Evening Session - 6/6/2020

Marlon and I hit Pine Trees again.  The really high tide (+2.3') was washing out the reduced swell.  Every now and then a head high set would come in from the new swell that is supposed to show up later this weekend.  But it was the wind that was defining the day - it was up again and it was doing a good job of chopping up the surface and hold me back when I went right.

Marlon was picking up waves, but the wind was shortening his rides.  He stayed out half the session and paddled in to hang out at the beach.

With the same setup as yesterday - skinny 4'10", GL140, Ono Foil W228, 29.5" Mast w/track adaptor - with the GL140 sanded down and the front top deck of the board waxed up, things were more predictable today for me..  I got a few calibration rides in then started going for the bigger waves.  The drag wasn't there today, so the unsanded front wing was the culprit yesterday.  I tried focusing on the Ono Foil W228 rear wing today - I felt like I wasn't getting as much lift as I was with the other two Go Foil rear wings.  It is certainly smaller - 3 inches smaller so there is a linear loss.  But when you start to consider the the slight thickness increase across the entire width, there should be additional lift there somewhere.  It is definitely a smoother and faster responding wing.  I'm going to put the GL180 and the P18W on tomorrow (supposed to be the same height) - or I may take the wide 4'10" out.   To me it seems as if the wide 4'10" has more secondary buoyancy and with its extra weight it paddles into waves like today's much easier.  It also seems to dampen the effects of the surface chop more than the skinny 4'10".  The skinny version is better for calmer days where you don't have to fight surface texture.  Lastly the 29.5" mast does put you 5" higher than the 24.5" - that doesn't sound like much but it is a bit un-nerving at first.  After the calibration rides, I kept trying to get the foil closer and closer to the surface.  But the wave size after the takeoff almost mandated pumping - again tomorrow with the GL180 I can ride more and pump less.  More variables... more fun!!!

Evening Session - 6/5/2020 and the Anointing of #18

Marlon and I headed to the beach before 5pm.  The tide was pretty high at 2.3'.  The swell was waist to chest high.  The wind was up, and coming more easterly so the surface was getting chopped up a little.  I brought out the Go Foil 29.5" mast with the 3" mast track adaptor (why not?  The tide was super high).  I used the repainted GL140 (I'm going to sand the whole thing to 1000 grit - I think I could actually feel the drag from the unsanded yet relatively smooth surface) and the Ono Foil W228 tail wing.

I'll start the anointment of #18 discussion by saying the value of wax is only known when you don't have any on.  I wanted to examine the finish on this board so I didn't wax it yet.  Everything was super hard - from taking off, duck diving and getting positioned - this was operation slip n slide.  I did paddle in after the first two waves - I wasn't getting the lift I thought I could get out of the GL140, and I pushed the mast forward 0.5".  That reset made riding a bit easier - I got a few long rides.  With the W228, I believe the turns were smoother than the P18W.  And it's obvious but I'll say it anyways - riding high with the taller mast made riding less intimidating by being less worried about breaching.  I liked the front foot pad, but it did rub my stomach a little raw - looks like I'll be wearing a rash guard for a bit until the pad breaks in and softens up.

Marlon was on the outside and catching everything.  Nice fun day!

Sanding and Cleaning on Break Day

My muscles were asking for a break day from surfing, so Marlon and I skipped today.  Instead, I setup the new 4'10" with the longer Go Foil mast, the GL140 front wing, and the Ono Foil W228 rear wing.

I had to sand the pedestal mount to fit the gen 1 mast - it didn't take too long and I probably only took 0.5mm off each side (not the top and bottom) from the interior of the pedestal.  I also sanded the repaired GL140 down to 400 on the bottom. 

I also dialed in the W228 rear wing to sit tighter against the Go Foil pedestal.  It was only a little concentrated sanding, but it made a noticeable difference in the seating.  I set a washer in the rear mounting hole (similar to the setup I have on the shorter mast).

When I take it out next (likely tomorrow), I know I'll have to make adjustments.  Besides the #3 screwdriver, I'll bring the 400 grit sandpaper and fair in the top and front.  I'll try and dig up some 800 and 1000 also to get the wing really smooth.

Getting Things Done

Marlon and I finally put the finishing touches on his board.  Over the course of the past few days he finished the artwork, we got the wear/clear coat on the board, and we outfitted it (leash cord, finbox screws, cleaned up the boxes - one of them was really bad - epoxy everywhere, deck pad and a wax job).  Pretty good job overall.  Now we just need a good south swell...

Over the past few days I also got a bunch of things done.  I got the fin boxes routed out for the 4'10" EPS foilboard (although I have to trim some more).  I sanded the Go Foil Pedestal interior some more so I could get a better fitment.  I countersunk the screw holes on the Ono Foil W228 tail wing.

I made a new neoprene front wing cover for the GL140.  And I cut up a bunch of wood so I can make La a couple of trellis for our dragonfruit plants.