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Swindy said..
Hi, as there is not much on this thread about the H9 performance and usability I have a few questions for those that are or have used them.
1. Would it be suitable for a 95kg person to learn on.
2. If so, would I get bored with it after a few months and want something better or is it good enough to keep for a season or two.
3. Apart from the breakage above are they proving to be durable.
4. Would you recommend a different foil.
5. I intend to use a 135 slalom board and a 6.5 twin cam sail in 10 to 15 knots, would this be ok.

I have been windsurfing for 40 years and am pretty competent but this probably counts for nothing when learning to fly.
Thanks in advance.

Hey Roger, call around home and I'll give you a peek
I've had one go on a borrowed formula board, did a bit of crash n burn in very light wind but did get a short flight, what fun and a buzz. Depending on breakfast I'm about 87kg, it doesn't take much speed or effort to get flight

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firiebob said..

Swindy said..
Hi, as there is not much on this thread about the H9 performance and usability I have a few questions for those that are or have used them.
1. Would it be suitable for a 95kg person to learn on.
2. If so, would I get bored with it after a few months and want something better or is it good enough to keep for a season or two.
3. Apart from the breakage above are they proving to be durable.
4. Would you recommend a different foil.
5. I intend to use a 135 slalom board and a 6.5 twin cam sail in 10 to 15 knots, would this be ok.

I have been windsurfing for 40 years and am pretty competent but this probably counts for nothing when learning to fly.
Thanks in advance.

Hey Roger, call around home and I'll give you a peek
I've had one go on a borrowed formula board, did a bit of crash n burn in very light wind but did get a short flight, what fun and a buzz. Depending on breakfast I'm about 87kg, it doesn't take much speed or effort to get flight

Nice one Firie

You'll be gliding at Blue Bay in no time

When I get the hang of it JJ that's the plan

I've had a 133 Fanatic Gecko, and an H9 foil since January. I usually rig a Naish 7.1 Sprint sail. I offer these opinions:-

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Swindy said..
. . . Would it be suitable for a 95kg person to learn on?

I would think so. I'm 82kg, and have had no issues. I can get foiling in about 12 knots.

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Swindy said..
. . . would I get bored with it after a few months and want something better or is it good enough to keep for a season or two?

Ha ha. Bored??? There's a lot to unlearn, such as NOT sheeting in when a gust arrives. You won't be bored; you'll be addicted. "A man who is tired of foiling is tired of life" - paraphrasing Samuel Johnson / Oscar Wilde.

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Swindy said..
. . . Apart from the breakage above are they proving to be durable?

Touch wood, I've had no durability issues. The gear has had a LOT of use in the last 4 months. I'm 100% happy with it.

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Swindy said..
. . . I intend to use a 135 slalom board and a 6.5 twin cam sail in 10 to 15 knots, would this be ok?

Sounds ideal for 15 knots. The twin cam sail will have better low-down power than my Naish freeride (camless) sail.

Good luck.

Thanks Bristol, just the sort of info I'm after.
Maybe bored is the wrong word but it appears that alot of people change from alloy foils to carbon quite quickly once they have mastered flying. Should I go carbon from the start as I'm sure I will be a junkie after the first lift off.

Bob, hopefully catch up at the weekend as I should be down that way.

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Swindy said..
Should I go carbon from the start as I'm sure I will be a junkie after the first lift off.

If you can afford it and intend on foiling a lot, go for it !!!
Carbon mast is a must (longer/stiffer/maintenance free)

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Seanhogan said..

Swindy said..
Should I go carbon from the start as I'm sure I will be a junkie after the first lift off.

If you can afford it and intend on foiling a lot, go for it !!!
Carbon mast is a must (longer/stiffer/maintenance free)

Done, taken the plunge, getting a second hand carbon foil.

Hey Roger

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firiebob said..
Hey Roger

Looking forward to putting some dents in the estuary with you Bob but demolition man Jonski will make us look like pussys. Keep away from slugger, he does enough damage with just a fin.

I can't wait to see you guys learning that will be entertaining

Got the Jag 125 with the H9, largest sail i've used with it 6.6.
Dont think you will get bored cuz there is ALOT to learn, like a foiling jibe, did a nice jump today with foil... Super fun, cant stop

Love the transport solution

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RAL INN said..
Love the transport solution

Haha, thanks... Gets the job done...

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Radicalstate said..

RAL INN said..
Love the transport solution

Haha, thanks... Gets the job done...

And at speed on the road it acts like a spoiler giving you extra grip around corners.

What do the Fanatic instructions say about disassembling the foil? Some carbon foils have corrosion issues with the screws, so they are supposed to be taken apart and cleaned after every session, which is a bit of a pain. Maybe the suspected lower carbon contend on the Fanatic foil helps here?

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Maddlad said..

Radicalstate said..

RAL INN said..
Love the transport solution

Haha, thanks... Gets the job done...

And at speed on the road it acts like a spoiler giving you extra grip around corners.

Hahahah good one... I do get alot of looks from peolple...

