MProject04 forum posts in last 60 days

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Shlogger said..

crakas said..
After some input from the brains trust.

Current Foil setup
- North Sonar HM 85cm Mast
- North Sonar 1230SF Foil
- North Sonar S215 Stabilizer
- North Sonar Carbon Fuselage 700mm

I've had this setup for over a year and a half, really like it, but my concern is that from the beginning I never felt like the GeoLock tapered interface, designed to ensure a tight mast-fuse connection was not as tight as it should be. I usually leave the system together and dissemble periodically for cleaning and maintenance. Today I noticed a hairline crack just starting to appear in the fuse in front of the insert. Also, I feel the fit is worse with more play than would be expected, and it appears that the base of the mast is touching the bottom of the fuse insert preventing the tapering from doing it's thing. I expect to be some wear, but since it was ordinary from the beginning...a bit more than one would expect.

Not try to brand bash as I'm about to order a new fuse and see if the fit is better.

Just would like to know if anyone had tolerance/mismatch issues?

What was the end result?

Ive had the 65 and 70 Carbon setups for two years w no problem. I also jump quite often on the 830 and 680 SF's. My fuse to mast connection is super tight. Haven't had to torque a screw in over half a year. Always find the first time slowly cranking it down unnerving but other than that all good. I've actually been surprised that I haven't yet when I get a big launch in the waves. Wonder if you just got a bad one. I grease the screw maybe twice a year and use a rubber mallet to tap off.

Same here. Never an issue with the 70 carbon fuse. In fact never a problem with the entire North setup from structural point of view. All screws M8. I always left my foil in 1 piece, and never needed to retighten (although I always checked) For me it was just the lack of new gen front wings to switch brands. Never the build quality of North.

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Faff said..

MProject04 said..
With the new mast (T2 connection) do you need to change both mast AND front wings (because its a one piece fw to fuse)? And the older stabs can still be used?

Alas, only the stabs can be reused.

And as I understand the entire T1 connection line has been completely discontinued?

If so then (I'm sure its been mentioned before) F one from a marketing and sales point of view could have done better by:
1) prolonging the sale of the T1 generation for (just) two more seasons
2) launching the T2 in parallel.


The foiling crowd, especially who can pay extra dollar will flock to the better (more expensive) system with a smile - that is if they do have choice.

But stopping the T1 line abruptly for the T2 is more like forcing your customers (i.e. stuffing T2 down the throat), especially when it requires change of mast + fw. Huge change if all you can reuse is the stab

With the new mast (T2 connection) do you need to change both mast AND front wings (because its a one piece fw to fuse)? And the older stabs can still be used?

PW is fun. Yes wing is better for gusty and ****ty wind, but the learning experience of PW is superfun. Even just learning to master the thing on lakes is fun even if all the cool stuff looks like stash and ride bumps.

One brand and model to consider if you can get your hands on it, is the Takoon cloud one. Get 2-3 for the price of 1 Frigate and buy yourself a range to have fun and play with. Yes I can hear some saying that 2-3 parawings is less convenient than wing... But they just pop and go.

Just go for it!

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hilly said..
Ordered in September arrived in Jan

Enjoy the frigates for a year get he quest next year on a discount. Take all the (sales) hype with a pinch of salt. There are benefits in lagging with 1 season (although the concept of a season is being disrupted by guerilla sales tactics)

I feel for those who just bought an f one setup and see this being announced now.

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johndg said..
I have F one and Cabrinha Union system and it is much cleaner than the F one or any other system that I have tried. The cleaner connection system is also felt in the water. I think it is worth taking the effort to make your system more hydrodynamic and I am sure that other companies will be making changes. Be interesting to what F One come up with in the next few months. It would be great if the foil connection was standardized from a consumer point of view too. Starboard foils for one have a system that others can use I believe.

I may have heard the Cabrinha chief saying that they briefly looked at and stopped considering the starboard foils universal connection system. I'm no foil design expert but that thing looks very clunky

What spot is this in Italy?

Is it similar to 2 windsurf mast halves stuck?


If so I would patiently tap lightly the fuse at the stab end .. up and down..lef right to crush the sand salt.

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scotty380 said..
Just back from Baja. I rode the DW900 and DW820 paired with the S178 stab. Wind 18-24mph each day. Swell 4-9ft. I love the 820 over the 900. The 820 has greater glide and lift. It pops up and rides high on the swell. Glides with minimal pump between bumps. The 900 was draggy and oven I found the swell overtaking me. I had to pump more than the 820 to keep my speed and keep up with the swell. I also found both paired nicely with the S178. The 820 liked a no shimmed stab. The 900 like a -.5 shim. The specs between the 900and 820 are so close, yet the ride experience is amazingly different, hard to believe but it is just better. I also tried the s145 stab, I either don't like it or need more time on it to figure it out. It was very loose and felt unstable in all three axis. But that may just be me. I would like to try the S158 and S142 at some point. Anyone have experience on these two stabs? Or experiences with shimming?

Wow first time I read a user review of dw900 and dw820.. the dw820 already a year or so on the market and so little info. The dw900 even longer.. also very little info.

