Evening Session - 1/31/2023

Evening surf session.  A south swell (super early) was running today.  It was low tide so I brought the Sweet Potato and Marlon brought his longboard.

I ended up talking with Gary about board design, so my session was really four waves.  Number 2 was a gem!!!  Chest to head high wave - I made the drop and pulled a hard front side bottom turn.  That was followed by a really long ride full of carving turns on a fast running wall.

The Sweet Potato is such an incredibly fun board!!!  Who would have thought a board shaped like this could catch waves like a longboard and ride for almost as long as a foil.

W:6/F:6/S:10

Garage Works - 1/29/2023

And here is the board repair.  The two boxes on Jim's board are cracked at the back ends.  This is a standard removal and rebuild.

Marking the board with alignment lines helps out tremendously.

Tomorrow I'll rout out the broken boxes and make sure the new reinforcement block fits tightly into the block cavity.

Evening Session - 1/29/2023

It was raining this morning and the winds did not shift away from straight north - so I figured I'd just sleep in (or do some internet research).  The wind was more than strong enough to wing, but I am not a fan of winging in offshore winds.

Noe had a performance today so we went into Manoa to support her.  On the way back I stopped into HIC Ala Moana and grabbed a 2mm thermal wetsuit top.  We got back home with plenty of sunlight left, so I went to the beach to test the new long sleeve wetsuit top.

I brought the Viking having low expectations of the wave energy coming in.

The wetsuit top worked great - nice and snug, not too tight on the shoulders so I can paddle well, and a cool key pocket.  I was toasty warm the whole time (68F air temp, 76F water temp).  We've got a several weeks worth of cool mornings and north winds, so this top will see a lot of use.

I caught five really fun waves - the Viking can catch anything and stalling, cranking turns, and trimming are so much fun on this board.  This board is definitely a session saver.

It is going to be pretty small for the next couple of days.  The wind is also forecasted to die back as this front passes over us.  I have a board repair I have to get done for Jim... I might be doing some board surgery while the small conditions are present.

W:6/F:6/S:9

New Triton for Winging

The neat thing about spending time at Kailua (on a day when the crowds are not there, but the wind sports zealots are) is that new stuff always finds its way out there.

I saw this on the beach - the new Triton Winging Monofoil.

Definitely a wider span than the T1 (which was developed for kite foiling).

I watched the owner riding it - held its line easily and he was on a 5.0.  I talked to him after and he said it is way easier to use than the T1.

Time to repair some boards (so I can save up some pennies to get this in March when it is released to the public).

Dawn Patrol - Wing Foiling Session 1/28/2023

 Chased some wind yesterday.  Dawn patrolled on the wing over at Kailua Beach Park.  There is a front hanging out over Maui and Molokai - which is altering the normal tradewind flow.  The wind was coming in from the north - offshore at WPB and Hickam, onshore at Kailua - lesser of the evils.

Kailua when the weather sucks is a fun place to hang out - only the committed come out and parking is manageable.

Wind was a little up and down so I pumped up the RS6.1 and bolted on the Eagle 1090/DW210

On my track below you can see the original wind direction coming from the NNW, then it shifted to the NNE.  I was able to get way outside Flat Island and was surfing the swell out closer to the Mokuluas.

It can get a little spooky if no one else is out there and the wind did lighten up a little so I headed back in to the area to the NW of Flat Island and surfed there for a while.

That's when the wind shifted and the runs lined up almost like they normally would (but still a little lower than normal).

Iwindsurf picked up the wind shift.

I didn't break any speed records today - but staying up on foil way more than not, I got 19.6 miles in today (in 1.6 hours).

I'll make another post of the other interesting thing I saw at the beach...

W:6/F:6/S:8

Wing Foiling Session - 1/27/2023

The wind was up enough today to go winging!!!  And Noe was available - it was good conditions for a training day!

I set her up with the 4'7" board (which at 22" wide would be easier for her to paddle back if needed), the Go Foil 27.5" mast, the GL210 (pushed back in the tracks), and the Ensis V2 4.5.

I used the Triton T1 for the first time (with the WWFB and the Takuma RS6.1).

This was the original spot where I installed the foil.  By the end of the session it was jammed as far forward as I could put it (and I think I needed more - this is a good excuse to build a new wing board with extended tracks....).

I suggested to Noe that she should paddle upwind before starting so she could have some ground to lose while trying to get up.

I had no idea what this foil was going to feel like.  I figured with the 6.1 I would have plenty of power.  The track below shows I had a slow start, but I did get up when I got into the wind lane.

This foil is way different than anything I've ever ridden.  I would get to speeds where I thought I should have gotten up on foil, but I'd still be on the surface.  I'd have to move way back on the board with both feet pretty much right over the foil and keep my feet really close together.

Some of the other characteristics of this foil - you need a lot of power to ride this.  There is no glide so as you are turning you need to get powered back up quickly.  But it does turn on a dime.

