Hi everyone,
I'm from the States and have been browsing the forums for quite some time. This really is the best place to get info on gear, skills, etc.
I recently purchased a discounted Y25 RRD H-Fire Pro 91 cm 155L foil board, and paired it with a Severne RedWing 1400 based on a shop recommendation. I'm a beginner foiler, but I've been a flatwater, big-sail, 90 kg seat-harness guy for years.
Before I reshaped the holes to fit the RedWing, a couple of people reached out and told me not to pair that board with that foil. That started a huge deep dive into foiling setups-something I now wish I'd done before making purchases. I was just trying to get gear before the tariffs hit.
My friends said the board geometry doesn't fit that foil well. They mentioned it would feel unbalanced because the fuselage is too short, specifically the distance from the front wing to the mast. They recommended at least a 100 cm fuselage and something more race-oriented-higher aspect, wider span front wing, etc.
I reached out to Severne and they said the board would work. The shop I purchased from also told me to avoid high-aspect foils, saying they're extremely difficult to learn on.
So basically, I'm torn on what to do. Do I return the foil? I've been looking at the RRD Dynamic Pro foils, which have a 115 cm fuselage, and I could swap the front wing for a 965 and a 250 stab for better stability than the stock 768/214. Or do I return the board (shipping would be expensive) and get something like the Severne Alien? Or maybe I just keep both and add an 1800 front wing with more span for better stability on the H-Fire.
Has anyone used these foils with a setup like mine? I'm hoping to ride mostly in 8-15 knots to start, and more wind later on if I improve.
Thanks for reading, and keep up the great discussions!,
Matt
Can you return the friends? 
Is it an ideal pairing? Probably not. Will it work? imho, well enough for where you are, your size, etc. Your life will be much easier with a floaty board and a wing that will lift you easily. The board should have plenty of volume and the foil wing enough area so that you come out of the water at a low enough speed that you don't need a lot of power and are comfortable.
There is no magic formula in terms of fuselage length for a given board size. The way a foil behaves depends on a bunch of things, just one of them being fuselage length. And, for a given length, how the foil behaves will also depend up your front wing chord, straps/mast base locations, stab size, stab angle, stab shape even the projection of the wing in front of the foil (ie two 115 fuselages can be different from one another such as the original SB 115 and the IQ 115). Shorter fuses tend to be less pitch stable. I say tend because I had an AFS 95 (RIP) that was something like 88, that was a stable as some 105 fuses because of the wing chord and stab set up. Generally, fuses from the low 90s to 115 work well for windfoiling.
As for balancing your gear, there are lots of tuning options to get things sorted - again, front strap location, mast base, stab angle and boom height all make a difference and in some cases a considerable difference. I'd reach out to both the shop and Severne and get a general range of recommended settings for the distance from the front tuttle screw to the mast base and start from there. I'm guessing it'll be around 102-108cm for a board like yours. I'm also sure that someone here will chime in, too.
Your shop is entirely correct. At your size and skill level, a smaller foil is going to make everything harder. Later, when you have better skills and have your jibes workable you can move to smaller but doing it too soon just makes everything harder than it needs to be. When good mid-aspect 1300-1500 wings became available a few years back was when so many people really started to have fun recreational foiling. Many graduated to smaller, faster wings as their skills improved, others have stayed solidly with those kinds of wings.
I would suggest that your board is a bit aggressive for your skill level if you use the back straps. I'd suggest starting without them. They are going to place your feet too far outboard on a board that has a fairly wide tail. Again, as your skills improve and you may want to try them especially for going upwind but at this point, they'll be more trouble than they are worth.
Not me but someone who's just been foiling a few months and just upgraded his gear to a set up similar to yours. His local shop is really good and could have easily sold him a racier foil but instead on something similar to what you have.
Had to Google board and foil... Looks like its a race foil board with turtle box only. Not sure if it's a great starting point for foiling. But fuselage from 90-115 should work on it, mid aspect larger >1300cm2 modern front wing
I think your setup should work.
