Got to try Scotty's new 6m wing which is due out soon (Covid-19 may slow it up), he has a 4 and 5 as well. Comes in a big backpack which was nice, heaps of room compared to my Ozone bag. Very delta in shape like the Fone wing. Thinner leading edge than my 5m Ozone.

So compared to my 5m Ozone:
+ Hard handles easy to find, really well behaved when depowered riding a swell and transitioning, faster and better upwind (Technically a bigger wing though). Dealt with gusts well not getting overpowered.

- Less handles near the leading edge so harder to gybe, as a 6 it felt it had the power of a 5 (Laid over the top same size hmmm), hard handles a little tougher on the hands (sook I know but used to the soft Ozone handles). Felt a tiny bit heavier than the Ozone but is well constructed.

! Pumped up onto the foil more by speed than power so I got going really easily but the wing did not feel "powerful" if that makes sense, great for transitions as not super sensitive so if you got the wrong handle it did not matter. No window but I really do not think that is an issue (I know others do).

Overall well impressed, very well behaved and with solid construction. Scotty might be able to chime in with when they will be available for a demo which I highly recommend.

Here is Scotty on a proto. The later one only has 1 front handle.


6m laid over the 5m Ozone. Shows delta shape and that it is a similar size.

Do they come with one of Scotty's awesome life jackets

Nice review Hilly.
I recently tried a Naish 5.3 wing having a 4m Duotone. I demoed from the shop (kiteaddiction) and the wind was light. It was around 10 to 12 knots. I thought it would be a waste of time but with time an issue and nothing to lose I pumped it up and assembled my Armstrong 2400 with Fanatic 6,7. The Naish takes a lot more air with the central strut was the first thing I noticed. Lying down it was also more stable in the wind on it's back as the Duotone has a habit of flying easily.
Getting on the board the Naish was stable although the size felt a little larger than I was used to. Standing up I thought that my time would be wasted, I started pumping hard and there didn't appear to be much power in the wing. I gave it another go and it felt much the same but then the board started to come up. **** I didn't think this would happen, so a couple of quick pumps and I am planing. Under sail the Naish is very stable, the hand holds are a little different to a boom but not a big deal.
So I was very surprised that I had a successful afternoon where my Duotone would not have worked. There were a few kiters out - foilers on Flysurfers and Ozones and the pump up 12s were having a hard time.

More time also to deflate with the central strut but can just put it in a bag.

Interesting times with the new generation of hand wings coming through and the evolution of this new sport. Looking to see the new wing boards that may be coming out.

Look after yourselves in these troubling times.

They look a bit better inflated:)

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scott mckerc said..
They look a bit better inflated:)

Have you got an ETA?

Some better pics here www.instagram.com/p/B-dVhTMjPh0/?igshid=7587mpg0pgsg

Got my wings stoked

Got mines too

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Alysum said..
Got mines too

Looking forward to seeing a full review of these. They look great.

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Foiled said..

Alysum said..
Got mines too

Looking forward to seeing a full review of these. They look great.

Tomorrow They are good

Review of Smik FW4 by 105kg 57 yr old average wingdinger. 6 6 125l board Armstrong 1550 foil in 10 to 35 knots of wind. Previous wings Ozone and Duotone.

Bloody windy, really gusty NW with 6m swell so a protected bay with a few rolling swells was the locale.

Pros - Really light (just on 2kg wet), super smooth handling ate up the gusts and when depowered just stayed put. Strut has a clip on the hose so you can leave it inflated. Handles stiff so they keep their shape but not rough on your hands. A joy to ride downwind on a swell. Nice roomy backpack with solid leash and spares kit. Carried forward speed through lulls really well.

Cons - a few more scuff pads on leading-edge would be welcome (adds weight though), front handle a little small for my delicate mittens, and no y handles (liked them on the ozone). Foam to protect knuckles would be a nice luxury addition. Even though the leash is good - solid spectra like stretchy rope - I think I prefer a coiled leash as straight leashes, attached to a waist harness, can get in the way remounting and I tend to do that a lot.

Interesting - does not feel very powerful in the hands but you pump up onto the foil, totally different to the Wasp and Duotone, with those wings you "feel" the grunt. The Smik needs a different technique - more rear hand with less whole wing pumping and you fly up onto the foil with forward speed rather than being lifted out of the water by the wing. Very efficient when flying so very little effort on the arms. Balanced handling allowed me to grab first or second handle without an issue which sort of negates the need for y handles.

