Just had my mind blown by the pre-production Omen 1050 and 60l board combo!
First off, I'm 225pd w/a wetsuit and the thought of being on a 60L sinker in the PNW(cold) had me...leary. Man was I ever shocked at how fast that board popped up. It reminded me of the videos of a submarine popping out of the water from submersion at speed. The other thing that had me super stoked was how this board bounces off the water. Everyone says there boards bounce off the water blabla-this board bounced better than anything I've been one...by a long shot.
The Foil, The Operator 1050
I hopped on it and had the best wingfoil session I've had to date. The foil was so Incredibly balanced, efficient and fast man... I'm going to throw my Cab1000 and nolimitz in the garbage(kidding). For real though, the foil allowed me to rip around and do exactly what I wanted to do. No Ventilation, no stalling, no upper speed limit, no problems. It was so efficient that the Glide allowed me to pull around a 360 which I've never done before. It just kept going and going and...
The mast was a pre-production mast that is 80% what the production one will be apparently. It was stiff stiffer and lighter than the Current No limitz mast(which by the way makes the Omen Masts)
The production units will be as stiff or stiffer than the Army or Axis HM masts but really light. That is no small thing.
Greg and Peter are in tough with some seriously refined foils on the market, but I have no.doubt they will be considered top 3 and contending for #1 on the market after what I experienced out there.

Awesome. That's high praise indeed! I haven't seen the production foil in person yet, but the prototypes looked bomber, shiny sexy carbon "lean mean gliding machines".

Looking forward to getting one underfoot and feeling it for myself. But honestly, kinda hoping I don't get the same feeling as you describe MM, as that's the kind of hunger that tends to get expensive. Ask me how I know LOL.

Must.Resist.New.Sexy.Foils [yeah right]

Sounds like sponsor/ambassador/mate review ;-)

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patronus said..
Sounds like sponsor/ambassador/mate review ;-)

....just don't start humming the Canadian national anthem..

No they DO look good... need to try...

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patronus said..
Sounds like sponsor/ambassador/mate review ;-)

Nope. Just a legit blown away experience from an experienced foiler

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martyman said..

patronus said..
Sounds like sponsor/ambassador/mate review ;-)

Nope. Just a legit blown away experience from an experienced foiler

I thought you were making foils? If so what brand name do they come under?

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Microsurfer said..

martyman said..

patronus said..
Sounds like sponsor/ambassador/mate review ;-)

Nope. Just a legit blown away experience from an experienced foiler

I thought you were making foils? If so what brand name do they come under?

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Microsurfer said..

martyman said..

patronus said..
Sounds like sponsor/ambassador/mate review ;-)

Nope. Just a legit blown away experience from an experienced foiler

I thought you were making foils? If so what brand name do they come under?

I've made foils but don't have any commercial brand, I make gear for myself.
Anyways Mr man, that Omen foil was sick and I want one.

Guessing that metal section of the fuse is aluminum? That much Ti might be kinda heavy.

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Thatspec said..
Guessing that metal section of the fuse is aluminum? That much Ti might be kinda heavy.

I asked Greg about it-its some kind of stainless steel.
I thought that it would be heavy but it's as light as any lift setup anyways. He said, think airplane

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Thatspec said..
Guessing that metal section of the fuse is aluminum? That much Ti might be kinda heavy.

The metal section is Stainless Steel and the fuse extension is forged Carbon. The difference in plane weight between the Operator 1050
to my F-one Eagle 1090 is 280grams 1.97kg vs 1.69kg respectively. I believe this system will prove more reliable than Carbon/Aluminum for that section based on my experience with current systems I own/ed F-one/Slingshot/Axis.

The front wing comes as one unit with the Stainless Steel part and though I don't think it is user serviceable, should the front wing
need service, it could be detached at the factory and potentially saving the end user money if replacement of either parts required.

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burchas said..

Thatspec said..
Guessing that metal section of the fuse is aluminum? That much Ti might be kinda heavy.

The metal section is Stainless Steel and the fuse extension is forged Carbon. The difference in plane weight between the Operator 1050
to my F-one Eagle 1090 is 280grams 1.97kg vs 1.69kg respectively. I believe this system will prove more reliable than Carbon/Aluminum for that section based on my experience with current systems I own/ed F-one/Slingshot/Axis.

The front wing comes as one unit with the Stainless Steel part and though I don't think it is user serviceable, should the front wing
need service, it could be detached at the factory and potentially saving the end user money if replacement of either parts required.

Is there a specific grade of stainless?

Thanks for the review Marty! Patronus and Gorgesailer might be on to something... we are all drinking the same Maple syrup flavoured Kool-Aid over here!

Regarding material selection, we chose 316 stainless for the fuselage instead of aluminum do downsize the profile as much as possible in this strength/stiffness critical section. No doubt there is a weight penalty - we've made up for it in other areas of the foil, but ultimately the increased performance, feel, and corrosion resistance of the SS aligns with our value of building the highest performance wave-freeride hydrofoil in the world.

What is the width in MM of the Omen masts?

