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Oahuwaterwalker said..
Any of you guys riding the Wing FG boards? I'm due to start thinking about a new board. For last three years I've been riding a Jimmy Lewis custom 69L 4'8"X23" It's still a great board, but I'm wondering about performance gains in surf if I were to switch to the Armstrong 58L (I'm about 80kg). Note: with a gust and well timed chop, I can get my current board on foil in about 10-12 knots with the HA680 and a 5.5 meter wing. I'm curious if that would still be possible with the 58L Armstrong?
Thanks
I just started riding the armie 58L wing board with my 925cm2 / 72cm2 mast / 60cm fuse / 232cm2 stab and a 5.5m2 wing, at 72kg wearing a 5/4 wetsuit. I love it. I'm not keen on testing the low-end since it's cold, but I currently get started with minimum ~15 kts.
On a lake ... the waves are too small and fast to help below that wind range.
Other boards I've ridden (also armie) are an old-school 99L wing-sup, and a 39L wing-surf. The 58L provides just enough volume to reach a standing position and prevent the nose from sinking on the first, half-submerged, pump, whereas with the 39L wing-surf board, one slight misstep and you're sunk.
Once the 58L is on foil it feels identical to riding the 39L wing-surf board, which is not surprising as their outlines are very close. The weight difference jumping is almost unnoticeable - I recorded 17 jumps in a 2hr session and my arms are still attached! The compact shape is great for deep carving without dragging a rail. And, I love the beveled deck for feeling the edge of the board.
I'm super stoked with this board and how it integrates with my wing foiling development and conditions that I hope to ride. The only problem is that I can't afford a new HA foil (let alone figure out which size to buy) !!