Evening Session - 5/26/2023

I got home yesterday from work and Marlon and I headed out to get some foiling in.

It was actually windy enough to wing (Brian had been winging for a couple of hours prior), but Marlon has been asking to foil so I obliged.

I brought out the Unifoil Progression 170 and he was on the Kai Go Foil.

Marlon was able to get up a handful of times.  A few more sessions and he should be turning.

I had some good rides, but the wind was adding turbulence to the water and riding was difficult.

I also nicked the bottom with the Progression... I'll wet sand out the scratches.

Definitely a different weather pattern setting up...

W:47/F:42/S:28

Dialing In Rear Stabilizers

I've been working on a bunch of stuff in the garage - fodder for the next few posts...

Now that I have to use the GoFoil (and I'm actually opening my eyes to the other foils out there), I instantly got renewed interest in redoing some of the rear stabilizers I made a while back.  I recall a discussion I had with Jeff after I gave him one of the first of the finished batch.  He said it felt a little slow to him - and he grinded some thickness off.  After the modification, he said it was a fun stabilizer.  With that, I set off to grind/sand a few down.

This is number 9.  I used it straight "as-is" today to set a baseline.

And this is after I removed about half an ounce of material.  So number 5 and number 9 was been revised to have thinner profiles as you get closer to the tips.

I'll bolt on number 9 again tomorrow so I will have a back to back comparison.  On today's ride, I did feel like I was going a tad slower.  This is going to be fun experiment.

Another Shop Carrying Foils

Post from this weekend.  I took the kids to check out some surf shops on the Windward side.  We hit Hawaiian Watersports and HIC Kailua.  HIC just finished a pretty significant renovation - and the best part is they now carry foiling gear!!!

They carry Naish, Amundson, and Go Foil.  Pretty cool!!!

Dawn Patrol - 5/23/2021

Marlon and I hit WPB again on the dawn patrol.  The waves were pretty much the same as yesterday.  There was very little wind so it was really clean.  Unfortunately the tide was really low - more on this last bit towards the end of the post.

Marlon brought his longboard - and from what I saw he was catching a bunch.

Seeing Kalani and Tim foil yesterday made me want to bring a foil out today.  And I also wanted to try out my new to me NL160 - so I setup the Go Foil 24.5"+3" on the wide 4'10".  It was pretty shallow - but if you paddled out far enough, there was a small band where the waves still broke and you did not have to paddle into a grounding.  I caught three waves (had to come in earlier to bring Noe out to a sailing event) - each one was progressively better.  This front foil needs a bit more forward speed before it takes off - but when it does take off, it is solid, nimble and pumps well.  My first two rides were on the shorter side - take off, pump the foil up to speed, then ride high with plenty of pressure until the wave closed out.  Definitely more technical to lift compared to the GLs.

My third wave was a little different.  Caught the wave, started figuring out the lift pattern of the foil - pushed it to get to speed, up and running - then decided to go as far as I could.  I got over 500' (according to the Garmin) then found myself in less than a foot of water.  I pumped some more to a slightly deeper spot and kicked out.  The board went high, I went low.  I flattened out to avoid hitting the bottom at speed - then all of a sudden I felt the wing tip dragging along my left shoulder.

Ever since these NL foils came out, there has been a lot of debate on the internet about what these tips could do to you.  No debate from me - these tips need even more respect than normal!!!

I think I'm going to use this foil for this upcoming swell so I can get to know it better.

Re-exploring Go Foil

If you read this blog, it is no secret that I spend most of my time riding my Armstrong foils.  I'm close to selling my Slingshot stuff - and that leaves the Go Foil.  I actually really like using the Go Foil - and I prefer them during low tide sessions - they are way easier to fix compared to the Armstrongs.  I started out winging using the Maliko 200 on the 29.5"+3" extension and I stuck with the GL210 for the first several winging sessions.  Since then I've been mostly using a HS1850/85 cm mast/chopped 300 rear stab on a 60 cm fuselage.  Well - I believe it's time to mix it up again - welcome to the Foil Sleeve!  Now I can add another 5" to the 32.5" mast setup - all without having to purchase another mast.

I'll dry fit this tomorrow and get the Go Foil mounted and ready for the weekend!

