Starboard 147 and Foils - Severne Hyperglide 9.0

Have now done enough sessions on the Starboard 147 and foils to have something useful to say.....

I went for GT initially, so using the 85 mast - then added 115 fuselage and small tail wing, so have the option of a "hybrid" Race setup - on the Starboard 147 Ultrasonic foil version, which is a gem - in Carbon Reflex, which is superlight and fantastic when things are going well, but a bit fragile in the crashes .. Clark Rubber do a foam tube that make a great mast and nose protector, just get some Velcro strips to hold it all in place, I have it all the way from the boom to the foot

These foils are plenty FAST, especially the GT, for me as a newbie - I'm starting to get the hang of it all, you need to really LOCK the board side to side (flat, or to windward to head up), DON'T let it move around unless you tell it to! - then adjust your trim back-forward to manage the ride height - let it fly, don't panic as the speed builds, just stay solid and sway forward, you can do wonders with all that apparent wind and low drag

Above all, VERY small and subtle movements are all it needs to trim and gain/reduce height, not the heavy slalom pressures I am wired for - a massive fun learning curve I have to say, feels like solid progress every session

The Race setup does fly earlier than the GT, but it is not wild or excessive - so I'm getting more confident to take it out with the 9.0 and deal with gusts OK - I go for the Race foil in light wind - then if the breeze really picks up it only takes a few minutes to come in and convert to the GT setup

I think I saw someone say they put a 1mm shim at the rear of the Racefoil back wing to reduce the increased lift as you go faster - I will try this, as it there is no shortage of power as you accelerate - but again, it's not too sudden or uncontrollable, and heading gradually upwind bleeds the power (same as conventional windsurfing)

As for the Tuttle Box and fitting the foil, mine needed lots of sanding to get it to fit down into the finbox with the front of the head flush against the top of the box as recommended - not sure if others had to do this . Also, I ditched the supplied Philips head finbolts and got some hex head bolts so I can use a wrench to tighten - everything now bolts in rock solid, no more loud creak/cracks when loading it up out on the water, beautiful - and just stand on board in front of the box to lever it out

I have put the front footstraps in the very front outboard holes, back straps in the centre and angled - seems fine with both foils, but perhaps I will start moving the front ones more often as GT doesn't need quite as much front foot pressure to keep the nose down

Unless you are racing, I reckon the 95 mast is optional even with the Racefoil setup, the 85 still allows enough banking over to get you upwind .. - but I can see the need for longer masts as you get more serious

IMHO Starboard have developed great products that do exactly what they say on the box, as usual

Just recently got the Severne HyperGlide 9.0 - WOW, LOVE it, easy to rig, light for its size (tho' I'm used to 4 cam race sails up to 10.7) - loads of low end power, it just starts pulling - makes pumping in marginal winds MUCH easier compared to Overdrive/Gator I have been using, you can really push some power through into the board/foil and get some speed without too much effort - slalom sails would be fine if you are more advanced, aiming at well-powered up/top end rather than bottom end so that pumping is not such an issue

Wind range of 9.0 is hard to say - for bottom end, it really depends on how twitchy it is, how much sustained pressure in the sail - I reckon a steady 10 knots and you definitely don't need Pro level pumping to get it flying - 6ish knots may be do-able if it is solid plus you are light plus you are skilled and willing to pump like crazy, but in reality that is when you reach for the 10.0 - there is a reason the promo vids usually edit out all the frenetic pumping and just show the end results .. Top end, no idea, perhaps 15knots for the 9.0, but more if you are skilled at heading high in the gusts - or at heading low, if you can control the speed

Sam Ross videos are an essential guide, loads of tips

I was a long-time Formula gear addict for days with 10-14 knots when I want to blast around, push the angles, and get a real workout - probably will never go back, as foiling is more fun, less tiring, and faster!

Hey Simon you looked very controlled out there yesterday in mega gusty conditions, on the foil early, consistent ride height, not too high, and flying thru the huge holes way better than me!

Hey, I had my second session on the GT 800 wing on the alu mast on a F2 Formula board in very gusty winds on a 6,2 Severne Blade. Sounds an odd set up having a wave sail on a formula board - it was the first time I have foiled on the F2 as got that recently for light winds. Needed to loosen up the straps and get used to the 1m wide board and once I dialled that in I could concentrate on the foil. The GT is super smooth and stable and has a powerful ride. I hit my max speed at 26knots which I am stoked with as there is a lot more learning to be done as only 2nd time on the GT and 1st time on the F2 - so still dialling in my new set ups. Previous max speed on the NP Flight Alu foil after a year was 24knots so the GT is FAST!

The wind picked up so changed down the front wing to the 550 and swapped to a Carbon Art slalom board. Wow what a difference the 550 wing made! I was very twitchy and felt like riding a pogo stick! It feels very similar to the NP Flight Alu foil which I have had for a year. The 550 front wings are very similar size to the NP Flight so maybe that is why it felt so familiar?

I had the same feeling as you, at first .... But with a little experience and a few sessions the wide stab is no issue with the race set up. Needs adjustment but works fine.