Am 100kgs, winging for a year, gybes nailed learning tacks now, advanced kite foiler and I have a sinker 56L for 20+knots

What board size should I get?

5'8 99L - Perfect for my weight but way more volume, and 28' wide
5'4 88L - I'm tempted by this, but is -12 too much in 10-20knots, I've heard they get on foil easier, is this true

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north_kiter said..
Am 100kgs, winging for a year, gybes nailed learning tacks now, advanced kite foiler and I have a sinker 56L for 20+knots

What board size should I get?

5'8 99L - Perfect for my weight but way more volume, and 28' wide
5'4 88L - I'm tempted by this, but is -12 too much in 10-20knots, I've heard they get on foil easier, is this true

I'm 75kg, got 60L, seems it's perfect balance, never touched my 90L board since. FG 60L is enough for me for lighter days too. The only con is that if the wind completely dies you have to lie down on the board and paddle back, can't just propel/balance on knees with 60L in ~1-2 knots like I'd be able to do on 90L for example.
Made sorts of a review on it:

I ride the 75L (5'2") and weigh 90 kgs. Definitely requires some work to get it out of the water when the wind drops below 12 knots. That being said, I think you could ride the 88 L in 12-20 knots. 100 L would be a comfy ride, but these boards are really fun to ride smaller.

Good review Artemn! Regarding handle, try pointing tail forward vs nose forward. The rail will notch into your armpit a bit more comfortably. I only use the handle for entering and exiting the water when the rail line is in the water and holding against waves. Otherwise I will simply straight arm overhead holding the front wing (like a waiter holding a pitcher of drinks) or hold the mast against my shoulder for long walks.

north kiter:
I was in a similar quandary at 65 KGs looking at the 60 and 50L (moving from a different brand 74L). I went with the 60L mainly because my local spot is very tide dependent and more than half of the day is unrideable if you are sinking too much from the surface on launch.

I would say they main difference volume wise, compared to my old 74l, is that I could maintain balance off foil and off wind for at least twice the amount of time with the 74. The 60 will sink my 65kgs (before gear) down to my knees and I typically won't fight it and just get ready to reset and wait on next gust in choppy seas. Starting can be tricky on the open ocean coast runs I've been doing, but the Stinkbug has almost 100% success rate.

Perfect world I'd go one just above KGs for light (and teaching), one 15L less for moderate and the sinker for when it's on.

if you don't have a lot of gusty conditions or worried too much about dragging anchor or prone paddling home, I'd go smaller. But I'd be nervous haha. I went the more reserved route and still happy. The board is awesome and gets up on foil with half the effort of my 74L with kick tail.

Yeah I was thinking more for the 12-20 range, more so for the 15-20 range when my sinker can't work. In Sydney, wind is gusty, and inconsistent a lot of the time so less than 15 doesn't happen that often at my weight...

I have 1550v2,1250 to interchange depending on the wind too

But hopefully I'll travel soon and will use elsewhere.

5'8 seems big and it's wide....I guess a demo would be best.

interesting to hear what other heavy guys use.

I think Hilly is around my weight, what board did he get for winging?

Hi Northkiter.
I am 85kg and have the 5'8" FG Wing Sup. I am hoping SUP it too and can paddle it but it is a little tippy. I also have a Sabfoil 5'2 of same volume. The board feels both bigger and smaller. As the volume is spread over a bigger area it is more stable. With the forward mast placement it feels smaller on foil when riding. The bottom has quite big cut aways which means it gives more area to stand up with, however when you get some forward motion it rides up on the the smaller bottom surface. I can get up in less wind and quicker I believe with this board. It also seems to get on foil quickly without having to pump the foil. Just seems to lift.

I think the advantage of this hull design is that it allows you to ride smaller foils. I like the 1850 hs for light wind but am thinking that the 1550 should be my light wind foil in future. I will see!

The Armstrong is really easy to carry too. I like the through the board handle, also for the fact it does not hold water. I put the board in the water backwards as it is easier to push into deeper water.

Good luck with your decision.

