Forums > Windsurfing Foiling

New foil setup?

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Created by excav8ter A week ago, 13 Feb 2026
excav8ter
593 posts
13 Feb 2026 10:32PM
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I'm in the market for a new windsurf foil. I have a Cedrus Forged aluminum mast, and I'm looking for a new plane to go with it. Thinking of getting a SABfoil VENTO 969-903-370, and then maybe a smaller front foil in the next few months. Looking for a foil for cruising, carving and hopefully riding small swells down wind. Am I on the right track? I'm 57, 230lbs riding a custom board from Reef Warrior. 6'4"x31" and 144L

Mr Keen
QLD, 690 posts
14 Feb 2026 3:21AM
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I run with the 909 and 395. I find the 395 plenty loose enough. If you are still in La Ventana and have board here, bring it to South Beach and take it for a test run

Taavi
417 posts
14 Feb 2026 2:52AM
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For me the 969 370 is great for relaxed cruising around, but I am light weight, 72 kg. For you it would work for swell riding for sure.



excav8ter
593 posts
14 Feb 2026 9:20PM
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Mr Keen said..
I run with the 909 and 395. I find the 395 plenty loose enough. If you are still in La Ventana and have board here, bring it to South Beach and take it for a test run


I should have reached out to you while we were there. We were on the beach at the end of the road. Basically between Chillo Chill glamping and Pro windsurf La Ventana. The wind was odd last week. Several of us struggled to get offshore because the wind was so light close to the beach. I tried winging for a few days but ended up too frustrated. I went and talked to Wyatt and he hooked me up with a board and basically an i76 foil on a 103cm mast. Had a blast overall, but that i76 foil was not great. Haha.

Mr Keen
QLD, 690 posts
15 Feb 2026 1:50AM
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excav8ter said..

Mr Keen said..
I run with the 909 and 395. I find the 395 plenty loose enough. If you are still in La Ventana and have board here, bring it to South Beach and take it for a test run



I should have reached out to you while we were there. We were on the beach at the end of the road. Basically between Chillo Chill glamping and Pro windsurf La Ventana. The wind was odd last week. Several of us struggled to get offshore because the wind was so light close to the beach. I tried winging for a few days but ended up too frustrated. I went and talked to Wyatt and he hooked me up with a board and basically an i76 foil on a 103cm mast. Had a blast overall, but that i76 foil was not great. Haha.


Ha ha, I was the guy you first spoke to when you came to find Wyatt. Next time Go for it on the Sabfoil....

excav8ter
593 posts
15 Feb 2026 12:08AM
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Mr Keen said..

excav8ter said..


Mr Keen said..
I run with the 909 and 395. I find the 395 plenty loose enough. If you are still in La Ventana and have board here, bring it to South Beach and take it for a test run




I should have reached out to you while we were there. We were on the beach at the end of the road. Basically between Chillo Chill glamping and Pro windsurf La Ventana. The wind was odd last week. Several of us struggled to get offshore because the wind was so light close to the beach. I tried winging for a few days but ended up too frustrated. I went and talked to Wyatt and he hooked me up with a board and basically an i76 foil on a 103cm mast. Had a blast overall, but that i76 foil was not great. Haha.



Ha ha, I was the guy you first spoke to when you came to find Wyatt. Next time Go for it on the Sabfoil....


Does Wyatt have SAB? I wasn't asking for a lot because I was just happy that he would rent me something to ride. In hindsight, I'd have left my winging gear home and traveled light, and rent from Wyatt. I was told he didn't rent to non guests though. Do you think the SAB 969 will have enough lift for me? I saw that the take off speed was listed around 10-12 knots. Seems like a lot of board speed to get on foil. I am guessing that the 969 would need 15 knots plus to get going?

Mr Keen
QLD, 690 posts
15 Feb 2026 2:21AM
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Wyatt does not have Sabfoil (all slingshot) but definatly has better than the I76. You will be fine on the 969. The 909 ar 1000cm2 has equal takeoff as my 899 at 1360cm2
Get it going in 10-12 knots wind.
I have the 769 and is good in 15 knots +.

excav8ter
593 posts
15 Feb 2026 7:58AM
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Mr Keen said..
Wyatt does not have Sabfoil (all slingshot) but definatly has better than the I76. You will be fine on the 969. The 909 ar 1000cm2 has equal takeoff as my 899 at 1360cm2
Get it going in 10-12 knots wind.
I have the 769 and is good in 15 knots +.


I'll have MACkite look into the SAB 969 plane for me. But since they aren't selling SAB too much these days, I'll probably order it direct when we get closer to spring here in Michigan.

Grantmac
2336 posts
16 Feb 2026 12:57AM
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The 909 is a VERY good foil. I'm winging it and am extremely tempted to get the WS fuselage for light wind days. You may wish to go up on the stab size, the 370 is very loose.

excav8ter
593 posts
16 Feb 2026 1:06AM
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Grantmac said..
The 909 is a VERY good foil. I'm winging it and am extremely tempted to get the WS fuselage for light wind days. You may wish to go up on the stab size, the 370 is very loose.


