drc13 forum posts in last 60 days

That's already one hell of a foil setup (modern design and easy) let alone for learning on.

Ignore the mate's for now and just put the time in on your existing gear which is more than good enough to achieve the goals and then some that you have set out.

Put the time in whenever it is 15-20knots for now working on technique and you'll soon be amazed just how small a foil you can get going while pumping the wing/board which then makes the rest of the time on foil more fun.

It's always tempting to buy more and more gear but I believe it's really only with substantial time on existing gear that the need (or in some cases not needing) a different size/model becomes a more obvious decision.

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DrRog said..
But I also know that I haven't been able to get a foil in for 3 1/2 weeks so what else to do with my frustration but watch vids and window shop online for the next bit of kit that I obviously desperately need?!

That sounds like a sick kind of torture, foil retail therapy is pricey but effective!

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DrRog said..
Yes, I've seen you comment elsewhere about neutral boards in other posts, drc - I found that interesting - confusing at first but I can see how that could be the case. Have any of you others found the same thing?

Just to expand on this a little further a positively buoyant board can provide stability by simply having so much volume that it's not knocked around quite so easily.

A negatively buoyant board sits under the surface of the water largely unaffected by any surface chop (I can sit sunk to my waist and relatively stable until I'm ready to go)

A neutral buoyant board doesn't provide either of those advantages it doesn't sink so sits just on the surface of the water where every bit of chop can toss the board around.

Even though I have advised you not to change boards out just yet. It really happens pretty quickly when you're ready and in all honesty riding a sinker or more accurately starting a sinker really isn't that advanced at all providing you have enough wind to get the board to the surface. In fact once my board is to the surface due to it being smaller/lighter I'm able to very quickly engage the foil so it's not actually having to plane on the surface long at all it's basically either under the water or flying.

I'm 70kg and generally wing on boards between 40-50L and yes there is a noticeable increase in performance especially in surf compared to bigger boards.

Having said that though I'm not a huge fan of neutrally buoyant boards as I tend to find them a bit corky particularly in choppy conditions, I'd rather a full floater or full sinker.

I wouldn't rush to downsize boards until you're very confident with your gybes and foot swaps reason being is you'll be less likely to make multiple attempts if it's harder to get back up and going on foil on a smaller board if you fall.

Your foils are also pretty big for your size as well you'll probably eventually end up down in the 600-800ish range but again get the basics down on your current gear and then make the switch to smaller boards/foils.

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hilly said..
It was worth the wait for the Frigate. It is a great para. Better than the Pocket Rocket imo due to the lines material and length.

I'm currently using a Frigate but must admit I'm surprised you didn't end up on the Smik Parawing (a few of the locals here seem to think it's pretty good for the price)

What led you to that choice?

It's been a long time in the making but hoping this is the SUP surf foil board I've been looking for (will also hopefully be decent as my light wind parawing/wing board as well)

It's the Carbon/Kevlar Construction board 6'6 x 21 @85L

Long and skinny has become the go to for DW boards (where paddle speed is critical) but I'm interested to know if anyone who SUP Surf Foils has compared board designs.

I'm currently surfing a 7'10x19@110L DW shape (pictured) but can't help but think there might be a better shape where surf performance is the priority.

It surfs surprisingly well and enables me to catch pretty much any wave I want but I do on occasion tap the nose or tail and I feel the pump could be a little more efficient. I also wouldn't say no to a little more side to side stability in bumpier conditions.

The dims I've pulled out of thin air would be roughly 6'6 x 22 @95L. If anyone has ridden similar shaped boards would I be giving much up vs the DW shape (or on the flip side gaining much?)

It's not easy to find much info on SUP surf, best I've been able to do is watch some footage of locals in Hawaii and even then you'll see a mixture of the older square shaped designs through to barracudas.

I know they'll all "work" but removing DW from the criteria, what's best?