I have used the 6m demo (See above) and the things I liked about it translated well to the 4m. Overall really pleased with the whole package. Scotty has done a great job on these

A few pics of the 4 and 6, you will stand out on the water

I agree that there could be more scruff pads and knuckles soft protective but that adds weigh....
The handles are nice and stiff. I've never used Y handles so I don't know what I am missing out on.

+1 for the large roomy bag with pump attachment. Would be cool to add a clip to keep the wing together inside and pack 2 in the bag.
Lock clip on the strut is a bonus which the Wasp doesn't have.

I would like the valve to be easier to unscrew to open but that's just minor.

Great first release! Already looking forward to the v2

Got a bit of a shock today. I trashed the 6 in the shore break yesterday so it is getting fixed, not a good start never got to use it So looked at the wind today and wished I had my 6. So no choice pumped up the 4 and put on the big Armie 2400 foil and had a hoot. One of my best sessions ever. The 4 feels so small but punches way above its size, super impressed

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hilly said..
Got a bit of a shock today. I trashed the 6 in the shore break yesterday so it is getting fixed, not a good start never got to use it So looked at the wind today and wished I had my 6. So no choice pumped up the 4 and put on the big Armie 2400 foil and had a hoot. One of my best sessions ever. The 4 feels so small but punches way above its size, super impressed

ouch where did it tear along ?

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Alysum said..

hilly said..
Got a bit of a shock today. I trashed the 6 in the shore break yesterday so it is getting fixed, not a good start never got to use it So looked at the wind today and wished I had my 6. So no choice pumped up the 4 and put on the big Armie 2400 foil and had a hoot. One of my best sessions ever. The 4 feels so small but punches way above its size, super impressed

ouch where did it tear along ?

Got back winded on to the foil. Hole for front and rear brilliant

At least you won't be precious about it now I'm on an Ozone 5m and 4m Hilly, from the sounds of it the 6m and 5m are the equivalent in Smick's? One of the locals said he's getting a 6m Smick soon so hope to do a side by side

Have now had a couple of session on the 5m Smik wing and am really enjoying it. The F1 swing (5.0 & 3.5m) has been my main wing until now and I've logged a lot of k's using them so they form my base for comparison.
It took me a while to work out how to pump the Smik wing effectively. Whereas the f1 likes a dual arm pump, the Smik likes more a fixed front arm with the back arm being the main power source. Probably more like a windsurf style equivalent. Once this was sorted my low wind starts were equivalent to the F1 (approx 10kts).
I always found the F1 wing to have a narrow sweet spot and you were always tweaking the wing to keep it there. The Smik has a much larger power range and just wants to go. It was happy to cruise along sheeted out looking for waves to ride, then pulling onto the wave, it depowered nicely and was well behaved just holding the leading edge handle. Sheet in and you took off. The wing just delivered rock solid power and was able to make and take advantage of the apparent wind very effectively.
Where I really noticed the difference however is doing tacks. This is something I have never mastered with the F1 and had never completed a foiling tack. I always found when turning through the wind it was like hitting a brick wall with the wing. There was so much drag that you just came to an abrupt halt. So with low expectations I pulled into my first tack with the Smik and was amazed when the dreaded brick wall never appeared and I just kept on turning. I didn't manage to stay on the foil for this one, but after a couple more attempts foiling tacks have now become a reality. Totally stoked!
Coming from the F1 with its limited, but adequate handle options, I've really enjoyed having more choices and have been surprised with how many I now use. They are also quite comfortable and have a bit more stiffness than the F1.
The only downside I found was taking the skin of a couple of knuckles from riding depowered when they rub up against the leading edge. Who would have thought? Passed this onto Scotty and he said he'll have a look at it (big advantage of dealing with an australian company).
All in all this is a great wing and I'm looking forward to spending a lot more foil time with It.

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Relapse said..
At least you won't be precious about it now I'm on an Ozone 5m and 4m Hilly, from the sounds of it the 6m and 5m are the equivalent in Smick's? One of the locals said he's getting a 6m Smick soon so hope to do a side by side

Rode a mates 5m Smik today. I was wrong the 5 has heaps of power. Spoke to Scotty and he tweaked a few things from the demo to add heaps of grunt. The 6 should be awesome in sub 10 knot territory.

