BullroarerTook said..
Thanks Nikita! If you don't mind, how much do you weigh and what board do you use primarily?

Also, buy a different stab. I so don't regret moving on from the 215. Haven't had a cut since I stopped using it.

Nikita said..
I've had over 10 session on my Flow 1000 now, so I thought I would add my review. Prior to switching to the Flow 1000, I was riding the Slingshot i76 so I wanted to post a compassion, because so many people talk about the SS foils on Seabreeze.

Flow 1000 Vs Slingshot i76 Summary
If you want an easy to learn on, and easy to carve foil that is less likely to injure you if you accidentally hit it, then I'd go for the SS i76.
If you want to go a bit faster, get going easier, go downwind harder, and wider wind range from a single wing, then go for the Flow 1000.

Carving
In my experience, the i76 is easier to carve. That's not to say that the Flow 1000 doesn't carve well - it definitely does, it's just not as forgiving as the i76. I've found that with the Flow 1000, you need to carefully balance the roll and 'rudder' inputs (back foot pressure) during a turn. If you don't balance them correctly, it'll tend to side stall. If you get the balance right, it's awesome to carve! The i76 doesn't need you to be so precise with your turns, it's more forgiving.

Downwind
After switching to the Flow 1000 it was immediately obvious that you don't lose speed as quickly as you do on the i76 when you turn downwind to gybe. This means that you can carve wider turns, catch swells, and go downwind much easier. This is one of my favourite things about the Flow 1000. I76 needs more power to keep it moving through the water than the Flow 1000.

Early foiling
I was originally hesitant to switch to a 1000cm foil from the 1500cm i76, because I thought that I'd lose some bottom end performance (ie. I wouldn't get going as early). It turns out that it's actually easier to get foiling on the Flow 1000 in light wind compared to the i76. Flow 1000 has less drag and accelerates noticeably quicker to foiling speed compared to the i76. That means less pumps required to get flying, which is a win in my books.I also find riding the Flow 1000 in high wind (~25kts) easier than the i76. I attribute this mainly to the lower drag, hence faster downwind riding to wash off apparent wind.

Swell riding
I think the rear stabiliser was a bit too big for me on the i76. Or maybe I should have been riding the shorter fuselage, because it was a bit too stable in pitch for me. This made gybing easier, but swell riding was harder, as I found it hard to quickly pitch the nose down to ride down the wave. I tried shimming the stabiliser for less lift, which helped, but still wasn't ideal on bigger waves. It was nice and balanced on flat water. The main advantage of the i76 in the waves, is that it's slower, so you don't outrun the waves as quickly as you do on the Flow 1000.For me, Flow 1000 is more fun to ride swells with. Pitch control is not an issue as it was on the i76, and carving is great once you're used to it. It is faster, so you do have be mindful not to outrun the waves. Ultimately, I prefer the Flow 1000 in waves, because it's not as stable in pitch as the i76, which makes it more playful.

Design/Construction
Flow 1000 is a clear winner when it comes to design and construction. The front wing to fuse attachment on the i76 is not great, as it fills up with water and provides an ideal corrosion environment for the fuselage. Wing wobble is guaranteed to develop over time. An whilst there are workarounds to fix it, it's still annoying. Mast to fuse connection on the i76 is also not ideal and tends to break if you jump it. I know that because Swoosh snapped the mast to fuse bolts on my SS foil when he jumped it. Luckily the wings floated.Considering the SS i76 and Flow 1000 weight exactly the same amount, Flow 1000 is noticeably stiffer and stronger.The main thing I don't like about the Flow 1000 is how sharp the wings are; Especially the rear wing tips - great for hydrodynamic efficiency, bad for my feet/legs if I hit them. I really liked how smooth and blunt the wings were on the i76. I was never worried about cutting my feet on the i76 wings. I'd take the extra drag penalty for wings that are not sharp.

NS320 said..




No issues with finish on my Flow foil.

Nikita said..
I've had over 10 session on my Flow 1000 now, so I thought I would add my review. Prior to switching to the Flow 1000, I was riding the Slingshot i76 so I wanted to post a compassion, because so many people talk about the SS foils on Seabreeze.

Flow 1000 Vs Slingshot i76 Summary
If you want an easy to learn on, and easy to carve foil that is less likely to injure you if you accidentally hit it, then I'd go for the SS i76.
If you want to go a bit faster, get going easier, go downwind harder, and wider wind range from a single wing, then go for the Flow 1000.