Repairs and Mods All Done

This morning we all slept in late.  I was pretty exhausted from working Black Friday, so Marlon and I skipped out on the beach this morning.  After I got up, I finished up a few things I had ongoing.

I finished up sealing Kalani's chop shop HS1550.

Looks too good to give back...

Then I finished sanding down the repairs on the Wing Foiling board.  Back in business.  Because of this issue, I think I'm going to go ahead and shape another Wing Foiling board so I've got a back up.

I finished tweaking a couple more rear stabilizers 

I also worked with Noe on swapping the lights on the trailer for the Laser - I'll post pictures of this later.

And a few other things - anyways the big projects were the first two.  So now I can clean up my garage again (and take in more projects...)

Fixing My Go Foil Wings

Today I sanded the filler/primer from the GL210 and the 12" Rear Stabilizer.  I'm still a believer in the thought that a wet sanded finish is better in the water than a shiny slick surface.  Good thing - otherwise my OCD would ground me while I fret over scratches in the wings. 

Then I put two coats of blue paint on them.  Tomorrow I'll start the sanding regime on these two wings (plus the GL180).  I'll sand all the way to 1000. 

Then I'll wet sand the GL140 also (might as well).  After that I'll rout out the fin boxes on Kalani's FFB (more on this soon - I took on another repair job).  And I'll try to get all this done before heading out to get a haircut and wait for the wind to pick up (did someone say "winging"?).

Evening Session - 9/9/2020

Marlon and I hit PTs yesterday evening.  The swell was mostly background in the thigh to waist high range.  Every now and a forerunner of a new swell would show in the chest high level.  The wind was a bit up and it was chopping up the surface - enough that on a wave where I was just cruising, I ended up breaching - I think it was the rear stab poking out from the chop.  The tide was dropping, but PTs is deep enough to handle that.  Marlon was catching a bunch as usual.

I brought out the skinny 4'10", and the Go Foil setup but swapped out the front wing for the GL180 and moved up the mast back in the tracks.  I had to get my footing with the change.  I also know better that this board does not work as well in choppy surf.  I did manage to get some fun rides towards the end of the session.  I'll be honest - the whole time I was out, I kept wondering if it was windy enough to wing...

Dawn Patrol - 9/7/2020

Another good day of sizable surf - smaller than yesterday but less wind.

I had several fast, super long waves - my watch said I got to 13.8mph.  Over chest high - the GL140 is the bomb!!!  This has been a great swell!!!

Dawn Patrol - 9/5/2020

Marlon and I hit it early at WPB this morning.  The swell was up - head high on the sets, but with a full tide they were breaking soft.  There was no wind at the start of the session.  I brought out the skinny 4'10" and changed out the GL180 for the GL140.

Switching up equipment means I give up a few rides to get my footing and muscle memory back.  My first ride was awesome - long and fast - I forgot how much fun the GL140 is - sticking drops, emerging from white water, top and bottom turning - super fun!!!  Then I would weight the board differently and lose the tail (ventilation???) - ate it bad a few times.  I'd like to think I learn from mistakes and then the ventilating stopped (because I would try and find the correct balance point sooner).

My last wave was nearly 500ft long and I hit 15mph!!!  I didn't even see Marlon the whole session - he was near Fenceline and I was in front of the last cabins - extreme ends of WPB.  Super fun session today - always good when there is south shore energy pumping!!!

Evening Session 8/31/2020

Marlon and I went for a quick session at WPB.  The tide was just coming down from a 2.3' high - it was probably 2.0' while we were out.  The wind was up - so much so that I feel like I could have definitely winged.  There was a guy out on a 6m Ozone (big foil I couldn't place, and a Kalama Performance SUP) - but we didn't have time today because I had to go back to work to sign some documents.  The swell was definitely waist high, but the chop on top made for some challenging (but still fun) conditions. 

We were only out about 50 minutes, but I was able to catch about five really good waves.  The wind was creating havoc when I went right - it was almost like foiling in slow motion.  I had the skinny 4'10" with the GL180 and chopped tail.  I saw Marlon in the lineup, but for some reason I didn't see many of his rides like I normally do.  Fun short session!

