The Anointment of No.41 - 6/30/2025

Hit Pavilions today with Norm to properly anoint No.41

Slight onshore wind, lots of rain pushing through, decent high tide (but not high enough... I touched the bottom twice), and the big surprise - overhead waves on the sets!!!

No.41 paired with the Evolution Cedrus Surf mast (so I can bolt it to the Foil Drive Max unit to make adjusting easier), the AFS Enduro 900/HA40 rear stabilizer - doesn't really get better than this!!!

Super fun session today - getting to know No.41 and how it handles, especially compared to No.40.  Riding a shorter board definitely impacts your takeoffs (takes more effort).

You can see a lot of curvy lines in the track - that's turning with the Evolution Cedrus mast!

15 rides by both counts.  There were some legit fast moving bomber sets coming through.  I caught a few of them and those waves made my day!

Norm was catching some big ones also.

Tomorrow I'll set up using the original bolts - to determine if the wing screws were causing the drag I was perceiving.

Another successful anointment!!!

W:48/FD:91/PW:13/S:4

Wing Foiling Session - 3/3/2025

The winds came back today!!!

Norm and I launched from Pavilions (he was out an hour earlier).  I had to paddle out a bit before I felt comfortable launching (the tide was pretty low - primarily why we decided to go to Pavilions in the first place).

I didn't want to risk having to paddle in so I setup the North Nova Pro 5.0

And today was also the inaugural run of No.40 under wing power!!!

I set up the F One SK8 950/Carve 195 - this is where it balanced out (and it was spot on). 

The wind was up and down - but it was always enough for me to stay up on foil.

When I took off I saw Norm out at Campgrounds so I made a beeline out.

Then I figured I'd keep on going and see how the waves were at WPB.  I surfed a few waves and headed back downwind.  I had to pay attention to where the wind channels were to stay powered.

I surfed the waves that were breaking along the way back down.  With the wind swell, Campgrounds and the reefs in front of Nimitz Beach were standing up nicely.

I ended the session surfing in front of Pavilions - the wind was filled in nicely close in and got several really fun rides.

Most of my transitions were jibes - mainly because I felt rusty winging in strong winds.  Towards the end of the session I did throw some tacks (and I nailed them). 

This was the graph from Hickam (the Kalaeloa meter gets goofy on normal trade directions).  And it looks like it fell apart around 1pm today.

That kinda feels like what was blowing while I was out.

And this graph shows a few of things.  

First - I did not go down the entire session.  Solid blue the whole way!

Second - the thin black line around :15 is me touching down and pumping back up.

Third - the three black lines around :38 minutes to :50 was me throwing my tacks.

The board performed flawlessly!  No speed records broken, no epic turns - just some mellow action (with hints of mega potential without the drama).

The wind is forecasted to be strong for at least 2 weeks - I have to pace myself so I don't get hurt along the way.   I'm glad to be winging again!

W:12/FD:39/PW:1/S:3

Dawn Patrol - 2/16/2025

Dawn patrolled Cabins at WP again this morning.  A lot choppier conditions today.  It eventually calm down a hair - but the first half of the session was super challenging.

This board does everything I ask of it.  Same setup as yesterday.

Two hours on a single battery, without having to paddle in between waves - the High Output battery is awesome!

Waves were harder to ride on the outside.  And the sets that were pulling through early seemed to back off a little.  Then I followed Marvin and Dennis to the inside and my wave count shot up.

25 rides in 2 hours.

Time to add the extra grip pads and sticker this board up!!!

W:9/FD:29/PW:1/S:1

Dawn Patrol and the Anointment of No.40 - 2/15/2025

This was yesterday morning's dawn patrol session - which was also the anointment of No.40!

Fun waves - but a little chop on the water surface.  Nice high tide made launching pretty easy (although I did drag the fuselage under the tail on the bottom for a second).

This board is just easy to use.  Where No.39 is a racehorse (built to go fast), No.40 is a shredder - to me it just feels like it wants to ride waves.

I ran two batteries today - first was the High Output, then the Max Power battery.

Immediate impression - this board is KILLER!!!   With the volume forward, takeoff feels more like the surfboards I've been using lately - so that makes me want to drive this board harder into the turns.

And with all the squiggly lines - there were lots of turns to be had.

Twenty-four waves in this session.

I went in and changed out the battery so I could get a back-to-back comparison (first time I've done this).

With roughly 1/3 less time out in the water, and getting to the same point battery charge-wise, I'd say there is a noticeable difference in capacity between the two batteries.

I did change the foil position slightly - and where it ended up was perfect.  The takeoff is progressive (just like on No.34 - so that is a factor of this bottom shape).  This will be important come summer and the waves get bigger.  This is in contrast to No.39 where the takeoff is faster (and it feels more like I have to manage front foot pressure).