From the omen website: 120x15.5 at the bottom tapering to 126x16.3 at the top. I'm guessing this will make the drag comparable to nolimitz v1 when fully submerged and a bit lower when riding close to the bottom of the mast. Nolimitz v1 is 120x16.7 I believe.

So I had a omen 72 liter board sitting in my van for about a week and half because of course the wind shut down when it arrived, but finally got two days on it. It is much longer and narrower ( 5'7" by 22") and thinner 4.3 " than most 72 l boards I have seen recently. I am 230 lbs (105 kg) so it is a semi-sinker for me. I usually ride a 95 or 105 L board and have only briefly tried smaller boards and just thought they were too much work.

The first day started at 8 to 14 knots puffy conditions so started out on my older 105 L floaty board with a 6 m wing. A few 15 -16 knot stronger puffs starting coming thru with not quite as deep lulls so thought I would try the omen just to see if possible for me to get it going. After a few minutes of flailing to get my stinkbug start dialed in for the sinkier board I got to my feet and as soon as a bit of a gust came thru to bring the board to the surface it took off like a torpedo - rocket ship and was immediately up and foiling. I was really surprised by the acceleration! Once on the surface of the water it accelerates way faster that than my wider (25" by 5 ft 95 L board). So no problem to use it in puffy 10-18 with just a bit of waiting for a puff to get it to the surface. Mostly just cruised around on this session to stay on a foil thru the lulls. If I dropped off the foil in a lull I could not stand on the board as would sink, but I can foil thru most lulls with a bit of pumping and keeping speed up. Had a axis ART 899 under the board. Seeing that it can work even in somewhat marginal conditions it will definately be my daily driver. For really light conditions without an occasion good puff to 15ish to get going I will keep the big 105 L board.

The 2nd session was in 15 -20 knots steadier wind with a 5m wing and easy to get foiling so could push a bit more to see how the narrower board left. The reduced width really makes a big difference in what I could do once on a foil. With my wider board if I lean it over too much a on tight carve, either tacking or jybing or even even loading up for jump I sometimes catch a rail. Of course, I adjust and don't do it too often but do have to hold back a bit. On the narrower board can go into carves with way more power and speed and just figuring out how much more I can push it. It is a big difference. I didn't realize how much I was holding back on the wider board till I got on this one. The extra length feels fine in the air on jumps as it is pretty thin in the nose so probably about the same swing weight or maybe a bit less than my 95.

One other thing that really surprised me is how easy it was to do touchdown footswitches. I mostly don't switch and ride heelside-toeside, in straps but occasionally do and usually touchdown. I expected with a narrow sinky board it would be tricky. But this shape keeps its speed so well and it is so smooth on the touchdown that the foil is still engaged and provide plenty of stability so was actually much easier than my wider floatier board which slows down quickly on touchdowns .

So really impressed after two sessions and encourage anyone who can to try one!

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ptraykovski said..
So I had a omen 72 liter board sitting in my van for about a week and half because of course the wind shut down when it arrived, but finally got two days on it. It is much longer and narrower ( 5'7" by 22") and thinner 4.3 " than most 72 l boards I have seen recently. I am 230 lbs (105 kg) so it is a semi-sinker for me. I usually ride a 95 or 105 L board and have only briefly tried smaller boards and just thought they were too much work.

The first day started at 8 to 14 knots puffy conditions so started out on my older 105 L floaty board with a 6 m wing. A few 15 -16 knot stronger puffs starting coming thru with not quite as deep lulls so thought I would try the omen just to see if possible for me to get it going. After a few minutes of flailing to get my stinkbug start dialed in for the sinkier board I got to my feet and as soon as a bit of a gust came thru to bring the board to the surface it took off like a torpedo - rocket ship and was immediately up and foiling. I was really surprised by the acceleration! Once on the surface of the water it accelerates way faster that than my wider (25" by 5 ft 95 L board). So no problem to use it in puffy 10-18 with just a bit of waiting for a puff to get it to the surface. Mostly just cruised around on this session to stay on a foil thru the lulls. If I dropped off the foil in a lull I could not stand on the board as would sink, but I can foil thru most lulls with a bit of pumping and keeping speed up. Had a axis ART 899 under the board. Seeing that it can work even in somewhat marginal conditions it will definately be my daily driver. For really light conditions without an occasion good puff to 15ish to get going I will keep the big 105 L board.

The 2nd session was in 15 -20 knots steadier wind with a 5m wing and easy to get foiling so could push a bit more to see how the narrower board left. The reduced width really makes a big difference in what I could do once on a foil. With my wider board if I lean it over too much a on tight carve, either tacking or jybing or even even loading up for jump I sometimes catch a rail. Of course, I adjust and don't do it too often but do have to hold back a bit. On the narrower board can go into carves with way more power and speed and just figuring out how much more I can push it. It is a big difference. I didn't realize how much I was holding back on the wider board till I got on this one. The extra length feels fine in the air on jumps as it is pretty thin in the nose so probably about the same swing weight or maybe a bit less than my 95.

