Are NEW SF Wings coming? 
Does anyone know any news about whether new SF wings will be coming out soon? When I start the QUIZ on the north web under front wing, select surf as the discipline... instead of a suggestion, at the end I get the following ... We recommend our new SF-Series Front Wings coming soon!
northkb.com/collections/front-wings
Select to expand quoteHansH said..
Are NEW SF Wings coming? [.]We recommend our new SF-Series Front Wings coming soon!
I think they refer to the new smaller sizes of the SF, coming to the shops around end of January / beginning of February?
Select to expand quoteoskarhhh said..tintifax said..ganeshka said..
Had a couple of sessions with MA850v2
what a glide what a wing!!! I can't compare to something small my progression was 2200R, 1850R, MA1200 . I was blown away by feeling of glide combined with pretty good low stall speed. Easily can good through white water and can keep with wind swells in 20 knots and up. Was riding this foil from 15 knots with 8m Loft pro up to 35 with gusts to 40+ knots. It is magic foil ?? was using s270 with negative shim. I want to get use to the size and next time will try s208.
I sold my MA1200 and now I'm looking for light wind wing from minimum up to 14 knots. What is the options we have now? From north I see they suggest HA1150, HA1250, HA1450. In couple of videos I heard that SF serious in bigger sizes can be light wind solution. So what to choose SF1080 or HA1250. My weight is about 80kg and I have 8m wing and 88liters seek board
Can't speak for the SF but the 1250 HA was very efficient in light wind for me (90kg) with the S208. At a lake with lulls i would reckon it is superior to the SF as the HA has low drag and heaps of glide
I still have the HA 1450, which brings me up in literally no wind and has endless glide with no drag and good speed - though still reasonably good in turns compared to the span. But will sell it, as i give up winging under 15 knts - you can pm me if interested
Tintifax, that 1450 is it 2023 version? How is the stall speed on the bigger HA wings? Thanks
Hi Oskar, yes it is the 2023 HA1450. sorry i can't provide any measurements about the stall speed. But the stall speed never was an issue for me, as it just glides for ages and at a certain point i just start pumping to get through transitions if there is a big lull
Select to expand quotetintifax said..oskarhhh said..tintifax said..ganeshka said..
Had a couple of sessions with MA850v2 what a glide what a wing!!! I can't compare to something small my progression was 2200R, 1850R, MA1200 . I was blown away by feeling of glide combined with pretty good low stall speed. Easily can good through white water and can keep with wind swells in 20 knots and up. Was riding this foil from 15 knots with 8m Loft pro up to 35 with gusts to 40+ knots. It is magic foil ?? was using s270 with negative shim. I want to get use to the size and next time will try s208.
I sold my MA1200 and now I'm looking for light wind wing from minimum up to 14 knots. What is the options we have now? From north I see they suggest HA1150, HA1250, HA1450. In couple of videos I heard that SF serious in bigger sizes can be light wind solution. So what to choose SF1080 or HA1250. My weight is about 80kg and I have 8m wing and 88liters seek board
Can't speak for the SF but the 1250 HA was very efficient in light wind for me (90kg) with the S208. At a lake with lulls i would reckon it is superior to the SF as the HA has low drag and heaps of glide
I still have the HA 1450, which brings me up in literally no wind and has endless glide with no drag and good speed - though still reasonably good in turns compared to the span. But will sell it, as i give up winging under 15 knts - you can pm me if interested
Tintifax, that 1450 is it 2023 version? How is the stall speed on the bigger HA wings? Thanks
Hi Oskar, yes it is the 2023 HA1450. sorry i can't provide any measurements about the stall speed. But the stall speed never was an issue for me, as it just glides for ages and at a certain point i just start pumping to get through transitions if there is a big lull
Thanks!
My post about the new Nova and Nova Pro has been removed. We'll see these wings soon hopefully. With their new tracking system for handles or even a boom on the Pro version. (Offtopic).
