New (Used)Triton T1

The proceeds I got from selling No.28 got turned around immediately to purchase this new foil - the Triton T1 Monofoil.  I got a really go deal on this as it was a demo.  There were a few scratches - but nothing that some 400 and 600 grit wet dry sandpaper couldn't take care of.

I dissembled the mast base plate - mast, then placed ultra tefgel on the bolts.  The plate-mast is a really tight fit (which I prefer over a looser fit - less chance of a shift under load).

And as one would expect, as soon as I get this in the wind dies... It'll be several days before the wind comes up strong enough to test this foil out.  Patience in effect -

Project Cedrus and Lift

I went to Marvin's place yesterday to return his 980 Kujira.  While I was over there I asked if I could see how the fit of the Project Cedrus Lift adapter was.  We fitted both the 120HA and the 170HA and the fit was perfect.

Fit like it was meant to be.

You can see the height differences in the Takuma 75 carbon mast, the lift 28" and the Project Cedrus 75cm (+6cm in the mast base and Lift adapter).

Marvin wanted this comparison to see what was going on with the Takuma (and why the need for all the shims).  I'm setting my sights on a Lift 150 Surf V2 with a 34 rear stabilizer.  We'll see!

Wing Foiling Session - 7/14/2021

I brought suitable wing foiling gear today - and as I was getting ready to leave work, the wind was actually dying.  I was going to do a grocery run then head home to swap out my winging board for the prone - but sitting the parking lot, the wind kicked up nicely.  I headed to Hickam and got a few things done.  First was testing my new pump.  It certainly saved me from manually pumping so it is a winner.  I think the correct setting is going to be 6.5psi (or just below 7).  I'm going to see how many fills I can get out of a single charge.

The second test was whether the second +1 rear stabilizer shim I used was driving the nose down (and shifting the sweet spot backwards from where the front footstraps were set).  The short answer was 'yes' - foiling without the second shim brought everything back to where it was.

While I was driving up, the conditions looked really good.  By the time I was launching, it still looked ok, but it had come down.  I did some warm up laps then headed out.  The wind was up and down outside, and even started to swing hard north.  It got pretty bad and I decided to try and head in to avoid getting stranded.  With the directional shift, I had to ride through Seconds to get upwind.  Well - thats when things got ugly.  The wind dropped and the spot I was stranded in was shallow.  I ended up hitting the bottom twice - once with the rear stabilizer, and a second time with the front foil.  I absolutely hate hitting bottom - it is the one thing I cannot stand.  The wind finally picked back up and I worked my way back without any more drama.

I was out on the water from just after 3pm to nearly 5pm.  I actually got back in on that double peak on the graph around 5pm.  The wind actually closely followed the iwindsurf.com forecast.  You can see the holes in the wind and how long I was down dealing with the shallow spots at inside Seconds.

On a good note, I took the GoPro out and not only didn't lose it, but I got some decent photos.  The following sequence is me going through a jibe - from weak side (goofy) switching to regular (my strong side).

Harris was the only other person to go out.  I saw some texts where Roland was trying to shoot video of Kalani - both at WPB.

Tomorrow should be way better - we'll see!

Next Set of Foil Board Templates

Marlon's birthday is coming up and he asked for another blank and the materials to build another longboard.  I've got most of the fabric already - he's just got to come up with a template so we can select a blank.  And since he is going to be shaping, I might as well do the same.  I was also inspired by the epic wing foiling sessions this weekend to make a board with foot straps designed into it, one that has less area up front to avoid touchdowns, and one with the foil tracks further forward. 

I got three board templates defined - a 5'4"x26" wing foil board, another at 5'0"x26", and a prone foil board at 4'9"x20.5.

Yes I do this the old fashioned way - I believe the more you do with your own hands, the better you will understand the final product.  I could send the file to a shop with a CNC router, but why?  Here is the first template pumped out.

