Garage Works - 3/19/2023

I got a bunch of errands done today - fun how that happens when the surf and wind are down.  But I also got in a nice nap and after all that, I did get into the garage.

I got the new long prone/light wind winging board cut out of the blank.  And I also got the bottom deck skinned (removed the hard outer foam).

I ran out of battery on the new 12V Bosch Planer so I stopped at the bottom deck.

Now comes the hard part - trying to figure out the bottom deck shape.  Wide and flat provide stability, but narrower would lower drag.  Balancing these and getting the track placement right is a game.

The tape measure is where most shapers are putting the mid point of the tracks (about 30" from the tail).

I'm trying to figure out how to install these Chinook 16" boxes.  That would take away a lot of the worry about getting the placement just right.

And since I ran out of battery, I went ahead and shifted over to finishing off the nose rebuilding on Matt's board.

I cut out the fiberglass cover sheet, got it trimmed and set it aside.  I mixed up 1.4 ounces of epoxy and laminated the 3 patches on each side (to build up some low spots), and then kept going with the cover sheet for the bottom deck.

The laps actually came up pretty far on the top deck - I guess I do this now from using the innegra on my foil boards...

I came pretty far back from where the repairs were, to make sure the repair wouldn't fail.  I had to remove a lot of Matt's paint job to get to the base fiberglass and rough it up (so the new glass/epoxy would bond).

I'm really happy with how this rebuild is turning out.

Tomorrow I'll sand the laps, add the top deck cover sheet, trim it up and epoxy it in place.  That means Tuesday I'll get the fill coat on and Wednesday I should be able to sand it down to finish grade.

Dawn Patrol - 3/19/2023

Another micro wave day.

I used the Viking again.  The crowd was definitely thicker today - but with that board I can catch ripples.

Kalani was out on his foil.  Tim brought his longboard out.

I caught my fill and headed home.

The Viking is truly a session saver.

W:28/F:16/S:17

Garage Works - 3/18/2023

And here is what my thoughts are on what I would want out of a prone surf foiling board/light wind wing foiling board.

Needs to be narrow so I can get it up to speed faster.

Needs to be longer to provide more stability when I'm winging it (since it is narrow).

The nose will be more like the prone paddleboards (like the NCP I had a longtime ago) - bulbous.

The tail on this first one will be narrower than I normally put on my boards - but will be flat to the very end (to promote speed).

This one will be 7'0" x 19.5" x 5"

The mast tracks will be centered around the 32" mark.  I may use the Chinook 16" boxes I have, or I may put a 8.5" and a 10.75" set in to give max adjustability.

I got the template for the outline marked out today.

I also got the bottom template assembled (I'll post pictures of that later).

I am looking forward to this new build - something I haven't done before.  And I actually haven't shaped a board longer than 5' in a long time ;)

Evening Session - 3/17/2023

Friday evening session to wash off the work week.  I checked the report and knew it was going to be tiny - so I brought the Mightly Viking!!!

This board catches ripples and makes them great fun to surf.  I ended up with more than a couple of handfuls of waves.

Kalani and Roland brought out their foils - they had a harder time with the lower tide and microwaves.

Looks like a bit of a spell coming up where we'll have micro waves...

W:28/F:16/S:16

New Ideas

I have been looking at recent posts about downwind foil boards.  Initially I was intrigued, but in my mind the downwinding gets good when the wind is up, and that is exactly when I want to be winging.  With that said, I have consciously avoided DW SUP foiling posts and info.

But recently guys are taking those boards, making them even narrower and are now using them to prone surf foil catching green unbroken waves, and even light wind wing foiling with smaller wings.

With that turn of events, I've got some ideas in my head that I want to get shaped.

This bigger blank is going to be my first prone/wing narrow foilboard.  It is going to be modeled after the old stock 12' prone paddleboards on the nose, and the Amos Sultan on the tail.

With all the small surf and lack of wind, I should have this one finished in no time.

Evening Session - 3/15/2023

Small surf today - but if you were patient, there were some gems.

I decided to use the Sweet Potato.  I actually got several waves and was able to crank some hard turns on my last one - full stand up ripping!!!

This board makes waist high slop really fun!

W:28/F:16/S:15

Garage Works - 3/15/2023

I'm done with this repair.

I got the sanding done today and got the clear coat on.

Now I have more room to work on more repairs (Matt's, the Kalama Performance SUP, the kiteboards, and I've been approached about a few others).  Or better yet, I can built a prone foiling paddleboard...

