Dawn Patrol - 1/1/2022

Dawn patrolled this first day of 2022.  I finished the Takuma mast modifications (added epoxy yesterday while working on the NWFB and sanded this morning) - so I rigged up the 75cm with the 1210.

Winds were straight onshore.  The tide was supposed to be a dropping high at 1.6', but oddly enough I hit bottom twice.  There were waves pulling through - but I think it was pretty much wind swell.  I caught several really fun ones - two for ones and even a triple dip mixed in there.  Besides the two bottom groundings, I also had the foil come back at me on a wipeout and it bite me in the head and back (next post).

I forgot about the nose down attitude this setup produced.  I couldn't ride with reckless abandon because of that - I meant to add a shim under the front of the base plate.  Next time. 

The weather changed pretty quickly - good, bad, super windy, and really choppy.  Challenging conditions for sure, but glad to have gotten a session in to open 2022.

Dawn Patrol - 11/7/2021

Sunday morning dawn patrol - Marlon brought his longboard and I had the 4'8" prone board with the Kujira 1210 on the 75cm.  The tide was super high at +2.5'.  The wind was light, but the water was still a little choppy and the swell was weird - it was hard to catch the head high breakers.  I did manage to catch a few, but the bigger outside ones were a little too big for the 1210 (overpowered - had to focus hard on working the foil).  Probably should have changed out the front foil to the 980.

Matt was out on what looked like an Axis ART999.  He had multiple rides where he was gliding around on nothing waves.  He did look like he was having a harder time picking up the steeper waves.  

I did catch a bunch of fun rides, but I definitely think I would have had a better time on the 980 (I just didn't know the waves would have that much juice).

Good fun!

Tweaking New Gear

I spent yesterday afternoon working on stuff that has piled up on me and also tweaking some new stuff.  I helped Marlon fix a ding in one of his boards.  Then I sealed up the trailing edge of the HS1532CS (that I sold - the customer wanted it sealed up a bit more).  Then I got to the good stuff.

Having sold the Ensis 6.0 and 5.2, I had been looking for a replacement wing.  It needed to be powerful, not have any windows, be lighter, have handles and have the range of both of the Ensis.  That is a lot to ask of one wing - but here it is - the Ocean Rodeo Glide 5.0 in A (full Aluula) Series.

This is actually the second one - the first came in earlier this week, but when I ran it through the pressure test, the boom would not hold air.  For as much as this thing cost, I went ahead and asked for an exchange - I got that yesterday.  This one held pressure (and it is still inflated in the living room).

I am really excited to put this wing to the test.  I know it will not have the get up and go grunt that the Ensis does, but what is a few more pumps to gain a wider range, almost no weight, and an ultra stiff frame that translates much more power (instead of losing it to flex and deformation).

With this wing, I have the goal of only having three wings - 5.0, 4.2 and a 3.6.  Those ranges (hopefully) will go from 12-25, 18-30, 25-??? respectively.

Now we just need the trades to come back (still a week away).

I also shimmed up the Takuma Kujira 75cm aluminum mast.  I got this mast from Jeff along with the Kujira 1210 so I can prone foil the Kujiras (as I'm still waiting for the Project Cedrus 2021 Takuma adapter). 

Shimming the Takuma is pretty important.  If you don't the load is only on the bolts and any vibrations the rig endures will start to loosen the bolts.  For all the complaints I see on the web, I would say nearly all of them are a direct result of not shimming the parts that get joined together (fuselage where the front foil meets; fuselage where the mast slips in).

I can't wait to try this foil out!!!