you go. But it's a trade off, you also get a higher stall speed and less wave effect.
So if your predominantly flat water and want to blast around at high speed, small is good. But if you want to use the swell to power you, flagging the wing or sail, your going to need a bit of wing area.
I'm currently using the HA1240, I'm only interested in swell riding, it pumps really well and turns fast. . I have the HA1040 on order, bit of an experiment, I'm mindful that it will loose pumpability and wave effect but aiming to use it on the howling days. Saying that I've never had a problem controlling the HA1240 up to 25 knots of wind.
Actually, the 600 kitewing rides windswell of 16 knot breeze almost as well as the 1220.
Yes, maybe 2 more mph is needed, but that is only about 10% more speed.
So you end up going faster and more distance, no biggie.
I would go 1040 under the 1400, that 1040 will fly earlier than you think! I currently have 1480 HA as my go to wing, have access to 1800LA and 2200LA via the school I teach at. My next size down is 880cm2 and thats fine, not too much of a gap.
