Evening Session -3/30/2021

Late post from yesterday - Marlon and I hit WPB in the late afternoon.  Wind was up (Eli was ripping on the wing - I didn't see him come down off foil once), tide was on the full side and there were waves - head high on the sets!

Marlon brought his Submoon and I had the Dually.  I saw Marlon take off on a few really good ones!!!  I kept drifting towards the crowd on my first few waves (blocked and had to abort the launch a few times).  But towards the end the crowd dispersed and I caught a few gems!  I keep forgetting how much fun surfing (not foiling) can be!

Evening Session - 3/29/2021

This afternoon's foiling session was a little bit different.  I hitched a ride on Prayot's boat out to Firsts (end of the HNL Reef Runway).  It looked like it was breaking head high on the sets, so I set up the HS1420CS/Chopped 300 on the Wide 4'10".

For the most part the wind was down.  There was still a little bit of a head wind going right, but it wasn't bad at all.  The swell was really fun - pick up a peak in the middle and ride the wall for a really long time.  I had three waves over 400' and I hit 20mph multiple times - probably on takeoffs.

I really like this break on the wing foil - but prone foiling is just way more maneuverable.

This really makes me want to buy a boat...

Chopped HS1550 is Now a ....

Continuing on the "working on foils" theme of my Sunday, I figured out the surface area of the chopped down HS1550.

I wasn't too far off when I guessed 1475.  So from this point forward, I'll call this wing the HS1420CS.

More Chopping

This weekend I found myself short a rear stabilizer, as I've really taken to the chopped down Uni 300.  Instead of unbolting it from the prone setup, I just used a 232 for winging the past two sessions.  I only had one of the chopped 300s - until today.

Trimmed, grinded, sanded through 40-80-120-180-220-320 dry

Then ran it through 320-400-500-1000-1500 wet.

I didn't go through the carbon, so this one is done!!!

If it seems sticky in the water (holding water from a rough spot), I'll wax it - but I'll test it first.

Wing Foiling Session - 3/28/2021

I checked the forecast yesterday evening and it called for good conditions at Kailua for this morning - so that where I went.  

I was out from about 7:30 to 9 am.  Wind got pretty strong in the gusts, but there were lulls where the 6.0 came in handy (I think I might have been waiting around if I had the 5.2 up).  iwindsurf.com doesn't have a free chart for Kailua Bay, so I grabbed the Kaneohe Bay report - the wind was slightly more powerful than what is shown.

I bolted on the HS1532CS/232 on the 85cm mast/60cm fuselage.  The chopped front wing helped with the strong winds/big wing.  There were a few instances where I was popping the rear stabilizer - but with the swell and the chop, that wasn't surprising to me.  Perhaps a longer mast would stop this (while at Kailua - because it isn't happening at Hickam).  Or I should have gone in and put up the 5.2 wing...

Jump City had a bunch of breaking waves - so much fun out there today - especially as a regular footer.

My fastest runs were from the wave assists.  I got to 17.4 mph - a little faster than the HS1850 (as one who have surmised).

I got a few tacks and jibes in, but mostly I changed direction when I crashed, which was more often than I would have liked.  Too much popping the tail (already said - now with emphasis).

The most notable thing that happened today was outright riding a wave and flagging the wing - way easier to do out in Kailua because I'm riding regular foot strong side - FUN FUN FUN!!!!

Wing Foiling Session - 3/27/2021

The family split up into different groups today.  After Marlon dawn patrolled, he headed out to Windward Community College to do some work.  La headed out to Kaka'ako to visit plant friends at the farmer's market.  I took Noe to Rainbow Bay so she could coach another sailor on how to better handle a 420.  After all that, I headed to Blue Planet Surf Shop to grab some swivels for the wing leashes, and then I finally headed to Hickam to get in a 'third' (or second depending on your criteria) session.  The wind was light but mostly consistent.

HS1850, Wide Wing Foil Board, 232 rear stabilizer, 85cm mast and a 60cm fuselage.

Ensis 6.0

Like usual, I made a beeline for Firsts.  There were a couple of areas where the wind was light - but I eventually got out.  There were waves - but Seconds was breaking better.  I spent 45 minutes out there - nailing tacks and jibes, and riding some bumps.  I did get stuck outside - was on an outbound run and I knew the wind was dropping - I kept going hoping I'd catch sight of a patch of wind.  I ran out of wind, but only had to wait a few minutes.  I caught a few more then headed back in to play on the inside.

I only got to 13.7 mph???? Going to have to use the HS1532CS to see how much more speed I can pick up - probably not too much as the HS1250 hits 17mph if I recall correctly.

Fun session!

Dawn Patrol - 3/27/2021

Marlon and I hit the dawn patrol this morning.  We drove separately as Marlon had volunteered to help guide students in an activity one of his previous professors was working on,  There was a little texture on the water, the swell was decent (waist - mostly, to chest - occasionally), and the tide was coming down from a high of 1.1'.  As you can see below, Marlon brought his longboard.  Once he paddled out, I didn't see him.

