I'm thinking of buying my first foil board a AHD fury ( foil ready) 130 ltr 245 x 77 or 145 ltr 245 x 83 any one experience of the fury? I'm thinking at my 80 plus kilos mabe the 145 ltr option be best for me a complete novice. The foil I'll go for is AFS w85.

The question worth asking yourself is do you want a board that can be used with a fin and a foil or just a foil?
The newer generation of shorter foil only boards are significantly better for foiling than a dual purpose board.
I stared on an RRD h fire and progressed to a Slingshot wizard. the wizard is better in every aspect of foiling for me. ( different style, Freerace vs free ride )
everyone I know who foils has a dedicated board now and finds it easier and better.
I can't comment on that AHD specifically as I haven't used it but they are nice boards for a good price usually.

My goal is to foil only as I have medium and high wind kit but the fury would give me light wind option if required.

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nerdycross said..
My goal is to foil only as I have medium and high wind kit but the fury would give me light wind option if required.

If you're going for light wind, I'd say get the biggest size you can get. Volume doesn't really matter when you're out of the water (unless you're doing tricks), but you need to plane quick to get that speed to get onto a flight. I went from the SB foil 147 to a 177 (foil specific) for overall ease of use, power, speed and upwind/downwind capabilities.

^ like he said, forget the "hybrid/foil ready" boards if you want to commit to foiling, a dedicated board is what you need.
you'll never look back

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IndecentExposur said..

nerdycross said..
My goal is to foil only as I have medium and high wind kit but the fury would give me light wind option if required.

If you're going for light wind, I'd say get the biggest size you can get. Volume doesn't really matter when you're out of the water (unless you're doing tricks), but you need to plane quick to get that speed to get onto a flight. I went from the SB foil 147 to a 177 (foil specific) for overall ease of use, power, speed and upwind/downwind capabilities.

not sure i fully agree. If you can pump good and have a big wing then board size doesnt matter as much. However, if you intend to get pulled onto the foil then a wider board will help get going earlier. certainly some people like the added volume when uphauling and schlogging to a wind line.

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thedoor said..

IndecentExposur said..

nerdycross said..
My goal is to foil only as I have medium and high wind kit but the fury would give me light wind option if required.

If you're going for light wind, I'd say get the biggest size you can get. Volume doesn't really matter when you're out of the water (unless you're doing tricks), but you need to plane quick to get that speed to get onto a flight. I went from the SB foil 147 to a 177 (foil specific) for overall ease of use, power, speed and upwind/downwind capabilities.

not sure i fully agree. If you can pump good and have a big wing then board size doesnt matter as much. However, if you intend to get pulled onto the foil then a wider board will help get going earlier. certainly some people like the added volume when uphauling and schlogging to a wind line.

Fair enough. I think Physics would disagree. Smaller the board, the more resistance you'll have in the water; with the same power, a wider board will distribute the weight and bring it to speed faster and plane faster. Hence the reason there are formula boards, etc. Above the laws of physics, everything else is opinion. :)

Body weight and sail size + pumping skills have a lot of effect besides just sheer size of board.

I found the smaller boards easier to pump and carve so can get it going earlier than on the bigger board.

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Fair enough. I think Physics would disagree. Smaller the board, the more resistance you'll have in the water; with the same power, a wider board will distribute the weight and bring it to speed faster and plane faster. Hence the reason there are formula boards, etc. Above the laws of physics, everything else is opinion. :)

Yeah. width is a key variable that will make how much you need to pump less. The length is more for ease of uphauling, not sure how much it helps getting on the foil?

It depends a lot on skill, what you're used to. I've foiled different boards like a Bic Nova 170 D (fat and wide), a Warp 71 (very light), a Skate 110, and a Slingshot Flyer 280 (almost a longboard or race SUP). The difference in gettingthe board to flyis huge. I usually sail the Skate and slalom boards,andpumping these was easiest to me. The fat Nova did not seem to accelerate at all when I pump, even with lots of sail pressure. The Flyer accelerated so well that the initial pumps were easy and directly converted into speed; but when pumping downwind to get going, I then felt that I had pressure left in the sail to work with. Guys with much better skills can pump the flyer up onto the foil in almost nothing. The same is true for very wide boards.

