Select to expand quoteSpokeyDoke said..Taavi said
Have you tried any DW boards yet at all? You mention 7+, but with just 63 kg you won't need all that length and you can easily get away with the smallest ones for all your winging needs. I am 10 kg heavier and for winging in the ultimate lightest winds (and with ridiculously small foils) the 6'9'' as in this clip is all I need. If seeking for a one board solution that would cover all conditions wait for some new ones that will start popping up soon, but for a 2 boards quiver and for performance riding go with a 88 L Dragonfly as your big board.
I think you are right...small Dragonfly or Apple Skipper DW would likely do really well (then maybe a new shape sinker for a second board later on)...going to try to wait...should be a super fun year!
I've built a few boards now. a DW 7'6 and a light wind wing board 6'6 being two of them.The 6'6 is now my go to board for all conditions (82kg), love it, ease of use out weights tippy. the 7'6 while getting going early and ability to cruise in little wind was no way as much fun, be interesting to see what the compromise magic number is.
Select to expand quotergmacca said..SpokeyDoke said..Taavi said
Have you tried any DW boards yet at all? You mention 7+, but with just 63 kg you won't need all that length and you can easily get away with the smallest ones for all your winging needs. I am 10 kg heavier and for winging in the ultimate lightest winds (and with ridiculously small foils) the 6'9'' as in this clip is all I need. If seeking for a one board solution that would cover all conditions wait for some new ones that will start popping up soon, but for a 2 boards quiver and for performance riding go with a 88 L Dragonfly as your big board.
I think you are right...small Dragonfly or Apple Skipper DW would likely do really well (then maybe a new shape sinker for a second board later on)...going to try to wait...should be a super fun year!
I've built a few boards now. a DW 7'6 and a light wind wing board 6'6 being two of them.The 6'6 is now my go to board for all conditions (82kg), love it, ease of use out weights tippy. the 7'6 while getting going early and ability to cruise in little wind was no way as much fun, be interesting to see what the compromise magic number is.
That's interesting to read. What width and volume is your 6'6 light wind wing board?
Select to expand quoteMilesH said..rgmacca said..SpokeyDoke said..Taavi said
Have you tried any DW boards yet at all? You mention 7+, but with just 63 kg you won't need all that length and you can easily get away with the smallest ones for all your winging needs. I am 10 kg heavier and for winging in the ultimate lightest winds (and with ridiculously small foils) the 6'9'' as in this clip is all I need. If seeking for a one board solution that would cover all conditions wait for some new ones that will start popping up soon, but for a 2 boards quiver and for performance riding go with a 88 L Dragonfly as your big board.
I think you are right...small Dragonfly or Apple Skipper DW would likely do really well (then maybe a new shape sinker for a second board later on)...going to try to wait...should be a super fun year!
I've built a few boards now. a DW 7'6 and a light wind wing board 6'6 being two of them.The 6'6 is now my go to board for all conditions (82kg), love it, ease of use out weights tippy. the 7'6 while getting going early and ability to cruise in little wind was no way as much fun, be interesting to see what the compromise magic number is.
That's interesting to read. What width and volume is your 6'6 light wind wing board?
21" wide guessing at 90-95lts as not much above water with full wet kit.
thanks everyone! it sounds without going too extreme with length and volume, the closer to a true dw board the better. I'll see what comes up in the next few weeks and make a decision for spring here on the US east coast.
I have been excited to get a narrower board in the near future, but they're really expensive. Recently came accross the new Gong Cruzader Diamond. WAY cheaper, 1000 Euros. Looks like it has potential. I was think about the 5'10'' 90ltr as a one board quiver.
Gong Cruzader Diamond FSP Pro
Select to expand quoteChuckWagonPNW said..
I have been excited to get a narrower board in the near future, but they're really expensive. Recently came accross the new Gong Cruzader Diamond. WAY cheaper, 1000 Euros. Looks like it has potential. I was think about the 5'10'' 90ltr as a one board quiver.
Gong Cruzader Diamond FSP Pro
If the PNW stands for Pacific Northwest getting a hard Cruzader won't be easy. The only one I know of here is owned by someone who brought it back from France since Gong only ships inflatables here. Fortunately the inflatables are pretty fun.
Select to expand quoteBennis123 said..
