I see a lot of guys on Strapped sinker boards but not many on sinker boards with no straps
Do you use a strapless sinker board and if so how many Lts volume under body weight do you use .
cheers
At 80kg I use a 46L 5'0 without straps. From 480 - 880 sq cm frontwing. Stinkbug start 95% of times. Windrange: 15 - 30+ knots. Use a 65L 5'3 when wind is lighter, but often wait for better wind (and mainly waves).
At 86kg I've used everything from 55-66l without straps. I also have a 77l and 90l for alternate days and conditions. I do my version of a knee start on all my boards.
75kg using a 4.5x21 45L ... 60% of BW in liters is a good formula for me .. tried 30-65L.
Depth at your spot is really the only concern (on light days) - also if sinking your board occasionally 70-90cm gets you into the weed zone...
And, yes, strapless. I can stand on it with water almost at my chest waiting for a gust - but I can also stand on a Swiss ball ...
I'm 80kg and use a 40L without straps. Have used strapped sinkers in the past and it doesn't make much of a difference, main thing I found was the front strap can act as more grip to stop the board popping up if my balance isn't right.
97 kg, with suit and winterkilo,s probably over 100kg, riding an KTWingdrifter5.4x22x56l in 20+ knots. The key is for me the length, making starting sign easier as similar volume short boards. I simply knee start btw
I have an Armstrong 55ML that I've ridden in some serious wind, strapless. Not very many sessions, but super fun still and at this point I think I have about 60 miles on it. Otherwise, I've also done it on a 50L Appletree V3 for a couple hundred miles. That one eventually got straps. Also, I recently towed into waves on a 37L Appletree Pro Foil V2 and I did strapless. It was fine, though take-offs were a bit tricky.
I have an Armstrong FG58L no straps at 90kgs. I start stinkbug, but found it so hard initially - basically like trying to stand up on a cake of soap. The key for me was to ride a bigger wing size then everyone else, and don't pop-up from knee position until there is some forward momentum. Getting better now but it ain't easy!!!
I'm 85 kg riding a 60L Omen Flux strapless and having a fairly easy time of it - And I'm not an amazing winger.
Just also wondering what water state you use your sinkers in waves / chop / flat water etc
Strapless -> Waves, the bigger the better
Strapped -> Flat water for jumping when there are no waves or jumping in waves when front foot heads out and I'm feeling like it.
Note: strapped means front strap on preferred foot and slingshot halfstrap at the back. Always want to keep the freedom to ride the waves and for me that means moving my back foot around. Pic of the strapped set-up:
I'm 78 kg.I've experimented with a few boards during my progression.North Seek 2023 - 4'8 - 58 L
North Swell 2023 - 4'7 - 43 L
North Swell 2023 - 4'1 - 33 L
North Swell 2025 - 4'6 - 45 L
North Vert 2025 - 4'5 - 30 L
Board length and volume distribution play a huge role in getting the board from under the water to over the water.E.g. Swell 4'1 - 33L needed way more power to get it out of the water than Vert 4'5 - 30L - I had to upsize my wing size.I have nearly the same low end with the 4'5 - 30L vs 4'7 - 43L - i.e. I can use the same size wing.
My biggest wing is a 4.2 m and I can easily get the 30 L going in 14-15 knts with a 680 cm - flat, chop, waves.
Stinkbug water is the key as the board sits closer to the surface - regardless of water conditions.Squat/crouched starts require way more power as the board sits deeper and the water column on top is much taller.
The key points for me are to only start pumping the wing when you feel power in your wing.That power and those pumps should equal to forward momentum and to the board starting to rise through the water to get to the surface.
NEVER EVER stop pumping throughout the entire sequence as you want to maintain that forward momentum which not only gives you stability, but also helps keep the board above the water.Let me restate that, NEVER EVER stop pumping from the moment you are on your knees under water, to on your knees above water, to standing up on your front leg, to standing up on both legs, to starting to pump the board. You only stop once on foil.
This is a very old video, but it gives you an idea of the never stop pumping
One of my boards I use for parawing is a 57L DW prone board and I'm 70kgs. It has no strap inserts and it's super fun but sometimes I wish it had straps but it's also great without. Bit harder to pump up out of the water maybe. So nice to have a clean deck with plenty of real estate though.
Select to expand quoteFoilWays said..
I have an Armstrong 55ML that I've ridden in some serious wind, strapless. Not very many sessions, but super fun still and at this point I think I have about 60 miles on it. Otherwise, I've also done it on a 50L Appletree V3 for a couple hundred miles. That one eventually got straps. Also, I recently towed into waves on a 37L Appletree Pro Foil V2 and I did strapless. It was fine, though take-offs were a bit tricky.
hey mate, how do you compare these 2 board ? I am thinking about getting ml55 or appleslsice v3 60L and cant decide