I've got my H9 Foil yesterday and am eager to get out on the water before winter comes (probably next week), but face a few problems:

The screws to attach the wings to the fuselage leave me scratching my head. There are two long ones (30mm?) and three short ones (25mm...ish), but the long ones seem to be too long in whichever thread. My dealer insisted that the foremost front wing screw and the two screws for the rear wing should be short, but screwing the long screws in the front wing feels like a disaster waiting to happen, so I wonder if I should just cut the long screws off.
The manual says there should be three 30mm ones to go in the middle thread in the front wing and into both rear wing threads.

I want to use it with an Exocet RS 5.5 and of course I expected no problems as it says Deep Tuttle, but the Exocet Deep Tuttle is only about 60mm deep at the rear end with the foil 65mm deep throughout.

Any one who thinks it is a stupid idea to saw off 5 mm of the foilbase at its rear end? There would still be a lot of aluminium left, so I don't think it would reduce its strength.

The screws won't properly align with the boltholes in the board, but a few minutes with a file will make the holes longish enough to do the trick, I guess. I hope, to be more precise.

I'm sure someone here knows what to do, any advice is strongly appreciated.
Cheers,
Sven

Sven, I'll check tomorrow but I'm sure the front wing has short-long-short screws. My screw were in separate packets for front & rear wings etc.
Don't saw off anything yet.
Cheers Bob

Thanks Bob,
this sounds as if the manual was correct and the store I ordered it online from have mixed something up and replaced a long screw with a short one. On closer inspection one of the screws has a suspiciously different head. It was their demo foil and had been assembled before, so screws were not in separate pckets any more.
How come the screws feel very hard to screw in from a certain point on, almost as if they hit solid ground? Is there some rubbery insert to prevent the screws from getting unscrewed during sailing? Maybe I'm just not committed enough but I can't get myself to fully trust the plastic mould stuff.
Cheers,
Sven

Sorry for slow reply Sven, I forgot

Ok, the screws for the rear wing are the same length as the centre screw in the front wing, 30mm
The other two screws in the front wing are 25mm, the longer screw in the front wing goes into the centre hole.
My screws are not hard to screw in, only when when I try wrong hole (no jokes ), don't force them
I just took a couple of photos, might help.
Cheers Bob

Thanks a Lot, Bob. Sorry for my late answer, but I had a login problem.
I've got the correct screws now and put them in the right holes so it was all easy. PH 3 screwdriver makes it a lot easier.

For anyone whose Deep Tuttle isn't deep enough:
I've cut the head of the fin down a little with a circular saw and a multicut blade.
I didn't encounter any hollows in it (phew!) so I think it won't affect its strength.
IT all fits flush now. The wind let me down yesterday so I'm waiting for the first try.
How can one insert pics here when writing on the smartphone?
Cheers,
Sven

I've got the Naish carbon foil with Aluminium mast and stainless screws. DEFINITELY undo all the screws once you've finished sailing. Yes it'a a pain but its way less painful than if they get locked in. I've also taken to coating them with vaseline to assist with them not locking. I forgot to loosen them after foiling on one occassion and needed to 'gently' ease them out with a rattle gun. Not ideal.

I heard a whisper that fanatic will be bringing out some wing options for the h9. Does anybody know if there is any truth to this???

Finally I've got my first go on the foil as I really didn't want to try it during Winter. Once there was enough wind, it lifted off easily. I experienced all the bailouts one could expect, especially as the wind was very gusty. But this is fun!??
Do you think there is need for a fuselage upgrade?
I've stumbled over someone making a longer fuselage from CNC-milled aluminium.
I'm still too unexperienced to verify or discount claims that the H9s are wobbly. I'm probably the wobbliest part of the kit!

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ZeeGerman said..
Finally I've got my first go on the foil as I really didn't want to try it during Winter. Once there was enough wind, it lifted off easily. I experienced all the bailouts one could expect, especially as the wind was very gusty. But this is fun!??
Do you think there is need for a fuselage upgrade?
I've stumbled over someone making a longer fuselage from CNC-milled aluminium.
I'm still too unexperienced to verify or discount claims that the H9s are wobbly. I'm probably the wobbliest part of the kit!

Give it a chance before you trade up, provided its giving you plenty of lift. It takes some getting used to controlling up and down as well as left and right. The lift gives you something to lean at constantly (forwards), which provides stability, instead of having to lean backwards and forwards madly trying to control the pitch.

Clear as mud? Thrills and spills ahead

Dont throw money at what is an entry level foil, in a few months you will probably want to upgrade the whole thing anyway. Persist with what you have got for now, its good enough to learn on.

Thanks for your advice. I may have been talking gibberish. As I said: it's fun and I'm the wobbliest part in it. So I'm not considering anything but going out more and improving.

Then I'll see how happy I am with the foil anyway.
Cheers, Sven

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ZeeGerman said..
Thanks for your advice. I may have been talking gibberish. As I said: it's fun and I'm the wobbliest part in it. So I'm not considering anything but going out more and improving.

Then I'll see how happy I am with the foil anyway.
Cheers, Sven

When you feel that the foil is wobblier than you are its time to change.

New Foil

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Swindy said..

ZeeGerman said..
Thanks for your advice. I may have been talking gibberish. As I said: it's fun and I'm the wobbliest part in it. So I'm not considering anything but going out more and improving.

Then I'll see how happy I am with the foil anyway.
Cheers, Sven

When you feel that the foil is wobblier than you are its time to change.

This seems to be a very reasonable plan.
I'll adhere to it!