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Tuning / balancing on a "Foil Ready" board - front wing centered between foot straps

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Created by FFish > 9 months ago, 26 Dec 2021
FFish
51 posts
26 Dec 2021 5:25AM
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My board is a Thommen Gleitwunder 155 Liters, 82 Wide, 260 Long
I had it custom made in 2018 with a reinforced Deep Tuttle box.

So finally I decided on a 2021 Starboard SuperCruiser to check out foiling, it was a 25% discount so I bit the bullet.
When waiting for my order and learning more about foils I start to understand something important:
The front wing needs to be positioned between the foot straps!

Guy Cribb - How to Tune Footstraps To Improve All Of Your Windsurfing And The Theory Of Everything
* Note * scrub to 10:28, I can't embed the timestamp..

;t=595s

This image from the Severne RedWing + Alien lit my light, the Deep Tuttle box is almost pair with the back foot straps.


Looking at my board, the Deep Tuttle box is way more backwards, which positions the front wing too much aft.
This is a quick sketch where the I started to see the "problem"
In orange an estimate where the front wing is positioned, in red where it should be.


When I ordered this board I asked for a bit more outboard foot strap positions and Peter Thommen send me a diagram with dimensions where he put them. So I measured the SuperCruiser and transferred all the data taking the fin box as a reference.
This is what I came up with, again orange the actual position of the front wing, red the optimal position (1/3 from the leading edge)
Note that I am using the forward foot strap positions.


As you can see, the front wing should be 145mm more to the front. That's quite a bit!
That is included 53mm I gained already in using the front setting for the bolts in the front wing



Looking at other foils, why does the SuperCruiser has the front wing to close to the mast? (10mm only from the trailing edge)
And why can't you find any information about this dimension from the foil brands?
Isn't it crucial??

So the question now is: What can I do to balance my board?

I actually bought the SuperCruiser because last year I took a one hour foil lesson on this foil, of course combined with a Starboard dedicated foilboard (have no idea which one it was but I am sure it was a bigger size)
In that one hour my first flights where sooo easy, I never crashed. Had some breaches and the board lifted too much but I think now this could have been solved by setting the mast foot more forward.

Unfortunately I have been out only once on my SuperCruiser with the Thommen board.
Wind was 15-20 knots first with a 6.0, than a 5.5. I quickly realize that you need to rig small.
I have crashed many many times and even ripped 2 sails that morning in catapults.
The board goes up like crazy when I put my back foot in the straps, I guess this is because the front wing is too much backwards?!
When I put my back foot in front of the back strap things are a bit better though..

Is there anything I can do to fly more controlled and sustained? Apart from a dedicated foil board (SB Foil X) of course.. nope!
Next time I could trim the rocker of the stab in the "less angle / more speed" position.
Anything else?
Higher boom? Mast foot forward? More mast foot pressure?

Any tips more than welcome. Cheers

boardsurfr
WA, 2454 posts
26 Dec 2021 5:54AM
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The back footstraps on your board are quite far forward, with the entire straps in front of the tuttle screws. A more common position is that the straps ends right between the two screws. Some foil-specific boards have the foot straps even further back, pretty much in line with the tuttle box.

That said, the "front wing centered between the feet" does not really apply to all wings. Some race setups have the front wing even further forward (think 115+ / ++ fuselages). Many freeride wings have been further back in the past, although they also seem to be going more forward now. It's a bit of a bummer you got hooked by the 25% discount, because the 2022 Evolution fuselage seems to be the same for race and Supercruiser foils, which would mean the foils is further forward.

To use what you have, your best bet is to remove the back footstraps, and move the front straps as far back as they go (or perhaps also remove them). If your back foot is placed near the rear of the back pad, the foot position relative to the tuttle box will be similar to the position on the Stingray 140, which works well with the Supercruiser. When using the tuttle box, I also use the forward position of the wing that you show. The setup seems well balanced. Your board is quite narrow that far back, though, which can make things a bit harder. A 2022 setup with the wing further forward would allow for your feet to be further forward where the board is wider, and give you more control over the foil.