First 2 test rides with the MA1050v2 on 700 fuselage and S208 stab. This is a very good foil, easy to ride, playful without being nervous, the foil goes where you want it to go with minimal input. It has surprisingly good glide for an MA and you can pump it as well. I found the top speed OK but would have hoped for more. But you can ride it extremely slowly. The speed range is therefore wide with a small weakness at top speed. At around 35 kmh it stops to accelerate. Would assume you can push it over that point but only with significant more power input from the wing / more wind than I had.
In the second session I switched between MA1050v2 and SF930 back and forth. The MA is easier to ride and more stable on the pitch. Interestingly, however, the slow surf foil is faster than the MA1050v2. With the SF930 straight away 2 km/h higher top speed when I pushed it. The SF930 also gets going earlier because you can pump it so well.
The MA1050v2 is a fantastic foil, as North marketing says it's the most versatile foil in their range. For strapless wing surfing however I like the SF series more so I'll stick with the SF930.
Rider 72 kg, > 3 years winging, have to buy my stuff myself.
Pretty quiet on the North foils side? Didn't Mike say at AWSI that they'd be launching a pump foil?
Great to hear some riders reviews on the MA V2!
Select to expand quoteNikOnFoil said..
First 2 test rides with the MA1050v2 on 700 fuselage and S208 stab. This is a very good foil, easy to ride, playful without being nervous, the foil goes where you want it to go with minimal input. It has surprisingly good glide for an MA and you can pump it as well. I found the top speed OK but would have hoped for more. But you can ride it extremely slowly. The speed range is therefore wide with a small weakness at top speed. At around 35 kmh it stops to accelerate. Would assume you can push it over that point but only with significant more power input from the wing / more wind than I had.
In the second session I switched between MA1050v2 and SF930 back and forth. The MA is easier to ride and more stable on the pitch. Interestingly, however, the slow surf foil is faster than the MA1050v2. With the SF930 straight away 2 km/h higher top speed when I pushed it. The SF930 also gets going earlier because you can pump it so well.
The MA1050v2 is a fantastic foil, as North marketing says it's the most versatile foil in their range. For strapless wing surfing however I like the SF series more so I'll stick with the SF930.
Rider 72 kg, > 3 years winging, have to buy my stuff myself.
Gunnar biniasch said he did consistently 23-24 knots during races with the MA1050V1 and 26 knot top speed with a kite.
Strange if the top speed has gone down this much.
Select to expand quoteMProject04 said..
Pretty quiet on the North foils side? Didn't Mike say at AWSI that they'd be launching a pump foil?
Great to hear some riders reviews on the MA V2!
Mike said Mar/Apr time frame. I'm still waiting on the smaller SF's to make it Stateside.
Select to expand quoteBioniSurf said..
Gunnar biniasch said he did consistently 23-24 knots during races with the MA1050V1 and 26 knot top speed with a kite.
Strange if the top speed has gone down this much.
From the interviews with Uli Sommerlatt, one could deduce that the v2 are slightly slower than the v1, but with a larger speed range (improved low end).
To my surprise, the SF930 was slightly faster than MA1050v2. I can't say what it looks like in race conditions with overpowered wing.
But I'm sure Gunnar can squeeze a lot more speed out of the foil than I can!
Select to expand quoteNikOnFoil said..BioniSurf said..
Gunnar biniasch said he did consistently 23-24 knots during races with the MA1050V1 and 26 knot top speed with a kite.
Strange if the top speed has gone down this much.
From the interviews with Uli Sommerlatt, one could deduce that the v2 are slightly slower than the v1, but with a larger speed range (improved low end).
To my surprise, the SF930 was slightly faster than MA1050v2. I can't say what it looks like in race conditions with overpowered wing.
But I'm sure Gunnar can squeeze a lot more speed out of the foil than I can!
