totally blown away by the slingshot mast fuse wing joint being screwless

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RAF142134 said..
totally blown away by the slingshot mast fuse wing joint being screwless

So it has a single point of fastening..and therefore also a single point of failure ? So if that closing lever/ latch fails then one is 'screwed'?

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MProject04 said..

RAF142134 said..
totally blown away by the slingshot mast fuse wing joint being screwless

So it has a single point of fastening..and therefore also a single point of failure ? So if that closing lever/ latch fails then one is 'screwed'?

I think it's a bit more thought out than that, take a look ?si=BuTClCJDuqWbAQfF

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MProject04 said..

RAF142134 said..
totally blown away by the slingshot mast fuse wing joint being screwless

So it has a single point of fastening..and therefore also a single point of failure ? So if that closing lever/ latch fails then one is 'screwed'?

If you're worried about the latch you could wrap a bit of tape around it pretty easy.

No need to wrap anything, they spent 3 years engineering the one lock, even if the latch failed the foil does not come apart as per the videos making the rounds on insta.
no more corrosion, aluminum fuses that cannot take the stress of big front wings, no more screw tape or grease or dropping them in the sand.
If you foil in an area where you might need to swap out front and/or rear wings it's takes no time for swap out, no tools needed, wrong length bolt or bolts stripping out.
www.instagram.com/reel/C_lm1ncSlC8/?igsh=MTNoN3F1NjZuajRxdw==

Other interesting takeaways:

+ Increased collabs around foildrive. I was pleasantly surprised to see North offering the integrated foildrive mast. That looked neat. Also first time seeing the Appletree boards with foildrive 'cutout' on the board underside

+ The North dock starter www.instagram.com/reel/C_lbLk0vU7X/?igsh=MW5wMXhucjQ5b3BpMw==

...but from what I see I'd be a bit worried that the stabiliser extends beyond the dockstarter at the back. So perhaps can't be used on a dock that extends all the way into and under the water. That would be the only 'comment'. But still a great concept!

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CoreAS said..
no more corrosion, aluminum fuses that cannot take the stress of big front wings, no more screw tape or grease or dropping them in the sand.

I'm excited too but am abit concerned about the carbon shell on the end of the mast becoming the new weak point. It looks very thin vs the thickness of other systems carbon and alu fuselages. But maybe it becomes less of a stress concentration point than fuses like axis/code, right in front of the mast connection.

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MProject04 said..

RAF142134 said..
totally blown away by the slingshot mast fuse wing joint being screwless

So it has a single point of fastening..and therefore also a single point of failure ? So if that closing lever/ latch fails then one is 'screwed'?

This is of course a completely biased personal opinion, but for my this a solution looking for a problem. So we are saving less than a minute (after sitting on a beach for a couple of hours waiting for the wind or right swell ;)) and risk reliability, stiffness, etc.

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BigZ said..

MProject04 said..

RAF142134 said..
totally blown away by the slingshot mast fuse wing joint being screwless

So it has a single point of fastening..and therefore also a single point of failure ? So if that closing lever/ latch fails then one is 'screwed'?

This is of course a completely biased personal opinion, but for my this a solution looking for a problem. So we are saving less than a minute (after sitting on a beach for a couple of hours waiting for the wind or right swell ;)) and risk reliability, stiffness, etc.

guess it really depends on whether you want to ride their foils

HA foils getting smaller using more curves in foil profiles for lower stall for smaller, faster, more responsive kit. Armstrong did this in a big way but KT claim additional profile changes to bring top speed back with increased pitch stability mostly countered from better stabs.

Nothing wrong with good old screws. It is simple to use and reliable. Setting up my foil with the stab takes just 5 minutes.
Kudos to slingshot for trying out different things, but I would not be "totally blown away" by this R&D feature knowing that ultimately I would have to pay for the time Slingshot designers spent developing it when I buy anything from Slingshot in the future.

