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hilly said..

BWalnut said..

Faff said..
I just realised a harness was a game changer for going upwind, using bigger wings and saving my hands.

Agree. Follow up question: Why has the harness been resisted each step of the way? I remember it being resisted with winging and then now with the parawing there's been pushback. It seems like we're getting over the hump quickly this time but I've been confused by this.

Most wingers came from windsurfing and kiting and really enjoyed the simplicity of it after years of lugging all the associated paraphernalia around.

I was also concerned with garroting myself with a harness line when tacking. Not an issue with a stiff windsurfing harness line. (But I have managed to put my hand thru the loop a few times though, lol).

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Faff said..

hilly said..

BWalnut said..

Faff said..
I just realised a harness was a game changer for going upwind, using bigger wings and saving my hands.

Agree. Follow up question: Why has the harness been resisted each step of the way? I remember it being resisted with winging and then now with the parawing there's been pushback. It seems like we're getting over the hump quickly this time but I've been confused by this.

Most wingers came from windsurfing and kiting and really enjoyed the simplicity of it after years of lugging all the associated paraphernalia around.

I was also concerned with garroting myself with a harness line when tacking. Not an issue with a stiff windsurfing harness line. (But I have managed to put my hand thru the loop a few times though, lol).

"garroting" nice vocabulary.

I've spooked myself with the hand/arm through the larger loops as well. After a while my technique shifted though and it never happened again.

Less is more. If I just downwinded I would not use a harness. Only useful for upwind downwind.

The biggest game changer as far as I am concerned, and I am not eve hesitant in using the term because it fits the bill, was long narrow boards. Allowed me to ride everyday, and use smaller and more maneuverable wings and foils in my every day conditions (10-15 knots). This in turn boosted my abilities. So yes - it sure changed my game

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eyalinbar said..
The biggest game changer as far as I am concerned, and I am not eve hesitant in using the term because it fits the bill, was long narrow boards. Allowed me to ride everyday, and use smaller and more maneuverable wings and foils in my every day conditions (10-15 knots). This in turn boosted my abilities. So yes - it sure changed my game

I agree, these boards were the absolute biggest leap forward. Smaller foils, smaller wings, never worried about falling and not getting a re-start. Definitely the biggest change for me too.

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eyalinbar said..
The biggest game changer as far as I am concerned, and I am not eve hesitant in using the term because it fits the bill, was long narrow boards. Allowed me to ride everyday, and use smaller and more maneuverable wings and foils in my every day conditions (10-15 knots). This in turn boosted my abilities. So yes - it sure changed my game

How long and narrow? What did they replace?

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hilly said..
Less is more. If I just downwinded I would not use a harness. Only useful for upwind downwind.

Being able to belly sail back to shore hooked in is a reason alone to use a harness with DW. Sure, you can just hold it, but if it's a long sail, the shoulder is much happier.

I'm another advocate for longer narrower boards as my "Game Changer". I went from my 5'6" x 27" chicken nugget beginners board to a Smik Stok'r Breeze 6' x 19.5" x 85L. I weigh 86kg in my wetsuit. I'm 59 yo and like riding bumps strapless and just trying to wing with some flow. After a few sessions coming to grips with the reduced stability, I never looked back. It's like a completely different sport now. The board feels so much smaller despite the extra length. Knowing that re-starting after a fall is so easy freed me up mentally to try and push myself to expand my repertoire of transitions. I'm a much improved winger now and I put that down to a board that inspires confidence and conserves energy.
I've also just started to dip my toes into Parawinging, and to make learning a little easier, I decided to buy a secondhand DW board . It's a 2024 Duotone Downwinder. 7'2" x 21" x 115L. Not only has this board made learning to Parawing very easy, it's dynamite for winging in light winds too. As I can only get out once or twice a week, this bigger board is a great insurance policy for maximising time on the water.

Totally agree with the downwind boards, but in the interest of adding something new to the discussion:
Pumpfoils with a wingspan >140, AR >10. This allows so many extra days on the water in ultra light wind and newer foils are OKish with respect to turning.

For me:

-MidLength board. Higher on volume, longer in length. Makes life so much easier, yes its a bit bigger on foil, but i'll take the ease of water start every day of the week.

-PPC M1 wing. Stiffest, lightest wing i've flown so far. Massive comparison to the flappy sleeping bag North Nova.

-Wing leash attached to waist harness. No more wrists being ripped out of socket from the wing water launching (quite certain ive damaged ligaments in my wrist because of it). Gives you freedom of movement to get back on the board.

-Longer mast. Intimidating at first, but a marked improvement in board clearance and upwind performance. Better on the pump as well.

Foils that have glide and are accessible, at least at my level, really make for a way better experience.
I always had fairly long boards so that's less of a shift for me.

I had forgotten how valuable this was but right after I got my Barracuda v1 I had the opportunity to be a brand rep which meant I ended up with an entire quiver of foils, area 550-1780, 8 fronts in total, 5 tails, 3 mast lengths, all fuse sizes. I can't imagine anyone buying all that gear to embrace that level of progression but it had a profound impact on my development. I got so much better, so fast, having that board matched with all those foils. In that sense, the opportunity was the game changer.

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BWalnut said..
I had forgotten how valuable this was but right after I got my Barracuda v1 I had the opportunity to be a brand rep which meant I ended up with an entire quiver of foils, area 550-1780, 8 fronts in total, 5 tails, 3 mast lengths, all fuse sizes. I can't imagine anyone buying all that gear to embrace that level of progression but it had a profound impact on my development. I got so much better, so fast, having that board matched with all those foils. In that sense, the opportunity was the game changer.

I would've been stuck in analysis paralysis.

It's not too bad. I just said 2.5m is the only sail I'll use and then I matched the foil to it. Super fun.