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Stingersup said..
Have now had a couple of session on the 5m Smik wing and am really enjoying it. The F1 swing (5.0 & 3.5m) has been my main wing until now and I've logged a lot of k's using them so they form my base for comparison.
It took me a while to work out how to pump the Smik wing effectively. Whereas the f1 likes a dual arm pump, the Smik likes more a fixed front arm with the back arm being the main power source. Probably more like a windsurf style equivalent. Once this was sorted my low wind starts were equivalent to the F1 (approx 10kts).
I always found the F1 wing to have a narrow sweet spot and you were always tweaking the wing to keep it there. The Smik has a much larger power range and just wants to go. It was happy to cruise along sheeted out looking for waves to ride, then pulling onto the wave, it depowered nicely and was well behaved just holding the leading edge handle. Sheet in and you took off. The wing just delivered rock solid power and was able to make and take advantage of the apparent wind very effectively.
Where I really noticed the difference however is doing tacks. This is something I have never mastered with the F1 and had never completed a foiling tack. I always found when turning through the wind it was like hitting a brick wall with the wing. There was so much drag that you just came to an abrupt halt. So with low expectations I pulled into my first tack with the Smik and was amazed when the dreaded brick wall never appeared and I just kept on turning. I didn't manage to stay on the foil for this one, but after a couple more attempts foiling tacks have now become a reality. Totally stoked!
Coming from the F1 with its limited, but adequate handle options, I've really enjoyed having more choices and have been surprised with how many I now use. They are also quite comfortable and have a bit more stiffness than the F1.
The only downside I found was taking the skin of a couple of knuckles from riding depowered when they rub up against the leading edge. Who would have thought? Passed this onto Scotty and he said he'll have a look at it (big advantage of dealing with an australian company).
All in all this is a great wing and I'm looking forward to spending a lot more foil time with It.

Thanks for sharing your tip on how to pump the wing. I had no idea your pumping technique is possible to generate power. I can't wait to try this as I've had troubles going with a normal 2 armed pump!

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Alysum said..

Stingersup said..
Have now had a couple of session on the 5m Smik wing and am really enjoying it. The F1 swing (5.0 & 3.5m) has been my main wing until now and I've logged a lot of k's using them so they form my base for comparison.
It took me a while to work out how to pump the Smik wing effectively. Whereas the f1 likes a dual arm pump, the Smik likes more a fixed front arm with the back arm being the main power source. Probably more like a windsurf style equivalent. Once this was sorted my low wind starts were equivalent to the F1 (approx 10kts).
I always found the F1 wing to have a narrow sweet spot and you were always tweaking the wing to keep it there. The Smik has a much larger power range and just wants to go. It was happy to cruise along sheeted out looking for waves to ride, then pulling onto the wave, it depowered nicely and was well behaved just holding the leading edge handle. Sheet in and you took off. The wing just delivered rock solid power and was able to make and take advantage of the apparent wind very effectively.
Where I really noticed the difference however is doing tacks. This is something I have never mastered with the F1 and had never completed a foiling tack. I always found when turning through the wind it was like hitting a brick wall with the wing. There was so much drag that you just came to an abrupt halt. So with low expectations I pulled into my first tack with the Smik and was amazed when the dreaded brick wall never appeared and I just kept on turning. I didn't manage to stay on the foil for this one, but after a couple more attempts foiling tacks have now become a reality. Totally stoked!
Coming from the F1 with its limited, but adequate handle options, I've really enjoyed having more choices and have been surprised with how many I now use. They are also quite comfortable and have a bit more stiffness than the F1.
The only downside I found was taking the skin of a couple of knuckles from riding depowered when they rub up against the leading edge. Who would have thought? Passed this onto Scotty and he said he'll have a look at it (big advantage of dealing with an australian company).
All in all this is a great wing and I'm looking forward to spending a lot more foil time with It.

Thanks for sharing your tip on how to pump the wing. I had no idea your pumping technique is possible to generate power. I can't wait to try this as I've had troubles going with a normal 2 armed pump!

I said the same thing in my post. Totally different to other wings I have used.

Just got my quiver of smik wings.
3.5, 4.0 and 5.0.
Have used all sizes and very happy with them!
Build quality and material is top notch, nice big bag also.
Wings are powerful, but super manageable and balanced.
The most positive thing is the way these wings glide and just sit there whilst riding waves/swells and tacking, which now seems alot easier, than on my previous wing.
All in all, a great wing from an aussie company.

