Like most wingers I've been downsizing my board and foil size as I progress. On the foil side I started with a Gong Pro (Curve) XL at 1900 sq cm, then to a Veloce XL at ~1520 sq cm, and now to a Veloce LT at ~1320 sq cm. Except for one annoying attribute (weight) I'm thrilled with the new LT Veloce,...and at the Gong price point it's hard to complain too much. It's amazing how these new "smaller" foils have all the small foil benefits without any significant penalty in stall speed (a big deal for me). Here's a quick vid of my first session with the new foil. Still using it with the 47cm Veloce stabilizer. (If my right knee strength keeps improving I'm still dreaming of rigging some straps later this year to start jumping ). Cheers!

Patrice put out a nice video describing his foil range and general design criteria. Link attached

That thing looks so smooth. But your riding style is smooth anyway so you make it look good.

i have a 40cm Gong tail I need to sand down right now too.

Regarding stall speed. Do you notice needing more speed to get going? Curious about the Veloces. Riding a Curve now.

On the weight, there is also the sandwich effect.

With sandwich structures (here the wing foam core between the outer top and bottom carbon skins), the thicker the structure, the stronger it is. So you can use less of the heavy material (carbon+resin) for the same strength (stiffness).

==> For the same stiffness, a thinner profile will need to be heavier than a thicker one due to the sandwich effect.

PS: This is just my point of view, based on general engineering principles. I have no information on the actual construction of the Gong wings other than what is published.

Select to expand quote

colas said..
On the weight, there is also the sandwich effect.

With sandwich structures (here the wing foam core between the outer top and bottom carbon skins), the thicker the structure, the stronger it is. So you can use less of the heavy material (carbon+resin) for the same strength (stiffness).

==> For the same stiffness, a thinner profile will need to be heavier than a thicker one due to the sandwich effect.

PS: This is just my point of view, based on general engineering principles. I have no information on the actual construction of the Gong wings other than what is published.

Colas,

Patrice mentioned on the Facebook Gong Galaxy Group that he added 3 additional carbon layers to his latest foil wings, so that explains the added weight for he same volume (less foam core and more carbon/epoxy). He said it was intended for added durability. The only issue with that, was that the Gong foil wings never had any durability issues from what I could tell. My Veloce XL certainly never had an issue. The Gong foil to fuselage connection has always had a minor "wobble" issue (a retightening of screws sometimes required) but that is more of a design issue rather than a durability issue as I see it.

I think some Gong foil customers are disappointed with the weight increase but considering the Gong price value, I think it's hard to complain, and every Gong foil I've ridden has exceeded my expectations (otherwise I would have already switched brands..)

Select to expand quote

Dspace said..
The only issue with that, was that the Gong foil wings never had any durability issues from what I could tell.

Well, it depends a lot on the rider. Clumsy people who foil on rocky beaches and disassemble the foil after each session (with the risk of land-based dings) may have more durability issues compared to caution people in sandy places...

This is the challenge of mass-producing gear: finding the best compromise price/weight/durability/performance/accessibility that will work best (or less worse) for most people, and Patrice (as I guess most brands) is always tweaking the production to adjust this compromise...