Subsonic
WA, 3354 posts
26 Dec 2021 6:12AM
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Select to expand quote
FFish said..
My board is a Thommen Gleitwunder 155 Liters, 82 Wide, 260 Long
I had it custom made in 2018 with a reinforced Deep Tuttle box.

So finally I decided on a 2021 Starboard SuperCruiser to check out foiling, it was a 25% discount so I bit the bullet.
When waiting for my order and learning more about foils I start to understand something important:
The front wing needs to be positioned between the foot straps!

Guy Cribb - How to Tune Footstraps To Improve All Of Your Windsurfing And The Theory Of Everything
* Note * scrub to 10:28, I can't embed the timestamp..
;t=595s

This image from the Severne RedWing + Alien lit my light, the Deep Tuttle box is almost pair with the back foot straps.


Looking at my board, the Deep Tuttle box is way more backwards, which positions the front wing too much aft.
This is a quick sketch where the I started to see the "problem"
In orange an estimate where the front wing is positioned, in red where it should be.


When I ordered this board I asked for a bit more outboard foot strap positions and Peter Thommen send me a diagram with dimensions where he put them. So I measured the SuperCruiser and transferred all the data taking the fin box as a reference.
This is what I came up with, again orange the actual position of the front wing, red the optimal position (1/3 from the leading edge)
Note that I am using the forward foot strap positions.


As you can see, the front wing should be 145mm more to the front. That's quite a bit!
That is included 53mm I gained already in using the front setting for the bolts in the front wing



Looking at other foils, why does the SuperCruiser has the front wing to close to the mast? (10mm only from the trailing edge)
And why can't you find any information about this dimension from the foil brands?
Isn't it crucial??

So the question now is: What can I do to balance my board?

I actually bought the SuperCruiser because last year I took a one hour foil lesson on this foil, of course combined with a Starboard dedicated foilboard (have no idea which one it was but I am sure it was a bigger size)
In that one hour my first flights where sooo easy, I never crashed. Had some breaches and the board lifted too much but I think now this could have been solved by setting the mast foot more forward.

Unfortunately I have been out only once on my SuperCruiser with the Thommen board.
Wind was 15-20 knots first with a 6.0, than a 5.5. I quickly realize that you need to rig small.
I have crashed many many times and even ripped 2 sails that morning in catapults.
The board goes up like crazy when I put my back foot in the straps, I guess this is because the front wing is too much backwards?!
When I put my back foot in front of the back strap things are a bit better though..

Is there anything I can do to fly more controlled and sustained? Apart from a dedicated foil board (SB Foil X) of course.. nope!
Next time I could trim the rocker of the stab in the "less angle / more speed" position.
Anything else?
Higher boom? Mast foot forward? More mast foot pressure?

Any tips more than welcome. Cheers


Sounds like you need time on water more than anything else, but given you've had some time using the foil on another board, without issue, probably tuning as well

Not the ideal foil board, and it will more than likely make life harder, but the good news is you've got plenty of lift, so try tuning a bit of lift out to start with. I'd start by moving the mast base forward bit by bit. I wouldn't start with stab angle, use it as a last resort. Believe it or not stab angle creates stability by giving you pressure to lean against.

Freeflight
115 posts
26 Dec 2021 6:17AM
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Don't over think it all, the super cruiser has worked for many on all types of boards
You will learn more on the water in 1 hour than 100 reading and writing on these forums
Just get out and go for it

LeeD
3939 posts
26 Dec 2021 6:39AM
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So don't place your foot on the back strap position for now.
And when you do, keep most of your weight on your front foot.
Since you can fly now, just do it more often.

thedoor
2469 posts
26 Dec 2021 6:39AM
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if the foil was too aft you would have difficulty flying, which it doesn't sound like you have.

But if you need to be in oldschool windsurf stance to fly (eg heavy bent back leg) that is not good either. Breaching is a good sign as you most likely have not transitioned to frontfoot riding yet.

Many people use shims to adjust the stabilizer angle to accomodate for not being able to move the foil forwards or back.

