Windfoil on 2.7m² Vs Windsurf on 3.3 & 4.0m² before Cyclone Gabrielle
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2023
- Feb 11th 2023 at Tokerau Beach Far North NZ with Grant & Garth (& Jens). Easterlies again.
Insta360 One X2 camera (Head mount - back mount would've been better but I thought I might break it).
Managed 3 sessions, and filmed this short one trying to capture the team, who wanted to go in the opposite direction to me haha. Camera decided to stop after 1/4 hr unfortunately.
Gear:
Me - SB Foil X 105 - 183x62cm, Goya Guru X pro 2.7m², Balz Pro 799, 95 mast, 900 fuse, 425 stab.
Grant - 75l Fanatic quad & 4.0 Blade (red & black)
Garth - Old school Taranaki 75l wave board single fin & Neil Pryde 3.3m² (yellow & pink). He'd changed down from 4.2 to get more control.
Jens - unfortunately he arrived after the filmed session but somehow held down an 88l Witchcraft board with a thruster set up & 4.7 Ezzy Panther (his smallest) with lots of outhaul - respect!
Conditions - Winds from Cyclone Gabrielle were just starting to arrive (a day later & the gusts were 60-70 knots at Cape Karikari). On the beach my anemometer showed 24-28 knots with gusts to 34. Seemed at least that out the back?
The swell was smallish and the sea a little confused at times but the finners got the odd wave & some jumps. I was mostly overpowered but enjoyed it. - Спорт
you did it ! I love those conditions when you don't need to hook on , when there's enough wind to take off imediately and just trim the sail a bit whem you need some power to go by . Congrats and cheers from south of France !
Hey Sam. Yep I definitely wasn't lacking for power that day haha. Thanks & cheers
Great view from the 360 camera where it can "follow" other riders.
Yes I'm very impressed with the One X2 (already superceded by the One X3) & I've found editing via the Insta app is pretty easy.
Hey Brett, ..look mom no harness lines!😄 respect! nice conditions and vid!
Thanks for that. I use that board with 4.3, 3.7, 3.1 & 2.7 & I've found I prefer no lines for all those sails and associated conditions. If I wanted to regularly sail straight lines and over distance as per windsurfing, I'd probably wish I had some, but I don't sail like that on that board.. and there's no way I'd have wanted lines on that day! Cheers 🤙
Love your videos! Would you recommend the Foil X 105 for a light rider (60 kg) as an allround foil board? Or is it too difficult in the lighter winds?
Hey Sondre, thanks!. At 60kg you should be fine on a 105. I'm 75-77 kg and I can pretty easily uphaul & schlogg home on the board when the wind drops. The largest sail I use is 4.3m² with the Balz Pro 799 wing and if there's 12-14 knots (i.e. just starting to white cap) then with plenty of pumping I can get it flying, so you should get going sooner. SB claim a sail range of 3-7.8m² (that seems a bit high?) but I can't comment on larger sails & using the outboard strap positions as I've never tried it.
I saw your foil gybe video (👍) so if you're still using the 155 Alien then a 105 litre board might seem too small initially but you will soon get used to it (that was my experience). With still more experience and in medium to strong winds I think 90 litres would be fine for you if you want to use small sails, but it's probably best not to go too small too soon...
PS - I'm a little obsessed with light board weight:
My 105 is the first version - 183x62, about 7.5 kg & deep tuttle box. The current SB Foil X 105 is 185x63, a quoted 8kg in wood sandwich construction & with tracks. SB's new Foil Freestyle board seems to be the exact same Foil X 105 board but 7.2kg in carbon. You could always stay with Severne of course as the Predators are significantly lighter than the SBs and deep tuttle.
I'd better stop trying to pick a new board for you haha, there's plenty of choices...
Cheers🤙
Brett
@@brettwindfoil Thanks a lot for your answer! Just the information I was looking for. The Alien 155 belongs to my local windsurf club, but I've been using it so much that it's about time to get my own windfoil gear. So just browsing the used market (trying to save "some" money😅) and I stumbled across a nice looking 105 from 2020, which I think is the same version you have. I really like the idea of a light and compact board (might even fit in my car?!), and good to know that I can get away with it even in lighter winds.
Now just need to find the right foil for it. Do you think a carbon mast is essential? I was considering the Severne Redwing with a 1000cm/2 frontwing. But I also saw a great offer on a GA Mach 1 foil set with a 90cm carbon mast and a few more options for frontwings, including a 900cm/2. The Sabfoil looks nice though, but it's around twice the price.. Decisions, decisions.
@@SondreSandbakken Foil choice is definitely confusing , especially if you're starting out, plus foil design (& boards & sails) are still evolving... More gear to buy haha.
Forums can be a good source of info - I'm a regular reader of www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Foiling. The gear review on the French site windfoilfan.glissattitude.com/home is also good (you need to register for free). This months edition of the English Windsurf mag has a review of free ride foils & foil boards etc etc.
I don't think a carbon mast is essential for free riding especially if you're starting out. Some aluminium masts can be as stiff as carbon but mast stiffness is not as critical for freeride as compared to racing. AL will also be cheaper, however unfortunately, reasonably heavier. If you keep wind foiling I'm pretty sure you'll eventually move to carbon so maybe look to a brand that offers a range of parts options so you can upgrade components as you go. Also on masts, unless you're sailing in shallow water, or dead flat water, I think longer is better for free riding. I found I made significantly more gybes after switching from 85cm to 95cm. There was more leeway for error especially in sea swell. I'd actually like a 105 for use with the Foil X. If you check out UA-cam for top rider Greg Glazier from Slingshot he's always on their 125cm mast!
With front wings 1000-1100cm² and medium aspect seems a common size & shape now for wind foil free riding (cm² by itself is not a good descriptor of wing performance). Larger mid to low aspect wings can be good too for learning. They can be easier to fly and have a lower stall speed (handy in gybes) but may have less glide and be slower than higher aspect wings.The two options you're looking at would probably both be fine but I can't comment. I can say tho I really rate the Balz Pro 799 for what I'm trying to do. Sabfoil made a lot of noise about their Kraken system & new range of wings etc, so while expensive, it's unlikely (I'm guessing) that they're going to be changing designs significantly in the near future, which is always a risk.
Lastly - light winds. If you are looking to blast around in light winds 8, 10, 12 knots, then a bigger wider board than the Foil X 105 with free race foil gear and larger sails would definitely be the way to go. I think you'll have a lot of fun on a Foil X 105 especially weighing 60 kg, but I just don't want to over inflate it's low wind ability.
Cheers, & good luck! 🤙
Love both foil and fin but the foil in these conditions looks painful
Hey Greg. Yeah it was hard work at times but ultimately I enjoyed the experience & will repeat it if the conditions return. Pushing things a bit is good on several levels!
Generally in choosing between fin & foil, I now invariably choose foil cos for me, it's more fun. That includes in higher winds & seas. Cheers Brett
Hi Brett, Good on you for sticking with it and keep pushing your limits. I'm not yet at the level on foil that this kind of conditions would make me happy! But never say never: I've been criticised for going out in rough conditions with "inadhequate" freerace/freeride gear on the fin and I found the experience challenging and fun, and worth repeating! Regardless your videos are great to watch and follow.
@@whynowind Criticised for "inadequate" gear, haha - I was wondering if it was re the 'Roughed Up by Lake Michigan' video?!
Thanks for the vid comment. Making them is a fun extra (but it also distracts from the sailing sometimes!). Cheers
@@brettwindfoil Yep! You guessed it! Ha! Cheers.