Its interesting because a few months ago i had a ding in my 7'4 barracuda. i was forced to take out my old 6'0 kalma E2, and in the back of my head i knew it'll be tougher getting up onto foil, but at least once i do it'll be nice to ride a small board again. I was in shock i came to realize my bigger board outperformed my smaller board when it was up! Easier to pump, ride, and i felt it turned better with stability. Pros and cons, but right now i see so much more pros having the longer board, especially when up on foil. aloha
But what if you had something in between the two? A narrower, slightly shorter barracuda? Advantages it’d be lighter just coz it’s smaller and maybe that would make it better? E2 and barracuda are worlds apart
@@jamescasey7393 could be worth a try! I think if a board is designed correctly and you distribute the foam correctly, it wouldn’t feel heavy or have crazy swing weight. Right now my 7’4 rides great. If I were to shrink that to 6’10, I’m not sure there would be a significant difference in performance when up on foil. However, perhaps the the longer board would be a noticeably easier to paddle up. It would be interesting to find the sweet spot!
@@voyagerfoiler5976 agree but as conditions get lighter you’d change foil size with the same board. If you could just change board size it reduces your weight and then you can stay on the same foil in lighter conditions
Surf related Equipment life-cycles always do this. Starts big, and when benefit of smaller becomes apparent, everyone races down in size and often past the point of practicality. Currently the race for the bottom is the in foil size - smaller is faster, true, but only if you are on foil and often the conditions dictate to a large degree the speed that you can achieve - unless you are designated foil god who can pump through and over bumps. it's going to settle in the next year or two but I think the most important thing is that people have to be honest about their age/skill and fitness levels and choose accordingly.
@@jamescasey7393 I found that for really low energy DW a fast foil requiere lots of work (at least for me) so a bigger foil (not too big but more like a glider wing) will work better and because it is easier to get up I don't need that extra lenght. While on big open ocean dw, the longer boards helps taking off a smaller fast foil but the also i like the extra control you get with the longer/narrow board.
Its interesting because a few months ago i had a ding in my 7'4 barracuda. i was forced to take out my old 6'0 kalma E2, and in the back of my head i knew it'll be tougher getting up onto foil, but at least once i do it'll be nice to ride a small board again. I was in shock i came to realize my bigger board outperformed my smaller board when it was up! Easier to pump, ride, and i felt it turned better with stability. Pros and cons, but right now i see so much more pros having the longer board, especially when up on foil. aloha
But what if you had something in between the two? A narrower, slightly shorter barracuda? Advantages it’d be lighter just coz it’s smaller and maybe that would make it better? E2 and barracuda are worlds apart
@@jamescasey7393 could be worth a try! I think if a board is designed correctly and you distribute the foam correctly, it wouldn’t feel heavy or have crazy swing weight. Right now my 7’4 rides great. If I were to shrink that to 6’10, I’m not sure there would be a significant difference in performance when up on foil. However, perhaps the the longer board would be a noticeably easier to paddle up. It would be interesting to find the sweet spot!
@@voyagerfoiler5976 agree but as conditions get lighter you’d change foil size with the same board. If you could just change board size it reduces your weight and then you can stay on the same foil in lighter conditions
Is the foil drive obsolete now everyone getting on foil so easy?
Surf related Equipment life-cycles always do this. Starts big, and when benefit of smaller becomes apparent, everyone races down in size and often past the point of practicality. Currently the race for the bottom is the in foil size - smaller is faster, true, but only if you are on foil and often the conditions dictate to a large degree the speed that you can achieve - unless you are designated foil god who can pump through and over bumps. it's going to settle in the next year or two but I think the most important thing is that people have to be honest about their age/skill and fitness levels and choose accordingly.
Well put, makes total sense
I found longer = really good for big open ocean dw, shorter better for light wind/no energy bumps
Is that because you are using a larger foil for light wind and a smaller foil for big open ocean?
@@jamescasey7393 I found that for really low energy DW a fast foil requiere lots of work (at least for me) so a bigger foil (not too big but more like a glider wing) will work better and because it is easier to get up I don't need that extra lenght. While on big open ocean dw, the longer boards helps taking off a smaller fast foil but the also i like the extra control you get with the longer/narrow board.
@@gregclosier8729 yeah my exact train of thought