Armstrong MA foil range - any details yet?

Just got off the water with my first 140 session. Wow! I paired it with the 1000, 60 fuse, 795 mast in perfect 4M winds in the Chesapeake bay with some shoulder high bumps, side on. It took a few passes to get the feel for it, but not long. For me it made the 1000 much more enjoyable in those conditions compared to the 205 or 180 tail. Really freed it up nicely and made it less taxing on my legs, allowing cranking turns with less locked in G sensations. Also easier to drop in on juicier swell at full speed, where I previously would have preferred the 800. One of those sessions where I was not thinking I would want to change a thing.

I can't overstate how sick the combo is in regards to breaching. I was tacking heelside out into these huge ramps, launching airs coming down basically back on foil. If I wasn't doing airs I learned how to do these backside / hack / tail slides down the backs of the waves. Also Breaching down waves looking over shoulder at friends riding and no drama.


Can't wait to try it with other front wings.

Jeremy Wilmotte just left Axis to join the Armstrong team! Looks like Armie found the big wave charger he was looking for

www.instagram.com/reel/Ctr-VKpAMHz/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Hello all,
anyone already compared back to back the 180 speed and the 140 dart? thanks!
Andrea

140 Dart / 1750MA / 50 Fuse pairing notes: Wing - (Upwind Dwing session in small river swell - notes on conditions at end)

The small tail paired with the big foil wing and short fuse made for the most dynamic big foil session I've had to date. I broke the golden rule and made two bigger changes at once...first time 50 fuse w/ 1750 and first time 140 w/ 1750, which resulted in my best DW feels in minimal 'bay' conditions to date. Despite a very 'slow' maximum speed, the ride felt very nimble and efficient.

First off on 50CM fuse: The shortened arc of the pump and the resulting freeing up of the pump motion really made it easy for me, a lightweight at 65KGs, to be able to place the large foil where I wanted in a hurry without expending a lot of energy. Small rear leg calf pumps resulted in 6" or more height changes (with narrow stance). Coming in at the end of the session, I fully buried the nose by mistake and was able to recover to continue pumping and finding bumps, while holding my wing. I don't think I could have pulled that with the 60 fuse.

Notes on Fuse Length versus Weight: Imagine my 65kg frame's COG moving forward 2 inches versus an 85kg frame moving forward 2 inches, the 85kg easily creates a much larger lever effect on the foil. As a smaller rider, the amount of body movement forward and back (or muscle output) must be much greater than a larger rider all things constant. The shorter fuse really makes things easier effort wise for my weight, so long as balance and quick reactions can play the part. I imagine the 50 fuse would result in an even more dynamic (and challenging) ride for a larger rider. Being a smaller rider, I have the ability to move my COG over a larger 'sweet spot' area all things constant when compared to a larger rider. The shorter 50cm fuse probably gives me a similar ride 'sweet spot' compared to what larger riders experiences on a 60CM or even 70CM fuse.

The 140 Dart lives up to its name an really allows for quick heal/tow initiated turns, despite the huge span of the 1750 - resulting in a darting feeling for the whole rig. The lack of drag also really opens up the glide of the 1750 and allows for easier/less fatiguing pumping at my weight. I was easily performing my best DW wing riding in almost negative wind at times due to the setup. When riding small bumps, swinging the foil to the top of the bump and resetting efficiently on the appropriate angle is the name of the game. This combo excelled there. I was easily able to glide out a series of bumps and then pump off to find more, without really being out of breath upon finding the next set. I'm not sure how much of this was the 140 or the 50 fuse, but it was a breakthrough for me while carrying a wing. I desperately wanted to keep going, but I was setting myself up for a problem heading downwind in such light conditions on the other side of a fishing pier with no public exit DW. Stall speed seemed amazingly low considering the small tail, but that may be also due to the more forward positioning of the mast?

Winging while Tacking upwind felt great, despite the basically 8knts of wind or less most stretches. A quick toeside tack followed by two foil and wing pumps in unison would reset in the other direction - sort of perfect considering gybes were backwinding and required Heineken gybes to work properly. By setting a steady, tight, upwind arc, this allowed the speed to be carried into the new tack and not waisted into the breeze, despite starting the new tack with barely any apparent wind. Small margin for error!

If I had time and not been dealing with a packed fishing pier DW wedging my side-onshore launch, I would have tested the 180 and 220 tails in comparison.



Condition Notes: Super light wind river session with knee high bumps (leftovers from earlier wind) and 6'3" DW board and 4Nitro, then 5M OR Glide. Winds occasionally gusting to 15knts, but 80% of time around 8-10knts or less. First mast set at 7or8 and could barely control it. Changed up to 9.5 and it came alive.

Good stuff Graham! I took my 7' x 100 L Dagger out behind my boat last week and paired it with the 1750, 50 fuse and V200 tail on a 60 cm mast. Wake foiling on this setup was a lot different than the usual small board & small foil! But I found similar results with great response for the reasons you note. The glide is so good that I was able to cross to the opposite side wake with no pumping multiple times and treat the second wake like a wind bump carving back and forth behind the trough. At the end of the run I flatwater pumped a LONG way, even gravedigging back high on the mast when I started slapping down.
Short fuse and small tail make these big span wings really come alive. I used this same setup with the HA1325 quite a bit while winging last winter as well with good results.

After using the 205 , the 180, I received and tried the dart140 (+1 red). Wing.
wind : 8-11 knots max. In this light conditions I use the 1225 (795, 50) - 68L. I really liked it. I want only 1 stab for everything. Until now I was doubting between the 205 and the 180. 205 better for carving and to reconnect after a jump. The 180 less drag. If it feel good with the 1225 I suppose it will be still better with the 800 or the 625 but I have to try it to be sure. At least the stab makes the front wing more playfull. At low speed it affects a bit the pitch stability (especially with the 50 fuse) but that's fine. I feel clearly less drag with the dart. I will keep it for all the conditions.

After many sessions in different conditions I arrive to the conclusion that :
the Dart 140 fit really well with MA625 and MA800. up of 800 the speed is not enough high and the 180 fit better. (Both with red shim)