I would get up and get my feet situated, but I never felt like I could climb upwind (because I'd lose board speed and drop off foil).  So I ended up pushed up against the Second's reef.

Noe had held her line way upwind for quite some time.  Kalani was keeping an eye on her as I drifted unrecoverably downwind.  But eventually she drifted to where I was.  He said the she was having trouble with the wing size (too big as it was dragging her downwind) and she needed to work on where to put her feet.  At this point I told them we should paddle to the bail out point (where we go fishing on the flat).

While we were setting up the paddle in, I saw that Noe had stopped, was sitting up on her board and was staring at a big black moving shape in the water not far from her.  After a quick double check, I told her it was a big manta and that they only eat arms.

We eventually got to shore and I did the walk of shame back to the truck to go pick Noe back up.

Reviewing lessons learned, In this wind speed (15 to 20), at Noe's weight, she should be using a 3.5, which means 12 to 17 would be the 4.5, and anything above 20 will be the 2.5.

The other lesson learned is she should have her foil a little smaller and more forward (the GL210 was mounted 1" back from where I mounted the 1095 - 3/4" might have been better since Kalani saw her porpoising).

I did not hit 51.7 mph.  Combing through the data I saw 17.4.  Interesting day.  I can see why the T1 is a good kitefoiling foil.  But more and more people are winging with it.  I think if I build a board with longer tracks further forward, I'll be able to use this foil in average conditions.  I'm thinking 4'6.5"x25"x3.5" (~70 liters).....

W:5/F:6/S:8

Evening Session - 1/24/2023

Marlon and I hit the beach for an evening session.  Taking a que from Roland from yesterday, I brought out the Firewire Sweet Potato to surf instead of having to be over cautious while prone foiling.  

The waves were smaller than the previous session.  The tide also seemed lower.  And Roland was foiling... one of us didn't get the memo...

Marlon was surfing right in the middle of the main crowd.  I can't stand crowds - so I mainly stayed on the inside of Fenceline to pick off the unridden gems that would come through every now and then.

Just like in prone foiling, when I change something up, it takes me a few waves to get recalibrated.  My first few waves on the Sweet Potato were short and unfulfilling - was making me question my decision to use this board in these conditions (thoughts of the Viking destroying everything were definitely bouncing around my head).

But eventually my muscle memory for surfing this board returned and I had several really fun runs turning up and down the wave, gaining speed and carving end turns.  I really love the Webber Transformers with this board.

Time to take a couple of days off I think  - rest up the body before the winds return.

W:4/F:6/S:8

Evening Session - 1/23/2023

I paddled out for a short late evening session.  I brought out No.29 but swapped out the 1099 for the 999 - based on a surf report that Roland texted me.  Bum info that he passed on from his friend.  I should have brought the Viking....

But I made it work.

I got several waves - but the crowd made it difficult to fully unleash.  It was also smaller than I would have liked with the ART 999.  Regardless of the frustration points, it was still good to paddle around and get more used to No.29

I felt really good about the positioning of the 1099 from yesterday's session, so I went ahead and marked it.  I think I need to move the mast back a hair from the position shown below for the 999.

This board has a bias volume wise on the port side.  I have to move my body over to the left so the board paddles evenly.  With the waves conditions present today, I could have used the extra volume that No.21 has - but it is good to know that I could paddle in to waves this small with No.29

I think if I am able to go tomorrow, it is going to be a Sweet Potato day!

W:4/F:6/S:7

Anointment of No.29 on the Dawn Patrol

In this picture, my main stay prone foiling board is in the foreground - No.21.  I've been using this board since June 2021.  It catches waves easily and has been a great partner in this foiling journey.  

I did want to explore lower volumed, shorter length boards so I built a few boards, but the one in the background is what I've had in the back of my mind as I've seen many boards from many different shapers.  I took No.29 out for its inaugural session this morning.  

It was a good day to anoint No.29 - super light wind, super high tide, and perfect sized foiling waves.

My first wave was a double dip!  The shortest boards I've made were No.26 and 27 - I was able to ride those boards, but there was no room for error on foot placement on takeoff - if you didn't have your feet in the correct spots, it was a wipeout for sure.  This board was purpose built to allow for a larger front foot sweet spot and to have my front foot able to go further out on the port rail for more leverage and control of the foil.  I looked down a few times while riding and my front foot was further over and so was my back foot.

Pumping this shorter board also seemed easier.  Less volume up front (foiled thinner up front and also a narrower template) means less swing weight and less overall inertia.

No bevel in the rear of the board I think helps with release while taking off and also adds to board speed while paddling for a wave.

I spent two and a half hours out and caught many waves.  I had an opportunity to take steep drops, paddling for flatter waves and find my footing on this board.

