Just got a new board! The F4 R-board. 75l and 5' 4.0" x 20.8" with a deep tuttle connection to the foil.
The board I have been using before was 5' 2" x 24.4", with a plate mount. And a completely different shape and tail.

New board I weighed to 4.5kg with pad, and old was 5.9kg.

So was very eager to try it out today, but not sure if there would be enough wind. My biggest foil is a 100cm/1000cm2, biggest wing is 6.0, and I am 90kg.

But I went out, to at least feel how it would balance in the water. It was easy to get up on. And The longer length makes it less "tippy" back and forth, and easier to get up on. The reduced with didn't really affect me at all. When there was no wind, the board would sink, but I could balance it well.

And there was apparently enough wind. Got a puff, and managed to pump it up. My previous board had a decent glide. But this was different. If it is the reduced width, the special shape of the tail, or the reduced drag from not having plate mount, I dont know. But I like it:)
Of course it is always difficult to tell, but I am quite sure I wouldn't be able to get up on foil with the old board.

Up on foil it feels great. Still I was fine with the reduced width, but I do not think I would have anything more narrow. When doing jibes or tacks it felt good, but I could also feel that I was a little bit outside of the pad.

1.4kg less weight in the board was also very noticable. First of all when carrying it:) And then I could actually feel it when doing foot swaps. A heavier board reacts slower, and actually makes foot swaps easier. But it just feels a bit strange the first half hour.

Really happy about it, and would say that reducing the width didn't make anything more challenging at all.

Tomorrow there is supposed to be more wind, and I hope to try it with the F4 Wahoo 700 foil.

Yesterday I had a another go on the board. This time in more windy conditions. With Mya 5.0 wing, and a Wahoo 700 foil.

And I had an absolute blast. I felt much more confident than before, and I could really drive hard trough snappy turns.
Heel side tacks was fabulous fun.

Going in a straight line, and especially upwind, I felt really solid. And it would accelerate upwind in the gust as much as it actually made upwind fun. How well it was riding upwind, I think also correlates to how good it felt banking it through turns.

For me this was a bit strange. How can a change of board affect the ride so much? At the same time someone sent me a message here on Seabreeze asking me about rake. And I started to think.

So I went home, and mounted up old and new board. And I think I found part of the explanation.
The old board had zero rake. The deck of the board was 100 % parallel to the fuselage. And so was the underside of the board.

On the new board, the foil has a rake of 2.4 degree compared to the underside of the board, at the point where the tuttle box is.
And compared to the deck, 4.6 degree.

The placement of the foil in the board, in relation to the front foot straps were the same.

Now I have sold the old board. But if I were to keep it, I would for sure try to shim the base plate with 3-4 degree.
And I feel a bit stupid not checking this before.

what other boards did you consider besides the F4 R-board? I'm trying to find a wing board with a tuttlebox in the 65L range.

I've also got one of these R boards and it's great. The shape of the board is good but I think the Tuttle and clean bottom shape is a big contributor to the take off performance. I didn't consider other boards because I know what I like now and the board pairs perfectly with the f4 foils I've settled on. Having said that I've tried the board with my mikes lab kite foil as well and it works great. Take off with a kite foil in moderate wind is easy, it doesn't need to be strong.
I suspect as more people settle on what they like and not swapping foils brands regularly tuttle boards will make a comeback. The boards are lighter and all the underwater drag of a plate is gone so take off is significantly easier. For reference I've also got a 16inch wide downwind board that I've used with the same foil wings but a plate mast and they are similar in ease to take off at the low end for winging. The R board is significantly more fun and easier to ride though.

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gneve said..
what other boards did you consider besides the F4 R-board? I'm trying to find a wing board with a tuttlebox in the 65L range.

I have been on F4 foils, or foils designed by F4, since windfoil days back in 2017. And like the culture/attitude in the brand. So for me I only had the R-board in mind.
But if they were not making boards, what would I then go for? Well, I think the KA (Ken Adgate) boards looks great, but I am not sure if anyone can buy one.
Turtle Wing Boards in Garda, Italy, are making boards with deep tuttle as well. And they are in the same weight category as the R-board (very light). But at 2600-2700 euro.

What foil do you have?

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BirkelandNOR150 said..

gneve said..
what other boards did you consider besides the F4 R-board? I'm trying to find a wing board with a tuttlebox in the 65L range.

I have been on F4 foils, or foils designed by F4, since windfoil days back in 2017. And like the culture/attitude in the brand. So for me I only had the R-board in mind.
But if they were not making boards, what would I then go for? Well, I think the KA (Ken Adgate) boards looks great, but I am not sure if anyone can buy one.
Turtle Wing Boards in Garda, Italy, are making boards with deep tuttle as well. And they are in the same weight category as the R-board (very light). But at 2600-2700 euro.

What foil do you have?

ML700

Nice. I guess similar size as my F4 Wahoo 700.
From what I have heard and seen online, the R-board is along the lines of the boards that are recommended for Mikes Lab. Especially what Ken Adgate describes in the generic foiling podcast.
Lots of rocker, and mast under the rear foot.