Don't buy a 1800 wing, that is way to big.
What sails will you be using?
The redwing is a freeride foil, it probably will work best with mastbase all the way back and sails up to 6m2.
I started windfoiling without straps, this makes you more flexible in feet placement and therefore having a better feel where the balancepoint is.
There will be a couple of programmed windsurftechniqes you will have to unlearn/relearn.
Just go out there and once up in the air keep your sail and stance upright and try and feel the character of the foil.
Good luck
I would not modify that board just to fit a foil settup you are likely outgrowing in a season. The foil is fine to learn on it. The board is however a foil slalom board with wery wide strap positions. You will have diffculty learning and getting your feet in the correct positions in the begining. I would pair that boarrd with a more frerace oriented foil later on and. Use the curent foil on an old freride board, to learn how to foil. The board is going to get bashed so better to use an old one.
Select to expand quoteKarbonko said..
I would not modify that board just to fit a foil settup you are likely outgrowing in a season. The foil is fine to learn on it. The board is however a foil slalom board with wery wide strap positions. You will have diffculty learning and getting your feet in the correct positions in the begining. I would pair that boarrd with a more frerace oriented foil later on and. Use the curent foil on an old freride board, to learn how to foil. The board is going to get bashed so better to use an old one.
Well it has a rear center footstrap just ahead of the foil box. I was planning to do a footstrap there and then most inward front straps.
Select to expand quoteRawkAttack said..Karbonko said..
I would not modify that board just to fit a foil settup you are likely outgrowing in a season. The foil is fine to learn on it. The board is however a foil slalom board with wery wide strap positions. You will have diffculty learning and getting your feet in the correct positions in the begining. I would pair that boarrd with a more frerace oriented foil later on and. Use the curent foil on an old freride board, to learn how to foil. The board is going to get bashed so better to use an old one.
Well it has a rear center footstrap just ahead of the foil box. I was planning to do a footstrap there and then most inward front straps.
My advice to start foiling, remove foot straps from the board completely for now, long harness lines and don't use them much if you can help it, lower boom, don't stand on the rails, more in board feet position
Paducah is correct. Return the friends.
That foil setup (assuming you have the 95cm fuselage) is about as easy to learn on as you'd find - smooth and quick to plane, stable, reasonably fast, turns well. When you outgrow it I'll buy it from you and put it under my Alien for lightwind days. Is the board a little too wide? Probably - 81 or 85 cm would be a better match perhaps, but it's not going to matter. If you have inboard inserts on the front, use them. Don't even install a back strap until you're comfortable flying. The most important dimension is front bolt to masttrack and the RRD should be fine - aim for around 41" to start with from front bolt to UJ and adjust from there - back for earlier lift and looser feel, forward if overpowered.
Select to expand quoteRawkAttack said..Karbonko said..
I would not modify that board just to fit a foil settup you are likely outgrowing in a season. The foil is fine to learn on it. The board is however a foil slalom board with wery wide strap positions. You will have diffculty learning and getting your feet in the correct positions in the begining. I would pair that boarrd with a more frerace oriented foil later on and. Use the curent foil on an old freride board, to learn how to foil. The board is going to get bashed so better to use an old one.
Well it has a rear center footstrap just ahead of the foil box. I was planning to do a footstrap there and then most inward front straps.
I meant the front straps have a very wide stance for the begining. Remove the rear straps completely, you dont need them for now.
Its a good board but like i said i would not modify it just to mount beginer foil... Just my opinion.
Check the distance from the middle of the Tuttle box & the middle of the mast track, the 145 Alien measures 1080mm.
If your board is close to that it will be fine, I would remove all foot straps so as their positioning is not affecting things.
When you are up & going see where your front foot needs to be & if the footstraps positions are correct.
Nothing wrong with the Redwings, I've been on them for a few years now & the 1400 is my favourite.
Severne have just released a 1200 & an 850 High Aspect so it will be interesting to see how they go.