Maybe a MA1200v2 as an all round lightwind wing and the MA850 for more high wind/high speed could work,
I do like that most people say it has kept its ease of use. Thanks for the review :)
Folks, I thought hard last year about changing foil systems and moved to North after plenty of research. I'm 10 months on the system now, probably 80 sessions on the SF930 and HA850 (only have maybe 5 sessions on this) and have to admit, absolutely love it, great foils and a solid system. I have no problem recommending it to others and can easily say my riding has improved.
However there are very few North riders where I live, there is a pretty quiet FB group and then there is this thread, the main and only thread where we talk North :-) we do seem to be in the minority. North just doesn't come up in forum convos on foil recommendations, even though I believe its foils are there with the best, it just doesn't seem to have the momentum behind it from the riders.
Any thoughts on this? Am I missing something or is it just flying under the radar? what would it take to bring it to the top comparison tier of foils - eg, look how quick code took off.
BTW - not going anywhere for now, interested to see what is coming and doing my best not to buy a MA850v2 cause i just don't need it
I'm a long-time North user. I join this forum because of this thread.
The good thing about North is the design of the system is very robust. Their carbon fuselage is like no other. Their mast and fuse are so stiff and strong and they keep everything compatible from the beginning to today.
I try and own other brands too. I can see other brands have better performance foils (like AFS and Code) I try many AFS foils they tend to have better performance but are harder to ride and they keep changing their system so you need to buy complete foils if you want a new front wing. And sometimes their foil break (Lots of my friends use AFS so I know).
North may need to update its system in the future. At least they should release a high modulus mast with a thinner profile. This will help compete with other performance-oriented brands.
Good shout, a thinner mast would be interesting alright. While I am not looking to spend more cash I think a HA v2 range would be fantastic, but maybe not something they are considering. A pump or dw intro large foil would be cool too.
Either way as you called out the system is a gem, I'm just surprised it isn't more widely touted.
I think the North mast and fuselage are solid but not the stiffest. Had other foil systems with stiffer mast and fuselage. But for me it's enough and I really like the North foils, especially the SF series. These foils are so much fun to ride!
Select to expand quoteNikOnFoil said..
I think the North mast and fuselage are solid but not the stiffest. Had other foil systems with stiffer mast and fuselage. But for me it's enough and I really like the North foils, especially the SF series. These foils are so much fun to ride!
Which ones are stiffer?
Select to expand quoteFaff said..
Which ones are stiffer?
Fanatic / Duotone for example. Their standard mast is the stiffest I've ever seen and the TE (team edition) mast is also stiffer than North. But for my weight North is good enough and the foils are so good. Let's stick to the North foils in this thread :-)
Select to expand quoteUisceBeatha said..
Folks, I thought hard last year about changing foil systems and moved to North after plenty of research. I'm 10 months on the system now, probably 80 sessions on the SF930 and HA850 (only have maybe 5 sessions on this) and have to admit, absolutely love it, great foils and a solid system. I have no problem recommending it to others and can easily say my riding has improved.
However there are very few North riders where I live, there is a pretty quiet FB group and then there is this thread, the main and only thread where we talk North :-) we do seem to be in the minority. North just doesn't come up in forum convos on foil recommendations, even though I believe its foils are there with the best, it just doesn't seem to have the momentum behind it from the riders.
Any thoughts on this? Am I missing something or is it just flying under the radar? what would it take to bring it to the top comparison tier of foils - eg, look how quick code took off.
BTW - not going anywhere for now, interested to see what is coming and doing my best not to buy a MA850v2 cause i just don't need it
A possible upgrade or new direction they could take is a new frontwing with the front fuse as 1 piece (like Code, AFS..) Still the same geo lock mast to fuse connector.
Maybe that could be something for a HA v2 and future pump foil
Select to expand quoteNikOnFoil said..
I think the North mast and fuselage are solid but not the stiffest. Had other foil systems with stiffer mast and fuselage. But for me it's enough and I really like the North foils, especially the SF series. These foils are so much fun to ride!
Yes I have SF1080 as my light wind setup. It is such an easy foil to ride and progress.
I always recommend beginner to start with the SF instead of the MA or any big fat beginner foil in the market.
