Garage Works - 6/30/2024

I got a lot done in the garage today.

First up was sanding No.37.  Here's the top deck all sanded.

And here's the bottom deck all sanded and the tracks routed out

And the vent and leash plugs installed (plus a little epoxy to add material to some thin spots).

I just need to sand down the plugs, clean up the new epoxy spots then spray clear coat.  I'm trying to work out the deck pad layout.  That's another couple of days of work (about two hours a day because of drying and adhesive sticking time).

I also broke out No.19 to get a repair that was sitting under duct tape fixed properly.  There's been a few people hinting at wanting to learn - I figure I can sell off my old stuff (GoFoil and Takuma, and the bigger Reedins) if I can get them through the learning curve.  And Nick uses this board when he comes to Oahu.

It just really needed a little sanding and a patch of 4 ounce fiberglass.

Then I addressed the multiple harnesses I have in the garage.  The wing harness has seen better days and I have a T9 that has just been sitting there - so I transferred all the modifications over from the T8 to the T9.

I also put the new kiting hook on the Pyro that I had sitting around.

These have been with me for a long time - letting go of things like this is like saying goodbye to an old friend.  Thanks for covering my ass for all these sessions -

Wing Foiling Session - 3/11/2022

 The forecasts were converging on solutions that called for decent wind this afternoon - and for once, the forecasts materialized!!!  OR 5.0 pumped up for today's run - and I wanted to see if the strut bladder was leaking (was soft last time).  Wind was over 20mph - but the water wasn't whitecapping.

I wasn't expecting steady, strong winds so I brought the 32.5" GoFoil mast, and the GL210 and PNL185. 

The wind was good a strong when I pulled up at 4pm.  Ken was coming in (had his new 7.0 Cabrinha Crosswing X3).  Matt was also coming in.  Jim and Harris were still out.  Harris and I headed out to Firsts - there were waves and the wind was holding so this made for a great session!

During the second half of the session, I was just practicing turns to get them back to second nature.  And I was able to get a duck jibe in!!!  Second attempt was successful - but every other try after that was botched.

It has been so long since we had wind like today!

W:12/F:26/S:10

Wing Foiling Session - 7/2/2021

Wind was up today - setup the Ensis 4.5 and bolted on the HS1250.  Got in some shake down runs on the inside, and when I felt I was dialed in, I headed out to Firsts.  Mark, myself, Kalani and eventually Jeff were out (and three surfers on Wavestorms...). 

I got in 18.81 nm in 2 hours.  I had some decent rides - one was a jibe in front of the wave and flag the wing.  I also got a few riding goofy.

The chart below shows a gust that nearly hit 40 (definitely smoke on the water conditions).  Nice to know I can stay up in gusts that hard.

Top speed was 17.6 kt.  Lots of connected runs (jibes and tacks completed), but also some lulls.

Prayot got a hold of Jeff's demo Ensis Score 4.5.  He was out cruising with it - and even got some jumps (that's it, time to start learning to jump).  Today was the third day I had the harness on - it really made riding easier on my arms and especially the tendons on my upper left forearm.

Tomorrow morning is supposed to be super strong!!!

Wing Foiling Session - 6/30/2021

The trades are back!!!!  Hit Hickam after work.  Pumped up the 5.2 and rigged the HS1850/85 mast.60 A+ fuse/232 on to the WWFB.  There were two guys out when I pulled up - one had a Duotone Echo and the other had a Slick.  There was also a guy named Zack that came up - he had a prototype Uni wing made of Aluula.  It was a 6 meter and it was super light.  I still love my Ensis.  Knowing the wind is going to be up for the next several days, I also rigged up the harness line and my Dakine Chameleon Harness.

I started out by riding on the inside - wanted to shake the cobwebs off, get some turns in and start playing around with the harness.  The wind was definitely up and strong, but there were a few lulls, and because of all my tweaking the harness line, I drifted down a little.  I went ahead and headed out to Firsts.  There was a fresh swell hitting and I got drawn out.

My turns outside were really fun - with the stronger winds, I was pulling tacks and not coming down at all.  The waves were coming in at a decent pace - I caught several, but the HS1850 was a little slow to keep out in front of the waves consistently.  I might try to use the HS1250 tomorrow.  I'll give up some ability to pop up in the lulls, but I'll have more speed and maneuverability on the waves. I caught a few bombs and it was surreal!  Lots going on while catch a big wave on a foil, going goofy foot with a wing in tow.

I was out from 3:45 to about 6.  The 5.2 was perfect for today and my arms aren't as nuked because I'd use the harness on longer runs.  I'm going to have to work on this but I noticed that while I was using the harness, I didn't have the same "connected to the board" feeling that I had while unhooked.  And I also didn't have the same reaction time to gusts (and I seemed to drop off foil more when hooked in).

My top speed was 15 knots - probably on a wave.  Super fun and I am glad the forecast is calling for strong winds all the way out to next Wednesday at least!!!!