Has anyone tried the lift foils for wing dinging, and which combo is best?

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Andy_Mac said..
Has anyone tried the lift foils for wing dinging, and which combo is best?

Ha ha not enjoying being slower than me

I am riding the 250 HA/38 stabilizer and while its all that I know, I love it. I started with the 50 stabilizer and found it to be a little stiff/ locked in, and recently switched to the 38 and its much better (I could probably even do the 34 or 32). I can drift or pivot a little bit if I have enough speed, but it is controlled and doesn't feel squirrely. The front wing has a ton of lift, but provides a very stable platform. gybes are pretty drawn out (it doesn't like to turn fast), but it has pretty good glide through the turn. I find that the setup pumps well enough to "recover" from a stall, or catch up to a wave, but its slightly draggy if you expect to be pumping for long distances. While the glide on the 250 HA is very good, I wonder if I could ride the 170 or 200 HA and get a lot more glide, without suffering too much pitch stability or lift. I also find that the 250 is a lot of lift when its blowing over 25kts, and I think I might prefer the 170 or 200 HA (although I have ridden the setup over 30kts without any drama). I would be really keen to try the 170 HA, 200 HA, and 200 Surf v2 for comparison. I know other people (lighter and more skilled) are even winging on the 120 HA.

My only point of reference is the 170 surf v1 / 50 stabilizer combo that I kite foil with. I haven't winged on this setup, but extrapolating from the kite, it is much turnier, but the glide and pump are nowhere near the 250 HA. I also feel like the 250 is much easier to recover versus the 170 which stalls much more suddenly. Note that the surf v1 shape was lower aspect than the surf v2 wings. I haven't tried any of the surf v2 wings, but I hear good things and it seems like it splits the difference between the glide of the HA and the turns of the v1.

For context, Im relatively new to the wing, but I am riding in small waves, getting gybes, etc... 77-80 kgs.

Bottom line, I really like my setup. I learned on this setup and can continue to progress for a long time. No regrets whatsoever. Only time I would want a smaller wing is in high winds.

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hilly said..

Andy_Mac said..
Has anyone tried the lift foils for wing dinging, and which combo is best?

Ha ha not enjoying being slower than me

Not for long

Had 1 session on the 170HA w32 glide stab on a 32mast in a gusty 10 to 20knot offshore wind. Been prone surfing it a tonne. Im 70kg.

Compared to my Gofoil NL160 it takes a little finnesse to get up but very efficent and quiet once you are going, feels loose, easy to turn not as locked in as my other setup. I set the mast all the way forward and still feels more 'back footed' compared to the GF. At slow speed it drops fast, but not a concern to me. Mast not as stiff as the equiv Gofoil 32.5. Need more time but im gonna like it.

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Chrisactive said..Not for long

Yes he will be, panicking as he went from Army gear to Lift 170 and he is so slow compared to when he was on the 1050 But he can pump better on a sup. This sport is all a compromise, give with one hand take away with the other.

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hilly said..

Chrisactive said..Not for long

Yes he will be, panicking as he went from Army gear to Lift 170 and he is so slow compared to when he was on the 1050 But he can pump better on a sup. This sport is all a compromise, give with one hand take away with the other.

Lift 170 is a huge lots of lift foil. The 150 surf and 120HA is in a different league. And yes I have ridden Amstrong gear but it doesn't come close to what I am riding now imho.

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Chrisactive said..

hilly said..

Chrisactive said..Not for long

Yes he will be, panicking as he went from Army gear to Lift 170 and he is so slow compared to when he was on the 1050 But he can pump better on a sup. This sport is all a compromise, give with one hand take away with the other.

Lift 170 is a huge lots of lift foil. The 150 surf and 120HA is in a different league. And yes I have ridden Amstrong gear but it doesn't come close to what I am riding now imho.

Do you wing ding?

For what its worth here are recommended setups from a few very experienced riders

Damien Leroy: 120HA or 170HA / 25 stab
Matt Nuzzo: 170, 200 surf v2 or 170 HA / 32 stab

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hilly said..

Chrisactive said..

hilly said..

Chrisactive said..Not for long

Yes he will be, panicking as he went from Army gear to Lift 170 and he is so slow compared to when he was on the 1050 But he can pump better on a sup. This sport is all a compromise, give with one hand take away with the other.

Lift 170 is a huge lots of lift foil. The 150 surf and 120HA is in a different league. And yes I have ridden Amstrong gear but it doesn't come close to what I am riding now imho.

Do you wing ding?

Yep