I was watching the Starboard guy trying to remember what their latest foil X 125 was about last night. It looked like a big slabby turned up old jandal/thong toe straps (think cartoon) and so many holes the apprentice had got loose and been told to cover all sport options including snowboarding. Even the 3 finger miserable carry hole was talked up with a wedge shape. It would hardly work carrying 10kg with 3 fingers with a flat sided hole like they had in their early SUPs.
All the usual stuff about convex base or was it deck and early release and cut aways. I dont think his heart was in it and it was pre production. Production wont take snowboard bindings.
They are all at it talking up their shaping. Coming from a racing dinghy windsurf background plus having had a play building hulls n boards I think they are starting to stretch credibility. Sups have little glide for normal mortals of 80 odd kg when under 9 ft so the wave has to be about to break . I cant see a 5 ft slab thing for winging benefitting from anything other than a very flat botttom , a square transom aka formula and sharp edge . A rounded release edge is a no no in dinghies or any boat that planes. Where was the mylar flap over the hole?
The less fit cant do extreme pumping so a level of glide is useful as is width for stability in any chop. How do you get home when even kneeling is a balancing feat? You have to believe these guys know what they are doing but sometimes I wonder . They certainly can write up great marketing blurbs explaining how the new graphics will improve gybes. Jobs in the wine industry await.
To throw some more out. Why hasnt someone released a slide through the top tuttle slot that allows you to take 300 mm off your mast height with a pin reposition so you can get closer to the beach . Dinghy style dagger mast with rubber knob on top . Think booms. You dont often fall on back area anyway. Sail out using 400 mast, pull pin, drop 400 more down , pin in and away. Foil over sandbank, muck up gybe, pull foil up and get to deep water, foil down.
Last...building a non wave wing board is looking so easy now that might be why Mr Starboard was having trouble talking up $1500 value . A bit of foam (ok eps) that came around the stereo, 3 layers of glass, 6m cloth, West system and bit of cedar or okoume ply for a stringer , some 316 bolts to stick up with nylocs and its done. Better put some gorilla pads on or No More Nails some old wetsuit bits. No 8 for epoxied on handle on underside less drag than a hole (too far?)
John Clarke would be proud as would the poor guys that went to Gallipoli and the other horror shows
Indeed. I am 10 % slower each year so the boards definitely get faster. Ha.
Just added sketch of mast height concept for all those who have no idea what dinghy centreboard stuff is about and dagger boards. Probably be ideal for low loaded wingfoil board so you can run the tall mast and avoid wingtip touch down but get back without wading in an estuary with long shallow fall.
Be good to see a prototype up and running. A point to consider, the loads on the pin will be very different between a foil & a dingy board. Structural reinforcements supporting the mast hole + the boards adjacent surfaces will need careful consideration to avoid point loading and laminate failures.
Good thoughts. Theres a vertical force vector in there dinghy centrecases dont have I forgot about but an 8mm pin should address plus side forces under load . Thinking the thick board designs give a lot of support as long as you put extra mat top and bottom as you have for tuttle foil inserts. Should be stronger than deep tuttle .The Axis collar does the same I guess but perhaps its about flex reduction and you could replicate that in glass on the underside.
I will have to do a prototype once I move on to winging because it will be less complicated to fiddle around with than a windsurfer .
Bard Christman came up with a retractable 40 cm fin based on Tuttle box way back in the early '90's.
Boards then were about 4' thick where the box was.
It worked, let a bit of water thru, but constant maintainance and extra weight put that good concept in the backburner.
Actually the Wasp (one design production foiling moth) let's you retract the foil mast.
Like Axis the foil mast is T6 extruded aluminium. I haven't checked there website which may have more detail.
