Wing Foiling Session - 12/27/2022

The wind forecast was not aligned on the websites I use - so that meant today would be a crap shoot whether the wind would be favorable or not for winging.

Harris texted me and said there was wind - I got home quickly, packed up the gear and took Noe over to Hickam so she could try winging.  I set her up with the Takuma RS 5.1, the NWFB and the GoFoil 29.5" mast with the GL180.

I used the WWFB with the 85cm Project Cedrus mast, the PNL185/chopped stabilizer/Stringy direct bolt fuselage, under the North Nova Light Wind 8.0

Noe was a trooper.  She has good form on her outbound runs.  Harris even said he saw her get on foil.  But on her inbound runs, she was struggling to keep her balance and hold the wing steady.  

I tried sticking close to her to give her pointers - but she eventually drifted too far downwind.  I told her she should start paddling upwind to get to a point where she could try again.  The NWFB at 25" width was a bit much for her to get a good power pull while paddling.  I disconnected my leash and tried to tow her (but the leash didn't offer much area to hold on to).  I figured she should paddle as far as she could, and I would make a beeline in - then I could swim back out and help her paddle back.

I was nicely powered on the Nova LW 8.0 - I think the RS6.1 would have worked in these conditions as well.  I focused on making transitions without backwinding the big wing - as I was successful.  The PNL185 is a foil I haven't been out on in quite some time.  It was really fun to use - a bit loose and maneuverable, but still tracks upwind well.  Lots of glide in the transitions.  Fun setup today!

You can see the gap below where I was towing Noe.

When we got back to shore and were breaking down the gear, we were discussing the session and lessons learned.  Next time we'll use a smaller board - so if she needs to paddle, she'll have an easier time.  We'll also practice with a wing on land, and a mock board so she can work on her foot placement during her goofy foot runs.  Lastly, we'll use the Ensis V2 4.5 - the 5.1 in these winds was a little much - the 4.5 will have similar low end, but it'll have a more forgiving high end compared to the RS.

Based on the forecasts, this will likely be the last winging session this year.  And what an awesome year it has been!!!  So many awesome experiences - I am thankful and appreciative for the opportunities I have been presented and for my and the family's health.  I have so many more goals for winging next year - jumping efficiently, making more boards, learning more transitions, running more downwinders, and fine tuning my toe-heel tacks.

W:128/F:100/S:44

Garage Works - 1/6/2022

I actually only stayed out surfing long enough to catch five good waves - I had my fill and headed back home.  I actually wanted to get this board repair done.  I broke out the sander yet again, and got the fill coat sanded down.  In doing so, I found a couple more air pockets along the tracks.  I opened those up so I could fill them with epoxy and aerosil.  Here's the third fill (usually is the last coat).  I'll sand tomorrow and get through the grits, and then spray acrylic on to the board.  Then I just have to wait for wind (none on the horizon for now).

I actually mixed a batch of epoxy (0.7 ounces), mixed the aerosil in and filled in the EPS bead voids on the 4'8" Wing Foiling Board - then with a little mixture left, added black pigment and fill the voids on this repair.  This should be done by tomorrow (finally).

Handling this board again, I noticed the weight is up forward.  That is a good thing since this board was made to ride waves - the added weight up front helps with the drop.  It has been a long time since I've ridden this board, I kinda forgot that trait.

Garage Works - 12/31/2021

Marlon and I tried to get a dawn patrol in yesterday - but the gate was locked at WPB.  We even looked at Campgrounds but it didn't look like it was worth it.  So we headed back home - I made omelettes and coffee for breakfast, then I got started on a project I had been stalling on for a very long time - fixing the Narrow Wing Foiling Board.  I had toyed around with the idea of drilling a hole under the cracked boxes (front of both of them) and placing epoxy to shore up the damage - but I figured that wasn't guaranteed and it would add weight.  At this point I committed to the removal. 

Before I started on the NWFB, I cut out the slots for the new 4'8" Wing Foiling Board - these were pretty easy to do.  My only concern is relative position on the board.  The trends have been boxes moving forward - but with the flat tail and the shorter overall length, I'm not quite sure if these needed to go more forward.  I took this placement from the Go Foil website - over the boards I've made, that never steered me wrong.

Back to the long neglected repair (see - even now I'm trying to avoid this).  First step was measuring and placing landmarks for the new box placement.

Then came the really tricky part - demolition.  If something is going to get ugly, it is in this step.  I was able to cut around the boxes and loosen them up.  Thankful that I didn't have to route through the broken boxes.  I also had to remove the stickers in the tail area.

Fitting the HDF box.  Had to take the edges on the block down so I could fit it in with a carbon sheet around it.  Also took the top down so it would sit flush with the deck.

Carbon sheet cut, trimmed and ready for laminating.