Biggest takeaway is that the market has 2 another new mast-fuse standards instead of looking to unify stuff.Imagine how fun it would be if I could simply buy a plane from brand A and put it on mast B without adapter solution like Cedus/No Limitz make.the KT stuff looks well thought through, but I hoped that they worked with an already consisting connection like Axis, Mike,s Lab or something alike.

Does anyone know if there was any more pocket wings/ parawings released at AWSI?

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Youngbreezy said..
Does anyone know if there was any more pocket wings/ parawings released at AWSI?

North acknowledged theirs in a podcast interview, might have been on generic can't remember now. Said it was originally developed as a self rescue backup. Sounds like it will be released late 2025. Seeing as their dock start ramp will cost more than $300 I would not expect it to be priced much differently than the BRM which definitely looks like the best option out there.

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JohnnyDepp said..
Kudos to slingshot for trying out different things, but I would not be "totally blown away" by this R&D feature knowing that ultimately I would have to pay for the time Slingshot designers spent developing it when I buy anything from Slingshot in the future.

Doesnt this apply to any brand? You think a Duotone video shot in the maldives isnt amortized over the product sales?

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wingding said..

JohnnyDepp said..
Kudos to slingshot for trying out different things, but I would not be "totally blown away" by this R&D feature knowing that ultimately I would have to pay for the time Slingshot designers spent developing it when I buy anything from Slingshot in the future.

Doesnt this apply to any brand? You think a Duotone video shot in the maldives isnt amortized over the product sales?

My point was about paying for a feature that I do not find particularly mind blowing (and frankly not very useful). And of course marketing is part of the product price that we pay. But I hope you can see the difference here.

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JohnnyDepp said..

wingding said..

JohnnyDepp said..
Kudos to slingshot for trying out different things, but I would not be "totally blown away" by this R&D feature knowing that ultimately I would have to pay for the time Slingshot designers spent developing it when I buy anything from Slingshot in the future.

Doesnt this apply to any brand? You think a Duotone video shot in the maldives isnt amortized over the product sales?

My point was about paying for a feature that I do not find particularly mind blowing (and frankly not very useful). And of course marketing is part of the product price that we pay. But I hope you can see the difference here.

The initial launch at the AWSI focused on the one lock foil system which really depends on where you live and ride if it appeals to you?

Certain parts of the year we have to park and carry everything on foot (hardware, tools, different size wings etc.) you hit the water and the wind dies off, so now you are changing foil set ups whilst being sand blasted, unless you want to walk back and forth to the car losing time.

The whole SS foil system will have performance upgrades from masts to wings, so the one lock part isn't just a one trick pony,

put a Torx key and if you want 1 extra bolt for in case you never know in the Aquapack where you keep your carkey, or in the keypocket of your wetsuit, Release the 2 bolts from your fuse: take the plane to your car like you would do with the Slingshot, grab an diff plane and put it on....takes maybe 30sec more then the one lock system.

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Jeroensurf said..
put a Torx key and if you want 1 extra bolt for in case you never know in the Aquapack where you keep your carkey, or in the keypocket of your wetsuit, Release the 2 bolts from your fuse: take the plane to your car like you would do with the Slingshot, grab an diff plane and put it on....takes maybe 30sec more then the one lock system.

Or..I would carry the spare foils with me on the first trip and swap out on the beach in 10 seconds if conditions change, whilst you walk 5 mins to the car, swap out the foil, then you walk five minutes back to find out you forgot the torx wrench all the while I'm on the water catching the last of the wind

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CoreAS said..

Jeroensurf said..
put a Torx key and if you want 1 extra bolt for in case you never know in the Aquapack where you keep your carkey, or in the keypocket of your wetsuit, Release the 2 bolts from your fuse: take the plane to your car like you would do with the Slingshot, grab an diff plane and put it on....takes maybe 30sec more then the one lock system.

Or..I would carry the spare foils with me on the first trip and swap out on the beach in 10 seconds if conditions change, whilst you walk 5 mins to the car, swap out the foil, then you walk five minutes back to find out you forgot the torx wrench all the while I'm on the water catching the last of the wind

So if I understand correctly you'll take multiple front wings and stabs to the beach, but a single torx driver would overburden you?

