UFO 101: Flat Take-offs
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- The flat take-off is the key skill that will open the door to the rest of the foiling spectrum. The muscle memory you need to execute a flat take-off is the same skill set for controlled flight, heeling to windward, tacking, gibing, and just about any other thing you need/want to do on this boat. And the key to flat take-offs is isolating the roll/angle-of-bank control to the main sheet, and eliminating the use of body weight or steering to compensate or control the roll.
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@UFOsailing
That was great! I'm wanting to get a UFO sometime in the next year or so.
BEST UFO video out there. YOU ACTUALLY TEACH and I actually for the first time heard where to set fore and after foil RAKE. 2-3 threads from the front.
Great - I assumed "center" which is about a inch from the front. (40 threads?) Now if I only knew how to adjust height of rudder.
And my sail is next to impossible to get up. I did see a can of sail kote in someone's video. I'll spray the foil shafts too. I had a can around here but need to find it. Oh I see below about irons) you had said it's hard - a friend that sold me the boat said it's not possible. I found it FAIRLY easy much like I did with other boats. I'd reverse the rudder and hope the wind will push me back on the opposite rudder angle. At times I found if I PUSHED and PULLED the tillerI could also turn the boat that way (as if paddling). slow push hard pull - 8-10 times and I've worked myself around. I've done this with all my cats. Backing up is okay too - tilt rudder as if backing up - push the sail forward to one side to push the boat backward and it will follow your rudder angle.
My biggest problems were rigging, missing lines around the tiller, no easy way to raise rudder, Sail was not flat and clean near the bottom, the car in the luff track was all wonky. My tiller kept hanging on Bridle and main sheet. Really fi I could get the sail to go up and down I'd be thrilled.
LUFF rope in sail seems to big and the multiple luff tracks (instead of one) give more places to snag it. My luff material around the rope caught and ripped 4 times putting it up the first time. I left it up and removed mast/sail as one because fear I will never get it up again. I'll try sail kote.
Great video!
Great stuff Kelly. I blew the moth balls off my ufo today and was definitely over steering. Going to take your advice and leave the tiller centered next time. Thank you for putting this video up
Can't wait to hear if/how much this helped. Let us know!
Thanks Kelly for the great video!
This is amazing - exactly right that there's not much in terms of instructional videos out there! Ignore the comment I just left on your other video - this is what I was asking for!
Great video you are so much help!!! Thank you very much! New to UFO
So nice to hear, Joe. Pensacola Bay should be a great venue for foiling. Best of luck.
Excellent video. Thank you for making it. I got my UFO (#183) quite late this summer and expended WAY too much energy trying to get it to fly. Finally did, but like so many others made all the mistakes other long-time dinghy sailors have been making. Way too much body movement, way too little sheeting in/out, and oversteering to try to maintain control. I've been sailing for 60 years and had to unlearn almost everything I ever learned.. OH, except how to sail backwards in irons. THAT comes in VERY useful. (LOL) UFO sailing season for me in Seattle area is over and I can't wait until spring!
One of the problems newcomers to UFO's face is that info is spread all over the place from Fulcrum's website, to the forum, Fb, UA-cam, and elsewhere. I spent days going through the threads on the forum, often finding that issues on the first 10 pages were completely moot since FS updated parts (like the main foil pin setup) and didn't apply to my boat. The "Unofficial Guide" is excellent, but videos like yours go a LONG way to visual learners who need to see it (or feel it) to fully get it.
A video I'd love to see is on rig trimming. Shroud tension, downhaul, batten tension, and outhaul adjustments for various conditions still has me perplexed. Add in rudder trim adjustment, too. On Lake Washington where I sail, we don't get sustained 12kt winds very often (other than OFF season like now. Last week we had sustained 30kt winds with gusts to over 50 along with record rainfall.) So lighter windspeed tips, tricks, and techniques are at the top of my list.
Thanks for the feedback, LO. I’ll put a rigging video on my to-do list, but in the meantime I’ll offer this: most of the advantages you’ll see/feel by having a “properly” shaped wing and rig tension are at the edges of the UFO’s foiling envelope. As a beginner, crank on the shroud tension before outhaul in light winds, the reverse in high winds, and if a batten is stubborn to pop to the other side, it’s too tight. Those simple guidelines will give you the most reliably enjoyable flights.
Hi @lo, are you still foiling in Lake Washington? I started my foiling journey last month, would be awesome to sail together and share tips
Fantastic video. Thanks for the deep-dive and detailed instruction. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the great video! I just got started on my UFO, and struggle with all the beginners mistakes you mention. Please keep posting more tutorials.
I would also be really interested general handling, such as how to get out irons, or keep moving under weak wind….
Many, thanks again, and now i cant wait for next season.
Absolutely, Thomas! I think a video on just getting the UFO around in displacement mode might be useful. Will get working on that right away. Thanks for the feedback and the suggestion!
ua-cam.com/video/lcDDiUJzz9k/v-deo.html Here you go, Thomas!
I agree. Great instructional videos
Wow! This is probably the most important beginner video since quite a while! Thanks for sharing.
I almost bought a used UFO last week. Unfortunately I'm a bit too far away from a place where I could get it to fly :-(
But if someone in or close to Germany is looking for a UFO: I know where you can get one in very good condition immediatetly :-)
One day I'd love to try it.
The point of foiling is to go FASTER than planing/displacement boats. The UFO does maybe 10-12 knots. it's no faster than a planing dinghy,
@@jaysparc Not true. On occasion I’ve enjoyed chasing down and passing a VX-1 with 4x as much sail area as me. You can also see on some of my other videos as well as other UFO owners achieving speeds close to 20 knots. Also, the point is to not only go faster, which you do, it is also to experience the sensation of flying, which you are. I’ve said many times that foiling is far more like flying an airplane than sailing a boat. It’s when I started dropping my sailing habits and tapping into my flying experience that I started to progress in foiling.
Kelly I've never sailed in my life, but quite coordinated, mountain bike, skateboard etc.
Is the UFO a good choice for a rookie who wants to learn to foil?
Eventually I would like to sail a Moth or Waszp.
Absolutely! It’s very forgiving. I’ve put many beginners on my boat with no worries at all.
Hi Kelly , I am not rich, can I afford to sail like you on my first UFO ?
A new boat is about $11k. You may be able to find a used one for $2k-$6k depending upon the condition and location.