Windfoiling Jericho

[john m]

I wasn't thinking of using them to extend up for short bolts,but so I don't have to enlarge the holes of the board. Are stainless bolts not strong enough?

[grantmac]

My bolts only overlapped perhaps 2-3 threads. I think the adapters need the bolts to extend their full length.

Most companies are using my stainless so I think they'll be fine.

[john m]

Tried the A position on 76 wing. Much better.

[juandesooka]

Great post Adam. It's pretty rare to read a reasoned analysis of pros/cons from someone who can do both!

That's quite interesting about the positives ... makes perfect sense at Sp Banks/Jericho. I am over there every couple weeks to work at UBC and jealously read the daily reports of midday foiling fun, which is always over by 530 when I can get there. I've tried a few times and swam more than kited. I can appreciate your strategy that you'll try on marginal calls if the consequences are lower. But not for me ... never got good enough at windsurfing for it to be a realistic goal at this point. Though I am intrigued by the surf wings for the same reason....big surf foil with a handheld wing seems like nice potential for light wind play time options.

I'm surprised to hear that windfoiling is easier than kitefoiling. And especially that downwinders are easier. There are a half dozen windfoilers here in South VI, a few in 2nd season that are becoming competent, and few others still in beginner stage. I've yet to see any of them do a downwind turn, much less actually go for an extended downwind run. I thought maybe it wasn't actually possible. So, I expect I'll be seeing more and better action by end of summer season. Or maybe it is they are not yet using the big wings....I believe biggest they are on is the H2. Perhaps I'll loan my Infinity 84, see what they can do with that!

My reasons for giving windfoiling a shot were as follows, many are specific to Jericho/Spanish Banks:

-I got tired of being tortured by 15mph SW/W wind in the evening during the summer that was just too sketchy to kite/kitefoil off Dog Beach after work with a high tide
-No hassles from lifeguards during the summer at Locarno with the windfoil vs. kitefoil
-The Locarno windsurf launch is always deep even at low tides, I don't care about tides when I go windfoiling.
-I can't always get out on the good days, days that would be a swim home with the kitefoil are a comparatively pleasant slog home on the windfoil. I'm more inclined to sail long reaches when I don't have to worry about my kite falling out of the sky in a failed kitefoil jibe
-People are still literally giving away used windsurfing gear suitable for foiling, 90s era monofilm sails work really well for foiling in the bigger sizes. I would not have done it if I had to jump right in to dedicated foiling gear.
-Downwinders on the big Infinity wing are absolute magic, I find a windsurf sail depowers better than a kite downwind as I don't need to worry about line tension to keep a kite in the air. I just flag out the sail and go, it feels like a SUP downwinder.
-While kiting is easier than windsurfing, windfoiling is significantly easier than kitefoiling imho

[grantmac]

Juan,

I was doing some extended downwind runs at Ross Bay the last two days, I'm on an H2 and it won't quite go slow enough to properly stay with a wave. I'm not quite at the point of turning aggressively on waves but I can move a little.
Of note I'm using a board with much more centered straps than most use, it's much easier to downwind compared to a wider setup.

[windsnow40]

Once you get the hang of it, downwind riding is the most fun on the windfoil. Long S turns on the swell. I spend most of the time heading upwind as high as I can for a few tacks and then coming down on the swell. Rinse and repeat.
I am on the Slingshot setup and was using my Fanatic Skate 110l (with reinforcements at the rear) and the Powerplate adaptor.
I am a little concerned about the long term viability of a single Powerbox screw, so this year I had DaveM chop the nose off my Roberts 28 to create a very cool looking FrankenFoilBoard that is about 6'6" long; with a deep tuttle and will have almost no swing weight.
I bought 3M fasteners to attach to the mast (from NSI) to attach a leash to, in case I lose a foil (like I did last year when the screws sheared off).
See you out there!

[grantmac]

Picks of the frankenboard? I worry about the box on those old Roberts AVS since they have so little support on the sides.

Have you seen the videos of Balz Muller running a foil on his 93L freestyle board? He has a DT box and custom freestyle fins for it.

I wonder if eventually we'll see DT boxes one everything?

I'm starting to think that a ~115L FSW could be my biggest board. Foil on flat water, ride waves when it's light then switch straight down to a 95L.

[adam2]

Juan, as an average kiter and windsurfer, I found the hardest thing about kitefoiling, getting the board posititioned, waterstarting and going when you're learning is actually the easiest thing when windfoiling: uphauling. Uphauling is pretty much the first thing people learn when they start windsurfing, so that skill already there. As you likely remember waterstarting on a kitefoilboard is tough those first few days. You mentioned you hadn't see much in terms of downwind windfoiling. I think it's trickier with the high aspect/race setups as I notice those sailors typically aren't doing the steep downwind angles. Even if they depower their large sails, the foils are too small to take advantage of the swells' power. Here's a vid of some onshore downwind swell riding that shows what's possible with a big surf wing, there is still a lot to explore in terms of this style of ridng. It's not all that different from the wingsurfing videos coming out where the wing/sail is that thing you use to get yourself and the board out to the swell:

https://vimeo.com/243522731

Grant, it sounds like your experience with the H2 wing windfoiling was exactly the same as mine. I just couldn't quite slow it down enough to feel like I was swell riding as I'd soon slide down the front of the swell. This still happens a little bit with the Infinity 84cm for me, plus I'm way more comfortable steering it a bit on the swell to stay on for even longer. I still have a long way to go here, and that's part of what is so fun about it. The other nice thing about the Infinity 84cm is that it does so well when I'm overpowered. With the H2 my front foot would get tired from leaning forward, I thought it would be worse with the 84. A week or two ago Slingshot released a video that explains the washout on the Infinity wings, comparing it to a sail with a loose leech. Now I understand why it behaves so well when powered up. I haven't yet felt the need to come in and drop down to a smaller wing and I have had it lit. Just to be clear though I still really enjoyed foiling the H2.

[telus022420]

Good discussion:

He's sailing strapless; I guess at slow speed/small height wave riding you don't need footstraps? Would it be better to go strapless to learn vs removing the back footstraps?

Slingshot Infinity wings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psqjo2_Q2bE

[adam2]

I've only ever sailed with the front straps and have never missed the rear ones enough to bother installing them. The fronts help me find my preferred front foot position when getting going on a a reach, especially across, or upwind. In higher wind it holds my foot on the board when there's a tendency for it to be pulled straight up. I have been in touch with the guy in that video and he mentioned he never misses the front straps, not even in high winds. I'm meaning to ditch mine when I get a chance, though I think it would also be helpful to have a short distance between the foil's leading edge and the sail's mast so that there is less need to stand further back which is why the front strap is helpful when windfoiling most boards.