aeroegnr said..
Here's an update

I hadn't foiled for a few months as I sprained an ankle while wave windsurfing. Nothing exciting, just rolled it while stepping off the board in the surf, thinking I was deeper than I was. It seems to be better now.

Position B appears to be better for the I76 on the Blast 145

I went out the other week for the first time on an 8.0 and the I76. I noticed I had way more of a control issue in the past with the I99.
Yesterday evening, I went to position B and had at it.

I was a bit overpowered in gusts with my 6.6, but I was able to manage really rough conditions (for me) in some disorganized swell. Before, I tried this with the same sail and wing but I was in position C and had zero ability to control anything. It scared me and I felt it in my nerves yesterday.

I lost it a bit in gusts, but I was trying to stick at the right height. It was definitely a challenge when the swell would hit my board at the peak and start to aerate the foil at the bottom. If it were bigger, slower paced swell then maybe I could've managed better, and if it were smaller I may have just been able to keep going.

I'm better at pumping, but still could be more aggressive. The few times I got aggressive with pumping I was able to slip into the back strap quicker. I could also pump quickly once foiling to fully clear the board. I was getting a bit tired doing all this though after battling the swell and uphauling many times.

My mast position had to move forward as well
With the I99 in position C I also had the mast foot all the way back. By the end of the session yesterday, being a bit overpowered, I had the mast foot basically where I normally have it just windsurfing, but using the I76 in B position.

Now I just need more time with it and some better conditions.

thedoor said..




Very cool! i76 in B is awesome.

That board has foil tracks, right. Did you leave the foil mast in the same position i99 in C and i76 in B? Sounds like you had to adjust the sail mast forward on i76 in B, which makes sense as it's lift is much more forwards than the i99.

Hopefully with more experimentation on the 8m/76 combo you can tell us how you go low end wise.

Seems like going much bigger than the 6 or 7m on the i99 does not make any additional benefit for the low end. Question being asked is if the 8m/76 combo can compete with the 6m/i99 combo for low end.

aeroegnr said..




Yeah now that I know how to pump better I'm more willing to test out lower end with I76. I spent too much TOW getting nowhere at first and not knowing what it was supposed to be like, so I can recognize better when it's a lost cause.

I will say that the I99 is not something I want to be on in swells unless I have a really small sail. I may try the I99 with my 5.0 blade sometime just to see, but it grabs waves like crazy. The I76 grabs them too but having speed really seems to help in those cases.

The Blast does not have tracks, just a deep tuttle. I've gotten more use out of that board in both fin and foil than I thought was possible.

aeroegnr said..

With the I99 in position C I also had the mast foot all the way back. By the end of the session yesterday, being a bit overpowered, I had the mast foot basically where I normally have it just windsurfing, but using the I76 in B position.