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IndecentExposur said..
I think Physics would disagree. Smaller the board, the more resistance you'll have in the water; with the same power, a wider board will distribute the weight and bring it to speed faster and plane faster. Hence the reason there are formula boards, etc. Above the laws of physics, everything else is opinion. :)

The physics are a bit more complicated here, with different issues when slogging and planing. Assuming the board has enough volume to float you, a narrower board will have less resistance. A longboard will alway slog faster than a Starboard Go.

But when planing, a wider board will plane in less with than a narrower board of similar volume. If you look back at Jim Drake's windsurfing physics essays, he actually has two different formulas for narrow and wide boards. But basically, it's about where the displaced water goes. If the displaced water is pushed down, the board will be pushed up - that helps it plane. If it is pushed to the side, it's basically just wasted energy. The wide the board, the higher is the ratio of down/up push vs. sideways push - hence wider boards plane earlier.

Board length comes in as a third variable, since it affects hull speed. Short, fat boards have a low hull speed and high slog resistance, so require hard pumps. Skinny longboards transition smoothly.

So I have to ask what would be a sweet spot size board and foil for a 82 ish kilo pilot in 10 knots of wind to fly with some help pumping . My dilemma is 130 ltr x 77 ish or 145 ltr x 83 ish with mabe a slingshot 76 foil or AFS w85 foil The reason I started this thread was to help with my understanding of the best size and type of board i.e. foil ready (AHD fury) or dedicated foil board, JP 135 or AHD thunderbolt or my latest focus on the AHD topaz. I'm keen to get it right first time with the board whereas the foil I can update at later date the idea of being able to put fin in the foil ready board if condishons not good for foiling did appeal to me but mabe the dedicated foil board is the way I may go . All of the comments are appreciated and helping me big time .
Thank you all for the help guy's!

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nerdycross said..
So I have to ask what would be a sweet spot size board and foil for a 82 ish kilo pilot in 10 knots of wind to fly with some help pumping . My dilemma is 130 ltr x 77 ish or 145 ltr x 83 ish with mabe a slingshot 76 foil

This is the sweet-spot size board for 10 knots with some pumping using the Slingshot Infinity 76 wing (for your weight)

Bigger of the two is always better, up to 4.0 sails and 25+ winds.
Bigger allows going out in marginal conditions and making it back in.
More important, it allows a bigger box to switch you feet in jibes.

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azymuth said..

nerdycross said..
So I have to ask what would be a sweet spot size board and foil for a 82 ish kilo pilot in 10 knots of wind to fly with some help pumping . My dilemma is 130 ltr x 77 ish or 145 ltr x 83 ish with mabe a slingshot 76 foil

This is the sweet-spot size board for 10 knots with some pumping using the Slingshot Infinity 76 wing (for your weight)

Agreed. The wizard 125 is just right. easy to learn on, big enough for 80kgs to schlog around on, easy to uphaul. Combine it with the infinity 76cm and you will be set for years.

The only thing that could be improved upon with the 125 is slightly more inboard rear strap. but most of us casual riders never use the rear strap. If you are thinking aerial freestyle foiling then go for the SS 115.

I have not checked out the other boards you are talking about but I think 140L sounds big unless you are going to use race foils with big cambered sails.

PS: I learned on the 125 but now exclusively ride the 105, but i am a bit lighter than you, and rarely need to uphaul.

One data point. I am old guy at 195 lb who can't pump as aggressively as a young jock. My sweet spot board is a 135 liter, 75 cm wide, purpose-built windfoil board (made by North Pacific in Hood River). It is very responsive to pumping, super easy to ride, and stupid-easy to get into both front and rear footstraps. If you have balanced your foil for this board, it just flies with ease. The volume distribution makes it easy to uphaul, tack, and jibe. The nose and rails make both soft and hard touchdowns drama-free. I am foiling it with a freeride foil and 5.0 to 7.0 sails. After 107 sessions learning to foil on a formula board, riding this board is an eye-opener. I can't believe how easy it is.

All modern purpose-built freeride windfoiling boards will offer these same friendly features.

If I ever decide to try to race, I have the formula board for that. 100.5 cm wide, outboard straps, and a super-beefy finbox to carry a race foil and big cambered sail.

The real question that needs an answer is your prevelent sailing conditions.
Do you get somewhat steady breezes?
Do you need a long slog out and back to/from the windline?
Do you need to make it home if the breeze drops below 3mph?
Do you tend to be first out in the lightest of foilable breezes?
Do you enjoy balancing on the smallest board possible.
Remember, a alu rec foil can add 11-13 lbs. to the equation..a noticeable weight when slogging a 122 liter board.