hi peoples
looking at taking up the new craze
is one system preferable over the other ?

seems tracks allow some flexibility where the foil sits on the board

manufacturer moving to a common standard?

cheers

Tracks all day , lets you move and adjust the mast position .Speeds up the learning process

I only use Tuttle box on both prone & sup foilboards....Stronger, less hassle... you just adjust your body weight & positioning...you change your wings depending on conditions..

Having damaged 3 sets of tracks on 3 different boards while learning to SUP foil I am now 100% Tuttle for SUP foiling in waves. You lose the flexibility of being able to move the mast but gain a lot in strength. Having your foil board rolled in white water puts a huge amount of stress on the foil mount and I'm over the repairs to be honest. But I use tracks for wing foiling ( different board) as I feel that it is more useful to be able to move the mast forward or back as I change foil wings, and the loads are lower. I should say I use a couple of different foil types , depending on conditions. This is just the outcome that I have arrived at and it works well for me - I haven't bothered a board repairer for a while now ( touch wood).

Tracks have already won the war.

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mikesids said..
Having damaged 3 sets of tracks on 3 different boards while learning to SUP foil I am now 100% Tuttle for SUP foiling in waves. You lose the flexibility of being able to move the mast but gain a lot in strength. Having your foil board rolled in white water puts a huge amount of stress on the foil mount and I'm over the repairs to be honest. But I use tracks for wing foiling ( different board) as I feel that it is more useful to be able to move the mast forward or back as I change foil wings, and the loads are lower. I should say I use a couple of different foil types , depending on conditions. This is just the outcome that I have arrived at and it works well for me - I haven't bothered a board repairer for a while now ( touch wood).

That does not make sense. I wingding in waves, more stress I would say.

Tracks is allow more flexibility and if installed correctly show give no issues. Make sure reinforcements go all the way to the deck.

Tuttle is so 2018 , the track box failures are a thing of the past. All production boards now are all track and built like tanks plus customs have learnt their lessons and now all super strong . The 75mm insert of a Tuttle limits the thickness of you board , 3 " thick prone boards and some Sups are also a thing of the past . It's tracks all day , let's you have thinner lower volume boards with sunken decks , can't do that with a Tuttle . The versatility of being able to shift your mast back and forward plus pack the plate to adjust mast angle is a huge advantage.

With the new influx of higher aspect super boost wings simply shifting your weight is not enough to compensate. Being able to bump the mast back to reduce lift on take off is a life saver until you get used to it . As you progress simply bump the mast forward to increase pump ability and turning arc . No one can design a board with one fixed mast position to suit all the foils. This now reflects in most foil manufacturers as Tuttle mount foils are now almost non existent for surf & Sup .

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mikesids said..
Having damaged 3 sets of tracks on 3 different boards while learning to SUP foil I am now 100% Tuttle for SUP foiling in waves. You lose the flexibility of being able to move the mast but gain a lot in strength. Having your foil board rolled in white water puts a huge amount of stress on the foil mount and I'm over the repairs to be honest. But I use tracks for wing foiling ( different board) as I feel that it is more useful to be able to move the mast forward or back as I change foil wings, and the loads are lower. I should say I use a couple of different foil types , depending on conditions. This is just the outcome that I have arrived at and it works well for me - I haven't bothered a board repairer for a while now ( touch wood).

My first foil SUP was an old surf SUP that I had tracks fitted to and yep I had problems.
My next board had issues as well.
I think in the early day board makers just didn't really appreciate the forces that come into play when you have a big foil wing being rolled in the surf.
I then bought a 6'8 ONE foil SUP with Tuttle and track mount and have used that for the last 2 years mainly using the track mount with Axis foils.
I have foiled heaps and often in waves way bigger than I really wanted too and had some savage beatings.
I also hit a reef at full speed using a wing, in the late afternoon heading into the sun, where I couldn't see the reef.
I have also now got a 5'10 as well and have had no issues at all.

There is no reason why properly fitted tracks can't be as strong or stronger than Tuttle but they have the advantage of not only being easily adjusted back and forward but also shimmed.

No contest.

I have a current model 125 Naish foil sup and an older axis, both high price production boards and both have cracking and leaking at the rear end of the tracks, looks like from the leverage of pumping? A similar board I had made locally is still good, but another custom board with tracks was leaking . Bit disappointed particularly with the naish which is a brand I have always been impressed with the quality of the boards I have had. Probably not covered by warranty. By the way does anyone know the weight of the 125 board same as DJ has , mine is currently 10 kg so would be good to know how much water I need to dry out of it . Eps foam is a hassle the way it soaks up water . Was not a problem with the old polyurethane blanks. The takuma board I started on the tracks are still solid. A friend converted a few sups by basically reinforcing and bolting through from deck to plate and they have been pretty bulletproof.

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tomooh said..
Eps foam is a hassle the way it soaks up water .

A side note here: EPS does not gobble up water by itself. Do the experience and pour water on a block of EPS foam, it stays at the surface.

It sucks up liters of water if it is "breathing", when you take the board from a warm/hot car or beach and put it in colder water.

So if you want to be cautious, if the water is colder than the air, just paddle around for some time (5mn?) to let the board reach the same temperature as the water before taking risks. Let the board cool while you warm up :-)

I installed a high density foam track box in my 7ft Coreban Hyper SUP and very happy with it. I also added high density foam epoxied between the block & deck & didn't skimp on the amount of epoxy. Without carbon matting. Just normal fibreglass matting. It's copped so many beatings in overhead or heavy waves.
I've had a few bent masts but no bent mast yet from my Neilpryde foil.
And the track mount is still in exactly the same condition.
I think the installment has added over a kilo in weight though and my board wouldn't be the one for shredding etc.
But I absolutely love it for cruising, carving, foiling in wind & chop and catching heavy whitewash.
I'm 80kgs in weight and use the medium Neilpryde foil most times in waist high to overhead. I use the Neilpryde Large foil in weak under waist high waves which still gets plenty of lift.
I gota say well done to those board makers who have produced strong light weight foilboards. It wouldn't be easy and I would expect damage to track mounts in side on heavy or overhead wave impacts.
I think foilboards should be categorised as lightweight performance, medium performance and heavy durable cruiser. With strength ratings S1, S2, S3 being the strongest. But that's just my view.