Garage Works -11/11/2021

After foiling and breakfast, I headed to the garage to knock out some progress on the projects.  I sanded the HS1532CS trailing edge for a third time and placed a third coat of epoxy on.  After it cured I sanded it down yet again, and later this evening I'll get the last coat on, and get that through the whole sanding regime.

Then I sized up the latest ding repair job.  Went ahead and drew out what I thought needed to be cut out.

Taped off the deck so the wax job doesn't get gummed up.

Cut out the ding.

This looks like 100% fiberglass - no carbon...

And then I spliced on another piece of EPS.  I may get this dialed in this evening (cutting off the excess and sanding it down so the fiber can be laminated on).

Then I got the fiberglass cut out that will live at the bottom of the divynicell sheeting.

And I epoxied it in place.  The glass was 6 ounce fabric under the front decking and 4 ounce in the rear foot decking.  I mixed up 4.2 ounces of resin in order to make sure the cloth was saturated (the glass only weighed 1.5 ounces - so almost a 3 to 1 ratio.

The last thing I did in the garage before lunch was to sand Marvin's 15" rear stabilizer through the 40 grit sanding.  Lunch and errands are ongoing now - but I'll likely hit the garage again once I get back home.

Evening Session - 7/13/2021

I brought my winging stuff with me to work since the forecast called for decent/marginal winds in the afternoon.  Well - the network was chiming in and the sensors were reading blah conditions.  I stayed at work a hair later than normal to get more stuff done since I was calling the winging session.

I got home and swapped out boards and hit WPB to get a prone foiling session in.  I used the same setup as last time I went out prone foiling - the new 4'8", with the HS1532CS/chopped 300 on the A+ 60cm fuse and the 72cm mast.  Tide was nice and high (+1.9'), the wind was there and was enough to slow you down heading into it, but not too bad; and the swell was belly high - really fun conditions for the equipment I brought.

The first half of the session I did not touch a thing on the mast base - I wanted to see where the performance was based on this position.  I could sense there was a hair too much lift, and the angle of incidence was such that there was slight resistance in paddling and takeoff.  Finally I didn't botch any waves, but I had to make some correction to get flying straight from takeoff.

The second half of the session I went ahead and moved the foil back in the tracks - to just a hair past the original position I had it at (marked with small wax streaks).  I caught several more and I was double and triple dipping, and taking off with way less drama.  I'm going to mark this spot for the HS1532CS.

I came in and bumped into Eli and Dereck.  We talked foils for longer than I should have, but they've got good insight into what is coming out of Go Foil.

Next time, I'll bolt on the HS1420CS (chopped HS1550V1).

 

Dawn Patrol - 7/10/2021

Marlon and I dawn patrolled this morning.  He brought his longboard out (instead of the foil) - I brought the same setup I had out last night.

The usual suspects were out.  Lots of discussion on rear stabilizer shim angles today.

The swell had definitely dropped off and the wind was down - made for fun conditions but the tide was kinda low.  I saw Marlon catch a few towards Middles.  I caught a bunch of lefts - some pretty long ones at nearly 500'.  I had an erroneous reading on the GPS (said I hit 63.4 mph) - but looking at the other readings I think my max speed was closer to 17.5 mph).

Nice weekend dawn patrol!

Evening Session - 7/9/2021

Picture of "Before"

Picture of "After"

Marlon and I did an evening session on foils.  I set him up with the next smaller front foil (Kai I think) - since last time while using the Iwa he said he was having a hard time keeping the nose down.  

I changed out the HS1250 for the HS1532CS and took the front base shims off.

The waves had come down (better for learning), the tide was really high again (better for learning), and the wind was less than winging strength but above nuisance level.  Which is what has been making foiling difficult lately.  The wind is doing something to the breaking waves - to where as they peak and crumble, they will also drag downwards - and suck stuff like foils down.  I have been complaining of this the past couple of days, but with Marlon jumping on foil today, it proved troublesome.