Evening Session - 8/5/2020

Had to work late again - got home and Marlon was loading up his longboard.  I asked him to wait so I could go.  Wind was strong trades with a lot of east in it - choppy water (all I could think about was what size wing would I need to go winging in this).  The tide was really high at 2.3'.  The surprise of the day was the swell - chest to head high on the sets.  I brought the skinny 4'10" with the GL180 thinking it was going to be small and not so choppy.  Note to self - if it is choppy, use the wide 4'10" as it cuts through all the mess better.  It was definitely big enough to have been able to rip on the GL140.

I had to recalibrate again.  I could also feel resistance from the foil - I don't know if this was me recalibrating or if I was picking up on the differences between the Armstrong and the Go Foil.  Hmmm - that would be interesting the study.  I took an early insider and got a quick ride.  Then I paddled for the way outside break - and caught two which I rode all the way back in.  The wave was breaking right, so I had to foil into the wind - again surprisingly to me was how much the wind slowed me down.  My next two waves were wipeouts of epic proportions - knocked the wind out of me.  I caught a few more on the inside, but nothing to gush over.  I really could have used the GL140 today.  Another odd note, I had to put more backfoot pressure on again - per my earlier post, I'm now supposed to move the foil back up a hair to prevent that from happening (I should try that out).  Marlon was clear on the other side - so I didn't see many of his rides.  I'm sure he was catching everything.

Evening Session - 7/27/2020

With Hurricane Douglas influencing the local weather the past couple of days, I opted to stay out of the water (even though it probably would have be pretty good seeing as how we didn't end up getting rain or wind down on the south side) - I was actually busy at work and somewhat at the house getting ready for the storm.  Anyways - I went out today to get some exercise.  

The wind was up and strong out of the east - that meant choppy surf that was hard to ride and a head wind for me going front side.  The tide was dropping - probably around 0.9' while I was out.  I didn't hit bottom, but it wasn't the normal carefree deep PT normally is either.  Lastly the swell was on the small side.  Stomach high on the breaking sets, but mostly thigh high.

I brought out the skinny 4'10" with the Go Foil GL180 and the chopped P18W tail.  Transitioning from the Armstrong to the Go Foil was seamless - which wasn't the case going the other way (at least for me).  What I did notice going from the Armstrong HS1850 to the Go Foil GL180 was the smoothness of the Armstrong - it didn't feel like I was riding a foil because it just slipped through the water with minimal friction.  Today using the Go Foil it would go fast, but I could feel drag and turbulence more than I could on the Armstrong.  The Go Foil was still fast when I got it lined up - real fast.  I need a GPS watch to start quantifying these factors.  I think if I round out the stabilizer tips, I can reduce some of the perceived drag.

I ended up catching a bunch and getting several long rides - tons of fun from totally junk waves.  There were some longboarders out and they would catch the waves when they peaked, but they would fade quick and they'd have to stop - on the foil, I'd ride the same wave all the way in - accelerating on the walls even though it was unbroken.  I've said this all before, but it never gets stale at all!  

Evening Session - 7/17/2020

Marlon and I hit WPB this evening.  I was hoping to get a repeat of yesterday, but alas it was not to be.  The swell seemed to be similar to yesterday, as well as the tide (dropping high), but the wind was on the waves and it made for very choppy conditions that were not easy to ride.  In fact, I spent most of the first 2/3s of my session not catching waves that would back off and if I did catch something, there was a BOB hanging out inside of me (so I'd pull off the wave to make sure no one got hurt).

Marlon was doing his thing towards Fenceline - but it looked crowded over there also.  After the sun went down, I finally started catching waves where I didn't have to worry about running into people.  I got several fun ones to balance out the scale.  I should have gone to PTs....  Same setup as the past few sessions - no additional feedback (set up perfectly).

Evening Session - 7/16/2020

I pulled a solo session at WPB.  The wind was side onshore from the east - and it was blowing enough to make you think twice about paddling out, especially coupled with the waist high predominant swell (every now and then a stomach/chest high set would pull through).  The tide was dropping from a high of 2.0' - was probably near 1.0' while I was out.

I brought the same setup as last time - skinny 4'10", GL180 and the cut down P18W.  No breaching at all this time - and I got the same "gurgling" that I get out of the Armstrong CF1600/Uni 300 when the wings are just under the surface.