Thanks for the tip. I'm guessing I'd have to order a larger stab separately? What size would you recommend? I stepped back from wind foiling last spring to try wing foiling again, and hopefully get my jibes down. But I really miss wind foiling. Hoping I can find a balance and do both.

Mr Keen
QLD, 690 posts
Monday , 16 Feb 2026 11:17AM
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Grantmac said..
The 909 is a VERY good foil. I'm winging it and am extremely tempted to get the WS fuselage for light wind days. You may wish to go up on the stab size, the 370 is very loose.


You won't regret it, session below 15-20 knots 3.3 freek 909 with 395 stab




Grantmac
2336 posts
Monday , 16 Feb 2026 12:51PM
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excav8ter said..

Grantmac said..
The 909 is a VERY good foil. I'm winging it and am extremely tempted to get the WS fuselage for light wind days. You may wish to go up on the stab size, the 370 is very loose.



Thanks for the tip. I'm guessing I'd have to order a larger stab separately? What size would you recommend? I stepped back from wind foiling last spring to try wing foiling again, and hopefully get my jibes down. But I really miss wind foiling. Hoping I can find a balance and do both


I'd go to one of the curved stabs with a bit more area.
Gullwing 430 if you want easy.
Reverse 395 if you want more sporty.

The 370 is what I have and I think it would be a handful windfoiling.

jstone1
39 posts
Monday , 16 Feb 2026 10:22PM
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Yep the 909/370 combo is great. Tho as mentioned the 370 flat is "loose". One can break it away and ride semi diagonally quite easily! Feels like strange spinout when I do it inadvertently...

A stab with some more grip isn't a bad idea for extra drive.

excav8ter
593 posts
Thursday , 19 Feb 2026 9:41AM
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Grantmac said..


excav8ter said..



Grantmac said..
The 909 is a VERY good foil. I'm winging it and am extremely tempted to get the WS fuselage for light wind days. You may wish to go up on the stab size, the 370 is very loose.





Thanks for the tip. I'm guessing I'd have to order a larger stab separately? What size would you recommend? I stepped back from wind foiling last spring to try wing foiling again, and hopefully get my jibes down. But I really miss wind foiling. Hoping I can find a balance and do both




I'd go to one of the curved stabs with a bit more area.
Gullwing 430 if you want easy.
Reverse 395 if you want more sporty.

The 370 is what I have and I think it would be a handful windfoiling.



Thank you! I'm cautiously optimistic that the SAB foil set up will be better than the Axis HPS1050 and BSC1060 that I was riding. On those foils I constantly fought over foiling in windy conditions. Especially when I'd try to cruise on a wave. Our waves on Lake Michigan are very short period and very steep.

With those Axis foils I mentioned, my smallest sail was a 3.8 Sailworks Revolution. I'd be basically at my limit by the time the wind hit 22-25mph. The 3.8 would feel too big. Maybe it was just the foil?

joe87879
58 posts
Friday , 19 Feb 2026 11:06PM
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Why not look at GoFoils.
Reef Warrior boards are made for them.
I ride my reef warrior goose 144l with the maliko 280, 200, iwa and i recently picked up a NL220.
Gofoil are now selling a 4" fuse extender to make it a more stable setup. I have one but am waiting for the ice to melt before I try it.
It is a great system for lake huron waves where I sail. Not fast by any means, but very early lift and incredible turning ability on the great lakes waves.
Well constructed and lots of used wings available.
Joe

utcminusfour
775 posts
Friday , 20 Feb 2026 7:07AM
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Select to expand quote
excav8ter said..

Grantmac said..



excav8ter said..




Grantmac said..
The 909 is a VERY good foil. I'm winging it and am extremely tempted to get the WS fuselage for light wind days. You may wish to go up on the stab size, the 370 is very loose.






Thanks for the tip. I'm guessing I'd have to order a larger stab separately? What size would you recommend? I stepped back from wind foiling last spring to try wing foiling again, and hopefully get my jibes down. But I really miss wind foiling. Hoping I can find a balance and do both





I'd go to one of the curved stabs with a bit more area.
Gullwing 430 if you want easy.
Reverse 395 if you want more sporty.

The 370 is what I have and I think it would be a handful windfoiling.




Thank you! I'm cautiously optimistic that the SAB foil set up will be better than the Axis HPS1050 and BSC1060 that I was riding. On those foils I constantly fought over foiling in windy conditions. Especially when I'd try to cruise on a wave. Our waves on Lake Michigan are very short period and very steep.

With those Axis foils I mentioned, my smallest sail was a 3.8 Sailworks Revolution. I'd be basically at my limit by the time the wind hit 22-25mph. The 3.8 would feel too big. Maybe it was just the foil?