Evening Session - 3/13/2023

Light winds, low tide and waist high swell yesterday evening!  

Marlon came with and we both longboarded.

I brought the Viking and was catching the rollers from way outside (I love that board!!!).  I caught plenty of fun waves.  Riding this board from the tail is so dynamic!!!  I try and just park in the pocket and glide (all the way in, every time - this is probably one of the better workout boards I have because I end up paddlign so much).

But Roland stole the show!!!  He's changed up his rear stabilizer shimming (going from 2.5 degrees to just about 0) and now he is literally flying!

I just don't like foiling on lower tides...

W:28/F:16/S:14

Wing Foiling Session - 3/12/2023

Yesterday I saw iwindsurf.com was predicting some winds that would be wingable at midday today.  I woke up to the sounds of wind - so I passed on the dawn patrol and worked around the house until it was time to go.

The winds were as forecasted - and at Hickam it was almost straight onshore.  I had brought the North Nova Light Wind 8.0 and the Takuma RS 6.1 - the wind was strong enough to use the 6.1.

I brought the 1090/210 and the 1099/460 with the intent to use both in a back-to-back test to see which setup has the most glide.  But I just stuck with the 1090/210 because it was a pain in the butt to get out to where the wind line was.

And before leave the house, I had been doing maintenance on the gear in the garage.  One of the bolts securing the mast base plate was not releasing.  I was eventually able to break it free, but I decided to setup the Clydesdale instead - I got the mast so I could do downwinders - might as well start getting used to it (and do a downwinder).

Getting the foil to lift with another 4" of mast was a little more difficult than normal (with the 85cm mast).  But riding was actually easier - I had more mast to use and I stayed up on foil for much longer.

Not having used the RS wings in a bit, I was pleasantly happy with its performance - for lighter winds I really enjoy the 6.1 and 5.1.  They have lots of power and are very controllable within their range.

When I first started, I paddled straight out into the wind trying to get to the line where the wind was not interacting with the shore.  I had a couple of false starts, but eventually got into the active stream of wind.

It did take a little more finessing to get the foil to lift, but after a while it was second nature (but the gusts did help).

After a running the inside for most of the session, I did get an angle on the channel so I made a run to Firsts.  The wind was fluky out there - I didn't think it was worth it.  I rode one of the waves that showed itself and it was all chopped up from the onshore wind - I took that into the channel and rode back to the inside.

The wind meter at the airport is still not working properly - but I think the Nova LW 8.0 would have been too much today.

The secret to today was not going down!!!  You can see all the runs I made where I completed the jibes - one after another after another.

I had placed one of the Dakine Supremo footstraps on to make sure I got it positioned correctly.  I am getting the urge to start jumping again and wanted to dial this in at Hickam (too hard to go in and out at WPB).  I ended up making one adjustment on the water - now its all good!!!

On my last run in I tried a tack (and was actually all the way around) but I breached the foil and figured I'd call it good.

I'm glad I got to go out today!  This was a fun session on the tall mast.

W:28/F:16/S:13

Garage Works - 3/12/2023

I'm trying to get these repairs out of the garage -

Here's Matt's board with the new foam spliced on.

Here's the outline of the template he was trying to get onto the board when he reshaped the nose.

I cut this out already but didn't take a picture.  I'll use the surform to get it foiled out, sand it out and then glass it.

On Jim's SUP foilboard, I sanded the middle layer that I had laminated yesterday, added a fill coat this morning, sanded that lightly to scuff it up, and then laminated the cap sheet on.  I'll get the fill coat on, grind open the tracks, sand everything, and spray on a clear coat.

I'll probably have this one done on Tuesday.

Garage Works - 3/11/2023

After foiling, I got some work done on the two projects I have sitting in the garage.

On Matt's board, I cut out the bad parts and got it ready for splicing in the clean foam.

Here it is again all trimmed up.

I also got the track installed on Jim's board.

This was the dry fitting.  I had to put this on pause because I had to go to work for a bit.  When I got back, I went ahead and set them in with epoxy and added the first carbon overlay.

Tomorrow I'll sand the carbon overlay, add some fill around the boxes, then add the cap sheet.  I should be able to get this done early next week (epoxy needs to harden).

I'll also try to rough shape the nose on Matt's board.

Dawn Patrol - 3/11/2023

Dawn patrolled this morning.  There were waves, but it felt like it was going to get mega crowded.  I went ahead and got in early.  Marlon got some extra sleep.

I setup the Axis ART 1099 on the 68cm Project Cedrus mast with the Ultrashort fuselage.  To change it all up a bit, I used the 460 Flat rear stabilizer.