Huge transition this is. So first you fire all the talented people only to have to hire and build the whole thing in the other side of the world. Because you didn't believe in remote working / virtual meetings etc. I'm based in Europe and regularly work with Pacific counterparts. Yes the time diff is big but not insurmountable.

They just ditched the NZ / Auckland yachting / sports maritime innovation hub sphere, where they enjoyed great conditions waves etc plus local competition (Axis, Armstrong) to go and sit in offices in Katwijk, Netherlands.

And then they will move product development and testing to where? Again to another wind/wavy hotspot like South Africa? Tarifa? Portugal?

What a massive undertaking

Can't wait for Gav's 'this is another big thing video...' on this

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Piros said..
The new Apple Ultra 3 . Uses Satellite with no subscription fee pretty dam amazing, This is a life saver. .
"Satellite communications. Up and running.
Now when you're off the grid without mobile connectivity or Wi-Fi, Ultra 3 can help you stay connected using built-in satellite communications.1 So if you need critical help, you can contact emergency services via satellite - straight from your wrist."

Garmin do something using geostationary satellites but not as fast and super expensive monthly subscription . Plus it's almost double the Ultra 3 price. On land pretty hard to beat the Garmin especially on battery life but at sea the Apple wins hands down especially with the IOS apps.

Telstra now offers sattelte texting on iphone 13 & up some Samsungs and a couple of Google phones
www.telstra.com.au/coverage-networks/mobile-technology/satellite-to-mobile#compatibility-checker

So this probably doesn't work when the Russians and Chinese start jamming satellite signals (or Elon has a tantrum or is ordered to move satellites away from your region) Better go with a local mobile operator.

Buy a protection soft helmet at decathlon ...and fix or glue any favorite hat on it..cant be that hard

www.decathlon.com.au/p/helmet-for-surfing-black-decathlon-8600830.html

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camerongraham said..
I'm confused

JK was on Unifoil and now on Code. Confusing indeed

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TooMuchEpoxy said..
Woof! I've been a long time advocate but it
sounds like its time to jump ship!

There are a lot of nice toys out there

Just reading that Ozone is launching this mission pack as a separate product too. Comes now with the powerpack. Looks good.

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WindyBear said..

TuberiderG said..
Any new rumors about an upgrade to the SF foils?
Only the SF1230 is still listed on the North website... - Is this a website issue, or has the rest already been sold?

FYI , heard it from a friend who listened to GFp podcast Xmas edition and now found this:

Mike Raper leaving the brand : www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/291890/Official-statement-from-Mike-Raper

Most brands have recognizable people behind it and Mike has been working hard to gain visibility for North across many channels recently. Who is going to step in? Seems like a big loss for the brand IMO.

I won't miss Mike drooling over N-weave45 and him covering entire product catalogues in every podcast he featured in, but boy did he capture my interest in the North foils and wing product line. His story, background and vision for the brand about 3-4 years ago, when I heard it first, I was ready to take a gamble and spend all my savings and go full North. And without regret. The quality for great price was a great constant!

The guy knows how to transform vision into a well established product and whoever attracts him will bring in a real 'engine' Im sure.

One of the early key selling points for me for North was that the products were developed in NZ, in the same innovation hub that brings together other leaders and innovators like armie and axis and other expertise from the yachting world. It's a bit like Formula 1... Most teams are UK based and expertise moves around in a very small geo area. Choking the North beans from this innovation hub and going Dutch .. not sure about that. It doesn't feel right.

Anyway the North foil line IMO saw some stagnation in the past year and I (along with others here) happily transitioned to the amazing KT foil range ..

But still look back at enjoyable years with North, and Mike's leading the brand made it feel good! Along with his team including Hugh and Uli. Again shutting down the NZ design operation doesn't feel good. Especially when production happens anyway in Asia.

Keen to see what Mike does next! Maybe he should the GFP ! At least as regular guest!

What's going on at Unifoil and why is everything being advertised at super low prices? Is this a fake shop? uni-foil.com

Or is the brand in trouble? I remember a setup like this going for 2000+ eur.. maybe 2200 or 2400. Weird? Strange? Suspicious?

Anyone know wingfoil spots and shops in Chiba (east of Tokyo) area that rent wingfoil gear?

What do we have that works to carry a second parawing? Something that doesn't interfere with the stash belt?

Keen to know owners and riders' experiences of the new North Sonar. They arrived relatively late to the foiling scene. The first Sonar was a collab with Delta foils and some bits looked a bit outdated. However the new range looks more like it..

New, being the 2022-2023 North Sonar with the:
- new stabilizers s210, s270 etc.. and not s01, s02
- new HA and MA front wings.

I found these reviews by Tucker from Mackite and Gunnar, but they could be biased because one is selling them, and the other is a team rider.





I am particularly interested in the new HA1250 and HA1450 fw's for wingfoil. Also is the carbon mast as good as they say? How does it compare to others? What league are they in? Armstrong? Axis?

Their prices are good and North does have good quality standards. Every wing comes with covers, also the carbon mast. The bag the foil comes with looks like a big bonus:


So what's the verdict on the North Sonar?