And the block in place with epoxy and peel ply to take up the excess epoxy.

This was the hard part.  The rest should go fast.

Wing Foiling Session - 2/24/2021

I hit Hickam after work.  The wind had been blowing all day - and it was holding through the time period where I could be out (3:30 to 5:45) unlike normal where it backs off.  I wanted to try out another footstrap setup today - pretty much where I put my feet when I ride strapless.

I also tried out the chopped Uni 300 rear stabilizer.

You can definitely see the reduction in the vertical surface area. 

With this placement, my rear foot is just in front of the mast.

Plenty of wind today, and there was even surf on the outside - but today I was focusing on the footstraps and transitions (as there are ever so slight differences in how the boards turn).  The 6.0 was a bit big for the gusts, but also a hair small when the lulls persisted - glad I rigged this one today instead of the 5.2 (maybe the rest of the week I'll be using the smaller wing).

This chart speaks volumes - lots of wind for sure; plenty of runs - but the real message is the HS1850 is probably getting speed limited (and capping out at around 15mph).  With the stronger wind filling in the latter half of this week, I'll bolt on the HS1250 to see if I can get a higher max speed.

I was getting complete tacks on the outbound runs.  I got my outbound jibes completed also.  I only got one inbound tack - for some reason I wasn't able to connect the dots and I'd get stuck mid tack.  More practice... but practice that seems like endless fun!!!

NWFB Done!!!

Got the final-final sanding and the satin spray fill coat on this afternoon after work.

It did come out a little heavier than I thought it would - and funny thing is it kinda nose heavy - which is the exact opposite of what I was going for.  So experimentation wise, the extra carbon did contribute to more weight.  That is ok - bullet proof boards equal much less headache in the future.

I got the deck pads, the leash line, the vents and some stickers on this evening - I'll post pictures of the finished board tomorrow.  #20 all pau!!!

Final Sanding on the NWFB

If you've read this blog, you'll know sanding is my least favorite part of building boards.  I went ahead and sucked it up and tackled the sanding today.  

Most of the time is spent using 40 grit taking down the high spots.  Then the 80-120-180-220-320 actually go pretty quickly.

There are a couple of spots I need to fill (if ever so slightly), then I can spray clear coat over the whole board.  After that, then I'll outfit the board with deck pads and straps and then I'm done!  I'll calculate the time spent on this board - welcome to the hanger to #20!!!

Final Fill Coat on the NWFB

Got the final fill coat on this evening.  This board is ready for fine sanding.

I might be able to get the sanding done tomorrow after work.  If that's the case then I can get the clear coat on.  Outfitting would follow on Wednesday - then the board will sit until the wind comes up. 

Work on the NWFB - Getting Close

Got some major work done on the NWFB today.  This first picture is a mock up of the deck pads and footstrap setup to facilitate switching stances.  The final product will be something close to this.

After trying to define the mock up, I went ahead and started the rough sanding.  Three hours later, I got everything taken down.  I preened the board with the carbide grit bit on the dremel and opened up the vent plugs.  After that, I mixed up some epoxy and aerosil to fill up any remaining voids.  Unfortunately the resin had been sitting in the sun so it was warm (which makes it set up faster).  I ended up having to mix 4 batches of 1.4 ounces in order to get the bottom deck and rail (most of the rails) covered in this last fill coat.

You can see the dimension label in the middle of the bottom of this next picture.  The board came out to 5' 0.5" x 25" x 5" - should be plenty of volume in this board (I'm guessing somewhere around 95L - very similar to the wing foil board I am currently using).

Tomorrow will be some light sanding and the top deck fill coat.  That means Tuesday will be sanding the whole board, and either wetsanding to 1500, or using satin clear coat and spraying the finish (I'll probably go this route).

Good thing there isn't any substantial wind in the forecast - this has allowed me to focus on taking my time and finishing this board off on a great note (not rushed to get out on the water).

Fill Coat and Both Plugs on the NWFB Top Deck

After we got home from surfing, I did some final preps on the top deck and got the top deck fill coat on.  I also got the vent plug and the leash cup holes drilled and the plugs set.

After that La, Noe and I ran several errands.  What I forgot to do earlier was place the top deck vinyl label in place before placing the epoxy fill coat.  No problem - just took a while to sand down, apply the label then re-epoxy.  Tomorrow I'll trim the innegra, place layers of aerosil/epoxy to fill, and then start the final sanding.  This board is almost done.

NWFB Footstrap Inserts Installed

I traced out the insert outlines at the spots they are going to sit then routed out the slots.  I mixed up 2.8 ounces with a bunch of milled fibers and an hour later - done.

I used the residual epoxy and filled in the low spots around the reinforcement blocks.

Next step is laminating the bottom deck fabric.