I bought this gear maybe 2~3 years ago and out of frustration - failure to fly - I gave up on it. 68 yo, 97 kg +/-.
In my locale: low wind speeds are the norm. I have to wait days or weeks just to find a day with 15 mph breeze. We typically see 8 to 12 mph. I've decided to give my Levitator another try but with a bit more patience and much more attention to detail.
My gear for foiling: slingshot levitator 160 w/o foot straps mounted (I read it might be best to start without them if you're in light air). Foils: I'm starting with my i99 and a 48cm stabilizer although I have the 42cm available as well. I came across a video that says I definitely had my 48cm stabilizer upside down in my last session. Winglets on the front foil and the 48cm stabilizer should both be pointing down. Oops. I added a label "this side up" as appropriate for my 48 and 42 (which need to be reversed from each other).
I'd like to be sure I have a reasonable understanding of how to initially set this up for a guy my size. My last settings were mast track midway between front and back. Mast base about 2/3 of the distance in the mast track forward (i.e. - closer to the nose by a cm or two). I've read this in the archives but I *think* if I'm breaching to easily, I need to move my mast base forward which I believe will put more downward pressure on the nose.
I do have to be cautious with depths. First of all, I only start a session one to two hours before high tide. Also, I am starting with the 46 cm mast initially until I feel I'm "getting a feel" for this rig. I also have a 61cm and 90 cm mast. I plan to do several more sessions on the 46 and if I'm feeling somewhat in control, I'll move on to the 61 mast so I can have longer flight times. (Wishful thinking?)
When I tried a few years ago I found myself breaching, fishtailing and crashing so my current plan is to just do touch-and-goes, get a small flight then come back down again, repeat, repeat until I feel I have control. Then I can head a few towns away for deeper water and much longer reaches.
Sails: SW Flyer 7.0, SW Flyer 8.5. My next closest sized non-foil-specific sails are Ezzy Zeta 6.4, Ezzy Cheetah 7.5 and Ezzy Elite 5.0. *I'm assuming my best sail for this is the Flyer 7.0*. I'm starting to think I'll never use the SW Flyer 8.5 since it might be just too darn big. After reading posts, people seem to be split between fuse position B and fuse position C. I flipped a coin and decided to go with C since I am using the i99.When will I know it's time to move the foil mast track forward or back?
When will I know it's time to move the mast base forward or back?
I'd heard that Wyatt Miller recommended 29" between the mast base and the leading edge of the front foil. I assume he meant from the center of the mast base to the leading edge of the front wing. Does that also hold true for position C? Without putting together a storyboard and hanging plumb-bobs off it to compensate for the boards longitudinal curvature, by best measurements indicate that I only have 26 3/4" to 27" where he calls for 29". I could move the foil mast track back a few inches or I could split it by moving the foil mast further back by 1" and also moving the mast base forward another inch. I did read posts from excav8tor saying he goes for around 42" where Wyatt was calling for 29".
I also heard Flyer sails should be rigged with light downhaul tension. I'm not sure about outhaul. With the larger sails (for a foil board) what should I do about mast base position?
There seem to be quite a few subtleties to deal to getting things setup properly and getting things dialed in. My big limitation is waiting for wind. Maybe starting in September we'll see that pick up a bit.
I would consider the B position just because it's stronger, the slide the foil mast forward to get the center of the wing between your feet.
The sail mast around 39-40" forward of the foil mast will work, this isn't that critical.
Personally I think the 42 tail is much better for windfoiling.
Use the longest mast you can without running into the bottom. Short masts are extremely reactive and only used by experts in the wing or SUP world. Slingshot gave out garbage advice to learn on short masts and it stuck in the windfoil community.
I don't think the 8.5 is too big, you may find it to be your favorite light wind sail once you learn to pump. Agree with Grantmac that you'll probably want to use a taller mast because it gives you more margin to breaching. It may freak you out first but it will give you more time to shift your hips forward and correct. When you get better you'll probably also want to get an adjustable outhaul for your boom as it will make a big difference in upwind/downwind performance and feel and you'll get a better understanding of what the sail needs.
If you really have to lean back heavily to get flying, you can try shifting the foil forward 1cm and going again. You may have to experiment a little with that. The older boards needed the 99 in C position for the best behavior but without straps and not jibing on the foil yet it may not matter as much as you can just ride more aft. Or your rear leg will feel it a bit. It may just be awkward a bit with aft weight to pop up if it's really too far back.
Most of my early flights were with an 8.0 ezzy cheetah and the 99 on pretty light days, but I always used the 42 stab. My weight was 85-90kg and I was on a hybrid board. That levitator should be a lot better. Someone was out this weekend on that board and a 9.0 ncx just doing short runs to get used to foiling like that. It didn't look too big for that wide board.
The 46 mast is too short to get any control, should just give you the feeling of how fast you need to go before you start lifting up. Even the 61 is too short, will not give you enough reaction time for sustained flights, but if you crash will be less impact.
Your first step should be to balance your rig and foil so that when you start planing you only need a light back pressure to come up on the foil. Once you are up and going if you need to keep pushing the back foot to stay level you can move the foil mast forward or the sail mast backward. If the opposite happens that the board comes up and is hard to keep down do the opposite. I would also start with front foot straps inboard and in a middle position so you have a point of reference. Going completely strapless you might be all over the place in the beginning. Dont worry about rear straps.
I used i84 and i99 in C (wing most forward position) with 42cm stab (not a fan of the 48cm fuse but if you use it winglets should point to the sea floor). Make sure you have the 78cm long fuse.
Select to expand quotethedoor said..
As mentioned the 48 cm mast is useless, the 60cm is mostly useless unless your water is flat
For a little more detail on this, I have a 72, 87, and 103 phantasm mast. I only use the 72cm mast when it's very shallow (dropping tide) at one particular spot, everywhere else is deep enough to use the 87 or 103, or I just go there only on high tide.
When I used the i76 and i99, both tended to shoot to the surface in swells/chop, and extra mast length really helped. The ptm926 wing is the only one I've ridden with the 72 mast because it doesn't tend to shoot up from extra swell power, but I'd rather use the 87 mast at least.
46cm mast?
I did not know they exist.
I dont sea any purpose in such a short mast.
When starting to foil, pitch control is one of your first challenges.
Make sure you use a mast of at least 80 cm.
Dont bother about sails yet.(old wave sail will do fine)
Make sure you're powered up.
if you make your first flights, try to figure out your stand for stable flights.
Stay away from the edges of your board.
If in doubt of your setup settings just let an experienced foiler try your gear.