I brought both of the recently chopped foils out.  I started out with the HS1532CS.  The foil has settled in - no more groans from rough spots holding water, no more slipping from the wax coat, and it glides and pumps with zero issues.  I caught a bunch of waves, then figured I'd paddle in.  If it was early enough still (I had to be back home by 9 so I could take Noe to sailing) I'd paddled back out with the chopped 1550.

Well - it was early enough so back out I went.  Riding this foil is a completely different experience - has some of the glide, some of the pump, but how it moves on a wave... perfection!!!  I caught three really good waves - pulling off some really hard turns and being able to go top to bottom on a wave face.  This front foil makes prone foiling just like shortboard surfing.  My search for the perfect surf foil is over - at least for waves chest high and under.  Above that, I think the CF1200 will be the go to (come on south swells!!!).

 

So the front foils are starting to get stratified - the HS1850, HS1532CS, HS1250 (and maybe eventually the CF800 - oddball) are better for winging.  With their flatter, wider shape, they seem to be better for getting up faster with the wing.  The HS1550, HS1475 (what I'm calling it for now until I can measure the surface area), CF1200 (and again the oddball CF800) are the surf foils.  Primarily the shorter width, more swept back tips all carve up a wave face.  These don't need the same efficiency to stay on foil since they get all the power they need from the wave.  Now I can stop fidgeting with all this stuff (not likely).

Foil Trade

I regularly ply the Craigslist waters to see trends, look for deals and to look at what the second hand market is moving.  This also includes Facebook Marketplace.  I saw two Armstrong CF800s hanging out - and they haven't moved in weeks.  In reading the description on one of them, the seller said his CF800 wasn't for him as he was still learning.  I sent a message and asked if would be willing to trade for a CF1600 - and he said yes.  As great a wing as the 1600 is, I won't be using it as I have moved on - that and the 1600 feels like a puffier version of the 1550 (it is slower, more stable, and has more lift than the 1550).  I'm barely using the stock 1550 as it is....

So it was a win-win.  I got a wing that I can look forward to using on nuking wind winging days (like this past Sunday - recall that I observed that using the HS1250 with the 4.5 wing felt really comfortable, with the other combinations firmly on the challenging side).  I can also try this out on a solid south swell - I'm thinking overhead+.  I wet sanded the one scratch this foil had with 1000 grit - pretty much just knocking down the high spots.

Such mesmerizing curves... 

This is a small wing - the Uni300 rear stabilizer is not too far off this.  Prior to this wing, the Go Foil GL140 and the CF1200 were the wings I'd bolt on for the bigger days.  I had not found the top end of those two foils yet - I thought the sky was the limit, but looking at this one opens up a lot of possibilities.  Looking forward to some epic condition days to give this a run!

Evening Session - 3/26/2021

I hit WPB this afternoon - wanted to test the HS1532CS with the chopped down 300.  I also put a coat of carnauba wax on the front foil.  The waves were cleaner than yesterday, about the same size, but the tide was a hair fuller.  The waxed foil was too fast (or the stock 300 slowed down the 1532 a bunch).  The first several waves, I had some trouble staying on the wave - the whole setup was super slippery under the water.  Eventually I got the hang of it and I was getting really long rides.  The tide was still on the low side, so I tried to stay away from going too far in (but couldn't help myself). 

This wing pumps and glides better than a stock 1550, is faster than a stock 1850, and it turns better than the 1850.  I think I've tested this in the surf enough now - as expected it is pretty much in the middle of the 1550 and 1850.  Tomorrow I'll bolt on the chopped down 1550 and begin the testing regime on it.

Evening Session- 3/25/2021

Marlon had finished his math by the time I got home, so La said he could go surfing.  There was a 2-3' swell hitting - Marlon brought the longboard and I (wanting to continue testing) brought out the same setup as yesterday (HS1532CS/300).

I had sprayed more acrylic on the foil to help build up a fill layer and to see if that would be enough to get rid of the "shuddering" I experienced yesterday.  The swell was a hair larger than yesterday, the wind was down considerably, and the tide was slightly higher - better overall.  I had some really fun rides - high up on the mast almost instantly, faster than the stock HS1850 and I'm pretty sure I poked wingtip out of the water when turning on some hard cutbacks.  I also pumped back out on a few waves.  I also breached a couple of times - it's the stock 300 rear stabilizer (need to cut it down so I have two chopped 300s).

With this chopped foil, I don't think I'll have a need for the stock 1850 riding prone anymore - it'll still be my primary winging foil, as will the HS1250 - but I think I can get by in the small stuff with this newly cut foil.  I saw Marlon catching a bunch in the middle of the pack - as always.

There was a lot less shuddering today - but there was still some residual.  I will now wax the front foil and try it out again tomorrow (to see if that helps).

Evening Session - 3/24/2021

When I got home, there was still a good amount of daylight left.  I figured I had enough time to sand down the epoxy sealant coat I applied to the two chopped foils yesterday, and then test at least one of them.  I got both sanded to 320 dry, then loaded up the truck.  The winds turned southerly so it was onshore mush.  I was hesitant because the tide was low at 0.3', but based on the surf session I had a couple of days back, I figured where the waves were breaking, there was enough depth.  The good news was there were waves - belly high in the middle break (bigger outside - but I didn't have much time).