I started out in the break out in front of the two cabins, out at the second break.  I caught a bunch and got calibrated quick, but the rides were not long when compared to the waves at PTs.  I looked out at the third break and thought that I could probably pick up the wave as it peaked and keep on going as it fizzled out and keep going until it reforms on the second break.  I paddled out and caught four like that - from the steeper takeoff on the outside, riding the faded out wave for yards, picking up the reform and riding that for tons of yards more.  RIDICULOUS FUN!!!  Especially given the crappy conditions, I felt like I was on fire today!!!

Evening Session - 7/12/2020

Marlon and I hit PTs in the late afternoon.  The wind was up, but not too bad (and good enough for the 215 pound Wing Foiler using a 6m Ozone Wasp and a 280 Maliko).  The tide was flat at 1.0',  The buoys were reading 2.5' - they were barely breaking, but if you waited long enough there were waist high sets.

I had the skinny 4'10" (I think this board and I are finally clicking), the GL180 and the chopped P18(16)W.  Marlon and I caught one together and what happened???? I breached.  But I did catch several more after and not only did I not breach, with the slight drop back in the mast position I was riding the GL180 without any weird resistance (autopilot).  Next time I'll bring my phone out and get a GPS track with this stabilizer and the uncut one and see if there is a speed difference (all other things equal).

Marlon was catching everything (as usual).

Will probably start shaping the 5'2" Wing Foiling Board and helping Marlon fix a couple of dings in his board - the surf doesn't look to be anything special over the next several days.

Cutting Down the P18W

I've been listening to some podcasts discussing breaching.  The common thoughts on the culprit is the rear wing.  All I know is when I think I'm good to go for a long wall, I breach coming out of the turn that lines me up.  Sure it makes me feel alive to get the crap kicked out of me every now and then, but after a few express elevator drops it gets quite frustrating. 

I've also heard guys talk about getting more maneuverability out of a chopped wing - but I'm more interested in the increased speed (from less drag).  I took an inch off of both sides - I'll see how this works before taking more. 

The forums are saying most guys have taken their stabilizers down to 14" - what I don't know is what their weight is - the lift you lose taking the wing length away is lift that works to hold you up.  I'll probably get to 14" - but I'll take it a step at a time to be able to document and understand what is going on.  We went and did the rounds up at the Waialua Surf Shops yesterday - and I picked up a second P18W so I have a reference point to go back to (and use when the waves are smaller and I need to extra lift and not the extra speed).

Evening Session 7/10/2020

I foiled WPB in the early evening.  The wind was up and didn't back down.  The tide was flooding up to 1.5', and the swell had dropped from yesterday - but every now and then a chest high set would pull through.

I had caught a bunch, but it was pretty crowded (no surprise).  For most of the waves, it was an awesome drop followed by a drawn out turn to set up for the wall.  I had the GL140 out today so everything was faster than yesterday - but I still noticed the fluttering I sometimes get from the foil when using the GL180 - I just pumped through it and the fluttering goes away.  If I didn't make the drop, it was made for spectacular wipeouts.

I think I need to take the Iwa back out to feel the difference in turning capability of the old style wings vs the new flat wings.

Evening Session - 7/9/2020

I made a solo run to WPB this evening.  Tide was on its way up to 1.7'.  The wind was up initially, but dropped to almost nothing by dusk.  And the swell was a surprise - chest + on the sets.

I had thought the waves would be smaller so I swapped out the GL140 (would have been perfect) for the GL180.  Shorter mast mounted on the skinny 4'10".  I needed a couple of calibration waves to get my footing.  The setup didn't quite feel automatic - I had to find the sweet feet spot and it didn't feel like it was where it was with the GL140.  I think the setup is telling me to move the foil back a tiny notch.  

Besides that, I did have a few breaches, but most of my rides were really long.  Another fun day out in the waves!!!

Evening Session - 7/7/2020

Marlon and I hit WPB this evening.  The wind was down, as was the surf - but the tide was pretty high.  Marlon was catching everything on his longboard.  I tried something different.

I brought out the Starboard Hypernut with the Go Foil Maliko 200 and a SUP paddle.  I basically was trying to see what potential this setup had for the early wing foiling sessions.  You can get to your knees pretty easily on this board with the foil in place.  I figure this will be a good beginner wing foiling board.  No I didn't catch any waves today.  And yes this setup was a pain in the butt to carry.  But when I do get a wing, this should work well at Hickam Harbor.  Then when I can do turns and launch on both tacks, I can drop down to the as of yet unmade wingfoil board I've got on the rack.