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are newer boards easier?!

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neilhapgood
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are newer boards easier?!

Postby neilhapgood » Tue Jan 16, 2018 2:28 pm

Hi folks,

I currently use a moses flunte which I bought18 months ago as being their beginner/wave model.

Its all good and I love it, still not doing much in the way of going round corners, can tentatively carve to toe sometimes but no where near gybing. I was chatting to someone at the beach who said he went from the fluente to a mark shinn foil and it was super easy and stable and he was gybing straight away having not even tried gybing on the moses.

is this the case or speculation?!

are the more recent foils that much easier?!

thanks

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Re: are newer boards easier?!

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Jan 16, 2018 2:45 pm

neilhapgood wrote:
Tue Jan 16, 2018 2:28 pm
Hi folks,

I currently use a moses flunte which I bought18 months ago as being their beginner/wave model.

Its all good and I love it, still not doing much in the way of going round corners, can tentatively carve to toe sometimes but no where near gybing. I was chatting to someone at the beach who said he went from the fluente to a mark shinn foil and it was super easy and stable and he was gybing straight away having not even tried gybing on the moses.

is this the case or speculation?!

are the more recent foils that much easier?!

thanks

Nope...

Some foils are way easier than others, but it is not because they are "newer" as such.

Of course most get better at making foils yes, but IMO no, there are huge differences over the full aspect of brands and types.

Also, remember that those "super easy" foils, are often the ones you get rid of instantly, when you have learned just reasonably how to foil - so it is not always a good thing as they can be slow and dull some of them, especially the typical good ones for very beginners.

And the board makes some difference, but not much - it is the complete hydrofoil (full constellation) that makes it work easy or not.

So it could very well be right that the Shinn is much easier indeed yes, it could also be the one telling you, maybe he got better rapidly, as the learning curve is extremely steep when starting, so the impression was it was much easier :rollgrin:

8) PF

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Re: are newer boards easier?!

Postby Mossy 757 » Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:09 pm

When I went from a Taaroa Sword2 to a Delta Hydrofoil, I felt like the things I wanted to do were easier, at the expense of some things that weren't important for me. For example, it is much more stable in the direction of pitch up and down, so my very first attempt at a foiling gybe with downloop was shockingly successful the very first time I rode it. That being said, I would not recommend this foil for someone who wanted something playful and nimble for the surf, it lacks some of the agility that a "less stable" foil has because it's designed to go as fast as possible upwind/downwind in roughly a straight line. Delta now has a surf-specific/SUP foil that I'd love to try to address this issue.

So you might find certain foils that are more stable in a certain plane of movement and that makes it easier to do certain things with them like gybeing, but that does not inherently mean you should replace your foil, it just means your learning curve to that maneuver is flatter/longer due to the fact that your foil is likely more nimble/faster/whatever compared to the Shinn. There are lousy designs that just don't work well for anyone, but neither of the makes/models you mentioned would be in that category.

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Re: are newer boards easier?!

Postby neilhapgood » Tue Jan 16, 2018 7:05 pm

Thanks both, that's really helpful, and a relief to hear I don't need to start saving for a new one!

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Re: are newer boards easier?!

Postby bragnouff » Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:32 pm

In a way they are. At least some are, because the market is growing, becoming more mainstream and diversified, less race/performance oriented, brands tend to design and offer more freeride foils that put the emphasis on ease of use and stability, even if it sacrifices some aspects like for example top speed and upwind max angle. Which are already "high enough" for many newcomers. Also there is more acquired knowledge, and more choices in terms of proven production processes, more options are on the table when designing a product (including copying good proven designs). It's more of a matter of deciding the priorities for the requirements of your target market. At the moment, the market segment of freeride/allround/easy/not too scary/ is where the money is, so the bulk of recent designs will appear easier than what you could have on the market say 4 years ago.

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Re: are newer boards easier?!

Postby Pedro Marcos » Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:28 am

You have a great foil, but its not a beginner foil, so it will take some time, but then you have the speed, aceleration and agility that you dont have on the easier Shinn.

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Re: are newer boards easier?!

Postby Frank Rosin » Wed Jan 17, 2018 1:04 pm

You got a great foil !
What you may consider is adding the new W590 frontwing to your quiver.
Do you have the S330 or S325 rear wing?

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Frank
www.famousfrank.com/hydrofoil

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Re: are newer boards easier?!

Postby airsail » Wed Jan 17, 2018 1:37 pm

Check your mast to fuselage connection, any flex in this join will cause instability.

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Re: are newer boards easier?!

Postby dylan* » Wed Jan 17, 2018 2:08 pm

at some point you just have to go for it

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Re: are newer boards easier?!

Postby Mossy 757 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 3:46 pm

dylan* wrote:
Wed Jan 17, 2018 2:08 pm
at some point you just have to go for it
True story. The best advice I ever got from someone when learning how to gybe was, "you're going way too slow, just fucking send it and it'll work out."


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