Foil Froth Fever

juandesooka

OTF status
Jan 12, 2009
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Is it just me or has the foil banter has faded quite a bit on this forum? Everyone must have their quiver figured out and moves dialed in. Or maybe no beach time, everyone's head down at work, making the money to buy more foil toys.

I am still firmly in the honeymoon phase, can't get enough. And trapped at a desk, desperately seeking input and amusement. The endless instagram videos and photos actually aren't helping, it makes the froth worse.

I've been enjoying the Progression Project podcasts, fun to hear others that are stoked as me...makes me feel less guilty about my surfboards gathering dust.

Oops, 5:15, work time's over ... but no waves, so now to the projects ... the plywood GL140-ish wing and another surf-foil board are on-the-go.
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
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Malibu, CA
I’ve checked this forum probably fifteen times today. Does that count? Want me to upload one wave from my session yesterday?
 
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surfdad

Tom Curren status
Jan 10, 2002
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I’m hooked. Can’t get enough. Watching swell and tides more than when I surfed. Haven’t surfed in weeks mainly cause it’s been small locally. No problem, foil spot comes through daily. Stoked on progression so far. Starting Jan 14th. Getting rides consistently now although I’m basically trying to just stay up the whole time.
 

ghostshaper

Phil Edwards status
Jan 22, 2005
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Listened to the Adrian (axis) foil podcast twice and went back and relistened to the Cliffy (unifoil) episode, too. Cliffy talks about canards at 34:45 in.

Grendel and I posted on foil feed forum about canard wings. I'm excited to try one b/c of the back foot/surfing feel. Hopefully will keep me from breaching so much (small wing in front can recover from breaching).

https://www.foilfeed.net/forums/topic/foils-of-the-future/page/2/
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
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Malibu, CA
OK, I posted in the other thread. It's a bad wave. Just the one I pulled to show my brother how it was that day. The left that I liked to surf last year is mostly gone from there, so I'm forced to go right which isn't my favorite. I did have a few left, kick out and pump back out with speed runs. Didn't pull those off though. They probably look similar.

I wasn't that into the Axis episode. I was hoping for more from it. When the Erik hasn't ridden the foils it's not as much of a conversation back and forth and more of just one guy selling his product.

It also annoys me that Erik doesn't mute his phone, and his mic picks up all his scribbling notes during the episode with a felt tip pen. I dislike the sound of felt tip pens.

When steamroller get's his wing and I bug him enough to try it then you'll have some more content here. I'm sure there's a camera somewhere I can try in front of so you can see a tiny Hdip falling on his face at a new spot.
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
3,331
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Malibu, CA
Oh I do have one new thing. I foiled with a guy on a prototype cloud 9 wing. A little bat wing shape. He was bottom turning into full cutbacks that looked just like surfing. Then pumping back out on it like nothing.

He said it was the same surface area as the x22? But the width of the x28? I forget the actual #'s, I don't know the cloud 9 lineup, but that sounds right. He also said his buddy is on the x32 version and is connecting 4-6 waves each time.
 

juandesooka

OTF status
Jan 12, 2009
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yewwww, content, we have connection again!

Axis podcast: same for me, was my least favourite, too much about the specific product, versus about the stoke. But another buddy, who is right into the tech, Reynolds curves, etc, said it was the best yet. Different strokes.

Canard: I was intrigued by these when they first came out for kiting (zeeko spitfire). I made a copy of their wings out of g10 and tried it out. Really noticable difference, all the foot pressure is on back foot, and with an un-tuned franken-foil, I had to spend a lot of energy just to stay on foil, to the point that my right quad would get cramps. It was too much work, so I put it aside and haven't returned, but that's my spring kiting project I reckon. The reason: stomping a turn, it felt just like a surfboard, not steering-through-the-turn-like-a-boat as for my regular foil. There were a few "holy s**t" moments that make this worthy of more experimentation. It just seems to make sense on so many levels, I can't understand why the industry has not jumped on these. EG does it actually not work for some reason? Or is everyone just copying everyone else and simply not willing to go there? I think I'll make a larger wing set, try it on the surf foil next season. [this is more complicated now that I am on gofoil gear vs slingshot] Search kiteforum for canard....lots of stuff posted over past 6-7 years.

Videos: we all need a videographer! Though it is sobering/humbling to see yourself, makes for an important training tool, to work on stuff you didn't know you were doing wrong.

Cloud IX: the s24 package on sale for $499 if you know of anyone looking to get into this silly sport https://cloud9surffoils.com/products/s24-sabre-foil-set
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
3,331
788
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Malibu, CA
I just don't know their lineup. Isn't that a really small front wing though? Seems like it would only be for lightweights. Guy in the water was talking about 28 and 32 inch wings.
 

ghostshaper

Phil Edwards status
Jan 22, 2005
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Cliffy had an insightful comment about how it looks funny and everyone will ask why you have your wings on backward, so you have to have enough self-esteem to ride one, haha. I admit I'm a kook and don't care.