But if you could, try Code S series or AFS Silk they are another league, performance-wise.
Select to expand quoteTaeyeony said..NikOnFoil said..
I think the North mast and fuselage are solid but not the stiffest. Had other foil systems with stiffer mast and fuselage. But for me it's enough and I really like the North foils, especially the SF series. These foils are so much fun to ride!
Yes I have SF1080 as my light wind setup. It is such an easy foil to ride and progress.
I always recommend beginner to start with the SF instead of the MA or any big fat beginner foil in the market.
But if you could, try Code S series or AFS Silk they are another league, performance-wise.
What SF wing would you recommend someone (80kg beg/int) who is going down from a reflex 1850R.
Also, if i want to use the SF wings for more freeride, do they perform well with the freeride stabs? I have the s270 to day.
Select to expand quoteBioniSurf said..Taeyeony said..NikOnFoil said..
I think the North mast and fuselage are solid but not the stiffest. Had other foil systems with stiffer mast and fuselage. But for me it's enough and I really like the North foils, especially the SF series. These foils are so much fun to ride!
Yes I have SF1080 as my light wind setup. It is such an easy foil to ride and progress.
I always recommend beginner to start with the SF instead of the MA or any big fat beginner foil in the market.
But if you could, try Code S series or AFS Silk they are another league, performance-wise.
What SF wing would you recommend someone (80kg beg/int) who is going down from a reflex 1850R.
Also, if i want to use the SF wings for more freeride, do they perform well with the freeride stabs? I have the s270 to day.
It's depend on the condition but do not go bigger than 1080 for your weight. You can ride SF1080 in very light wind, It has much better low end than the 1850R and much more fun to rid, easier on your arms and to do manuver in lighter condition but in strong wind it will be slower than 1850R.
I don't have S270 so can't comment on that I use my SF with S208 only.
Select to expand quoteMProject04 said..UisceBeatha said..
Folks, I thought hard last year about changing foil systems and moved to North after plenty of research. I'm 10 months on the system now, probably 80 sessions on the SF930 and HA850 (only have maybe 5 sessions on this) and have to admit, absolutely love it, great foils and a solid system. I have no problem recommending it to others and can easily say my riding has improved.
However there are very few North riders where I live, there is a pretty quiet FB group and then there is this thread, the main and only thread where we talk North :-) we do seem to be in the minority. North just doesn't come up in forum convos on foil recommendations, even though I believe its foils are there with the best, it just doesn't seem to have the momentum behind it from the riders.
Any thoughts on this? Am I missing something or is it just flying under the radar? what would it take to bring it to the top comparison tier of foils - eg, look how quick code took off.
BTW - not going anywhere for now, interested to see what is coming and doing my best not to buy a MA850v2 cause i just don't need it
A possible upgrade or new direction they could take is a new frontwing with the front fuse as 1 piece (like Code, AFS..) Still the same geo lock mast to fuse connector.
Maybe that could be something for a HA v2 and future pump foil
And i hope they do not change to join front fuse and front wing!
For me (92kg) the frontwing-to-fuse-connection is firm enough (and i carve it pretty hard - even the larger HAs).
Plus it keeps the price down - thus adding frontwings is cheaper.
changing front wings during a session is also easier and faster. And the whole system is still light without "onepiecesolution"
Front wing with integrated fuse reduce lots of drag and I suspect this (and thicker mast) is the main reason that North foils is not as slippery through the water like AFS and Codes. I compare HA850 with Code 850S the front wing itself has same surface area and similar in profile thickness and AR. The code feel very slippery but the North you can notice little drag.
This is based on the feelings but I think the foil maker can test this easily in the hydraulics lab.
Select to expand quoteTaeyeony said..
But if you could, try Code S series or AFS Silk they are another league, performance-wise.
Thanks, will try if I have the opportunity to. Regarding performance, I'm not sure what better performance actually is.
I was some months on F-One SK8 850 last year, which is considered a high performance surf foil. It's a blast to ride and you can go full speed over the spot and carve really hard.