But hey, you really don't need to convince anyone if you want to blow your money on this new system

IMHO its all just the same old development cycle as most of us know from windsurfing. New colors, slightly different shapes and slight tweaks overall. No game changers or earth moving developments, just everyone trying to reinvent the wheel on their own. Like jeroensurf said before a standardized system that all manufacturers stand behind would be earthmoving.

On a sidenote I thought the naish showcase was pure comedy, with those sales guys sounding like a pair of used cars salesmen.

Yeah I watched the vid and it kind off came of all as gimmicks and just full sales pitches everywhere like a used car yard.( Guess this is the point of the event) Amazing how many people are trying to fix problems we don't really have or try to speed up getting on the water 15secs quicker, like I love the inavation but sometimes I even wonder do we really need certain things.

axis had some new wings and good to see KT(KD Maui) foils pretty much ready for the market and his gear looks pretty good so hopefully he does well.

If you have ever wondered why your gear costs so much? Then looking at this event should give you a good idea. Lots of little hands all getting a piece of the little pie forcing the pie to be bigger so it can feed more little hands.

Sick place to have it though and the few years I went it was well put together. What a place to test the gear but what a pity the event had no wind besides the day before it started. Hood River is a sick place to go to and everyone should go there if they like water sports.

The most exciting thing at AWSI wasn't released at AWSI - the Parawing.

Also, sounds like FoilDrive is well established compared to last year. Talk of it being a new category of foiling now. Kudos to the team from Adelaide.

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CoreAS said..

Jeroensurf said..
put a Torx key and if you want 1 extra bolt for in case you never know in the Aquapack where you keep your carkey, or in the keypocket of your wetsuit, Release the 2 bolts from your fuse: take the plane to your car like you would do with the Slingshot, grab an diff plane and put it on....takes maybe 30sec more then the one lock system.

Or..I would carry the spare foils with me on the first trip and swap out on the beach in 10 seconds if conditions change, whilst you walk 5 mins to the car, swap out the foil, then you walk five minutes back to find out you forgot the torx wrench all the while I'm on the water catching the last of the wind

If I wanted to bring an foil like you do, what would be different to bringing an different plane in that case?Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable to leave a 1000+ euro kit on the beach while i,m riding out there, but maybe that is just a paying consumer issue.

Blue Planet Robert Stehlik seemed to be less than enthusiastic about Mid-lengths, saying flat bottoms, sharp rails, box positions can get you up almost as early.

My biggest take away from watching the event is that I will definitely stay away from upgrades that are not designed to improve my riding experience. Gimmicks built to save time or to very marginally improve speed etc I will try to ignore for a year at least or until they become mainstream. Instead I will concentrate on my riding skills. As an example, for me personally, a board upgrade to mid size is not worth it since I know that can get on foil with almost the same effort when using my good old 2-year-old "short" board of the same volume (flat bottom, sharp edges, 5 dent patches)

I have no crystal ball but it looks like brands will resort to changing form factors (connections, fuses, booms) that will force us to buy more than just a new wing or foil (Duotone dropped old booms, Slingshot introduced new fuse etc etc).

...damn those axis foils look sexy though

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ArthurAlston said..

Also, sounds like FoilDrive is well established compared to last year. Talk of it being a new category of foiling now. Kudos to the team from Adelaide.

Yep, and some nice incremental improvements like a cable that can detached from the motor so you don't have to buy a new stator for each cable length you choose. Also new travel batteries and some cool controller upgrades.

My unloved foil brand, Gong (which never participates in these industry gatherings) has a nice looking incremental V3 upgrade to their foil eco system.

I'm fine with small improvements when they have importance to me

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ArthurAlston said..
The most exciting thing at AWSI wasn't released at AWSI - the Parawing.

Also, sounds like FoilDrive is well established compared to last year. Talk of it being a new category of foiling now. Kudos to the team from Adelaide.