Carving
In my experience, the i76 is easier to carve. That's not to say that the Flow 1000 doesn't carve well - it definitely does, it's just not as forgiving as the i76. I've found that with the Flow 1000, you need to carefully balance the roll and 'rudder' inputs (back foot pressure) during a turn. If you don't balance them correctly, it'll tend to side stall. If you get the balance right, it's awesome to carve! The i76 doesn't need you to be so precise with your turns, it's more forgiving.

Downwind
After switching to the Flow 1000 it was immediately obvious that you don't lose speed as quickly as you do on the i76 when you turn downwind to gybe. This means that you can carve wider turns, catch swells, and go downwind much easier. This is one of my favourite things about the Flow 1000. I76 needs more power to keep it moving through the water than the Flow 1000.

Early foiling
I was originally hesitant to switch to a 1000cm foil from the 1500cm i76, because I thought that I'd lose some bottom end performance (ie. I wouldn't get going as early). It turns out that it's actually easier to get foiling on the Flow 1000 in light wind compared to the i76. Flow 1000 has less drag and accelerates noticeably quicker to foiling speed compared to the i76. That means less pumps required to get flying, which is a win in my books.I also find riding the Flow 1000 in high wind (~25kts) easier than the i76. I attribute this mainly to the lower drag, hence faster downwind riding to wash off apparent wind.

Swell riding
I think the rear stabiliser was a bit too big for me on the i76. Or maybe I should have been riding the shorter fuselage, because it was a bit too stable in pitch for me. This made gybing easier, but swell riding was harder, as I found it hard to quickly pitch the nose down to ride down the wave. I tried shimming the stabiliser for less lift, which helped, but still wasn't ideal on bigger waves. It was nice and balanced on flat water. The main advantage of the i76 in the waves, is that it's slower, so you don't outrun the waves as quickly as you do on the Flow 1000.For me, Flow 1000 is more fun to ride swells with. Pitch control is not an issue as it was on the i76, and carving is great once you're used to it. It is faster, so you do have be mindful not to outrun the waves. Ultimately, I prefer the Flow 1000 in waves, because it's not as stable in pitch as the i76, which makes it more playful.

Design/Construction
Flow 1000 is a clear winner when it comes to design and construction. The front wing to fuse attachment on the i76 is not great, as it fills up with water and provides an ideal corrosion environment for the fuselage. Wing wobble is guaranteed to develop over time. An whilst there are workarounds to fix it, it's still annoying. Mast to fuse connection on the i76 is also not ideal and tends to break if you jump it. I know that because Swoosh snapped the mast to fuse bolts on my SS foil when he jumped it. Luckily the wings floated.Considering the SS i76 and Flow 1000 weight exactly the same amount, Flow 1000 is noticeably stiffer and stronger.The main thing I don't like about the Flow 1000 is how sharp the wings are; Especially the rear wing tips - great for hydrodynamic efficiency, bad for my feet/legs if I hit them. I really liked how smooth and blunt the wings were on the i76. I was never worried about cutting my feet on the i76 wings. I'd take the extra drag penalty for wings that are not sharp.

sunsetsailboards said..






I have the HA 1750 with the 80cm fuselage... I need to try these out wind foiling...I have been using it for winging, and it is such a nice foil. Replaced my Slingshot 99 and 76, although the 76 has a more satisfying turn. Build quality, fit, and finish is really good on the Fanatic foils. Total setup weight is on the heavy side, but it is stiff and built very sturdy.

azymuth said
It'd be awesome if you had video to show you downwinding/carving decent size ocean swells with the Flow 1000.

I haven't found pitch control to be a problem with the Infinity 76 and it's pretty quick in big swells downwind (23 knots) - you must be really flying if you're going faster

Nikita said..




It has been a while, and I haven't made any videos for ages. My wife did take a couple of quick videos of me at the end of a session yesterday. I was very tired by this stage, so my sailing was getting sloppy, but I do a few gybes on swells, and carve up a couple of others. I should really remember to bring a GoPro next time. It was so fun though

tonyk said..
Swoosh, I hear I missed you tearing it up on the Fanatic Flow at the train recently, anyway the locals were impressed, come back again soon
Bring Nikita too and we will have a flowfest

Nikita said..