But my main interest at the moment is to surf small and weak inland lake swell and for that the North SF series performs better for me and the conditions at my home spot.
Maybe other systems have less drag, but for me the drag of North Sonar series is low enough and as someone stated before, there're riders like Gunnar who are able to go over 45 kmh with these foils. So the drag cannot be that bad.
Less drag does not always mean faster foil. It only mean that foil require less power to keep going at certain speed than the foil with more drag (less efficient)
In overpowered condition the faster foil is the one that can keep stability at high speed. Like a drag race between muscle cars you don't really need an good aerodymanic car you need a powerful car with tires and wheel base that can handle the power.
But in lightwind or downwinding we have limited/unreliable power sorce so the more efficient foil the better.
Remember the drag is proportion to the speed^2 and the power required is proportion to the speed^3.
Select to expand quoteBioniSurf said..Taeyeony said..NikOnFoil said..
I think the North mast and fuselage are solid but not the stiffest. Had other foil systems with stiffer mast and fuselage. But for me it's enough and I really like the North foils, especially the SF series. These foils are so much fun to ride!
Yes I have SF1080 as my light wind setup. It is such an easy foil to ride and progress.
I always recommend beginner to start with the SF instead of the MA or any big fat beginner foil in the market.
But if you could, try Code S series or AFS Silk they are another league, performance-wise.
What SF wing would you recommend someone (80kg beg/int) who is going down from a reflex 1850R.
Also, if i want to use the SF wings for more freeride, do they perform well with the freeride stabs? I have the s270 to day.
I went down that path over the last 6 months. I purchased an SF1230 and it was a a great change from the 2200R. I initially used the S270 tail as I found the S215 too "loose" and responsive. After a few weeks getting used to the smaller front wing I moved to the S215 tail. This tail is faster and more squirrelly than the S270. I eventually found the SF1230 had too much lift in higher winds once I got my speed up or the waves got bigger. I purchased an SF930 and it is magic. It is faster, has more glide and is even looser. I don't think I could have gone straight from the big Reflex wing to the SF930 without a lot of struggle. The SF1080 would have been pretty much right for my weight (83kg) as an all round front wing in hindsight.
Is anyone tried upcoming pump and glide series? Can those wings be considered as light wind wings?
about SF1080 and MA850v2 and drag . I was riding both in the same session with good powered conditions 20+ knots. 1080 was sooooo easy get up and going and feel stable and doesn't feel slow with 208 tale and Mode pro 5.5! After hour or so I decide to switch to 850 to compare. definitely need more speed to get up and going, much more faster and slippery through the water. Better glide on wind swells I thought I can break my speed record that day in really choppy Miami Beach water with NE wind. I record my session and the funny part, that I was in about the same top speed through all session around 18 knots ?? I'm still learning how to keep speed in choppy conditions, but my feelings was completely different from what real data showed me!??
January 20 was using only SF1080 and January 21 both with higher winds.
Select to expand quoteTaeyeony said..
Front wing with integrated fuse reduce lots of drag and I suspect this (and thicker mast) is the main reason that North foils is not as slippery through the water like AFS and Codes. I compare HA850 with Code 850S the front wing itself has same surface area and similar in profile thickness and AR. The code feel very slippery but the North you can notice little drag.
This is based on the feelings but I think the foil maker can test this easily in the hydraulics lab.
I completely agree with you that integrated versions can be built even more streamlined and stiff - thus better performance.
Regarding comparison of drag of the two frontwings you did not mention the sizes of used rears on each.
Never i would have believed the dramatic differences in drag due to the use of different rears if not experienced myself.
I had Axis ARTs before and was lucky to try lot rears from a buddy. I ended up using even my big Ha foil with a rear that is comparable to the smallest and "fastest" north rear (S178 - which i use also for the HA1450). And thats my only complaint about north: i am not a pro rider and not even a lightweight but i would wish for one an two size smaller and skinnier rears for my HA 950 and HA 750