FarNorthSurfer
183 posts
26 Dec 2021 6:42AM
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Take all the straps off, then just get out there and go for it
In a few sessions you will have sorted it out

gregwho
NSW, 163 posts
26 Dec 2021 2:23PM
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Fish, I know your pain. I started foiling on a Fanatic Ghekko with a Nail Pride foil. Same problem - centre of lift of the main wing was way back on the board. I was riding with my back foot on the very tail of the board to get the foil to lift. I ended up getting a Slingshot foil that allowed different placement of mast along the fuselage. This helped but the lack of tail area of the Ghekko had me scampering to the mast every time I came off the foil. A formula board with lots of tail area & thickness solved that problem.
Do experiment & make changes. TOW is great but a lot of it can be wasted on a bad setup.

Paducah
2784 posts
26 Dec 2021 12:09PM
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As others have suggest -
1) Take off at least the back straps
2) With that big wing you can easily rig 2 m less than you would on a regular board.
3) Starting out, don't try to fly high. Just skip on the water until you become comfortable controlling the height and feel like you can bring the board back down when you need to.
4) Make sure you have an upright position over the board, not leaning out in away from it in a classic windsurf stance
5) Always hold on to the boom in a crash. It keeps you away from the foil and, usually, keeps you off the sail (but not always). But it is the one thing that keeps you on the opposite side of the foil when you go down.

Agree with Subsonic, don't shim yet. You can move the mast base forward and boom down to lessen the power and get used to pressing down with the front foot by leaning forward. Watch the Sam Ross videos at least. There are others, too - Cookie, Seb Kornum, etc. Watch them all.

PhilUK
1098 posts
26 Dec 2021 6:34PM
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I crashed loads of times in the first few hours. Then as I got better and faster, I just crashed at higher speeds. 11-12 hours now and still a long way to go, but think I could go at a safe and steady speed and not crash so much.
Just get out on the water more.

As a rough guide, the front wing needs to go between the straps sounds ok, but all foils are different.
In my mind, as the wing is attached to the fuselage and mast, it acts as a lever. So to get the same amount of leverage, a high aspect wing (say 1080cm2) would have to be positioned further away from the mast than a low aspect wing (1700cm2) which would produce more lift (but more drag so would be slower). Although on a higher aspect foil you will go a lot faster than on a low aspect, so produce more lift at speed.

I'm just pleased I bought a board and foil from the same brand, all the R&D has put the box and straps in the correct place for the foil.
Thats not a given, as I know someone who bought a Starboard Freefoil 150 board and freeride foil (recommended combination by Starboard on their website, for a short time) and the straps were too far forward for that combo to work. Starboard told him to buy the longer fuselage

Daithidmg
53 posts
26 Dec 2021 9:12PM
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Personally I feel you might be over thinking the foil position thing here and it's more about getting some feel for the differences between Fin and Foil sailing. 100% agree with Phil on the no one spot for the foil position, it will depend on the Foil type, fuse length, Board type and the type of foiling you are doing, more free ride /turny or blasting / cruising.

Most common thing I see with people coming from a more blasty / slalomy style of fin sailing is trying to drive against the board in as you would with a fin rather than being a bit more upright and over the board which works much better for the early foiling stages.

Agree with all of Paduchas points, would keep the front straps as I find they make a good anchor point for the front foot position, would also add to keep the front hand a little closer to the front of the boom than usual, using it like a hinge with the back hand just feathering the power on and off on the early flights. Once that gets more comfortable then start thinking about the harness, again with the lines a little further forward than normal.

For your settings without knowing your weight I'd suggest:
10 - 15knts 6m max, then 5.5
Boom a touch higher than usual
Mast base difficult so say without trying the board but if it's very quick to lift of feels very "squirrily" (i know very subjective) then move it forward just a cm or 2 at a time until it feels more settled
Stab trim, I don't know this foil but with all the ones I have tried I start with neutral / no shims to get a base line and initial feel and then see if something needs changing. If you play around with too many different things before having the initial feel it's very difficult to know which change is making the difference.