I agree on the parawing being the most exciting thing of the season. Besides getting some information on the new kt foils the awsi event was a huge dud to me. It's clear that the majority of brands are interested in changing their connection system every year and pumping out inflatable wings that last one season, and not actually trying to innovate. The classic "game changer" which is a marginal iteration on an established product

I was really hoping to see some prototypes from brands trying to remove or reduce leading edges on wings aimed at racing or high speed cruising. The parawing again was exciting here. Not aimed at what I'm looking for, but who knows how it will develop.

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Jeroensurf said..

CoreAS said..

Jeroensurf said..
put a Torx key and if you want 1 extra bolt for in case you never know in the Aquapack where you keep your carkey, or in the keypocket of your wetsuit, Release the 2 bolts from your fuse: take the plane to your car like you would do with the Slingshot, grab an diff plane and put it on....takes maybe 30sec more then the one lock system.

Or..I would carry the spare foils with me on the first trip and swap out on the beach in 10 seconds if conditions change, whilst you walk 5 mins to the car, swap out the foil, then you walk five minutes back to find out you forgot the torx wrench all the while I'm on the water catching the last of the wind

If I wanted to bring a foil like you do, what would be different to bringing a different plane in that case?Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable to leave a 1000+ euro kit on the beach while i,m riding out there, but maybe that is just a paying consumer issue.

I pay for every bit of my gear thanks and at the end of the day either a no tool foil system makes sense for you or it doesn't.
If the engineering design came from other brands that people use they would be excited as well

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patronus said..
Blue Planet Robert Stehlik seemed to be less than enthusiastic about Mid-lengths, saying flat bottoms, sharp rails, box positions can get you up almost as early.

I agree with this somewhat. My Slingshot Wingcraft V2 was a light wind machine for getting up in a light gust. However, it slogged like a pig. It was too wide to straddle if I just wanted to relax. It was very stable while mid-lengths are tippy. I do like the swing weight and narrower outlines of mid-lengths ... they just sail and surf better.

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CoreAS said..
If the engineering design came from other brands that people use they would be excited as well

Sure - if the brand I'm using would suddenly change the fuse to a new incompatible version, I'd get quite excited - but since the connections on my brand work very well, and don't need any improvement, that would be rather negative excitement. Frankly, I'd be p*ssed if I'd have to buy a new fuse to get the newest front wing, or if I would not be able to get compatible replacements when something breaks. It hurts if you have a foil setup you like, but can't use it anymore when a $100 part fails and the design changes require that you need to buy almost everything new. That's a great time to see if there are other brands there that get it right the first time, keep things compatible, keep their users happy, and innovate where it matters. I can think of more than one brand where that's the case, and none of them starts with an S.

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boardsurfr said..

CoreAS said..
If the engineering design came from other brands that people use they would be excited as well

Sure - if the brand I'm using would suddenly change the fuse to a new incompatible version, I'd get quite excited - but since the connections on my brand work very well, and don't need any improvement, that would be rather negative excitement. Frankly, I'd be p*ssed if I'd have to buy a new fuse to get the newest front wing, or if I would not be able to get compatible replacements when something breaks. It hurts if you have a foil setup you like, but can't use it anymore when a $100 part fails and the design changes require that you need to buy almost everything new. That's a great time to see if there are other brands there that get it right the first time, keep things compatible, keep their users happy, and innovate where it matters. I can think of more than one brand where that's the case, and none of them starts with an S.

You want a foil system WITH bolts folk can buy the slingshot phantasm it's an excellent foil, used it for nearly 5 years without an issue and I have invested in a quiver of wings into it. I will still use it for a bunch of other foil sports like prone, FD, teaching friends etc.

Or you can purchase a one lock foil that suits the area you ride, with no tools needed, no maintenance needed with hassle free and quick foil pit stops then you have an option of the one lock system and will allow much bigger foil wings.

Some brands have a dozen plus choices of fuses to select from and you're upset about a simple one lock solution that has the same connection for ALL front wing's sizes and no bolts.? Think most of your comparisons are coming from whatever foil you have now versus a slingshot foil system that was released in 2018 (seven seasons ago)