Nice comparison! I guess they all are much more efficient to get on foil than the typical short box shape boards of the last years. But I wonder if they differ in stability. A part from width, what makes one more stable than others? I imagine the ones with a pointed back end(appletree skipper) are less stable than the ones with squared off back ends(omen flux).
My local spot often fluctuate between 16-10 knots within a session, and the water is choppy and messy. I'd love a board that can handle both low wind starts and chop.
I am an old intermediate winger that weigh 86 kg well over 90 kg in winter wetsuit and buoyancy vest etc. I ride a custom 5'10" x 20" x 85 ltr mostly these days in deep open bay swell and chop and find it super stable and quick to take off. I had it made to help my low end take off in light winds and now really enjoy it in really strong winds. It fells small and lively as most of the extra volume/size is the back 1/3rd of board that you don't often look at or feel. The ride feels like a 70 to 75 ltr 4'8-4'10" wide wingboard with better get up and go.
Select to expand quoteBoracay.Villas said..jksmurf said..
... my initial thoughts were geez let's take out our old windsurf wave boards and put tracks on th, about 2/3 from the nose ??
almost that simple.
i did just that. 3yrs ago with a scooped deck racing slalom board . Got my first taste of gybing a long board. and easy starts
but you nailed it.
wavesail boards are just that awesome factor better. and yeah about 2/3 (or look for the parallel hull section to install the box) my wavesail has rocker thru till about 1/2 way. So started there approx and went with a custom 22in box. It's interesting but I ended up liking the foil very far forward,
With experience of a few windsurf board repairs I chopped the nose and tail off an old 78l 7'9" x 22" windsurfer to make a 60l, 5' x 22" foil board. To my amazement it worked fine with my Armstrong foil (gave positioning a lot of thought) but getting going was very hard work for my skill level and 86kg, partly as lack of volume in the nose made it tippy. The domed deck was a bit uncomfortable but guess I could have got used to that. An educational project now gathering dust, but might ressurect for another go when warmer.
This was a sensational ride the past few months over here in Boracay Philippines
pm if you want some details
custom modified wavesail board. 7.5kg total
or can follow along on my channel
@wingfoilSafaris
bio
7footer, 24wide, approx 95ltr, FG box
88kg rider
ha980, 1225, 1125
can get all these foils up (without pumping) in less than 8knots. Just pure flat line speed engages
.the stubby nose was amazing for bay chop
I'm guessing thinner boards (thickness) will be all the rage next season because this board is so much fun in the waves
yewwww
I have a Bic Electric Rock windsurfer that I would love to make into a downwind board. How do you get the foil track into the board and make it strong enough to not rip out?
Select to expand quotegobuck said..
I have a Bic Electric Rock windsurfer that I would love to make into a downwind board. How do you get the foil track into the board and make it strong enough to not rip out?
I cut an old 78l waveboard down to 5' 60l. You need parts like this swiftfoiling.com/product/building-kit/. There are Youtube videos and all advise connecting boxes to deck. Router track insert foam block for tracks into bottom of board. Router slots into deck to connect additional firm foam to box and 4 layers for carbon over box and deck forming and I-beam structure.
However, the domed deck of windsurfers make board a bit too sensitive and worst of all the lack of voume up front makes it more unstable to start
Select to expand quotegobuck said..
I have a Bic Electric Rock windsurfer that I would love to make into a downwind board. How do you get the foil track into the board and make it strong enough to not rip out?
Foil Mount. I have a Starboard 7'4" Hypernut which already had a foil track in it, but it was old school and placed near the rear of the board. I bought the Foil Mount and placed it in front of the old tracks, and it works fine. Paid $100 US.
Select to expand quoteFranP said..
Recently I've been benchmarking the industry to get inspiration for my new narrow-large-wing only board (already ordered to my local custom boards shaper in Barcelona)..... Anyway, I see 3 trends into the market:
1) Pure DW boards (7-9' long and 18-20'' wide) used as wing boards for ultra low wind (Sunova , KT Guinxu, Duotone downwind, Takoon Scape, etc.) with +10 to +20 liter over your weight. I guess it's 5-10% of the market
2) Mainstream boards - All newly released boards, either for the average Joe or for the pro-freestyler which represent 90-95% of the market are getting narrower ( 2-3 inches less) and slightly longer( 2-6 inches more). Armstrong, JP, Omen, AppleTree and most custom shapers already startedb Expect all major brands (Duotone, North, F-One, Armstron, etc..) to trully reduce width soon.
