Garage Works - 4/3/2025

And after Foil Drive-ing, I gave an impromptu class on how to fill scratches and tune a foil.

I got this AFS Enduro 900 with a far from perfect repair job.  There was even clear coat sprayed on (ugh).

I filled it to show Norm and Marvin how I do it.  Then when I got home I sanded the foil.

This session produced an almost perfect repair/finish.  Yes there were some scratches on the top...

Here is the bottom - all refreshed!!!

There are still a couple of spots that need to be filled again and sanded - but I'll wait until I get more rubs that I have to repair before tackling the minor work.

Tomorrow may be a winging day....

Evening Foil Drive Session - 4/3/2025

Similar conditions to yesterday (but yesterday was better).

Same setup as yesterday - and I pulled the assembly back just a notch.  I wanted to see what the results would be -

Prayot was on a regular SUP.  Roland was on prone foil, Gary was on SUP foil (DW) and Marvin (and eventually Norm) were on Foil Drive.

The feeling I get when I use this setup is like riding a dialed in shortboard on powerful waves - when the conditions are far from that.  The maneuverability of this lower set is incredible!!! 

Most rides were really long and full of cranking turns.

Marvin said the tips are coming out on most turns.  I'm going to have to get Marlon to fly the drone to see what is going on below.

I did get a couple of double dips - and even attempted a triple - so I am slowly finding this foil's cadence.  Eighteen rides in an hour... UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!

W:22/FD:53/PW:1/S:4

Evening Foil Drive Session - 4/2/2025

The afternoon southerly winds slacked this afternoon.  With a rising tide and ridable waves from the south, today was pretty fun!

No.40 with the AFS Enduro 900/HA40 combo.

But this session saw the use of a new mast - the AFS UHM 80cm.  For as long as I have been Foil Drive-ing, I have almost always used the Project Cedrus Aluminum 80cm mast.  I wanted to try something different.  And actually, these last few sessions have opened my eyes to what else is out there.

Of note, I'm also using the Custom Wing Foil Screws M7 nuts (super low profile), and the 12cm drive cable. 

Norm and I were the only Foil Drivers out.

This session duration is pretty typical of the Max battery - just under an hour and on the throttle pretty much the whole time.

I am super thrilled to be using this gear combo - I am turning harder, running faster and not feeling as much strain (as I was with the Spitfire).  It is also slightly less heavy using this new mast.

I got so many incredible turns today...

And Roland had stayed on the beach because he thought the waves didn't offer much today.  But he saw Norm and I out and then spent the next couple of hours getting a learning session on how to setup a Foil Drive.

Thirteen incredible rides today!!!

W:22/FD:52/PW:1/S:4

Dawn Patrol Foil Drive - 3/30/2025

This morning was about as close to foil paradise as it gets - 

Size, glassy, and tide were all excellent.

I ran the AFS Enduro 900/HA40 (in the rear mounting position) - time to sell off the Axis Spitfires.

Once I got the foil position dialed in, this setup blew me away!!!  And if you ask Andrew and Dean, it even drove me through a barrel!!!

I had the HO battery in - tons of endurance.

I had so many epic turns - I think this setup is getting me closer to slashing shortboard turn.  I'm going to need Marlon to drone to confirm.

The Enduro was getting me up on foil just as early (maybe a fraction later) as the Spitfire 960.

And it is an average of 3 mph faster.

I think I can even push it down to the Enduro 700...

This was one of those days that'll burned into my memory as a perfect session!

W:22/FD:51/PW:1/S:4

Evening Foil Drive Session - 3/29/2025

And since we were getting Marlon out for an inaugural OC-1 run, we might as well get the Foil Drives out.

The unfortunate thing was the wind was up.  Not enough to wing - but enough to make the conditions not even desirable to FD.

But Norm didn't go out this morning, Marv wanted to try out a demo 860R, and I wanted to see if the Enduro 900 would work Foil Drive-ing

I think I got the foil into a decent position, but I'm also going to adjust the rear stabilizer to the rear position.

I did get some runners - pretty much downwinding.

I'm guessing there are fourteen rides in this chart.  I did wipeout several times - the chop was just too much (that even Norm and Marv just went in).

Marlon was able to launch and land without any issues.

Tomorrow morning I'll continue to dial in the Enduro 900.

W:22/FD:50/PW:1/S:4

Marlon Canoe Outfitting

After the dawn patrol, Marlon and I went to Kapahulu to check out the paddling supply shops over there.

Marlon found a paddle -

And he also picked up a roof rack basket/cage.  This will help him transport the canoe around.

And we also hit Pavilions so Norm could teach him how to set up the canoe.

Marlon is stoked!!!

Dawn Patrol Foil Drive - 3/29/2025

The south swell was hitting in full effect.  ZERO wind - sheet glass!!!

