Lift Foils For Winging

I have the 200 and 250 high aspect wings, 38 stabilizer and 32" mast that I use for winging and I love the setup. I haven't ever tried Armstrong, but I definitely prefer the Lift product to Axis (lighter and in my opinion better designed and more efficient profiles).

The 200 and 250 high aspect are very similar and both have excellent glide. The high aspect wings tend towards a more drawn out turn, and they like to be ridden fast in order to get the most out of them. The 200 needs to be ridden slightly faster than the 250 (which has a lower stall speed - not surprising given the area), but what you lose in low end on the 200, you gain in slightly more nimble turning, and better pumping. Both of these wings are magic in waves, and the benefit of Lift's efficiency can really be felt here.

If you prefer a tighter turn, slower turn initiation and are willing to sacrifice some pump and glide, the surf v2 series is a better fit. It is slightly lower aspect, and has increased dihedral vs the high aspect which is flatter. I would like to add a 200 surf v2 to my quiver as well. For the tails, I wouldn't go any bigger than the 38. the 48 and 50 lock things in too much (I have a 50 tail, but I only use it for kiting and didn't like it for winging).

Lighter and more skilled guys are winging on the 170 (v2 and high aspect) and 120 high aspect, but I think you need to be really on your game and powered up to make the most of those wings. I started winging on the 250 high aspect and while others say it is a more advanced wing, I think I progressed on it just fine (I had kite foiling experience).

FYI, I am selling my 250 HA in excellent condition if you are interested (located in the USA). Only selling because there is too much overlap with the 200 HA.

I have Winged (but mostly proned) the lift 170HA/32"mast/glide 32 stab. Feels fast efficient, lots of glide and quiet through the water, carves well and very predictable when breaching the tips (you hear it dont feel it). The drawback is that due to its narrow stall angle probably not the easiest foil to learn on. Maybe the lift surf series would be a better option for the wing.

Thanks all

Reviving an old thread - curious whether anybody who uses a Lift setup experimented with base plate shims? The Lift foils are characteristically back foot heavy and I'm wondering if I can balance out foot pressure a bit with a shim.

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Velocicraptor said..
Reviving an old thread - curious whether anybody who uses a Lift setup experimented with base plate shims? The Lift foils are characteristically back foot heavy and I'm wondering if I can balance out foot pressure a bit with a shim.

Not being able to the get equal foot balance was the drawback that made me sell mine. But now, there is a guy in Hawaii making a universal tail that accepts tails from other brands. i'd buy one ASAP if still riding Lift.

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Velocicraptor said..
Reviving an old thread - curious whether anybody who uses a Lift setup experimented with base plate shims? The Lift foils are characteristically back foot heavy and I'm wondering if I can balance out foot pressure a bit with a shim.

To me it seems some factory boards don't have enough adjustment to the front of the box for the 120, I solved it by getting a custom board:) I only have the 25 and 32 stabs, rumor has it the KD tail on a custom pedestal improves the 120 a lot (if that's even possible.)

Base plate is a correction for tail rocker, it would adjust attitude of the board not the foil (as I understand it). To get more front foot pressure if you can't move the mast, shim the connection from front foil to the mast, it's dead easy to try and I think this has a much more exaggerated effect, one piece of credit is a good starting point.

Interested to hear what other guys have tried and the results.

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Velocicraptor said..
If I understand you correctly you are suggesting a shim in the pocket connection between the mast and the foil. I'm not even sure there is enough play for this to work but I will give it a shot.
Since the front wing and tail are connnected in the lift design, isn't this the same as shimming the base plate? At the end of the day you are just changing the angle of the foil in relation to the board (the difference being where that angle changes) but maybe I'm misunderstanding the suggestion.

thanks

I'm pretty sure that when people shim the base plate they are correcting for board tail rocker, so the board can sit level in flight, in theory the only difference would be when the board and foil are both engaged prior to lift off. by shimming the mast to fuse connection it should move the center of lift forward / back in a more pronounced way that sliding the mast forward or back in the box. (at least that's the theory hahah)

My old board didn't have enough forward adjustment so I did the shim trick on the 170 no worries, I took the shim out once I got my custom board with box placement further forward.

this guy explains it pretty well: