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Lecum said..martyj4 said..
Lecum, I think having a front foot strap to jam your foot in makes a big difference for pumping up and getting the foil to fly. I find things work much more efficiently if the front foot is anchored. Back strap not important for me - even once flying.
While the board design is important for getting going, the other thing that makes a BIG difference is getting the right foil to fly early. Rather than going out and spending potentially big $ on a new board, have you considered what a different foil may bring to what you're aiming to do with foiling?
Hello martyj4
Regarding the foil size I agree with you but I finally ordered the neilpryde glidewind size S for the following reasons. However I must admit I have some doubts. Maybe I will have to change my old board to gain a few knots.
- Very good price
- It's the size recommended by the neilpryde agent for me (69 kg, sail 5,6 m2, wind range 12-15 knots)
- There is a french guy on internet who has tested all the glidewind sizes and says the size M doesn't lift more than size S and has less maneubrability and speed. He weights only 60 Kg. He recommends size S for weight less than 80 kg
- Last year I couldn't get the foil because I ordered size M and neilpryde never has it in stock
That's why I asked you for your weight, to compare. My main target is flying in 12 knots with the smallest sail, and ride some small swells easily
KR
I am 70 kg. I had the 1st gen Naish 1220 cm2 foil. It got me going in 13-14 knots with a 5.3m wavesail. I have the original Naish foil board - the Hover 122. I am also looking to get flying in the minimum amount of wind. That objective may not apply to you, so what I'm saying might not be particularly relevant.
I recently upgraded to the Naish 1570cm2 foil. It dropped the minimum wind speed to fly to around 11-12 knots. No change to the board. Got a Naish lift 5.7 sail which has dropped minimum wind speed back another knot.
I've also used the SS HG infinity 84 which feels like it develops more lift and feels more stable than the Naish 1570 foil. But the board I used it with had terrible footstrap placement to match the balance point of the foil.
To that end, the Naish setup I have works really well for me, because it's well balanced and I'm used to it. Even though the SS foil I tried to use developed more lift, the foil and board settings made it too difficult to get it all balanced, so I struggled on it. Someone with more skill and with a different board could probably get a lot more out of it than me. One of the things that's really helped is having a foil mast track that is adjustable so you can get the foil balance point set up right for your foot placement. The SS foil was on a board with no foil track.
I guess the thing I look at for you Lecum is spending $ on a board MAY not make as much of a difference as a different foil or sail? BUT it also probably depends on what gear you can get your hands on, and (as for many sailor) what gear feels like it works for you. And I can see what you're saying about the NP gear. If that's what you've got and you're comfortable with, then uprooting and starting again can be expensive yeah.