Hey Mate,
What fuse are you using with your Axis foils? Do you have one the few boards Casey built with tracks? The wind speeds and sail sizes you are talking about are reasonable, 25 is a lot of wind and those are powerful wings. The axis 899 windsurf fuse options all place the front wing really far forward and that might be your challenge especially if you are light. I am exploring Axis atm and with the black 899 v1 windsurf fuse I have my foil at the back of the tracks and the sail at the front to get the balance right.

excav8ter
593 posts
Saturday , 20 Feb 2026 11:43PM
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Select to expand quote
joe87879 said..
Why not look at GoFoils.
Reef Warrior boards are made for them.
I ride my reef warrior goose 144l with the maliko 280, 200, iwa and i recently picked up a NL220.
Gofoil are now selling a 4" fuse extender to make it a more stable setup. I have one but am waiting for the ice to melt before I try it.
It is a great system for lake huron waves where I sail. Not fast by any means, but very early lift and incredible turning ability on the great lakes waves.
Well constructed and lots of used wings available.
Joe


Thanks Joe. Casey and I met a few years back when he finished my board. He tried it out with my Axis BSC1060 and was very happy with how it performed. My problem isn't getting lift early it's getting too much lift when it's windy.

excav8ter
593 posts
Saturday , 20 Feb 2026 11:50PM
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utcminusfour said..


excav8ter said..



Grantmac said..





excav8ter said..






Grantmac said..
The 909 is a VERY good foil. I'm winging it and am extremely tempted to get the WS fuselage for light wind days. You may wish to go up on the stab size, the 370 is very loose.








Thanks for the tip. I'm guessing I'd have to order a larger stab separately? What size would you recommend? I stepped back from wind foiling last spring to try wing foiling again, and hopefully get my jibes down. But I really miss wind foiling. Hoping I can find a balance and do both







I'd go to one of the curved stabs with a bit more area.
Gullwing 430 if you want easy.
Reverse 395 if you want more sporty.

The 370 is what I have and I think it would be a handful windfoiling.






Thank you! I'm cautiously optimistic that the SAB foil set up will be better than the Axis HPS1050 and BSC1060 that I was riding. On those foils I constantly fought over foiling in windy conditions. Especially when I'd try to cruise on a wave. Our waves on Lake Michigan are very short period and very steep.

With those Axis foils I mentioned, my smallest sail was a 3.8 Sailworks Revolution. I'd be basically at my limit by the time the wind hit 22-25mph. The 3.8 would feel too big. Maybe it was just the foil?




Hey Mate,
What fuse are you using with your Axis foils? Do you have one the few boards Casey built with tracks? The wind speeds and sail sizes you are talking about are reasonable, 25 is a lot of wind and those are powerful wings. The axis 899 windsurf fuse options all place the front wing really far forward and that might be your challenge especially if you are light. I am exploring Axis atm and with the black 899 v1 windsurf fuse I have my foil at the back of the tracks and the sail at the front to get the balance right.



I was using the red windsurf fuse with my BSC1060 and 1120, the black windsurf fuse with the HPS1050. Casey made my board with 16" Chinook tracks in it, and deviated from his normal dimensions. My board, The Goose X is 6'4"x31" and 144L. I love the board a lot. But I want to keep foiling in 25mph plus. That's why I have been looking at a different brand. The Axis stuff is great, but so few people use it for wind foiling from what I can see. I'm the only one in my area who wind foils. I hope the SAB line up with be better for me. I will keep in mind that I may need to play around more with the foil mast position this spring.
I'm also not "light" at 230 pounds and 6'4" tall. Haha.

utcminusfour
775 posts
Sunday , 22 Feb 2026 12:30AM
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I thought I remembered you had tracks. When it warms up try it with the foil all the way back and sail full forward. Mackite will let you demo wings right? Maybe try spitfire wings, I have been really impressed with them once I realized that I needed to move the foil full aft.

utcminusfour
775 posts
Sunday , 22 Feb 2026 12:30AM
Thumbs Up

I thought I remembered you had tracks. When it warms up try it with the foil all the way back and sail full forward. Mackite will let you demo wings right? Maybe try spitfire wings, I have been really impressed with them once I realized that I needed to move the foil full aft.

utcminusfour
775 posts
Sunday , 22 Feb 2026 12:30AM
Thumbs Up

I thought I remembered you had tracks. When it warms up try it with the foil all the way back and sail full forward. Mackite will let you demo wings right? Maybe try spitfire wings, I have been really impressed with them once I realized that I needed to move the foil full aft.

Grantmac
2336 posts
Sunday , 22 Feb 2026 12:47AM
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Axis wings tend to be thick with a lot of camber. Makes them change lift rapidly as speed increases. Wingers counter that with very small tails bit that isn't very possible when windfoiling.

excav8ter
593 posts
Monday , 22 Feb 2026 11:49PM
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Select to expand quote
utcminusfour said..
I thought I remembered you had tracks. When it warms up try it with the foil all the way back and sail full forward. Mackite will let you demo wings right? Maybe try spitfire wings, I have been really impressed with them once I realized that I needed to move the foil full aft.


I can demo wings for sure. But I'd have to buy a new fuse and stabs too. I sold everything I had that was Axis, except for a Black, Advanced short fuse.

thedoor
2484 posts
Yesterday , 23 Feb 2026 10:57AM
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I run my 909 with the 450 stab, but I am outlier. If you want a more locked in feel I would go 430. For flat water riding I still prefer the original balz so don't sleep on the 899 or even 999 for light wind esp at your ammount of muscle



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"New foil setup?" started by excav8ter