I had the chance to demo a Naish KS1 front wing yesterday (thanks to Dave at Kite and SUP ) and thought I'd share my experiences with the smaller wing compared to the normal WS1 setup.
Board: Exocet RF91 Foil
Sail: Mauisails TRX 7.0 (rigged 1cm less than spec)
Mast: Naish 90cm
Fuselage and Rear Wing: Standard Naish WS1 - rear wing tilted fully up
Weight: 95 kg
Wind: 8-15 knots
GPS: GT31
WS1 Wing:
Area - 1220cm2
Span - 65cm
KS1 Wing (note this is the 2018 model, 2019 is quite different):
Area - 880cm2
Span - 54.8cm
I started off on the WS1 wing to get comfortable and make sure everything was right. Top speed on this wing was 18.7 knots. I was easily able to pump the board up on the foil.
I switched across to the KS1 wing (everything else the same) then headed back out. The first thing I noticed was that it was harder to get flying (not unexpected). When pumping the foil with the bigger WS1 wing there is a lot more "resistance" to push against, while the smaller wing needed more board speed before it would start to fly.
Once up in the air the smaller wing felt good but needed to be worked harder to keep flying in the lulls, while the big wing normally just glides through them with a few pumps of the feet.
As the wind filled in a bit the smaller wing really started to work well. Top speed was 20.8 knots so an instant 2 knot improvement over the bigger wing. This is a foil PB speed for me.
For a heavier sailor looking for light wind flights, I would still recommend the bigger WS1 wing, but if you're looking for an alternative for windier days, or you're a lighter rider, then the KS1 kite wing could be a good option.
Note that the 2019 kite wing is a higher aspect ratio, lower area foil (600cm2, 64cm span). Would be interested to hear if anyone has used this on a windfoil.
Sounds like it would be pretty handy to have both wings, James. Would you say the smaller wing was easier to handle as the wind strengthened? I imagine the big wing could become a handful when powered up?
Select to expand quotejamesf said..
I had the chance to demo a Naish KS1 front wing yesterday (thanks to Dave at Kite and SUP ) and thought I'd share my experiences with the smaller wing compared to the normal WS1 setup.
Board: Exocet RF91 Foil
Sail: Mauisails TRX 7.0 (rigged 1cm less than spec)
Mast: Naish 90cm
Fuselage and Rear Wing: Standard Naish WS1 - rear wing tilted fully up
Weight: 95 kg
Wind: 8-15 knots
GPS: GT31
WS1 Wing:
Area - 1220cm2
Span - 65cm
KS1 Wing (note this is the 2018 model, 2019 is quite different):
Area - 880cm2
Span - 54.8cm
I started off on the WS1 wing to get comfortable and make sure everything was right. Top speed on this wing was 18.7 knots. I was easily able to pump the board up on the foil.
I switched across to the KS1 wing (everything else the same) then headed back out. The first thing I noticed was that it was harder to get flying (not unexpected). When pumping the foil with the bigger WS1 wing there is a lot more "resistance" to push against, while the smaller wing needed more board speed before it would start to fly.
Once up in the air the smaller wing felt good but needed to be worked harder to keep flying in the lulls, while the big wing normally just glides through them with a few pumps of the feet.
As the wind filled in a bit the smaller wing really started to work well. Top speed was 20.8 knots so an instant 2 knot improvement over the bigger wing. This is a foil PB speed for me.
For a heavier sailor looking for light wind flights, I would still recommend the bigger WS1 wing, but if you're looking for an alternative for windier days, or you're a lighter rider, then the KS1 kite wing could be a good option.
Note that the 2019 kite wing is a higher aspect ratio, lower area foil (600cm2, 64cm span). Would be interested to hear if anyone has used this on a windfoil.
Dave lent me the 2019 wing 600 sq cm to try kite foiling.
I have Naish surf medium and since I have smooth wet & dry the graphics it's my favorite.
Now with close to half the wing area this new 2019 wing is amazing.
Up on the foil in a swing of the kite almost as quick as my medium Naish. It became stable after I increased the aoa of the stabiliser.
All good but more challenging in jybes and down wind however conditions were almost no wind to 20kn - not the best for first test.
Will be back on it next week with a little more fine tuning.