19 rides in an hour!!!!

It feels really satisfying when a board build ends this well!!!

W:9/FD:28/PW:1/S:1

The Anointment of No.39 - 12/16/2024

I took No.39 over to Pavilions to get anointed today.

I bolted on the same equipment that I have been using - Spitfire 960/Skinny 365 on the Project Cedrus Aluminum mast.

The surf was puny small - but with the Foil Drive that somehow didn't really matter.  Catching bumps became a game to see how far you could go.

Norm (with No.38) and Marvin (with No.37) both came out also.

Norm had his Progression 200 on with the balanced 14" stabilizer.

Marvin had the Kujira 1440.

It is pretty cool anytime I see another one of my boards being used - but seeing three lined up together - I was pretty stoked!!!

And despite the waves being tiny, the graphs and charts from the session still looked like the others.

Two distinct reef peaks (that triggered the waves to break/peak).

You can see legitimate rides on the chart.  I ended up moving the mast position once - then everything felt really well balanced.

I'm guessing there are ten rides in this -

Several of the peaks are false starts (waves would back off as they went over deep water after traveling over the high points).

And a few of the peaks above I had slipped off the board.  When I got back home I went ahead and added more traction in the spots where I needed it.

And since this board was anointed and it performed well, I went ahead and got the stickers placed.

This is going to be an awesome board!!!!

W:152/PW:2/FD:91/F:5/S:29

Anointment of the Firewire Revo Max - 11/21/2024

After finishing the repairs on Harris's wingboard and getting a package to the post office, I took the Revo Max over to the beach.

There were waist high breaking waves so I decided to get the new board wet!!!

I don't know where the sand is going or why it is leaving... it's winter on the South Shore and the sand is supposed to be migrating to the beach...

I caught a couple of handful of waves - and I had several really good rides.  This board is definitely a keeper!!!!

Catches the waves it should easily.  Turns really nicely.  Grovels across flat sections well.  All in this board is really fun.  I'll have to do some back to back testing with the Sweet Potato to see which board is better in what conditions - but I can see these two boards being the backbone of my surfing.

The more I rode this board, the more it reminded me of the 6'4" thrusters I used to ride as my daily drivers back in the late 90's - so this board felt instantly familiar.

If this board can ride the shitty waves that were coming in today, it will pay back every penny and more that I paid for it.

W:145/PW:2/FD:81/F:5/S:21

Anointment of No.37

La had to go to Hickam to deliver some duffles and totes she sewed recently.  That was the perfect opportunity to test out the connectivity of No.37 with the Foil Drive.

While I was preparing the board, Jesse was coming back in.  It sounded like it was carnage out at Firsts - a surfski had to be towed back in, he broke off a prop stantion, and some other things...

I used the foil positioning from No.33 (since these boards are the same overall dimensions).  The boxes are true, so I am able to use the custom wingscrews M8 FD Max set of bolts.  The reports say the waves are small, so I setup the Spitfire 960.

La wanted a selfie ;)  Who am I to say 'no'???!!!>>>

No.37 had zero connectivity issues.  I was even using the remote as far as I could hold it away from the board and I had a strong signal.  That was my biggest concern.

Next was how the board performed - it was flawless!!!

This board feels solid and it picked up waves almost as easily as No.33

Even though the waves were on the smaller side, this board made riding bumps so much fun!

10 waves in 50 minutes

It is so satisfying when a board exceeds the original design criteria.  This is the best Foil Drive-ing board I've ever used!!!

Successful anointment of No.37!

W:79/FD:47/F:4/S:13

Marlon Anointing His New Longboard

Slowly but surely, Marlon has been working to finish the longboard he set out to build over two years ago.  Yesterday he waxed it up and got it properly anointed!!!

It has been a learning journey for sure, but I'd say it was worth it!  Marlon got plenty of rides and from my vantage point, with each ride he was dialing it in more and more. 

I'm glad Marlon finished his latest longboard, and that it surfs well!!!

Wing Foiling Session - 5/23/2024

The wind came back today!!!

So I got to anoint No.36!!!  And a proper anointment it was!

Eagle 890, DW190, Evolution Cedrus mast, and the North Mode Pro 5.5

This run was mainly to get the feel for the board, how it sits in the water while setting up for takeoff, and where my feet would go with the weight distribution/foil selection.

The funny thing is the port side balanced in the furthest forward footstrap hole, while the starboard side balanced on the second hole - I can't explain this. 

I took the board out to Firsts and on the first wave nailed a tack - what a great sign!!!

I headed back in because I didn't want to get stuck outside (I still had to go back to work).  On the inside I practiced tacks both ways - I think I got one toe-side tack in...

On the last few runs I tried to see how fast I could go -

Anointment verdict - this is going to be an awesome board!!!

W:59/FD:38/F:4/S:11