I think my level is much lower but am really enjoying the 5'11" with my 95kgs.
Just in from very light wind session in gusty conditions 8-10kts occasionally gusting maybe 11-12kts and I could pump it on using a 5m Duotone Slick and HS1850 Foil. The FG is really nice to ride and fully powered up in 20kts it's still easy to use and fun to chuck around. So IMHO there isn't much downside to slightly more volume, it will get going earlier than a smaller board. Easier to get home when the wind drops, inevitable in gusty spots.
As with windsurf sinker boards back in the day there is a lot of peer pressure in the pub to see who rides the smallest most radical board. Usually the smallest sailors no?
Only thing I have found is the rails are really wide and can be slippery when wet as the standing area is quite small.
Not an issue if you never fall off :)

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ArtemN said..

north_kiter said..
Am 100kgs, winging for a year, gybes nailed learning tacks now, advanced kite foiler and I have a sinker 56L for 20+knots

What board size should I get?

5'8 99L - Perfect for my weight but way more volume, and 28' wide
5'4 88L - I'm tempted by this, but is -12 too much in 10-20knots, I've heard they get on foil easier, is this true

I'm 75kg, got 60L, seems it's perfect balance, never touched my 90L board since. FG 60L is enough for me for lighter days too. The only con is that if the wind completely dies you have to lie down on the board and paddle back, can't just propel/balance on knees with 60L in ~1-2 knots like I'd be able to do on 90L for example.
Made sorts of a review on it:

How do you find the Moses 1000?

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north_kiter said..

How do you find the Moses 1000?

Loving it, 90% of the time riding it, great speed, efficiency, pumps nicely, fluid feel, easy to recover on breaching, does pretty well in surf as well.

Just back from 2 sessions today on the 99l 5'8" clocking in about 65 km. I am 85 kgs so this is almost +15. Rode both the 1250 and 1550V2 in bigger lake swell and chop (1 -1.5m). Just fantastic. I also was deciding between 88 and 99. I went bigger to make things easier on light days and give some float since I I am riding in the colder months more often when we get our best winds on the great lakes.

Board comes up fast and glides through touch downs. It really seems to improve the performance of the Armstrong foils compared to my previous 90l board. It feels smaller since the mast is farther forward. I ride strapless but the sunken deck gives a real locked in feeling.

Can't wait for more sessions

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FarNorthSurfer said..
I think my level is much lower but am really enjoying the 5'11" with my 95kgs.
Just in from very light wind session in gusty conditions 8-10kts occasionally gusting maybe 11-12kts and I could pump it on usi.........
Only thing I have found is the rails are really wide and can be slippery when wet as the standing area is quite small.
Not an issue if you never fall off :)

HI Far North Surfer,
I just bought one of these boards and have found the rails quite wide and slippery too. Have you tried any "fixes" eg surf wax, rail tape, "sand" deck spray. Any thoughts appreciated.
Cheers
Mangawhai

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Mangawhai said..

FarNorthSurfer said..
I think my level is much lower but am really enjoying the 5'11" with my 95kgs.
Just in from very light wind session in gusty conditions 8-10kts occasionally gusting maybe 11-12kts and I could pump it on usi.........
Only thing I have found is the rails are really wide and can be slippery when wet as the standing area is quite small.
Not an issue if you never fall off :)

HI Far North Surfer,
I just bought one of these boards and have found the rails quite wide and slippery too. Have you tried any "fixes" eg surf wax, rail tape, "sand" deck spray. Any thoughts appreciated.
Cheers
Mangawhai

Yes, wax the rails

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Mangawhai said..

FarNorthSurfer said..
I think my level is much lower but am really enjoying the 5'11" with my 95kgs.
Just in from very light wind session in gusty conditions 8-10kts occasionally gusting maybe 11-12kts and I could pump it on usi.........
Only thing I have found is the rails are really wide and can be slippery when wet as the standing area is quite small.
Not an issue if you never fall off :)

HI Far North Surfer,
I just bought one of these boards and have found the rails quite wide and slippery too. Have you tried any "fixes" eg surf wax, rail tape, "sand" deck spray. Any thoughts appreciated.
Cheers
Mangawhai

Sadly I had trouble when the FG developed a deck crack, details in the Armstrong FG thread.
The good news is warranty support was great and in fact I got my money back.
So I didn't solve the slippery rails issue but I think a bit of surf wax would work.
Now riding a Patrik AIO which is great, no issues with the deck as it has a full pad.
In comparison with the FG I need a different technique to get it pumped on as it is shorter and doesn't track quite as well when you pump it.
I enjoyed riding the FG, just a shame it cracked or I would still have it.

