Board and wing size

joerg-nordsee

Hello Craig,

could you give me advices for wingfoiling. I am 1,83m 68kg.

Following your recommendations and the availability of equipment I own since 2021:

Fanatic sky wing 5.8 (2021/110ltr)
Fanatic Aero Foil High Aspect (1500/250) w. Alu Mast750 and fuselage 800
Duotone echo 6.0

Purpose for winging is to extend my time on the water in low wind / small wave conditions, lake and north sea. Wind <15kn, swell <0,5m

It took me some time to get away from riding “windsurfing specific”. Now I feel quite confident with the board and I am able to jibe on the foil (1-2 out of 10), ride switchstance (although still a bit uncomfortably) and able to pump foil and wing if the wind is above 8-10kn. Since last week I use footstraps on the board (all the way forward) which help me to pump the board onto the foil significantly. Foil is in the most rear position because otherwise I needed to stand forward of the footstrap mounts and therefore touchdowns are likely to fail. My complaint about the board to always turn downwind and hard to keep upwind with low wind still exists but does not bother me right now anymore if the windspeed is higher than 5kn.

The foil itself is foiling early and stays in the air up to very low board speeds. I like to feel/hear the threatening of breaking to the surface to be able to counteract before stalling the foil.

What would I like to improve:

The effort to pump on the foil
Handling of the wing, the tips occasionaly touch the water when foiling (acceptable)
When pumping, the wing feels ineffective. I can not pump hard because avoiding the tip to touch the water the wing has to be too horizontally to be effective?

Begin 2022 I sailed on tenerife DPC a 2022 sky wing 5.6 with Aero HA 1500. The combination felt as comfortable as my 2021 5.8 with Aero HA 1500.
Duotone slick5.0 felt way easier to handle and although I could not yet pump properly felt nearly as powerful as echo 6.0?

What could be the next steps?

Upgrade board from 5.8-2021 to 5.0-2022? Less drag versus less lift
Upgrade or replace echo wing 6.0 to slick 5.0? Less power versus better pumping?
Upgrade to or add smaller foil?
Always considering favorite wind range 8-12kn or preferably lower, wind max 15kn, flat water or small waves <0,5m.

I also windfoil occasionally but feel when I improve on wingfoiling I will quit windfoiling?

Looking forward to your answer

joerg

craig

Hi Joerg, sounds like the classic issue that many "lighter" riders face - they need the stability of the big board to learn but very soon this size becomes far too big for pumping and riding, so a more radical downsize is needed vs 80-90kg riders who can use the bigger boards for longer.

So for your weight, I would suggest as a long term solution the Sky Wing 5'0/75L yes, this should really be enough volume (I'm 76/77kg and this is my only board most of the time, even in gusty Alpine Lake conditions with 6.0). I would keep the 1500 foil for now and add a Aero Free 1000/216 foil set, you will find this works great for your weight and eventually will probably only use that even in the lightest winds (as me and many of my wing buddies here do in light winds).

Regarding a Wing - for the wing range you suggest, given you are still progressing, I would not go down to 5.0, rather choose a 5.5 Duotone Slick SLS if you like a boom, or the Unit 5.5. I also like to use my 5.0 whenever possible, but have to admit lately I am back on the 6.0 more often due to using the smaller foil and actually having enough power is really much better than always being underpowered on 5.0 - in lighter winds. From constant 15knots upwards, 5.0 is great. Generally I think if you get more into winging as most people do (I know you are doing a lot of windsurfing too!), then a 2 wing strategy is good - 4.5 and 5.5 would be ideal for your range, that should cover you from 8-20knots easily.

joerg-nordsee

craig

Hello Craig,

thanks for your as always helpful input. I will follow your advice and look for a 5.0 sky wing and give it a try with my 1500foil set. Add the aero free 1000 next year.

Can you tell the span of my duotone echo 6.0 in comparison with slick 5.5 and 5.0 to estimate the probability of touching the water with these wings when pumping?
You are probably using a slick 6.0. Are you not facing this pumping issue?
As the SLS model is significantly more expensive than the "normal one" how do you rate the benefits SLS/normal in comparison to my old echo?

Jörg

craig

Hi Jörg, cool, go for it.

Re wing span, I don't have those, but the newer Slick SLS is wider than the older Slick for sure, somewhere between Slick and Unit, just more curved tips than Unit. For your height it's no issue to go for a Unit or Slick SLS in 5.5. Maybe a longer 82/90cm mast will help with a bit better clearance, having the tips touch is just an issue of time on water/getting a feel for it. Pumping the 6.0 and bigger you just need to hold the wing further above your head slightly, vs the smaller wings - lean forward and pump with wing and board. Slick SLS vs Echo - big step forward for sure, also the narrower boom makes a massive difference, especially in winter using gloves. I only use Units right now, mix of Dlab and normal, have tested some Slick SLS though too.