I got a couple of handful of waves - they started to back off a third of the way through my session.

This setup pumps the easiest of the Axis setups that I've foiled.  I think I may try to wing this setup and see how it tacks (extra glide from both the front foil and rear stabilizer.

Kalani had his 1099 out also.  I let him borrow the 400P rear stabilizer - he liked the 400P (and he had been using the 375P).

W:27/F:16/S:13

Evening Session - 3/10/2023

I hit WPB to go prone foiling today - Roland said yesterday was really good - chest to head high and clean.  Today was probably belly high and clean.  This picture is of Roland and Duke splitting a wave.

I bolted this foil on - the Uni Vyper 170.  Accompanying the front foil was the medium (33cm) fuse and the 15" KD Maui rear stabilizer.

This foil rocks!  For as small as it is, it has some carry, but even in the small waves, I could throw this thing around.  On one turn, I got the foil half out of the water.  On another wave, I was bouncing between two sections - and the board was coming around hard and fast.  This foil is going to be my go to when the waves get chest to well overhead.

I started out with the foil mounted halfway in the tracks.  I moved it twice and ended up with it jammed as far forward as it would go.  This is the second front foil I've used that has pegged the tracks... I'm going to have to shape another board now - longer length like this one for smaller days, but thinner and with the tracks mounted 2" forward from this position (looking at the markings, I don't use foils that go that far back - funny how quick foils and skills have changed).

Looking forward to using this in higher winds also.

W:27/F:15/S:13

Garage Works - 3/9/2023

I saw this little planer at Lowes recently and thought it would be perfect for doing small area work on repairs and builds.

I can attest that this is a useful tool.

It is ultra light and fits in much smaller spaces than the other planers I have.  It is strong and cuts through hardened epoxy without any drama.

This surface is now flat as I need it without having spent more than 5 minutes working on the high areas (and it only took that long because I was learning which buttons did what).  On the repair project side of this, I'll use the sander to still knock down some even smaller irregularities, but then I'll go ahead and rout the slots for the finboxes.

The allternative to this would have been a sander using 40 grit - but that often leaves a bias in one direction or another (because of the spinning and what direction I go at the project area).  This planer works perfectly for this application.

I can also see this working rocker on the shorter boards I make - not having to deal with tool weight will let me focus on material removal and dialing in rocker.

This being a new tool system from Bosch, I can see getting the 12 volt barrel jig saw and 5" Random Orbital Palm Sander also.  I already have my heavy tools for longer span work - I've been waiting for this line of tools to come out (without even knowing it was in development).

Wing Foiling Session - 3/8/2023

I picked Marlon up from UH and we beat feet home - after which we beat feet to the beach.  The west wind was nuking!!!!  White caps abound, a rising tide, and some unexpected rather large wind swell.

I used the WWFB because I didn't want to have to struggle to get on the board.  I bolted on the Kujira 980 figuring I had way more than enough power in the wind to get up on foil early and fast.  And lastly I pumped up the Reedin SW 3.6 - again there was plenty of wind.

I stayed out over an hour and a half.  There were plenty of waves, but most of them would start to show, but then petered out.  There were some sneaker sets (way overhead) - I had two large waves that were breaking behind me for a really long distance, but most of the other rides were running along with the swell, but having the waves not break was a little odd.

From this chart, the wind was pretty much coming from the west.  And from riding, the swell was bending in from the SW.

Looks like the wind broke the anemometer...

The first generation Super Wing is a back hand biased wing - to keep it powered and not backwinding when you are pulling upwind, it needs the rider to place a lot of back hand pressure input.  It does drift/luff well - but I think the Super Wing 2 is a much better balanced wing that pulls upwind easier.  I'm curious about the Neilpryde Fly in the smaller sizes also.  I'm saying all this because I think this wing wasn't optimized for today's conditions - not sure if it is this wing starting to stretch out (look at the first picture above), or if it is the overall design (but this to me has always been a back handed wing), but things change really quick in this sport.

The 980 did the trick.  I'm pretty sure if I had a smaller Kujira that would have worked today easily.  Top speeds were had while racing down wave faces.

There were several other wingers out today - Marlon had spoken with them and it seemed like they were all down from Mokuleia (looking for their normal sailing tacks with the reversed winds).  Marlon had several subjects to chase with the drone and he got a lot of good footage.

The forecast calls for the strong westerlies to fade - I truly consider winds like this to be a gift!!!

W:27/F:14/S:13