I bolted on the chopped HS1850 and a stock 300 rear stabilizer.

I caught three waves.  The first was ok - had some back foot pressure (thinking that I didn't get the mast positioning exactly right), but I did pump back out for a double dip.  The second wave I rode for quite some distance going left (my backside) - and the foil pressure was pretty much spot on (equal between both feet).  I got in a couple of turns and realized I was in pretty shallow water.  The third wave was really good - super long right and the foil again was performing awesome.  On the last two waves, the foil was not releasing water well (shudders transmitted to the board from hitting an excitation frequency).  I got through that harmonic, but now I'm thinking about how best to get rid of that (I think it is a result of the wet sanding up front and the relatively rough sanding behind from today's work).  Probably going to spray a coat of acrylic, then apply carnauba wax.  If the waves hold, I'll try and test this wing again tomorrow to see if the changes worked to shed the issue. 

When I got home from foiling, I inspected the front foil for signs of water seepage - there was none.  And then I weighed it again - same weight as before at 46.9 ounces - SUCCESS!!!  I found my large graph paper and traced the outline, then counted squares (0.5 inch squares).  After doing some math, I calculated the surface area to be 237.5 square inches (I subtracted the fuselage connection from the 253.5 shown below) and got an area of 1532 square cm.  The wingspan is 94 cm, and the chord depth is 22.5.  That yields an aspect ratio of 4.17 (I thought it would have been higher than this...)

Fun session, fun math and good knowing the dimensions - so with the dimensions I can now call this the HS1532CS (High Speed 1532 Chop Shop)

Evening Session - 3/22/2021

Marlon got his work done early this afternoon and he specifically asked La if he could go surf (she said yes).  The winds were forecasted to die back (almost to nothing) and the report said there was waist high waves breaking.  We brought our longboards (but I had initially said I was going to bring the dually).

Well - I should have went with my gut because everything was wrong.  There was a side on stiff wind that was chopping the surface up, the swell was occasionally head high, and the tide wasn't low at all (in fact it was deep enough to foil).  The TJ Everyday is such a fun board - so this session was great regardless.  In fact - the wind died back as forecasted and the surf smoothed out.  I caught 5 - each one getting progressively larger.  My fourth wave was head high and it was awesome.  My last wave was just overhead and it was top to bottom - had to distribute some weight on the fly to stay on the wave, and after a really long ride in the pocket, I was pretty much done (I knew I wouldn't catch a better one before it got dark).  Great way to start the week!

Finished Sanding the Chopped Front Foils

La and I ran some errands in the afternoon - and when I got back I ran the front foils through the 80-120-180-220-320 sanding grits.  After that, I then wet sanded through 320-400-500-1000-1500.

I sanded out the spots where the foil name was - so when I figure out what to call these two, I can write the designator in these spots.  I think the leading name candidates are CHS1475PF (Prone Foil) and CHS1600W (Wing)

They came out really nice!  I weighed them both for future reference - CHS1475PF is 36.7 ounces, the CHS1600W is 47.4 ounces.

Now the debate is whether to wax them, or just leave them be.

Wing Foiling Session - 3/21/2021

The forecast was for nuking winds, and after today it is supposed to drop to almost nothing (good for surfing and prone foiling - bad for winging).  I figured I need to get on it while it was here so I went to Hickam.  Marlon came along (to pick up groceries and hang out with his friend) and we were at the beach around 11:30.  The winds were really strong -

I originally pumped up the 5.2 and bolted on the chopped down 1850.

Since I was on the stock 1850 yesterday, I wanted to see the difference in the chopped foil. 

I had to come in because the wind was too strong for the 5.2.  On the wind chart you can see the gusts were 30+mph.  I rinsed the 5.2 and pumped up the 4.5, and was back out on the water.

At some points even the 4.5 was too much wing.  I headed out to Firsts and it was breaking properly today.  I caught a few - didn't feel overpowered on the drops.  Also the chopped foil felt a little more nimble.  And it was noticeably faster.  

The strong winds made it a little harder to get my inbound tacks completed - a lot of down pressure on the wing trying to get it across (for some reason that wasn't the case on the outbound tacks - I think I need to consciously raise the wing higher going into the turns).  Here is a picture of me mid-jibe.

    

Marlon took all the pictures today.  Eventually though he hopped a ride into town with one of his friends and that was the end of the pictures.  Before he left, I came in one more time to change out the front foil from the chopped 1850 to the stock 1250.

  

The wind continued to pick up - from the graph it looks like it hit 40mph on some gusts.  It looked like it - smoke on the water!!!  The 1250 was easier to handle in these winds.  With less wingspan and a shorter chord, there was less lift so to get the same ride, more energy went to getting the foil to lift.  That meant I had one fewer thing to manage (keeping a foil behaving).  So here is a picture of the three foils I'll be using for winging - the stock 1850, the chopped 1850 (I have to come up with a name for this so I don't have to type that out all the time), and the stock 1250.  I really like how the chopped 1850 fits in between the two stock foils.