Dawn Patrol - 5/21/2023

Tried the Foil Drive Plus Assist this morning.  This rig was pretty heavy - 

It took 2/3s of the session to get the timing right to catch waves - when I was catching, the riding was challenging as the swing weight was definitely something to contend with.

Dennis was out with his Foil Drive on his SUP foiling board (5'8" Quatro) and he was killing it!

I used the GoFoil PNL185 - not a foil that I've used recently - that didn't help my cause either. 

This is where the mast ended up - slightly forward of where the foil would have been on wing and on the GoFoil mast. 

Definitely more logistics associated with the Foil Drive - this may turn into a weekend endeavor (helps to fight the crowds).  But will definitely need to figure out how to reduce the setup weight.

W:44/F:41/S:28

Garage Works - 5/20/2023

Lots of work in the garage this afternoon/evening.

While we were out running errands, I stopped into Lowes and grabbed a trim router bit.  That bit made opening these boxes very easy.

I went ahead and sanded the rest of the repair area.

And added the fill coat

This will be ready for sanding tomorrow (epoxy needs to harden a little more).

Kalani said the SUP Foil board I just finished had a pinhole leak.  I grabbed the board from him and got anything that looked like a pinhole patched up with epoxy - four spots around the port track box.

There are the four areas filled up with epoxy.

This was a rush job - it'll be ridden tomorrow...

And I setup the narrow wing foiling board to be the Foil Drive prone board.

I got the box tacked down and the cable guides all installed.

I'll be trying this out tomorrow -

Dawn Patrol - 5/20/2023

Dawn patrol - no wind, smooth wave faces, low and dropping further tide - waist high waves with lulls in between.

I opted to not bring out the Foil Drive just yet - I'll get the mounts placed on the striped wing foiling board and then take it out.  I also didn't feel right taking it out if Kalani's board wasn't ready (I should be able to get it back to him tomorrow).  Although when I was in the lineup, I could not help but think about how many more waves I could have caught....

I setup up No.21 with the 68(72cm) Project Cedrus mast (low tide...)

My first several waves were not impressive - weird how just a few sessions can recalibrate your muscle memory.  I was wiping out because my feet were landing in the wrong spots.  The asymmetric foil board I have been using is a couple of inches shorter and narrower than No.21

I did eventually find my footing and got in some really fun rides.  Then the waves backed off - a lot.

Marlon had paddled over to Camp Grounds because the Saturday morning crowd was pretty thick (again - another reason to think about use of the Foil Drive...).

Fun session!

W:44/F:40/S:28

Evening Session - 5/19/2023

I washed off the dust from the repair job by getting in an afternoon session.

The waves were belly to chest high.  The wind was barely blowing.  And the tide was really high.

With that I decided to bolt on the 75(79cm) Project Cedrus mast to see what I'd gain while using the Progression 170.  

This was actually a really fun session.  The waves were easy to pick up, and with the depth of water and the longer mast, I was able to stay on the wave longer and crank some really hard turns.  The asymmetric foil board is proving to be a really fun board.

Here's where I'm going to mark the Progression 170 mast position.

Fun session!!!

W:44/F:39/S:28

Garage Works - 5/19/2023

More repair work (it never ends... I may make one more board - the Foil Drive Prone Foiling Board, then take a break...)

Here is the board prepped for dropping in the boxes.

Here's the boxes in place and all three patches laminated onto the board.

I decided to put peel ply on to pull off the excess resin. 

Tomorrow is routing open the boxes and sanding down the laminate.  Then a fill coat.

Garage Works - 5/18/2023

I worked on this board repair some more today.  I lined the box with two + layers of carbon fiber, got the divynicell set in and the laps laid flat.

Here's the board with the weights and clamps off.

And here is the board with the spaces between the blocks and the walls filled with epoxy/aerosil.

Tomorrow I'll sand and grind down the blocks to the right shape.  Then I'll set the boxes in epoxy and add the carbon fiber cap sheets.

That'll leave sanding and adding clear coat for Saturday.

I Just Went Over to the Dark Side of the Dark Side

For a little bit now, I've been watching a few foilers use their Foil Drives.  It has intrigued me, but not enough to spend the capital to join them.  Then I saw Dennis take the unit and place it on a smaller wing foil board and start prone foiling with the Assist getting him started on waves I would have no chance of paddling into.  And then he would catch another.  And another.  And another - all before I would pick up a wave myself.  And I would have to keep an eye on other riders in case they felt like "sharing" my wave.  And weave between bobs just hanging out in the lineup on their wavestorms.

Yeah - I knew this day was coming...

I got the Foil Drive Assist Plus - big battery and aluminum props - this unit was made to push heavyweights onto bumps quickly.

I was also able to pick up a Project Cedrus 80cm aluminum mast to use exclusively with the Foil Drive.

I've already made a template for a new dedicated prone Foil Drive board also.

This rabbit hole is a deep one...

Evening Session - 5/17/2023

Lots of stuff going on today... Noe's wisdom teeth were taken out, took the recycling in, made a run to Lowe's to pickup some stuff for La and myself - then I worked on the open cavity on Kalani's board to getting it ready to fit the new block - and then I went to the beach.

There was a bunch of wind earlier in the afternoon - but the clouds moved in.  The tide was really high - so I hung out on the inside.  The surf was belly high on the sets.  I actually forgot my leash, so that was another reason I stayed inside.

I was going to bring the 4'8" prone board (No.21), but I left it on the porch and the wax melted.  I didn't have the time to get it rewaxed s I grabbed the asymmetric prone board.  I used the markings from No.21 and setup the Progression 170.

