Forums > Wing Foiling General

Switch Surf Wing

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Created by waterlife > 9 months ago, 20 Jan 2021
waterlife
VIC, 77 posts
20 Jan 2021 9:33AM
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Two questions:Anybody having issues with valves leaking due to glue melting?What PSI are people pumping their wings to? (finger ping test or rough PSI - understand all pumps are different and PSI gauges are unreliable)I've always left other wings in my shed which is pretty cool compared to outside temp. Kites also left in the same place and never had issues with them. Switch replaced my last batch of wings but wouldn't confirm if it was a manufacturing issue or random batch etcSecondly, I am wondering what PSI I should be pumping to? I normally pump to roughly 6PSI as recommended but they occasionally goes floppy in stronger winds.

mcrt
643 posts
20 Jan 2021 6:46AM
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I have compared my pump gauge by connecting it to other pumps and checking the indication...they were spot on.
They are way more reliable than a ping IMHO, unless you have some perfect pitch superpower.

Gorgo
VIC, 5099 posts
20 Jan 2021 11:01AM
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I have 4m and 5m Switch wings. The 5m had a slow leak in the valve and they sent me a new kite.

The kite would stay well inflated for a session, but I could hear air coming from the valve during packing and the soap test showed bubbles. It would be soft overnight, but still hold its shape.

It was perfectly usable but obviously it's not good enough to have a product with such a fundamental flaw. Apart from sending them some photos and video the replacement process was quick and painless.

I pump to 6-7 psi on the valve and check with the "boom" test. Large diameter bladders need less pressure and a "ping" is quite high, around 8-9 psi. I flick it with a finger and the sound changes from a dull thud to a resonant "boom" sound. That seems to work ok.

I've been trying the boom test on my kites. They work ok, particularly on the larger sizes, but the leading edge can collapse if the kite is highly loaded and sent through the window.

I am a bit sceptical of the precision of pump valves. You need to be pumping to get a reading and that can vary depending on how fast you are pumping and whether you're going up or down. Once you've got the wing pressurised 1-2 strokes of the pump can add 1 psi to the reading. I pump my wings slowly to avoid wrinkles and folds in the strut.

Apart from feeling sloppy, I have had a few failures to kites where the structure was not rigid enough. You get a fatigue wrinkle where the fabric bends and it eventually splits. I have only had one case of stitching failure over 20 years of pumping up kite as hard as I could. I am trying to pump kites less hard because kites are built much lighter than they used to be. Surf wings are even lighter.

Nolipoli
7 posts
23 Jan 2021 2:41PM
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I pressed Switch for a recommendation a while back and they said 8psi max (6m wing). It has worked well at that pressure - a lot better than 7psi

Nolipoli
7 posts
23 Jan 2021 2:42PM
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How are you guys feeling about the handles? My ones are collapsing to nothing...

Gorgo
VIC, 5099 posts
23 Jan 2021 8:23PM
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The handles are fine. I like how they conform to my hands. I have 33 hours on my most used wing, the 5m. I mostly use the second from front and the back handle.

I did put some tape over the seam under the handles I use all the time. The stitching was scraping my knuckles when riding underpowered and the edge of the fabric was fraying a little. I also stopped riding underpowered.



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"Switch Surf Wing" started by waterlife