Happy flying into the new year

seaanchor
73 posts
26 Dec 2021 9:21PM
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Sounds to me like you are trying to hard to soon
When foiling and you have to much power you can't lean out and drive hard on the board to start
You have to stand over the board sheet out and just feather the sail to keep you going after 6 months of foiling you start to build the feel you need to trim your kit the way you like it
And for the type of sailing you like

aeroegnr
1731 posts
26 Dec 2021 9:33PM
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If you're getting into the rear strap and finding the board rises easily and results in a crash, it sounds more like you are putting too much weight on your back leg. I wouldn't worry too much about the foil location in that case.

Get your weight more forward on a stiffer front leg to keep the foil under control. Also be very careful with your sailing angle to the wind. Getting downwind when well powered will give you a lot of speed and will get you out of control fast. Get more upwind as soon as you are flying and it will help.

If you find your rear leg burning then you need to shift your foot backward. You may find that you can be in the rear strap when going upwind but you may want to be totally out of it when reaching or going downwind. If you need to keep your foot so far back that it is uncomfortable, or it would be off the board, then maybe yes the foil is too far backward. But even then to make that board more usable you can move the mast base backward and move the straps all the way back.

Mast track position and boom height complicates things. Suddenly sheeting out will take sail mast foot pressure off the nose and cause a sudden pitch up and crash. A forward mast base makes this more sensitive in general. A lower boom will help tame an overpowered sail but you should pay attention to your sail commands. Staying sheeted in and leaning the sail forward/backwards like a joystick will help some.

If you use the harness you'll have to focus more on hip movements for control. This is an excellent video that sorted things for me as he demonstrates hip movement:

Sandman1221
2776 posts
26 Dec 2021 11:55PM
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Ideally, you want the board to come up using just rear foot "toe" pressure, not heavy foot pressure. Right now it sounds like the board is coming up too easily/fast and you respond by leaning forward and nose diving. Imagine you are straddling a see-saw (front left foot on one-side of the pivot point, rear right foot on other side), so right now the pivot point is too far forward towards your front left foot, and you want it to move back towards your rear right foot. If the pivot point was too far back towards your rear right foot you would not get up easily or at all.

The stabilizer angle has a big impact on lift, so you can reduce that so that it is "hard to get up" using rear foot pressure (assuming the shim is under the front edge-of the stabilizer), then you will just skim along on the surface. The sail mast base position also has a big impact on lift, so you can move that forward, that will also keep the board just skimming along just off the water. Once that occurs using one or both, you can start to move the mast base back, and play with the stabilizer shim. Too much stabilizer shim will create a lot of lift AND drag, and on your narrow tailed board that will cause the tail to sink under water (can step forward to level the board out on the water). Now if you want to go fast you want as little stabilizer shim as possible. Now what I mean by that is downward angling (away from the board bottom) of the leading edge of the stabilizer, the more you have of that the more the stabilizer will tilt the fuselage and front wing upward causing the board to come off the water.

You are on a really long board for foiling, and that makes the "see-saw" very sensitive to foot pressure, sail mast base position, and stabilizer angle. The longer the arms of a see-saw are, the less weight you need on either end to move it, so small changes in the mast base, like 1/8-3/16" can have dramatic affects.

As others have said, definitely remove the rear foot straps.

The good news is you are getting up easily, but you will need to have very good control of your balance to have level flights, you could get an Indo board or similar balance trainer to help train your balance off the water.

segler
WA, 1656 posts
27 Dec 2021 1:32AM
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The advice above is good. The Supercruiser (and the Slingshot i76 and their ilk with low aspect ratios) front wings have a very broad center of lift. This makes it possible to get balance even with the foil far aft (caused by the far aft finbox).

My i76 in the B position balances just fine with an old formula board with a far aft box. It also balances just fine, still in B, with a dedicated foil board with the box further forward. The difference in wing position is 3 inches. Does not matter. It all works.

On the other hand, high aspect ratio wings will be very picky about the balance point. One inch makes a big difference.

However, yes, remove all the footstraps and just go out and foil. You will quickly figure out where to place your feet for balance. Strapless foiling is easy anyway since you have an upright stance most of the time.

