I am getting pretty consistent with my gybes when its flat. However, if you introduce significant swell (trough to crest height of ~1m and maybe 2-3 metres between crests) the foil tends to breach in the trough, mid way through the gybe.

Same thing happens when I try to ride the swell. When bearing off to "catch" the swell, the board speed is greater than the swell and the foil often breaches in the trough. The only solution I have found for this problem is to "over turn" off the wind to near dead downwind to kill board speed then turn back to ride the swell.

How are others dealing with gybing/riding swell?

Riding wizard 105, infinity 76 on 35 inch mast.

Backfoot father forward.

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thedoor said..
I am getting pretty consistent with my gybes when its flat. However, if you introduce significant swell (trough to crest height of ~1m and maybe 2-3 metres between crests) the foil tends to breach in the trough, mid way through the gybe.

Same thing happens when I try to ride the swell. When bearing off to "catch" the swell, the board speed is greater than the swell and the foil often breaches in the trough. The only solution I have found for this problem is to "over turn" off the wind to near dead downwind to kill board speed then turn back to ride the swell.

How are others dealing with gybing/riding swell?

Riding wizard 105, infinity 76 on 35 inch mast.

The trick to counter the additional lift from accelerating down a swell is to transfer your weight forward over your front foot and also pull down on the boom/mast. Moving the mast base forward and dropping the boom helps a little too.
Footstraps fully forward and fully back - back foot in the strap to carve tighter.

It takes practice as the 76 wing generates a lot of lift, even without the acceleration from the swell.

If you're light you could try a smaller wing like the Time Code 68 or the new Infinity 65.

Worth persevering with as I reckon it's the most fun part of windfoiling

These are short steep swells. I get the feeling that it is not really an acceleration down the face thing, more just that the existing speed of the board results in the foil hitting air in the trough. I will try adding downward boom pressure when traveling down the swell, I could see how that might help. I cannot imagine moving my backfoot forward mid carve though.

Generally not using the back strap on the 105, unless trying to jump. Pretty certain it won't turn easily with the back foot in the strap anyways.

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azymuth said..

thedoor said..
I am getting pretty consistent with my gybes when its flat. However, if you introduce significant swell (trough to crest height of ~1m and maybe 2-3 metres between crests) the foil tends to breach in the trough, mid way through the gybe.

Same thing happens when I try to ride the swell. When bearing off to "catch" the swell, the board speed is greater than the swell and the foil often breaches in the trough. The only solution I have found for this problem is to "over turn" off the wind to near dead downwind to kill board speed then turn back to ride the swell.

How are others dealing with gybing/riding swell?

Riding wizard 105, infinity 76 on 35 inch mast.

The trick to counter the additional lift from accelerating down a swell is to transfer your weight forward over your front foot and also pull down on the boom/mast. Moving the mast base forward and dropping the boom helps a little too.
Footstraps fully forward and fully back - back foot in the strap to carve tighter.

It takes practice as the 76 wing generates a lot of lift, even without the acceleration from the swell.

If you're light you could try a smaller wing like the Time Code 68 or the new Infinity 65.

Worth persevering with as I reckon it's the most fun part of windfoiling

Update: I have not being foiling in the steep swells, but the pushing down on the boom when going down the face seems to be making a big difference.

thanks

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azymuth said..

Footstraps fully forward and fully back - back foot in the strap to carve tighter.

It takes practice as the 76 wing generates a lot of lift, even without the acceleration from the swell.

Azymuth

I have been running the 76 with front foot in and back out. With the back in I was breaching in swell (too much lift). I saw your notes here so going to work on this technique.
- weight forward
- pressure on boom/mast

I am moving my footstraps as they were in the middle. I get putting the front one forward. Why is the back footstrap all the way back?

On the 84 I am totally balanced so I hope the new position does not mess this up.

Edit - added photo. Front foot strap moved about 3/4" forward (I tightened up spacing), back foot straps moved back 1"

^^^
Foilnut, I find foil lift varies heaps between 10-knot winds where I need my weight max aft to get up on the foil and 30-knot wind or swells where I need my weight max forward to push down to control the excessive lift.
I only foil the Wizard 105 and can't be bothered moving the footstraps to suit the conditions so go with the widest possible settings - also a wide stance feels more secure in big seas and winds. Weight transfer between your feet becomes subconscious after a while

I'm 6ft - if you're much shorter I can imagine max footstrap spread might be excessive.


The 76 does feel quite different to the 84 at first but only takes a few sessions to get used to it.

Azymuth

Moved my front foot straps fully forward and back ones all the way back , Worked GREAT

Easy to be in the back foot strap now, much better control. The wider stance gives me better leverage(I'm 5'11"). As well could go up wind sooo much better.

Thank You!

I have trouble railing the board over to turn when in the rear strap. The strap is too outboard. I am using the 2018 105 wizard, wonder if the straps are different on the 2019 wizard

Foilnut, glad to hear it's working - look forward to the video


thedoor - my 2019 Wizard 105 below.
Just replaced the worn-out Slingshot straps which were very good.

Footstraps are mounted as far in as possible by offsetting the metal plates - works pretty well.

I've experimented with a center rear strap but not sure I found an improvement downwind - felt that I didn't have as much leverage carving the foil when pulling up on the center-line strap - compared to the position below.
The rear position below is a good compromise anyway - my toes press down on the center-line when carving downwind (straps are super loose) and my heel gets close to the rail with my toes under the strap when flying upwind.

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azymuth said..
Foilnut, glad to hear it's working - look forward to the video


thedoor - my 2019 Wizard 105 below.
Just replaced the worn-out Slingshot straps which were very good.

Footstraps are mounted as far in as possible by offsetting the metal plates - works pretty well.

I've experimented with a center rear strap but not sure I found an improvement downwind - felt that I didn't have as much leverage carving the foil when pulling up on the center-line strap - compared to the position below.
The rear position below is a good compromise anyway - my toes press down on the center-line when carving downwind (straps are super loose) and my heel gets close to the rail with my toes under the strap when flying upwind.

OK never thought of that will try it

Update: SS Freestyle 115 is pretty damn good in the swell.

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thedoor said..
Update: SS Freestyle 115 is pretty damn good in the swell.

So how does the 115 Freestyle compare against the 105. I see the Freestyle has both Tuttle and track mount system. Have you used both? Preference?

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Foilnut said..

thedoor said..
Update: SS Freestyle 115 is pretty damn good in the swell.

So how does the 115 Freestyle compare against the 105. I see the Freestyle has both Tuttle and track mount system. Have you used both? Preference?

The wizard 105 is kickarse, did I need to upgrade it? Probably not, but I got more money than time so why the hell not.

I The have only had 2 sessions on the freestyle 115 but hasso far I found these advantages over there 105:

1) strap position allows as SS says "rail to rail control" for turning eg on swell. With the wizard I felt I had to move my back foot from Port to stabord to do S turns

2) the 115 gives better control over foil angle of attack which is really handy in swell and when going fast as that fear of breaching is less.

3) the nose on the 115 is killer, the rail chines do a better job of the rail catching when the board touches down inadvertently. Also the nose point seems to push through water to increase chance of recovering flight after a touch down.

The 105 is better at the following
1) gybing. The 115 is much more manueverable so gybes are hit and miss now whereas I was really consistent in gybes on the 105. I think it is more than me needing to get used to a knew board

2) although the 105 had less volume it is easier for me to water start cause of it's higher tail volume

3) admittedly I am not used to the 115 yet, but seems like I could get foiling in less wind on the 105. Maybe due to its tail width (someone mentioned this on here previously and at the time I disagreed but now I but it)