Any updated thoughts on sizes? I am about 85 kg and can ride my 39L FG when it is nuking. Looking for something as small as possible for 16knts+. Should I go for the 60 or 75. My daily driver is 90L, but big for me when In waves

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nywaterman said..
Any updated thoughts on sizes? I am about 85 kg and can ride my 39L FG when it is nuking. Looking for something as small as possible for 16knts+. Should I go for the 60 or 75. My daily driver is 90L, but big for me when In waves

I weigh 82kg and use the 75L (minimal sinkage, maybe 1-2cm with no chop). I can knee start from about 11kts and can schlog comfortably from around 14kts. It's very well balanced-the volume distribution is brilliant. The hull shape is such that pumping and planing is achieved efficiently. Few pumps and I'm off. My previous board was a 95L Naish S26 Carbon Ultra. It took me about 30min to get used to kneeling on the board (the EVA is thin but very comfortably). The board is super stiff but maneuverable and lightweight. Very responsive in the waves. The carbon tail pad helps a lot with carving hard. I love this thing.

I bought a 5'8 99L and love the board, riding it with a takuma kujira 1210 and just got 1095 wing, but its winter and not enough wind most days so hardly getting out. I am 118kg in a wetsuit so that's almost -20L for me which is fine in good wind but it sinks quite a bit in the liight stuffand is super hard to get board speed and a pain to get back when wind dies. I am considering getting something bigger just for the light stuff and no idea what size to get. Ideally another FG but my wife may kill me, but also buying a lesser board that big is not an attractive option and will feel like a boat... Maybe i should get the next size up FG or maybe two sizes up so I can go out in wind under 13kn.

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nywaterman said..
Any updated thoughts on sizes? I am about 85 kg and can ride my 39L FG when it is nuking. Looking for something as small as possible for 16knts+. Should I go for the 60 or 75. My daily driver is 90L, but big for me when In waves

Seems like the 60 L would be closer to splitting the difference between your 39 and 90 L boards. Since you're looking for as small as possible go smaller. You might swear at it occasionally but not when ripping up a wave.

Thx. 60 is so tempting.! 75 is a no brainer, but feel like it will still be big. The 39 is a dream once up

Thx. 60 is so tempting.! 75 is a no brainer, but feel like it will still be big. The 39 is a dream once up

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nywaterman said..
Thx. 60 is so tempting.! 75 is a no brainer, but feel like it will still be big. The 39 is a dream once up

I'm 80kg and recently got a 60l (not the Armstrong). I'm easily riding it to 15kts. I was on the fence as to whether it would be too low volume but now that I have it I know I made the right decision. Once you dial in the takeoff (took me less than a session) it's no problem. The size is more versatile than I expected at my weight and I use this board 90% of the time now.

I agree. I think a small board is all about getting it to the surface. I find that my 39L gets unstuck from the water really fast.

So @ 75/77kg I used the 39L last summer. Problem was I was still putting up one size bigger than others. Not all the time Mind you but if when was slightly marginal / sketchy or hard to make a call say for a long down winder I had to err on the side of having more than enough. Especially when trying places I hadn't ridden before and / or isolated. Nearly came unstuck a few times for example in Esperance - a place you don't want to be floating around in the water ! But then you find yourself over done on that bigger wing all the time.


Have the 60L now and using the stink bud in all but really marginal conditions I'm on a the same wing size as anyone else my weight with a similar foil
setup. I've also been proning it.


that all being said you just can't deny volume for ease of use. I look on with envy in those lighter days when the swell is running and the accomplished crew are only just getting going in lighter winds but able to enjoy clean wave riding.



i can "dog it" sort of - but it's quite physical having to pump the wind continually - but it is possible.
every choice has a compromise involved.


that being said i do enjoy the 60 though it's as good a one board quiver as I've found.

15 to 20l under your weight is a fairly good guide for an easy allrounder board. @105kg I am on a 90l board. All good unless no wind then I am paddling, cannot dog in. Which I could on 115l board.

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nywaterman said..
Thx. 60 is so tempting.! 75 is a no brainer, but feel like it will still be big. The 39 is a dream once up

I agree. I have the 75L FG (I'm about 68 kg) and it still feels big. I've used my 34 and 39L FG boards and they are fantastic for winging. Hard to go back to the big one. Go smaller

I'm around 64kgs, have the 60l - it's a great easy to use board for all conditions down to the min. I would go out in around 10kts - for sure do not need to go bigger. When wind shuts out completely and board speed very slow then it sinks to around knees, but as soon as there is any fwd speed it easily pops to surface.
Suspect slightly smaller would be possible but 50l probably too far a jump for all round board for me.