FFish
51 posts
27 Dec 2021 10:57PM
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Select to expand quote
PhilUK said..
As a rough guide, the front wing needs to go between the straps sounds ok, but all foils are different.
In my mind, as the wing is attached to the fuselage and mast, it acts as a lever. So to get the same amount of leverage, a high aspect wing (say 1080cm2) would have to be positioned further away from the mast than a low aspect wing (1700cm2) which would produce more lift (but more drag so would be slower). Although on a higher aspect foil you will go a lot faster than on a low aspect, so produce more lift at speed.


Yeah that makes sense!

I know that instead of all my measuring and making mockups I should less overthink and better spend my time on the water (TOW) but unfortunately the wind forecast for the next week or so predict 1 to a whomping 9 knots, so theory is what I am left with for a while...

Like @gregwho said; TOW is great but a lot of it can be wasted on a bad setup.
Thanks everybody for the excellent advise and tips!!
It makes me less worried that maybe I bought a wrong foil, I just need to be patient and try out.

Here my notes:

- remove back straps
- don't touch the stab rocker yet, keep in neutral (@Daithidmg)
- transition to front foot riding (@thedoor), weight more forward on a stiffer front leg (@aeroegnr)
- more upright body position, not drive against the board (@Daithidmg)

# too much lift / take out lift:
- mast foot forward
- foots traps forward
- boom up ?
- harness lines a little more forward (@Daithidmg)

# not enough lift
> opposite of above

I am a bit confused about boom height, some say up, some say down?
- Boom down to lessen the power and get used to pressing down with the front foot by leaning forward (@Paducah )
- A lower boom will help tame an overpowered sail (@aeroegnr)
+ Boom a touch higher than usual, front hand more forward on boom (@Daithidmg)

P.S.
@boardsurfr: Nah the 2022 Evolution fuselage is not for the Supercruiser, which has the sleeve system like the surf foils, the Starboard windsurf foils (Freeride+, GTR+, Race+, IQFoil) use the saddle system.

@aeroegnr thanks for pointing out the Duotone Foil series 2.0
The hip tutorial in that video is very well explained!
* by the way, I noticed how high he rigged the boom position and how long the harness lines need to be, that looks like +30"?
Any comments on harness line length? I have the adjustable ones that go to 32" and even with normal windsurfing I always keep them at 32". Never have my boom up that high though..

aeroegnr
1731 posts
27 Dec 2021 11:20PM
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Re: Boom height and harness length

I have my boom as high as possible on my race foil and less so on a freeride foil. High boom helps with pumping in light winds but makes the sail more unwieldy in gusts. If I am well powered I will drop the boom. Where I often sail there are a lot of streaks due to land/buildings/obstacles where the wind will change direction and I will lower the boom to deal with that, video below. You can see the wind line as I approach it.

I'll say that if your sail is overpowered/difficult to control you will have a hard time distinguishing between a foil issue and a sail issue when you're on the foil, because they get coupled. With more experience you'll start to recognize if you're just out of body position/weighting on the foil or if your sail is starting to give too much control input. If you find yourself feeling like it's very sensitive, drop the boom.

I would stay out of the harness until you get more flight time. Or, not even harness in until you are flying. At first, I felt very uncomfortable with longer harness lines and kept them short for foiling. Now, it's opposite. If I'm only marginally powered I flex my knees more on longer lines to keep my weight forward and over the centerline of the board. With more power, I hike out more, but that is on a race foil. It'll be similar on a freeride foil if well-powered but the small sails won't hold you up as well as a 9.0 kit. For free-riding you can likely get away with shorter lines and be more comfortable because you are more over the board.



boardsurfr
WA, 2454 posts
28 Dec 2021 2:03AM
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Select to expand quote
FFish said..
@boardsurfr: Nah the 2022 Evolution fuselage is not for the Supercruiser, which has the sleeve system like the surf foils, the Starboard windsurf foils (Freeride+, GTR+, Race+, IQFoil) use the saddle system.