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dboy63 said..
Just got my quiver of smik wings.
3.5, 4.0 and 5.0.
Have used all sizes and very happy with them!
Build quality and material is top notch, nice big bag also.
Wings are powerful, but super manageable and balanced.
The most positive thing is the way these wings glide and just sit there whilst riding waves/swells and tacking, which now seems alot easier, than on my previous wing.
All in all, a great wing from an aussie company.

Welcome aboard, looked like the 3.5 handled really nicely depowered compared to your Duotone

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dboy63 said..
Just got my quiver of smik wings.
3.5, 4.0 and 5.0.
Have used all sizes and very happy with them!
Build quality and material is top notch, nice big bag also.
Wings are powerful, but super manageable and balanced.
The most positive thing is the way these wings glide and just sit there whilst riding waves/swells and tacking, which now seems alot easier, than on my previous wing.
All in all, a great wing from an aussie company.

Please explain why you have a 3.5 and a 4m?
I guess you may have been waiting for this question.

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warwickl said..

dboy63 said..
Just got my quiver of smik wings.
3.5, 4.0 and 5.0.
Have used all sizes and very happy with them!
Build quality and material is top notch, nice big bag also.
Wings are powerful, but super manageable and balanced.
The most positive thing is the way these wings glide and just sit there whilst riding waves/swells and tacking, which now seems alot easier, than on my previous wing.
All in all, a great wing from an aussie company.

Please explain why you have a 3.5 and a 4m?
I guess you may have been waiting for this question.

Hi warwick, 3.5 is for 25 knots plus very common in w.a (summer).
4.0 is the go to, wing 15 -25 knots, 5.0 is 10 - 15 knots.

Had the chance of using the 5m Smik yesterday, while waiting for my 6m to arrive.
Went down for a SUP foil and threw in the 5m in the car in case there was enough wind.
When I got to the beach it was about 10 knots cross off and looked a bit more out in the break, which is about a 1 km offshore.
At 88kg thought I would have no chance at getting up on the foil, but thought stuff it and give it a go.
I put on the 1020 with 460 stab and headed out. The first 50m was under 10 knots, but the 5m felt lighter than my 4m Wasp.
A 10 knot or so gust came through and to my surprise with a bit of pumping I got up on the foil really easy.
Out back it was 13 to 15 knots and I had plenty of power and wish I had the 910 on the front.
The waves were 3 foot on the sets and the 1020 was a hand full to keep from breeching.
I could hold the smik by the leading edge and it just sat there while on the wave why I battled to keep the nose down.
I was able to get a 2 hour session when very few other people got out yesterday.
The handles were more comfy than my wasp and coming in with a dying wind it pointed higher than the wasp.
I made it back to where I started in sub 10 knots by pumping the board and wing.
Overall I was stoked and can't wait to get my 6m to see how light I can go out in.
There might be some 20 knots of wind today and will see what the high end is like.

Took the 5m out last night 20 to 25 knot Southerly as per Fawkner beacon readings, which I checked when I got in.
Put on the 910 front wing for the first time and had a blast with the 5m and 910 combo.
At no stage was I over powered and reckon I could hold this combo up to 30 knots.
The Smik was easy to depower out to sea in the gusts and then power up inshore in the broken waves with a big sweep current.
On the waves it just sat there when being held by the leading edge handle.
Overall with 2 front foils and one 5m ding, I could get out in 10 to 25+ knots. gotta love it.

I'm curious to know whether anyone uses the second and third handles?
I only use the first and fourth. Fifth when I want to rest/straighten out my back arm if it's not too windy.

The second handle works really well for riding toeside. It makes it easier to get the wing at a more powerful angle.

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Stingersup said..
The second handle works really well for riding toeside. It makes it easier to get the wing at a more powerful angle.

Good to know, thanks !

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Alysum said..
I'm curious to know whether anyone uses the second and third handles?
I only use the first and fourth. Fifth when I want to rest/straighten out my back arm if it's not too windy.

I have no problem using the first and second handle and the last two. The wing is very forgiving and negates the need for y handles which I used a lot on my Wasps. Just try them all and see what works. Agree the second handle toeside gives more power but you have to twist more, not good for old backs
On the 4m I can use the third handle on its own going downwind keeping a bit of power on, no need for a boom IMO. Have not tried this on the 6m yet.

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Alysum said..
I'm curious to know whether anyone uses the second and third handles?
I only use the first and fourth. Fifth when I want to rest/straighten out my back arm if it's not too windy.

I've started using the third handle since I've started riding down wind swell. Easier to reach for than the fourth when you come off a wave