I chatted w/ Daniel from Onofoil via IG and he is interested in working on his canard foil. He said it's really hard to nail down.

Have you known anyone w/ the spitfire? It's selling for $500 at some shop on the East coast. The mast and plate are only $350. Tempting.

I noticed Erik's background noise, too.
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
3,331
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Malibu, CA
Do it Ghostshaper. Someone's gotta bite the bullet and try it out that we can trust :) If you get it to me I"ll do my best to ride it in front of surfline cams haha.
 

juandesooka

OTF status
Jan 12, 2009
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Cliffy had an insightful comment about how it looks funny and everyone will ask why you have your wings on backward, so you have to have enough self-esteem to ride one, haha. I admit I'm a kook and don't care.

I chatted w/ Daniel from Onofoil via IG and he is interested in working on his canard foil. He said it's really hard to nail down.

Have you known anyone w/ the spitfire? It's selling for $500 at some shop on the East coast. The mast and plate are only $350. Tempting.

I noticed Erik's background noise, too.
A local kiter (Vancouver) has an original kite spitfire. I traced some measurements off it and made a copy of the wings -- easy because they are G10, so you can see the rings in the materials (like wood). They are very simple wings, dead flat and nearly rectangular -- I can send you the trace if you want to make your own, would be simple to do out of plywood. Because they are flat, can be mounted on a flat aluminum bar for a fuselage. [I don't think you should spend $350-500 if all you are attempting to get is the mast/plate/fuselage...and don't buy an original spitfire wingset unless you're into fast kiting]

I scaled mine up 25% from the original, given the feedback that it was too little surface area for slowing down to ride waves, even with a kite. Given zeeko's move to XLW and XXLW, I should have scaled it up 100%. My wings weren't balanced right, required a lot of back foot pressure just to stay on the foil, it would suddenly just drop off. It got to be too much work, so I abandoned the experiment. Maybe I'll take it up again this summer, make some big wings, then try behind the boat. That would be easier fine-tuning to try and get the balance right. But so many projects, never enough time!
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
3,331
788
113
Malibu, CA
I didn't want to post the huge surfrider sign on foilfeed so I pulled the clip again from the other camera that crops it out. Plus I added in a pump wave at the beginning. Didn't see an option to edit on the foil session thread so I'm putting this version in here.

 

grendel95

Billy Hamilton status
Nov 1, 2005
1,604
325
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SJC
Still frothing here too, foiling almost exclusively now. Even with a few south swells already showing locally, I've taken one look at the crowd at lowers and kept driving to San O.

Been tinkering with stabilizers and shims lately. Shimming the mast on the stealth 175 added some pump power, but increased breaching on the Albatross.

Fitted a Naish 320 stab onto my 175 Albatross. Much bigger than either Signature stab I have (mustache and down curve). It's a bit slower, but a lot more stable for turning and pumping.

Hdip you get any grief from people at first point? A guy claiming to be from LA was whinging pretty hard about foilers in the crowd at first point.
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
3,331
788
113
Malibu, CA
I only go on days like that clip. Less than two feet of swell. It has to be a super high tide or its to shallow to paddle. Last year I went left 99% of the time.

No one really cares about me. There are some guys who take sets going right who I’ve seen get yelled at by old ladies. Then the lady got to me and asked if I was on a foil. I said I’m only going left and she didn’t care.

sarlo has always been nice to me but I’ve heard him and his friends will kick out any foil trying to learn there.

Everyone out in that clip was happy and talking in the lineup. Most people bothering to surf those conditions don’t care. Every foiler I’ve met in the water is nice.

I get more grief at little dume.
 
Mar 20, 2019
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Kahana has been a zoo lately. It doesn't break that often, but when it does everyone shows up. Every time I go I like it less and less. Instead of riding the wave how you want, you end up having to just dodge and avoid people the whole wave... Both other foilers and surfers.
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
3,331
788
113
Malibu, CA
Yup, if it's get's to crowded I have to move down the beach or just go in. It get's in my head and it's not fun.

Kahana is where JoB even showed up to film a blog isn't it? That can't help things.
 

juandesooka

OTF status
Jan 12, 2009
346
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my froth contribution ... buddy screwed up his shoulder after 40 days straight of foiling, plus trying wing foiling in too-light wind, so now he's stuck flying the drone. This is not a great wave day and, as it turns out, we suck! But as I tell everyone, "it's a lot more fun than it looks!"

I am the white helmet sup and the yellow board prone rider at 2:15 (last wave) if you make it far. :)