What you describe is the 2021 system. Starboard is quite bad with updating the info on their web site, but some dealers are a bit more up to date. Here's a picture of the Starboard Foil Evolution SuperCruiser:

That's the same saddle system the race wings use. Picture from www.nbwindsurfing.com/shop/Foiling/Foils/p/Starboard-Foil-Evolution-SuperCruiser-Foil-Set-x60072053.htm

I spoke to the shop owner, who happens to be the largest Starboard foil dealer in the US, and he said one of the reasons for developing the Evolution fuselage was that the old race fuselage did not allow for wings larger than 1100 cm2 (the old Freeride). Seems the Evolution fuselage allows 1700 cm2 wings. The wing in the picture seems to have the same shape as the old Super Cruiser 1700, but a different mounting system. Another web site describes the front wing as "SuperCruiser 1700 Evolution C300" (windshop.ca/collections/wind-foils/products/starboard-foil-set-supercruiser).

Seems like not all the information on the North Beach Windsurfing web site has been updated yet. They still list an 87 cm fuse, while the windshop.ca site talks about a "102 Evolution Classic" fuselage (which is curiously close in length to the 105 Evolution fuse).

Seems Starboard also changed the GT-R setup to use a 650 front wing, 255 tail wing, 105 fuse, and 95 cm mast, compared to 800 - 330 - 95 - 85 in the 2021 version (according to windshop.ca/products/starboard-foil-set-gtr-evolution).


aeroegnr
1731 posts
28 Dec 2021 2:19AM
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Haaah they still don't have updated website info on their fuses. Now they have 105/115/120. I'm guessing 120 is what was their 115doublePlus.

Grantmac
2314 posts
28 Dec 2021 2:38AM
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I've owned the Supercruiser and used it on a non-foil specific board.
You want the front wing forward, mast base as far back as possible and the front footstraps back. Then tune using stabilizer position (it's extremely adjustable and a very efficient stabilizer). For me that worked out to having the stabilizer behind center slightly, but I didn't have quite so long of a board with the fin box so far back. Likely you'll need the stabilizer in the forward end of the adjustment.

A slightly bent front leg will apply more pressure and adjust pressure faster than a straight one.

FFish
51 posts
28 Dec 2021 5:29AM
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Select to expand quote
What you describe is the 2021 system. Starboard is quite bad with updating the info on their web site, but some dealers are a bit more up to date. Here's a picture of the Starboard Foil Evolution SuperCruiser:



Crap, that's why the discount!
Oh well I paid about 750?, not too bad, a guy on the beach paid his almost twice this spring, he was a bit shocked when he heard about the discount..

Anyway, the new Supercruiser looks good, best of all, it becomes upgradable and interchangable.
Seems like at least a palm of a hand of space between the leading edge of the mast and the trailing edge of the front wing, much better than the 10mm + 53mm (gained with the forward front wing setting).
Also the 53mm naked sleeve for sure creates turbulence, I should try wrapping a few heat shrinks?

Thanks for your tips @Grantmac, interestingly they are exactly the opposite of my notes to take out the excessive lift I experienced on my first ride?!

Sandman1221
2776 posts
28 Dec 2021 5:50AM
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Select to expand quote
FFish said..


What you describe is the 2021 system. Starboard is quite bad with updating the info on their web site, but some dealers are a bit more up to date. Here's a picture of the Starboard Foil Evolution SuperCruiser:





Crap, that's why the discount!
Oh well I paid about 750?, not too bad, a guy on the beach paid his almost twice this spring, he was a bit shocked when he heard about the discount..

Anyway, the new Supercruiser looks good, best of all, it becomes upgradable and interchangable.
Seems like at least a palm of a hand of space between the leading edge of the mast and the trailing edge of the front wing, much better than the 10mm + 53mm (gained with the forward front wing setting).
Also the 53mm naked sleeve for sure creates turbulence, I should try wrapping a few heat shrinks?

Thanks for your tips @Grantmac, interestingly they are exactly the opposite of my notes to take out the excessive lift I experienced on my first ride?!



Not sure there is any space between leading edge of mast and trailing edge of wing, need a side view to tell. The different colors are tricking the eye.

