Hi,
Can slingshot levitator 150/160 take different foils quite happily, I've got original blue NP glide foil with large front wing and plate mount, currently using jp freefoil 130, which I'm really struggling with( 4 months off the water over summer, no wind, work etc). Will glide foil happily go on levitator, or don't they like different foils.
J.

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TinktheStink said..
Hi,
Can slingshot levitator 150/160 take different foils quite happily, I've got original blue NP glide foil with large front wing and plate mount, currently using jp freefoil 130, which I'm really struggling with( 4 months off the water over summer, no wind, work etc). Will glide foil happily go on levitator, or don't they like different foils.
J.

Slingshot make great foils. I dare say they would be far superior to early NP foils, depending on your style & experience?
Spend the $ and get matching gear if you can IMO.

I use a 160 levitator with i76 and i84 wings. You could try it but maybe your issue is your front wing is too small?

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TinktheStink said..
Hi,
Can slingshot levitator 150/160 take different foils quite happily, I've got original blue NP glide foil with large front wing and plate mount, currently using jp freefoil 130, which I'm really struggling with( 4 months off the water over summer, no wind, work etc). Will glide foil happily go on levitator, or don't they like different foils.
J.

Foil tracks mean that you should be able to mix and match different brands. The characteristics are far more important than the brand eg foil area, aspect ratio, fuselage length and stabilizer lift are some of the most important. do you have the windsurf fuse for the NP glide? How big is the large wing

Not only gear choice, but balance, especially if you are mixing brands. You have to get the front wing at or near the mid point between your feet (or footstraps if you use them). Then, once you have done that, you have to locate the sail mast base somewhere near 42" in front of the leading edge of the foil mast.

Get on youtube and do a search for "foil balancing." I made a youtube about balancing 4 years ago. I still use that geometry today.

Currently using a Levitator 150 with Axis
BSC 1120, 1060 and HA1000. No issues whatsoever.

I got levitator last Tuesday, went out last weekend, board have me a whole heap of confidence, which is great. My foil is glide wind, front wing is 1616 cm2, have to spend a bit of time setting up foil on board and marking it up, to get foil position right.

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TinktheStink said..
I got levitator last Tuesday, went out last weekend, board have me a whole heap of confidence, which is great. My foil is glide wind, front wing is 1616 cm2, have to spend a bit of time setting up foil on board and marking it up, to get foil position right.

Imagine you are straddling a seesaw, with each foot the same distance from the pivot point, so when in level flight you have equal front and rear foot pressure when properly powered up, if you have too little wind for the sail and front wing you will have to use more back foot pressure to stay up. That is how I set up my kit by moving the sail mast base backwards until it felt balanced. Now my board has a DT foil box, but you can move your foil too to help balance the kit. For now I would remove the rear foot straps, and you may never put them back on the board. Some foilers remove the front foot straps too, but I like to have them especially in high winds with 2-3 foot waves.

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TinktheStink said..
Hi,
Can slingshot levitator 150/160 take different foils quite happily, I've got original blue NP glide foil with large front wing

The newer red wings designed by Kane De Wilde are pretty nice if you want to stay in the same ecosystem. The blue wings are fine for starting out but a bit draggy as your skills improve. The NPs are a bit back footy, imho. Maybe try shimming the stab as well as pulling the mast base back if you feel like it takes a lot of back foot pressure to get off the water. The other issue is the first Glides had short masts (70cm iirc) which makes things harder rather than easier. You can find FoilGlide Wind masts (around 82cm) used or on ebay pretty cheaply and this year NP did an 85cm mast. With a short mast, keeping a constant altitude is necessary or you'll constantly be foiling out. I foiled one time on the 65 cm mast and it took a lot of attention.