Tide could have been a tad higher - 

Same lower setup on No.29 - wanted to get some more time on the prone boards. 

This morning was "everything that can go wrong - goes wrong" day.

First I did not hook up my remote to my leash - I had it in my pocket and it floated out.

I knew I needed to get my board up on the beach so I could dive after the remote - but I didn't get it high enough above the water line and it was rolling (luckily in sand only).

Next - while grabbing for what I though might have been the remote, I get urchin spines in the three lower fingers of my right hand.

I eventually find the remote (I lost it close to the beach so I figured just go with the flow and I'll end up where the current was taking the remote) - complete luck.

And after being out for a bit, I was noticed that I wasn't getting the lift I should have been getting from the foil - I was needing to put too much back foot pressure (not much - but more than I thought I should be). I also noticed it was hard to ride the foil.  I check it and it was pretty loose.  I figured I should go back in and get reset.

After fixing everything except my fingers - I went back out and then had a great time.

Twenty rides - many were all the way from outside to the outer lineup.

Super awesome session!!!

W:22/FD:49/PW:1/S:4

Evening Foil Drive Session - 3/27/2025

Two unfortunate things happened today - 

First, an onshore flow was present - which made the surface choppy.  Not the worst I've Foil Drive-n in, but a far cry from yesterday's glassy conditions.

And it wasn't strong enough to wing either - so we were all stuck in the middle (too windy to FD, not windy enough to wing).

The whole FD crew minus Derek was present.  And Stu was out on prone, and a new guy Bob was using a gen 1 FDAP with a Dragonfly.

The other unfortunate thing that happened was my remote did not charge last night.  That made for a short session.

I've been having to fix some scratches in my foils lately - so I've been paying closer attention to the route Norm takes to get out.  I think I've got the channel defined now.

Considering the surface conditions, I don't think I missed much.

Maybe seven rides...???

Norm's wife Michelle made this sticker!!!!

If the swell really picks up tomorrow, I may bring out a shortboard tomorrow (unless of course it gets crowded - then it'll be the FD).

W:22/FD:48/PW:1/S:4

Evening Foil Drive Session - 3/26/2025

Perfect conditions for Foil Drive-ing this afternoon!

Same gear as last time - in fact I hadn't taken the gear apart since the last session on Sunday morning.

Norm and Marvin came out also.

The waves had a distinct westerly flow to them.  And towards Campgrounds, long runners were stacking up vertically - in fact they would have been super fun on a shortboard.

I used the standard Max battery and easily got over an hour.  And I was practicing efoiling.

I was having trouble at the front end of the session on the break in front of the pavilions - there wasn't a lot of energy there so the rides were shorter.

Eventually Norm and I migrated over towards CG where the waves were breaking - and that's when the fun really began in the stacked up runners.

I got 16 rides in over the course of an hour.

Tomorrow should have similar conditions!

W:22/FD:47/PW:1/S:4

Marlon's New Journey

Yesterday Marlon and I went to pick up an OC-1 that he bought off Craigslist.

He's STOKED!!!

Dawn Patrol Foil Drive - 3/23/2025

Foil Drive on the dawn patrol today.  Same gear as yesterday.

I did bring out the GoPro Hero 4K.  With the extension I had it on, and it's wide angle, it was hard to get a good view of what was going on in the video.  I'll either need to use a longer extension, or the GoPro 12.

The waves were smaller than yesterday - and throughout the session it just kept getting smaller.  But I still managed to ride bumps and stretch the battery out to past 2 hours.

The waves from earlier in the session had lots of carving opportunity, with a drift to the left.

I'll call this 22 rides - slim pickings (but this definitely shows the capability of the Foil Drive on a small wave day).

Dennis, Dean, Noel, and Prayot were all out trying to make mountains out of mole hills.

Small waves and light winds forecasted for then next several days....

W:22/FD:46/PW:1/S:4

Dawn Patrol Foil Drive - 3/22/2025

Dawn patrolled with the Foil Drive this morning.  Really nice conditions!

No.40 with the same lower assembly.  I've been wanting to use the Spitfire 900 - but the waves weren't consistently big enough to use it and still get long run time out of the battery.

And I didn't want to do a battery swap since the tide was on the low side (me being lazy).

Full crew out today - Mark, Andrew, Thursday Matt, Dean, Dennis, Noel and others were out.

I had some really long rides today.  All but a handful of waves were pretty low energy - but there was enough shape to bounce turns between sections.

On the handful of bigger breakers, it was fun to drive to the bottom of the broken wave, zoom back up the face behind the section, bank off and head back across where the wave broke.

23 or 25 rides depending on which data set you look at.

This distance view of the ride data makes the longer rides more obvious.

Should be similar conditions tomorrow morning.

W:22/FD:45/PW:1/S:4