Mixing it up

I went for a foiling session Friday afternoon.  Decided to try out the smaller of the two boards I recently made, and to give the Maliko 200 another shot in the surf.  The waves were small, the tide was full (+1.5') and it would have been frustrating if I was on a surfboard - but it was perfect for foiling!!!  I can't remember the last time I was so excited to see such dismal conditions!!!

I ended up catching about seven waves - had legitimate long rides up on foil on three of them (earlier ones - I guess I was less tired???), got pitched off on three (I knew my front foot wasn't out far enough when I got up), and one other where I was up and riding, but I wasn't off the water.

I'm glad I tried this board out - it seemed like it caught waves easier and with it the foil was easier to control.  Not sure how true that is because I also have gotten smarter on foil placement - with as much lift as the Maliko produces, I jammed the foil as far back as I could in the tracks.  So on what the surf report was saying, the Maliko is good for wave faces less than 3' and on much fuller tides.  I would periodically dismount the board and check how deep the water was - at a +1.5' tide I only touched bottom a couple of times with my toes and that was much closer to shore - minimal risk of grounding the wings. 

One more observation - the Go Foil wings definitely have more buoyancy than the slingshot.  I'm wondering how much that factor plays into being able to get the foil to lift.  

Good session!!!

More Foiling

Since my last foiling post, I've been out three times.  The first was last Thursday - and I done messed up bad.  I was in such a rush to get out to the water, that I bolted on the fuselage upside down.

Yup - I felt pretty stupid, and needless to say I was getting thrown off the board.  Not having a set of tools in the truck meant this session was just exercise.

The next session was Saturday evening.  The waves were big enough to ride a shortboard - and anytime there is a good pocket in the wave, foiling should take a back seat to regular surfing.  I did get a few decent longer rides - but most of the session was getting into situations where I had too much speed and lift.

And we come to yesterday evening.  The waves were fuller and the wind was light.  The first wave I caught I was up and riding for quite some distance and even making conscious turns.  Foiling is pretty much flying.  From that point on I alternated good ride - bad ride.  The bad rides were instances where the foil breached, I lost lift and instantly came crashing down.  Only in one case did I get bucked off (and that was really because of a bad takeoff).

I really like the wing shape and tail configuration of the Slingshot FSurf - I am starting to wonder if the weight of the whole setup is driving the trend to come off foil.  If I had a full carbon ultralight setup with the same surface area, would that foil stay up longer all other things equal???

Saturday Evening Session (3/16/19)

Marlon and I hit the beach again late this afternoon.  Waist high on the sets and a 0 tide, this is probably the lowest tide I'd feel comfortable foiling on a 24" mast.  I took the Slingshot Infinity 76 out again, and altering only one variable, I had the mast centered forward of the box midpoint.  I was able to get up consistently, didn't get thrown off (because of too much lift), and got some of the longest rides I've had to date on a surf foil.  Five or so rides in the hour of daylight that we had.

Marlon had to use his hybrid shortboard (dinged La's longboard last session and I have not had the time to fix it).  He got several ride and also the chance to try out a new rash guard/insulated top he got recently.

So after 3 months and several tries, I think I can say that I can manage the very basics of foil surfing.  I have a ton more to learn (like turning without falling off, and controlling the pitch of the foil more), but at least I can stand up and get the board to lift out of the water and not get thrown around!!!

Christmas Foil Session

Marlon and I went surfing Christmas Day evening - there is a small south swell pushing some energy - grab it while it is here (shorter drive than going up to the North Shore).

I took out the 5'6" and the kit foil (this is an old picture - I didn't take any pictures today).

I picked up several waves, but only rode a couple - prone foiling is way harder than windsurf wave foiling.... but you don't get better unless you practice.  Catching white water made standing up easier compared to greenwater waves.

Since the last session, I added another grip strip on the bottom and the board was easier to paddle inverted (on the way out and back in).  

Lift Foils

I stopped in to chat with Keff at Flight Surfboards - he just got in some Lift Foils.

These are so nice - light, full carbon, wings come in a single piece with a connection to the mast.  So nice...

The Dawn of a New Era

Behold!!!  The start of something total new and radical beyond all that was radical before -

In case you can't tell, that is a 2019 Starboard Hypernut 7'4" 4in1 board and a GoFoil Tri foil set (Nalu-Kai-Iwa front foils, Kai-Iwa rear wings and 29.5" mast) - I decided I need to reset my foiling attempts.  The best I can tell from the research I've done - this is the foil to ride right now.  The technology has started to settle and performance-price-durability wise this series is coming out on top.  As I get used to riding this foil, I can then compare it to the one I made and see what improvements can be done.  

Regarding the board - this is the smallest SUP I've owned - and after a few quick sessions SUP surfing it, I will stick the foil on and SUP foil it and then add a windsurf rig to it and begin learning to Windsurf Wave Foil - this could actually be the end of kiting for me if this new equipment pans out the way I'm expecting it to... stay tuned. 

More Sanding - More Filling - More Sanding...

I'm getting so close now... but there is still more sanding, so I can do more filling (void spaces on the fiberglass weave), which will then require more sanding.

I'll stick my neck out here and say "but it'll be worth all this time and effort when we get up on the foil while surfing".  I'm pretty sure Marlon will - but I'm thinking I'm going to need a bigger set of wings to develop the lift necessary to fly my extra ballast around.

I'm thinking I may be able to finish everything up (just modifying a board) and have this thing get wet next weekend...

Hurricane Miriam Swell

Marlon and I went on the dawn patrol this morning to see what the Hurricane Miriam swell was doing.  While the tide was out, the swell was breaking head high.  And the wind was down... really nice conditions (except for the crowd...)

We'll try again tomorrow (even earlier to beat the crowds).  I took some pictures of guys walking their foilboards across the beach - I'll update this post with those shortly.

Friday Evening Work on the Foils

Friday evening I had Marlon pour the bead around the bottom of the fuselage.  

And when all that was done, I started laying out the kite foil wing.

The project list is long - no being bored around here.

Glassing the Top of the Fuselage on the Surf Hydrofoil

This evening, Marlon and I continued making progress on getting the surf hydrofoil completed.  We cut out the glass for the tops of the fuselage and the base plate.

I've actually been dreading glassing this piece - too many curves.  But with some relief cuts it sat well on the nose and we got it done.

I'll try and get back out tonight to trim the excess glass with a razor blade - way easier than letting the epoxy fully cure and sanding/grinding it down.

Top Laminates on Wings, Bottom Laminates on Mast and Fuselage

Last of the work from this weekend.  Got the kids involved to mix the epoxy and get the glass on the parts.

My garage is a total autoclave - the slow hardener actually cures super quick in the heat.  I'm going to have to get creative in assembling the base plate-mast-fuselage...

And here is the post glassing trim for the four pieces addressed (did not glass the base plate yet).

At this rate, I think this foil will be finished by the end of next weekend, or so.  I need to get the boxes prepared for the bottom of the surrogate board (old light wind kite board I made in Gulfport, MS).

Making Base Plates

Put the bench sander to work again - nothing takes off a 1/4" faster (except a full on planer). 

Also drilled in the holes for the mounting bolts.