Come to Manly tonyk - there are no jetskis

swoosh said..
Was a fun sail! But it's super busy down there, between it being low tide, all the jetskiers and wingdingers, it was hard work finding some space. Water was pretty murky (due to low tide?), I hit the sandbar going almost flat out trying to sail up towards KFC. Will need some more local knowledge next time haha. I think I spotted 2 wingdingers with support boats too that just floated around as additional obstacles... WTF!

But all the palaces kick up a pretty wicked wake for jumps, just annoying that they usually have like 2-3 jetskiers hiding behind them, have to try not to land on them

BullroarerTook said..
It's the stab. My 215 sounded like a string section warming up for a concert. I bought a different stab (295 from the aero series) and the foil went dead quiet.

Resbi said..




thanks, can you please send me the link to find this 295 stab, to avoid any mistakes :)

swoosh said..
There is a myth out there that larger low aspect wings mean smaller sail sizes which is false. You can just as easily run an efficient high aspect wings with small freeride/wave sails. The higher aspect wings just also accommodate a lot of sailors who want to sail more "freerace/slalom" style where they prefer to be more powered or are used to a particular sail style.

dimacced said..
The ultimate question is: is the pumping required something I can do or learn to do? or is this something only pros or close to pros (people with more than 100 session/year) can do without having shoulder dislocation or an heart attack? I am not a 'passive' windsurfer but not a pumping evil either so to say.

cheers

boardsurfr said..





Technically, you're correct, but this kind of misses the point. Foiling gives the option to either use a relatively small sail with an upright stance, which is great for playing with waves and chop, or to use a larger sail with a more hiked out stance, great for more speed. With a small sail, it's pretty easy to have hour-long sessions without ever using the harness. Using a larger sail in the same conditions has me use the harness all the time, and I also switch from my waist to a seat harness, otherwise my back will start complaining after an hour. Basically, the larger sail means more effort.

The same is true for a smaller high aspect foil: to get onto the foil, you'll need more board speed, and unless you've got very good technique, a bit more muscle and effort. With a Starboard 800 front wing, I have to pump until I reach 13 knots board speed before the foil is stable. With a large Slingshot wing (i84 or i99) in the same conditions, I just step on the back to pop the board out, and sheet in. Very different.

So if you're willing to spend a bit more effort, a smaller, high aspect foil and a larger sail go quite well together. If you just want easy fun, a larger, lower aspect foil and smaller sail are a great combo. But that does not mean it has to be this way. I've sailed the faster 800 front wing with a 5.6 freestyle sail, and the Slingshot i84 with an 8.5 cambered sail, and had plenty of fun both times. As your technique improves, the differences also mean less - if you're foiling through all your jibes, never crash, and use the harness 100%, then a large sail and small foil are easy. But if you have to pump a lot after bad jibes, and have to uphaul a large cambered sail after crashes, the "small sail - large wing" combo is a lot easier.

boardsurfr said..
Technically, you're correct, but this kind of misses the point. Foiling gives the option to either use a relatively small sail with an upright stance, which is great for playing with waves and chop, or to use a larger sail with a more hiked out stance, great for more speed. With a small sail, it's pretty easy to have hour-long sessions without ever using the harness. Using a larger sail in the same conditions has me use the harness all the time, and I also switch from my waist to a seat harness, otherwise my back will start complaining after an hour. Basically, the larger sail means more effort.

The same is true for a smaller high aspect foil: to get onto the foil, you'll need more board speed, and unless you've got very good technique, a bit more muscle and effort. With a Starboard 800 front wing, I have to pump until I reach 13 knots board speed before the foil is stable. With a large Slingshot wing (i84 or i99) in the same conditions, I just step on the back to pop the board out, and sheet in. Very different.

So if you're willing to spend a bit more effort, a smaller, high aspect foil and a larger sail go quite well together. If you just want easy fun, a larger, lower aspect foil and smaller sail are a great combo. But that does not mean it has to be this way. I've sailed the faster 800 front wing with a 5.6 freestyle sail, and the Slingshot i84 with an 8.5 cambered sail, and had plenty of fun both times. As your technique improves, the differences also mean less - if you're foiling through all your jibes, never crash, and use the harness 100%, then a large sail and small foil are easy. But if you have to pump a lot after bad jibes, and have to uphaul a large cambered sail after crashes, the "small sail - large wing" combo is a lot easier.

boardsurfr said..
snip...
With a Starboard 800 front wing, I have to pump until I reach 13 knots board speed before the foil is stable. With a large Slingshot wing (i84 or i99) in the same conditions, I just step on the back to pop the board out, and sheet in. Very different...