by windsnow40 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 9:16 am
So, finally tested out the Roberts FrankenFoil. here are my log notes:
Day 1:
Maiden voyage of the MFW Custom Roberts FrankenFoil board.
Well ... it works!
The Good: Super stable and easy to flog (foil slog) on. Super light - so easy to carry to and from the water. No / zero swing weight and so it feels really light an neutral in the air. Tuttle box connection means I am less stressed about a Powerbox failure. No "play" in the mounting hardware at all with plumbers tape and Tefgel combo.
The Bad / Ugly: the position of the finbox in relation to straps means that the wing sits further back than is optimal. The wing is still between your feet, but in the "back 3rd" of the zone. What this means is that the ride is more "back foot" than most foil board set ups. It takes some getting used to, but is very odd at first - totally different from the "standard" foil tutotial where you are basically over the front foot with back foot pressure secondary to the stance.
Also (and I knew this) you have to have the mastfoot right at the back of the mast track to get close to the optimum 41/42 inch measurement.
This means you are riding it more like a traditional windsurfing stance.
Once I figured it out it was super fun. With the back foot orientation it actually makes the jibing a little "easier" - when you naturally put back foot pressure on the foil as you head downwind and initiate the turn, it doesn't fly out of the water as much.
I say "easier" because I am not flying around like the pros. However, whether it is a season under the belt or just the board, I will say that the "cheater jibes" are super easy and I think I only wiped out twice over the whole weekend. Having said that, I am not taking risks!
In fact, I only "breached" once the whole weekend. The back foot orientation actually makes it "easier" to control once you are flying.
Overall a very satisfying experiment!
Day 2 on the Frankenfoil.
The wind was Squally in the morning and early afternoon.
I had the lake to myself as I foiled and flogged around. The squalls lured some kites out, and then when it dropped to nothing there were kites all over the water.
The Foil board allowed me to putter around like an old Dabchik sailboat - remember those?
I am totally getting the hang of the setup now and am comfortable up and downwind.
I am guessing volume is around 100 l, because I was under water uphauling with no wind at one stage.
Foiling is the way to go in marginal conditions for sure. Kiters were frustrated and wet!