Grantmac
2314 posts
28 Dec 2021 8:28AM
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Lift isn't excessive, your stance isn't correct. I've run that foil with the front wing biased towards my front foot on several boards much shorter than yours. On all of them middle to rear stab position worked best. With the wing between the feet or biased rear it needed neutral to forward stab position.
BUT you can't expect to foil with back foot pressure like sailing a freeride or slalom board. Rear foot should carry very little load.

Daithidmg
53 posts
29 Dec 2021 1:49AM
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@Ffish, looks like you have a good summary of the feedback there

For me on the boom height, normal wave / freeride is between chest (nipple) and shoulder, a touch lower (nipple) for more powered up waves, higher (Upper chest) for lighter freeride. for foiling it's level with the top of the shoulder. I find this brings be into that slightly more upright stance and also makes it easier to apply pressure on the front hand to help control the flight height.

Re harness lines I initially went slightly shorter, from 32 to 30 but now just use 32s most of the time anyway.

lakeeffect
107 posts
29 Dec 2021 7:09AM
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Select to expand quote
boardsurfr said..

FFish said..
@boardsurfr: Nah the 2022 Evolution fuselage is not for the Supercruiser, which has the sleeve system like the surf foils, the Starboard windsurf foils (Freeride+, GTR+, Race+, IQFoil) use the saddle system.



What you describe is the 2021 system. Starboard is quite bad with updating the info on their web site, but some dealers are a bit more up to date. Here's a picture of the Starboard Foil Evolution SuperCruiser:

That's the same saddle system the race wings use. Picture from www.nbwindsurfing.com/shop/Foiling/Foils/p/Starboard-Foil-Evolution-SuperCruiser-Foil-Set-x60072053.htm

I spoke to the shop owner, who happens to be the largest Starboard foil dealer in the US, and he said one of the reasons for developing the Evolution fuselage was that the old race fuselage did not allow for wings larger than 1100 cm2 (the old Freeride). Seems the Evolution fuselage allows 1700 cm2 wings. The wing in the picture seems to have the same shape as the old Super Cruiser 1700, but a different mounting system. Another web site describes the front wing as "SuperCruiser 1700 Evolution C300" (windshop.ca/collections/wind-foils/products/starboard-foil-set-supercruiser).

Seems like not all the information on the North Beach Windsurfing web site has been updated yet. They still list an 87 cm fuse, while the windshop.ca site talks about a "102 Evolution Classic" fuselage (which is curiously close in length to the 105 Evolution fuse).

Seems Starboard also changed the GT-R setup to use a 650 front wing, 255 tail wing, 105 fuse, and 95 cm mast, compared to 800 - 330 - 95 - 85 in the 2021 version (according to windshop.ca/products/starboard-foil-set-gtr-evolution).



I'll second that Starboard needs to promote their new equipment on the internet. Below is a buddy's recent purchase from NorthBeach Windsurfing. It has a a 102 fuselage. The trailing edge of the wing is close to the foil mast and the exocet RF81 board he will use has the tuttle pretty far back. I suspect its a workable situation.




Grantmac
2314 posts
29 Dec 2021 8:19AM
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lakeeffect said..

boardsurfr said..


FFish said..
@boardsurfr: Nah the 2022 Evolution fuselage is not for the Supercruiser, which has the sleeve system like the surf foils, the Starboard windsurf foils (Freeride+, GTR+, Race+, IQFoil) use the saddle system.




What you describe is the 2021 system. Starboard is quite bad with updating the info on their web site, but some dealers are a bit more up to date. Here's a picture of the Starboard Foil Evolution SuperCruiser:

That's the same saddle system the race wings use. Picture from www.nbwindsurfing.com/shop/Foiling/Foils/p/Starboard-Foil-Evolution-SuperCruiser-Foil-Set-x60072053.htm

I spoke to the shop owner, who happens to be the largest Starboard foil dealer in the US, and he said one of the reasons for developing the Evolution fuselage was that the old race fuselage did not allow for wings larger than 1100 cm2 (the old Freeride). Seems the Evolution fuselage allows 1700 cm2 wings. The wing in the picture seems to have the same shape as the old Super Cruiser 1700, but a different mounting system. Another web site describes the front wing as "SuperCruiser 1700 Evolution C300" (windshop.ca/collections/wind-foils/products/starboard-foil-set-supercruiser).