All three taped together and cut out.  I'm only going to make one of the wing foiling boards - need to pick one (leaning towards the 5'0" right now since I'm already on a 5'1" - this template trims all the foam I had on my current foil board up front for stability, thickens the foil throughout (to keep the floatation while setting up for a start), and will reduce the swing weight from the front.

Board Repairs - Progress 12/7 & 8

Got the patches on the longboard I'm repairing.

Also put the fill coat on the wing foil nose repair - although I believe this is a previously used picture.

Yesterday I also fixed Gary's Iwa front foil.  Just cleaned it out, placed epoxy into the split area and clamped the split together.

Today I sanded down the patches on the longboard.  I also ground down two cracked spots.  I'll fill them with epoxy so they don't take on water.

Wingfoiling Session - 11/24/2020

Went wingfoiling with an old friend today (and his 14 year old son).  Wind was up 18 to 25 with gusts up to 30.  It was pretty cloudy and there was a downpour coming in from downtown.  We got an hour or so in before the rain dumped down.

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I worked exclusively on turns today - and I got my first jibe (without switching) today - from outbound back to inbound (my strong side - regular stance).  It was surprisingly easy - although I couldn't replicate it.  I did try tacking inbound - I was able to get around and even switch feet a couple of times, but I could connect the dots.  Try - try - try then do - do - do.  Fun session!

Prefinal Sanding on the HS1550

I sanded down the excess epoxy on the HS1550 reshape today.

I'll need to put one more coat of epoxy, followed by sanding, painting the front of the wing (to clean up the sanding marks), clear coat, final wet sand and done.

Reshaping a HS1550

Not mine - someone from the beach I surf at.  He asked if I could reshape his old HS1550 into something flatter.  He used the HS1850 to define the tips - this is me getting the shape dialed in and the tips foiled.

Since these pictures were taken, I've already gotten the exposed core and kevlar layers reglassed.  I just need to fair that work in and this reshape should be done.

After Work Wing Foiling Session - 11/13/2020

Hit Hickam again after work today.  The wind had lightened up a bit by the time I got there (4pm) so I pumped up the 6.0 - the board and foil were the same as the previous days.  You can see in the picture the wind was fairly light on the inside - but if you squint, you can see Harris riding on the outside and he is lit on his 4.4.  I got lit too once I made it out there -

Even though it looked light, I was able to milk enough juice to get up on foil quickly.  I was pulling upwind easily so I decided to fall off a bunch to get to the channel and I rode out to the end of the runway where Harris was.  I was able to get lined up, and got on a couple, but it wasn't like prone foiling.  I also couldn't flag the wing (never had to before) and that made me outrun the waves.  The wind started to get light so I started back.  Then it pretty much died for about 20 minutes.  In these lulls I practiced pumping the wing and the foil to get up sooner than just waiting for the wind to blow harder.  I also got more practice on the tacks and even got a couple of jibes in (because I had to way out there).

I took this picture just because - need some gas?

Wing Foiling in Nuking Conditions - 11/11/2020

 The winds were super strong today - 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph.  I was using a borrowed 5.0 Duotone Unit - with the exception of one run, this wing was perfect for today.  I had it rigged up on the tight setting and never really felt overpowered.  When the really stiff gusts hit, I just put the wing in neutral and reduced the backhand pressure.

I got 7.13 nm in and my fastest run was 13.1 mph - I could have gone faster but I didn't want to crash hard in these gusty conditions.

With today's outing, I believe winging for me will be a two wing quiver - the 6.0 and a 5.0.  I got a few dry tacks on the outbound leg, and I felt I got really close to the inbound jibes.  I think if I practice with a skateboard, I'll get this transition down faster.  It's nice to have wind back again!!!  Thanks to Marlon for his patience and for taking pictures.

Rough Cutting on the HS1550 Finished

Got the outline rough cut.  I also started getting the foil roughed in.

Here it is compared to the 1550.

And here it is compared to the 1250

This wing also feels a little heavier than my 1550, so just in case there is water trapped inside, I drilled two holes down to the core.  Tomorrow I may try to pull a vacuum on it and see if I can get any water out.