This board is definitely going help further my progress.  There is still room for No.21 (it has always been like my "longboard" for prone foiling - I can catch smaller waves or paddle in early on the bigger ones) and I still have some experimenting to do using No.27 which is a wider templated, flat tailed/square railed short foilboard - but I think No.29 will become my daily driver.

This is a good sign for the upcoming year for prone foiling!

W:4/F:5/S:7

No.29 All Pau

After unpacking from this morning's dawn patrol, I hit the garage to get No.29 across the finish line.

I sanded the vent and leash plugs flush, and also the small resin patches I applied a couple of days ago.  Then I ran through the 80-120-220 sandings, followed by the 320-600 wetsanding.

Then I hung the board up and sprayed the clear coat all over the board.

Marlon and I ran some errands while the clear coat was drying.  Once we were back I measured out the deckpad.  This is a three piece - straight middle spacer with sides to match the asymmetry.

This one came out really nice.

I got the leash tie on, the marine deck sticky patches installed, and waxed the board up already.  I forgot to drill out the vent and install the vent plug - I'll do this before heading out tomorrow morning (to anoint this board!!!)

Wing Foiling Session - 1/21/2023

 The south winds were still blowing this morning.  The forecast even changed and it called for the winds to hold up until midday.  I packed my winging gear and headed to WPB (with the winds, Marlon opted to just take pictures).

I setup the WWFB with the Kujira 1210.  The wind was hovering just above the doable point with the RS5.1 (again - same as yesterday).  I had to paddle way out to get away from the breaking waves and to get a good angle on the wind to takeoff.

Once I was up, I was able to ride line up waves for quite some distance.  I stayed out for an hour and forty minutes, and headed in when I felt the wind start to drop.  The drop was temporary - once I was packing up, the wind started back up.

No complaints from me - I had plenty of time up on foil.

Towards the back half of the session, I was way out towards Nimitz Beach and the wind was light.  I stayed on the westbound tack and it took me through several breaking waves.  There was a lot of white water and I could feel the turbulence.  Knowing that the foil setup I had bolted on has come loose before, I had the thought that I should head back and call it.  All packed up, I checked the foil and it was still on tight - that means all that unsettled motion was the turbulence in the water.  I'm glad I had the Takuma on - the ART would not have any of the turbulence.

They are running the Eddie Aikau contest tomorrow - that should clear the lineups across the island somewhat tomorrow.  I think it will be a prone foiling day tomorrow.

W:4/F:4/S:7

Wing Foiling Session - 1/20/2023

The forecasts have been predicting a short wind event - but it is supposed to come up straight south.  It did come and it was from the straight south.

I rigged up the Takuma RS 5.1, the F One Eagle 1090 on the WWFB.  

I order to get going and not have to immediately turn, I had to paddle the board pretty far out.  Eventually I did get up on foil and I got in a bunch of runs.  I couldn't get out through the channel to the outside - so I just stuck to the inside reef line and surfed the small swells coming over the reef.

Just enough wind to get up with the 5.1.  The efficiency of the 1090 kept me going with little effort. 

I got the foil up to 22 mph (I forgot my watch at work - I used my phone).

 Nice session!

W:3/F:4/S:7

Garage Works - 1/19/2023

I picked up Noe from school on the way home - and the surf didn't seem like it was really worth the drive (and the short amount of sunlight left) - so I opted to do the rough grit sanding today.  I got through both the top and bottom decks - this sanding job wasn't too bad (it pays to laminate and fill properly from the get go).

I had enough sunlight left that I went ahead and drilled out and installed the leash plug and vent.

In this shot you can see the asymmetry pretty clearly.  This was just before I installed the plugs.

Tomorrow will be more sanding - yeah.

Garage Works - 1/18/2023

Haoli la hanau Marlon Makai Velasco!!!!  20 years young!!!!

I had a few minutes after getting home before we had to leave for Marlon's birthday dinner - so I quickly sanded the bottom deck to clean up the fill coat from yesterday.  AND I went ahead and applied a second fill coat.

After our awesome dinner at California Beach Rock'in Sushi, we came home and I went ahead and got a fill coat on the top deck (this step actually puts me ahead of schedule).

This is the Pro Link epoxy I'm using for the top coat.  SHould have a nice purplish hue to the board.

Tomorrow I'll sand away the excess resin.  This board is small enough that I should be able to sand it all.  Plus, I didn't have a ton of excess resin on this board.

I'll also try and get the vent and leash plug installed tomorrow.

Garage Works - 1/17/2023

This afternoon I did sand down the edges of the carbon rail tape.

Taking off the "rim" of the rail tape helps a lot with the fill coat - the more level everything is, the easier the sanding job will be.  Below is what I call smooth.

And here is the bottom all sanded.

This is with the logos applied.

And this is with the first (of at least two - if not four) fill coats.

Even though tomorrow is Marlon's birthday and we have dinner plans, I'll try to get the top deck fill coat on the board.  If I can do that, I can sand on Thursday and install the vent and leash plug.