Seems like not all the information on the North Beach Windsurfing web site has been updated yet. They still list an 87 cm fuse, while the windshop.ca site talks about a "102 Evolution Classic" fuselage (which is curiously close in length to the 105 Evolution fuse).

Seems Starboard also changed the GT-R setup to use a 650 front wing, 255 tail wing, 105 fuse, and 95 cm mast, compared to 800 - 330 - 95 - 85 in the 2021 version (according to windshop.ca/products/starboard-foil-set-gtr-evolution).



I'll second that Starboard needs to promote their new equipment on the internet. Below is a buddy's recent purchase from NorthBeach Windsurfing. It has a a 102 fuselage. The trailing edge of the wing is close to the foil mast and the exocet RF81 board he will use has the tuttle pretty far back. I suspect its a workable situation.





That's really not great geometry for most boards, that wing would work much better on the 105+ fuselage for most applications.

segler
WA, 1656 posts
30 Dec 2021 1:10AM
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Back to the OP's first comment about having the wing between the footstraps. The front wing is the ONLY thing in the system that lifts UP. The rear wing pushes down and everything else just provides structure.

So, if you want to stand with equal weight on both feet, you have to locate the front wing between your feet. That's a starting point. Tweak from there with footstraps, mast track, and foil track (this one not doable with a DT box).

Many foilers prefer a heavy front foot. They get that by moving the footstraps aft and/or the mast track aft, and/or the foil track forward.

I prefer a heavy back foot that lets me control the lift with my back foot. This balances out to equal foot as the speed increases.

FFish
51 posts
31 Dec 2021 2:47AM
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Below is a buddy's recent purchase from NorthBeach Windsurfing. It has a a 102 fuselage. The trailing edge of the wing is close to the foil mast and the exocet RF81 board he will use has the tuttle pretty far back. I suspect its a workable situation.




Aha, so this is the 2022 SuperCruiser 1700 with the 102 Evolution fuselage??
Indeed, the distance between trialing edge of front wing and leading edge of the mast is close again, which is normal because the 1700 has a 250mm chord
That looks like a 25-30mm space, still less than what I have right now which is 10mm + 53mm (front setting for the bolts)

I have been thinkering about making a sleeve extension, it should not be that difficult to have it made by a machine shop, the question is, what material?? Aluminum? G10? And what about the weight?

FFish
51 posts
31 Dec 2021 3:18AM
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Here an example with a 153mm gain forward.
Looking at it now, the female sleeve part would be the most difficult, it could be done simpler but that would loose points in hydrodynamics.






Grantmac
2314 posts
31 Dec 2021 4:11AM
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I have seen a Supercruiser fuselage break at the front of the mast pocket. I think you'd be flirting with disaster adding that extension.

Better bet would be to find an original 115 fuselage and have the front machined to accept the Supercruiser wing.

Or honestly, and this is the best advice, get a different board.

FFish
51 posts
2 Jan 2022 5:26AM
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Yeah I will not think about that extension anymore.
Finally after 2 almost 3 weeks of no wind something is forecasted her in the North of Italy!
I'll give that Supercruiser another go, hopefully without too much damage this time...

If I realize that I will only struggle more with the front Wing position under my back foot I will sell the Supercruiser and get another foil with the larger space between mast and trailing edge like I would need.

I have been studying different foils now, and the GA foils look a whole lot more interesting.
The Hybrid with the alu mast and DT top adapter goes for 900eur and and the Mach1 with the carbon DT mast for 1300eur
Everything interchangable, lots of components and spare parts to build just what you need, other than current Starboard's foil range, especially my 2021 Supercruiser is a disaster with like 0 modularity..

A dedicated foil board? Nah, not yet. Besides that my custom Thommen is a bomb, just looking for some more light wind use at the moment.



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"Tuning / balancing on a "Foil Ready" board - front wing centered between foot straps" started by FFish