I stuck close to Marlon and coached him into some waves - he got up on one and rode it a considerable distance.  Less bucking today with the Kai foil on.  He caught a few more and I rode several and we got out of synch where I was paddling back from a ride, and I saw him take a wave - the whitewater caught him and he lost his balance.  Instead of falling away from the foil, he taco'd and fell right between the board and the foil.  He came up and was checking his teeth.  I got close to him and he seemed already  -just checking things overs.  I told him there were scratches on his chin and he was bleeding, so he should paddle in.

Back at the truck, we checked the board over and he put his chin through the bottom deck.  You win some - you lose some.  I'm just glad that 1. He is fine; 2. He wants to get back out there.

As a proud Gen X'er I have tons of scars and memories of cutting my head open (kiteboard), splitting my big toe open (putting my foot through a board coming down off a kite jump), putting my thigh into a coral head (kiting), cutting my shoulder open (foiling), and dinging more boards than I can remember with all my limbs.  That's part of enjoying the ride.  As a father, I don't want to see my kids get hurt - but I know these things happen - booms hitting heads, foils cutting skin, dinging boards, falling while riding, wipeouts, and more.  

I got several fun rides - nothing out of the ordinary - but still fun and Marlon had a blast too - dawn patrol on the foil tomorrow (but Marlon will be on the 5'6" since I have to repair the 5'2").

Wing Foiling Session - 7/5/2021

The inbound swell hit last night.  I passed on the dawn patrol - I actually needed the rest.  I ended up taking Noe to a house where she is bird sitting, then talking to Kalani about his wing board, and then packing up to take Noe to sailing practice.  I was going to meet Nick at Kailua and go winging, but the parking lot was nuts.  I left him with some things he needed to get the kite foil board setup and headed over to Hickam (since that is where I was going to pick up Noe after practice).  I got there around 2 and the wind was iffy.  There were a bunch of guys out (two on Slicks, Brian on his 4.5, Harris on his 5.4) and the swell was huge - it was actually breaking over the breakwater by a large margin.

I setup the 5.2, bolted on the HS1532CS, and off I went.  I did a few warm up laps, then headed out to Firsts.  I was crossing the inside when the first big set rolled through.  I made it over an overhead wave that was pitching lip and pumped over to the area inside the breakwater.  Then the wind just died - I was in a weird dead zone.  I saw a gust coming, I turned and pick up ahead high wave (one of the smaller ones today) - and after going through some whitewater, I lost it.  I was able to get the wing up above three broken waves and decided it would be best if I went back in to the kiddie pool before I lost or broke something.

The wind was good for the 5.2 - there were a few lulls but nothing like the dead zone out at Firsts.

I was able to milk 17.3 kts out of the HS1532CS.

And in order to not be late in picking up Noe, I headed in around 4:30.  While packing up, I got to talk to the guys that were using the Slicks.  I definitely like the Ensis V2 better than the Slicks.

My forearms are not hurting - the harness is doing it's job!  I think after today, I'm going to take a few days off from winging... I need a break - like prone foiling!

Evening "Foiling" Session - 6/29/2021

I got home from work and asked Marlon if he had time to get an afternoon session in - he said he was finishing up his math studies and had a few minutes on another assignment, but that after he could go.  I told him to take his time because I wanted to put stickers on the 4'8" and also needed to get it setup with the foil.  He asked if today would be a good day to learn to foil - and I figured it was so I setup up the 5'2" for him.  The tide was super full.  The waves were around belly to chest high,  The wind was up - not enough for winging, but enough to churn up the surface.

I put him on the Iwa - since he was able to handle it last time we were on Prayot's boat.  I put the HS1532CS front foil on and got the foiling wingnuts on - I figured I could get the adjustment of this front foil down faster if I could change the position without getting out of the water.

Marlon did well for his first time.  He was falling properly (away from the foil), catching waves and popping up.  When he was up and riding, he would get over powered.  I reminded him to put a lot of front foot pressure since that foil was thick.  

