Hydro-Foiling on the Waves

[pcatran]

Good Evening Everyone,

Please take a look at this video:
a. I am using a takuma-chinese-knock-off-version, 60 cm mast mounted on an RRD.
b. my kite is a cabrinha drifter 7m with a 55cm bar and standard 20m lines.
c. I am in Natal, Brasil: 11knots avarage, with 15 gusts, 1m waves and 28oC water.. just nice.

https://youtu.be/YKk8NUKumNw

Previously I was trying to surf waves on my Zeeko Green and White, which I really love.. The problem is that I was always outrunning the waves, as it is too fast. This foil is much slower, flies with no speed at all (!), more manoubrable, and indeed is much more wave-friendly, as it allows you to trully feel the power of the wave. It is really slow, and it travels roughly the same speed of the wave or lower (it would also depend on where you are and the waves you have). However, it is maybe too slow, the same speed as a SUP board - which it is originally designed to. Although I am in love with it, I guess it is not the ideal speed a kitesurfer-wave-ridder is looking for. It should be roughly the same speed as a normal wave-board.

I have a 60cm mast size. It is great to approaching the shore, and surfing the shallow water. However it is much more difficult to travel upwind, as it is harder to put the board in diagonal, as the wings always surface from water. At the end, you trade less upwind power for the ability to surf in the shallow. I would test the 75cm to get an intermediary best of both worlds.

To surf the waves, I will get a minimal kite. My intention is to surf the waves, slow and peacefully, but also radically. Therefore I need a kite that barely pushes me. As the intention is to surf waves, Id get a drifter 4m (the smallest), as it is the same model I use to surf waves. Any ideas on this?

The foil is not correctly mounted, as you will see my front foot is way beyound the board gravity center, hence when I touchdown usually I get out of balance - as you will see at the end of the video there are two crashes. On I get the foil entangled in the steering line, it was a moment of intense fear, and I felt the danger in a suicidal manner. I am very freightened, I really would like your review and inputs on this..... The foil is dangerous as an axe, specially if it gets entangled on the lines like this. I have read posts where people entered death-loops with foil entangled.. WHAT TO DO in a situation like this?

Finally, I would really like to try the SURF GO FOIL models.
Are there any knock-offs that you are aware of?

Thank you and hope you enjoy!

Cheers!

[ciscokitesurfer]

you are doing what I want to do I will follow this post cheers

[pcatran]

you are doing what I want to do I will follow this post cheers

you made me smile, my friend. Go for it!!!
Just be careful...

[irwe]

I ride the Takuma Concept 100. Since the front wing is so large and generates alot of lift you will find the need to have more front foot pressure. Hence your forward front foot position. You can try placing the foil further to the rear but there are limits. I find that I am so far OK riding on smaller waves and I hope to try it on some medium size waves soon. I am riding the 60 cm mast (strut) but I think something between 70 - 80 cm may be ideal for wave riding and upwind abilities. I have been warned anything over 80 cm may place too much stress on the mounting boxes.

[plummet]

I ride the Takuma Concept 100. Since the front wing is so large and generates alot of lift you will find the need to have more front foot pressure. Hence your forward front foot position. You can try placing the foil further to the rear but there are limits. I find that I am so far OK riding on smaller waves and I hope to try it on some medium size waves soon. I am riding the 60 cm mast (strut) but I think something between 70 - 80 cm may be ideal for wave riding and upwind abilities. I have been warned anything over 80 cm may place too much stress on the mounting boxes.

Try knocking back the aoa on the rear wing. Having to front stomp on the board will not work in bigger waves. You will just get driven out of the water.

I'm riding up to head high with relative ease now. The key for me was to get more comfortable at speed. The bigger the waves the faster they go. You need to be able to handle the speed of the wave and wind. Backing the rear wing aoa makes a huge difference to wave riding. I makes a more responsive foil, one that can easily be pushed down at speed and sharp turning. The down side is that its less stable at lower speed and because its responsive to input, it becomes more difficult for feet switching during jybes.

I'm on the precipice of being able to ride a lot bigger waves. I now need the bigger waves to practice on!..

This is my ultimate goal is to ride this wave. I've foiled here once but only at shoulder high. It was damn fun tho.

[pcatran]

I ride the Takuma Concept 100. Since the front wing is so large and generates alot of lift you will find the need to have more front foot pressure. Hence your forward front foot position. You can try placing the foil further to the rear but there are limits. I find that I am so far OK riding on smaller waves and I hope to try it on some medium size waves soon. I am riding the 60 cm mast (strut) but I think something between 70 - 80 cm may be ideal for wave riding and upwind abilities. I have been warned anything over 80 cm may place too much stress on the mounting boxes.

Try knocking back the aoa on the rear wing. Having to front stomp on the board will not work in bigger waves. You will just get driven out of the water.

I'm riding up to head high with relative ease now. The key for me was to get more comfortable at speed. The bigger the waves the faster they go. You need to be able to handle the speed of the wave and wind. Backing the rear wing aoa makes a huge difference to wave riding. I makes a more responsive foil, one that can easily be pushed down at speed and sharp turning. The down side is that its less stable at lower speed and because its responsive to input, it becomes more difficult for feet switching during jybes.

I'm on the precipice of being able to ride a lot bigger waves. I now need the bigger waves to practice on!..

This is my ultimate goal is to ride this wave. I've foiled here once but only at shoulder high. It was damn fun tho.


6742523.jpg

Hi Plummet,

I am not sure I understood " Try knocking back the aoa on the rear wing."

what is aoa?

how may I do that?

Thanks

[plummet]

I ride the Takuma Concept 100. Since the front wing is so large and generates alot of lift you will find the need to have more front foot pressure. Hence your forward front foot position. You can try placing the foil further to the rear but there are limits. I find that I am so far OK riding on smaller waves and I hope to try it on some medium size waves soon. I am riding the 60 cm mast (strut) but I think something between 70 - 80 cm may be ideal for wave riding and upwind abilities. I have been warned anything over 80 cm may place too much stress on the mounting boxes.

Try knocking back the aoa on the rear wing. Having to front stomp on the board will not work in bigger waves. You will just get driven out of the water.

I'm riding up to head high with relative ease now. The key for me was to get more comfortable at speed. The bigger the waves the faster they go. You need to be able to handle the speed of the wave and wind. Backing the rear wing aoa makes a huge difference to wave riding. I makes a more responsive foil, one that can easily be pushed down at speed and sharp turning. The down side is that its less stable at lower speed and because its responsive to input, it becomes more difficult for feet switching during jybes.

I'm on the precipice of being able to ride a lot bigger waves. I now need the bigger waves to practice on!..

This is my ultimate goal is to ride this wave. I've foiled here once but only at shoulder high. It was damn fun tho.


6742523.jpg

Hi Plummet,

I am not sure I understood " Try knocking back the aoa on the rear wing."

what is aoa?

how may I do that?

Thanks

Check this out. You want to try less aoa (angle of attack) of the read wing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1abYwkEscE

[pcatran]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!
I will keep this as the ace on the sleeve, if the new mounting fails to achieve my goal.
All the best!

[plummet]

Gave these waves a go yesterday on the HF. Madness I tell ya!.

I was over powered to hell on the 4m. Wind was a gusty as 40 knots. But I didn't die and I got onto a few faces. So next time theres less wind it should be all on!

[Peter_Frank]

You definitely got MAD conditions at your region Plummet, respect for hydrofoiling these

I doubt many knows what it is REALLY like

Often not suited for waveboards really, so makes sense to try something VERY different

PF