3) The new category. A one-board-for-all, typically with same volume than rider's weight, width 19''-21'' and length shorter than 7' like the Sunova Carver, Amos Sultan Wing, Takoon Scape Wing, Cabrinha Swift, etc... I believe we will NOT see ALL major brands launching those kind of models.
What do you guys think ?
Totally agree, looks like #2 will be the next industry drive
So I finally got to try my narrow 82l strapless(84kg rider+wetsuit). I haven't struggled this much since my first few days on foil. Conditions were low wind and very choppy, so not the best to try new gear. Also I think my mast was too far forward as the balance point when slogging was very different to the balance point when on foil.
My biggest takeaway is that I probably relied a lot more than I thought on the straps on my old board. Keeping my feet on a narrow board without straps was a lot harder than I expected. I'll report back when I get a few more sessions on the board.
Got my second session on the board where I finally found the right placement for the mast. While the efficiency of the narrow board was great, the real game changer for me was the low swing weight of this board. Coming from a shorter Fanatic Skywing I thought this one might have a higher swing weight. I think the combination of light construction, and equal length of board fore and aft of foot placement, made the board completely disappear under my feet. Such a cool sensation!
Select to expand quoteBennis123 said..
Got my second session on the board where I finally found the right placement for the mast. While the efficiency of the narrow board was great, the real game changer for me was the low swing weight of this board. Coming from a shorter Fanatic Skywing I thought this one might have a higher swing weight. I think the combination of light construction, and equal length of board fore and aft of foot placement, made the board completely disappear under my feet. Such a cool sensation!
Yeah I felt the same coming from my 5'4 95 l skywing to a 7' dw board. It carves like anything & so balanced. Noone else has a DW board around here & many of the OG are quite skeptical of the lenght & perceived swing weight.
The one thing I have found that goes against everything else I read about DW boards is that in lighter winds with real life sea chop there isn't that much more benefit to me than a short board. Yes, instead of wallowing it does start to move earlier & quicker & I can stand up straightaway rather than taxi on my knees building up speed however I find with the longer waterline it is easier for the side chop to keep knocking you off line & still takes as much effort to pump up on foil. I guess we pick our poison but no going back for me.
That board looks like my takoon ultra glide which is 75L, and is great. I use it for all conditions atm. For waves I start pointing lower than usual to account for getting knocked, but it's easy to get fast and stable. Another benefit I find is when going to windward leaning over, when it touches down the touch point is super close to your feet so not much leverage to pull it to the side. Of course in that situation and in transitions it doesn't touch as much anyway. It's like riding a longer mast.
Cool! I do wonder if any mass produced boards have the same construction as this custom board. It's reinforced with carbon around the middle, while the material the ends seems very soft. Obviously I don't know anything about board building, but I absolutely love how light this one is.
I got a chance to ride the 6'3 DOSport Boing! It's made in Quebec. It's production is one of the best I've seen. It had less volume but was similar in feel to the Cabrinha Swift. I own the prototype for the swift seen below. It's 6'6. It has a keel they removed for production because it was prone to damage. I've had it out from 10 to 30 knots. I've tried these two and the SAB Torpedo and KT Dragonfly (7' and 8'). So far I prefer the Dragonfly.
Select to expand quotefoilfondler said..
That board looks like my takoon ultra glide which is 75L, and is great. I use it for all conditions atm. For waves I start pointing lower than usual to account for getting knocked, but it's easy to get fast and stable. Another benefit I find is when going to windward leaning over, when it touches down the touch point is super close to your feet so not much leverage to pull it to the side. Of course in that situation and in transitions it doesn't touch as much anyway. It's like riding a longer mast.
Can I ask how heavy you are?
I'm currently looking at the 90 or 100l Ultra Glide and not sure which to chose (I am 85-90kg with or winter wetsuit etc).
With a wetsuit I'm maybe 85kg.
anyone on a narrow board find that getting up on their bad side is harder? I think it was when I got my takoon that I've had a harder time when getting to my feet and flying except on my strong side.