I caught a bunch and after every other wave, I made an adjustment to get the position dialed in.  The waves were funny today - duck diving, you'd feel a secondary drop/push as the wave rolled over.  This same effect made riding really challenging today.  I guessed that the shims needed to go back on since that was what made the HS1250 sing, but I took them off towards the end of the session - there was just way too many waves where I was fighting the board on takeoff.  I had to put too much rear foot pressure to get the nose up - rear foot pressure means the front wasn't generating enough lift - but with the forward adjustments I had already made, I wondered if it was the shims.

I took those off (and got hit by a few waves in the process - thank goodness I didn't lose any hardware) - and the board came to life!!!  I got a double dip early on, but after I took the shims off, I got a triple dip!!!  I still felt a little rear foot pressure - made one more forward adjustment and then I felt the board-foil was perfectly balanced.

Too much fun getting board-foils dialed in.  Makes me feel like I actually know what I'm doing with regards to trimming and adjusting to maximize performance and efficiency!!!

Round Two Foil Training

Today was a ton of foiling - we came loaded for bear.  The Wing Foiling Board was brought so the kids could have an easier time learning (and winging for me if the winds came up) and I brought the skinny 4'10" so I could prone foil.

This was Prayot's last day owning the 15' Boston Whaler - so we took Marlon and Noe out one last time to get foil training behind the boat.  Marlon went first -

I originally had on the HS1850, and I set the mast back in the tracks.  Marlon wasn't controlling the foil well, so we changed out the foil to the chopped 1850 (HS1532CS).  I also moved the mast a bit forward - after that he got dialed in.  Based on today - he is ready to get out on a prone board

Noe's interest lies in Wing Foiling.  I think this board was too big for her - she was having a harder time controlling the board/foil.  She did get the foil up multiple times.

Winging is different than prone foiling - I think she'll be fine to start under the wing too.

I'm really going to miss going out on this boat!

Wing Foiling Session - 6/8/2021

Yesterday I had a two part session.

The wind was pretty crazy - I was out from 3 to 5 and it was so much fun!!!

First session was on the HS1532CS and the chopped 300 rear stabilizer - I got to 13.5 kts and did 6.78 nm.  I spent a bunch of time out at Firsts and got a bunch of rides.  I had not used this foil since I recently sealed it - but I also didn't wax it yet either and I could feel the drag from the sanded surfaces.  Since the winds were nuking, I went in to change the front foil out.

Back out on the HA1125 and the 232 rear stabilizer.  I was initially concentrating on my transitions - I haven't spent nearly as much time on this foil as I would have liked to - the HS1850 is just too much fun.  And after I got comfortable again, I headed outside to Firsts again.  The HA1125 rides waves well - mainly due to the controllable lift and the speed it can carry - no blow ups ever.

On this run I did 11.15 nm and got to 15.9 kt - which is funny because I can hit this speed on the HS1850...

Prayot was back on the HS1850 and the Ensis 5.2 - and he was finally up on foil more than not.  Roland was also up using his Ensis 4.5.

Super fun session and stoked for Prayot being able to foil longer distances and jibe.

Wing Foiling Session - 4/24/2021

The crew hit Kailua for the wing foiling dawn patrol.  The wind was nice and strong - perfect weather for ripping on a wing and a foil.

I setup the HS1532CS/232/A+ 60cm Fuse/85cm mast on the NWFB.  With the stronger wind, I pumped up the Ensis 5.2m wing.

According to my GPS watch, I got 16.73 nm in.  Jump City was so much fun - I logged a 16.8 kts max speed (19.33 mph) - probably riding swell at Jump City.  This is almost as fast as yesterday's run with the HA1125 (17.1 kts).

I'll pull the wind graph once iwindsurf.com releases it, (and here it is)

but around 8:30 the wind started to drop - I had 2 hours of bliss so I figured I should head in while the getting was good.  Besides it was getting pretty crowded.

Awesome session!!!

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!!!!

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).