I caught plenty of waves - lots of repeats - and I didn't lose the board.  I think I should use this board more often.

The weather is going to take a turn for the worse - so I may not be foiling/surfing for the next couple of days.

W:44/F:38/S:28

Evening Session - 5/16/2023

I had my first colonoscopy yesterday morning.  The prep was laborious and I adjusted my schedule around it - but the check is all done.  By the afternoon I felt better and went out to foil.  Marlon came with to longboard.

The wind was slightly less strong than Monday.  The tide was way up - not sure where that flip happened.  And the waves were definitely bigger.

Marlon was catching a bunch - but he went in halfway during my session because the tight lineup had a pretty aggressive crowd.

I setup No.21, but I couldn't remember where I had the Progression 170 set in the tracks.  I started with it mounted full forward, but I recall that's where I had the Vyper 170 situated.  I went ahead and brought a pocket sized Phillips screwdriver to make adjustments.

I was actually having a hard time catching waves at the front half of the session.  The waves would back down and flatten out in the middle.  And when I did catch a wave, I had to recalibrate where my feet went.  After I did catch my first real ride, I could tell the mast was too far forward and rode the wave all the way in.

I set the mast back and paddled out again.  I ended up catching plenty more waves and the foil/board performed as expected.

This is where the base ended up.

Fun rides in marginal conditions!

W:44/F:37/S:28

Evening Session - 5/15/2023

Got in a late afternoon prone foiling session.  The tide was dropping (so I kept checking the depth), the surf was belly high on the sets (and it was a little on the lully side), and the surprise of the day - there was wind.  Enough to wing.

But I didn't bring winging equipment - I brought the prone setup I've been using the last few sessions.  No.31, the short Project Cedrus mast, the Progression 170/meium fuse/flex rear stabilizer.

I made sure to mount this further forward than last time - and it paid off.  I got in a few triples, plenty of doubles and lots of surfy carves top to bottom (granted the waves weren't huge).

Roland ordered a Progression 170 from Paul.  And to celebrate, Roland surfed today - said he wasn't going to prone foil again until he gets the Progression 170.  I can't think of a better endorsement.

W:44/F:36/S:28

Garage Works - 5/14/2023

The next board repair is already in the garage.

Going to use divynicell and the old style boxes on this one.

I dug out the old foam today.  I'll let the board dry a day and get back to reconstructing it.

I want to try and have this one finished by this coming weekend (because I want to get to shaping No.32 - the combo winging/Foil Drive prone board).

Wing Foiling Session - 5/14/2023

The wind started blowing when it was supposed to be a marginal day.  I actually wanted to test the SW2 5.2 with the light wind longboard (and Eagle 1090).  When you bring the light wind stuff, the wind blows- the smallest wing I brought was the 4.7.  Lots of people on the beach for Mother's Day - but the winging crew squeezed through the blockade and got in some flight time.

This setup worked as expected - and I stayed up on foil for the majority of the session.

Here's where I had the foil setup.  I'll have to look back through the blog to see where it was last time - but today, I had a tiny bit of dolphining when I was trying to get up on foil.  Next time I might go forward by a centimeter or so.

I didn't bring my watch, but here's what the airport sensor read.

I could have used the 5.2, the 4.7 and the 4.2 through the session today.

I really shouldn't complain - it was nice seeing the Hickam crew.

W:44/F:35/S:28

Dawn Patrol - 5/13/2023

Negative low tide this morning.  There was some light wind blowing - just enough to put texture on the water, but not much more than that.  And the swell was on when it was on, with some lulls.

I brought Kalani's SUP so I could give it back to him.  I also brought No.31 and the Progression 170 - but looking at the shallow water depth, I opted for the Viking.

Kalani and Dennis had their Foil Drive setups (Kalani's inaugural run).  Dennis has got this wired - takes off on waves that barely have any carry, and with the setup he has he can pump back out also.

Caught several from the outside and rode them pretty much all the way in.  Then had to paddle all the way back out.  Normally one would look at a board like the Viking and think this is way easier to paddle than a shortboard and that it is the EASY button.  In my experience, the Viking forces me to expend a lot more energy than if I was surfing a shortboard or the TJ Everyday - this is primarily because I do a ton more long distance paddling and I try and catch waves from the far outside where they are still lumps.  I ended up going home to help La at the yard sale in our neighborhood and after I took a really deep nap - because of all the paddling I did.

Good session!!!

W:43/F:35/S:28

Evening Session - 5/11/2023

And headed out to grab a few waves.  With the wind down, the tide rising and a bump up in the surf expected, I was figuring this was going to be a great session.

I setup the Progression 170 on No.31 and tried to replicate the last session.  The one change was dropping the mast back just a couple of millimeters.

Those couple of millimeters made a huge difference - for the worse.  I had a slightly harder time pumping back out, and on a few waves it felt like I had to work harder to keep the nose up.

If I go tomorrow, I'll push the mast forward again and see if I get the magic back.

This was still a good session - just not as great as the last one.  And I can't isolate whether it was the waves not being as good, the mast position being further back, or just me sucking.

W:43/F:35/S:27

Garage Works - 5/11/2023

Before heading out to catch a few waves, I sanded down the fill coat on the mast track repair, and then I sanded the areas on the rail that needed patching.

After that, I went ahead and added some epoxy to seal up the small paddle strike dings.

These have already hardened and the board could go in the water now.  But - I have to make it look nice - that is tomorrow's work load.

More sanding on all the spots with epoxy, then adding some black posca along the carbon edges, then spraying clear coat - then DONE!!!