One other thing that really surprised me is how easy it was to do touchdown footswitches. I mostly don't switch and ride heelside-toeside, in straps but occasionally do and usually touchdown. I expected with a narrow sinky board it would be tricky. But this shape keeps its speed so well and it is so smooth on the touchdown that the foil is still engaged and provide plenty of stability so was actually much easier than my wider floatier board which slows down quickly on touchdowns .

So really impressed after two sessions and encourage anyone who can to try one!

Stoked to hear you had the same experience as me-not just buddy/embasssdor /whatever review as was alluded to up top. The way that board rocketed our of the water was really something else, but what really got me was the bounce off the water. I haven't experienced that on any other board to date!

Question f Omen- regarding the Stainless/Carbon front wingset, is there any concern about the carbon and metal interaction?

Hey Marty,

Short answer: nope!

Long answer: In the presence of an electrolyte like salt water dissimilar materials can create an anode/cathode relationship which results in corrosion of the anode. Aside from the nature of the electrolyte, the rate of corrosion is dependent on the difference in nobility of each material as well as the difference in surface area between the anode and cathode.

This means a low nobility metal like aluminum will corrode when in direct contact with a high nobility material like carbon. The corrosion reaction happens faster if the aluminum component is smaller than the carbon part. Since stainless steel is high in nobility there isn't a risk of corrosion even with small parts:

www.corrosionpedia.com/galvanic-corrosion-of-metals-connected-to-carbon-fiber-reinforced-polymers/2/1556

Corrosion in aluminum can be mitigated with surface treatments like anodization and insulating the connection with non-conductive materials like plastic or fiberglass. The surface area relationship explains why scratches through the anodized layer of an aluminum part will corrode very quickly in salt water when connected to a carbon or stainless steel component.

This effect influenced our decision to select stainless steel for the front portion of the fuselage, however, the driving factor was its high strength and stiffness. These material properties allowed us to downsize the fuselage thickness as much as possible. We've found this has a significant affect on efficiency range which is our primary design focus.

Select to expand quote

ptraykovski said..
So I had a omen 72 liter board sitting in my van for about a week and half because of course the wind shut down when it arrived, but finally got two days on it. It is much longer and narrower ( 5'7" by 22") and thinner 4.3 " than most 72 l boards I have seen recently. I am 230 lbs (105 kg) so it is a semi-sinker for me. I usually ride a 95 or 105 L board and have only briefly tried smaller boards and just thought they were too much work.

The first day started at 8 to 14 knots puffy conditions so started out on my older 105 L floaty board with a 6 m wing. A few 15 -16 knot stronger puffs starting coming thru with not quite as deep lulls so thought I would try the omen just to see if possible for me to get it going. After a few minutes of flailing to get my stinkbug start dialed in for the sinkier board I got to my feet and as soon as a bit of a gust came thru to bring the board to the surface it took off like a torpedo - rocket ship and was immediately up and foiling. I was really surprised by the acceleration! Once on the surface of the water it accelerates way faster that than my wider (25" by 5 ft 95 L board). So no problem to use it in puffy 10-18 with just a bit of waiting for a puff to get it to the surface. Mostly just cruised around on this session to stay on a foil thru the lulls. If I dropped off the foil in a lull I could not stand on the board as would sink, but I can foil thru most lulls with a bit of pumping and keeping speed up. Had a axis ART 899 under the board. Seeing that it can work even in somewhat marginal conditions it will definately be my daily driver. For really light conditions without an occasion good puff to 15ish to get going I will keep the big 105 L board.

The 2nd session was in 15 -20 knots steadier wind with a 5m wing and easy to get foiling so could push a bit more to see how the narrower board left. The reduced width really makes a big difference in what I could do once on a foil. With my wider board if I lean it over too much a on tight carve, either tacking or jybing or even even loading up for jump I sometimes catch a rail. Of course, I adjust and don't do it too often but do have to hold back a bit. On the narrower board can go into carves with way more power and speed and just figuring out how much more I can push it. It is a big difference. I didn't realize how much I was holding back on the wider board till I got on this one. The extra length feels fine in the air on jumps as it is pretty thin in the nose so probably about the same swing weight or maybe a bit less than my 95.

One other thing that really surprised me is how easy it was to do touchdown footswitches. I mostly don't switch and ride heelside-toeside, in straps but occasionally do and usually touchdown. I expected with a narrow sinky board it would be tricky. But this shape keeps its speed so well and it is so smooth on the touchdown that the foil is still engaged and provide plenty of stability so was actually much easier than my wider floatier board which slows down quickly on touchdowns .

So really impressed after two sessions and encourage anyone who can to try one!

Interesting about the sizing, as I have gone shorter with boards I have really noticed it being better in maneuvers, jibes, tacks etc.
So do you think this is more a function of the swing weight produced by the thickness and width on the short wide boards ?

Hahaha $5k US no thanks


omenfoils.com/en-au/collections/complete-foils/products/operator-1050-complete

$3350USD -Shopify is converting to AUD. You lot may have the best coastline, but Americans have the best money!

Looks good! Wonder how it compares to Mikes Lab at similar pricing.

I've had my eye out for something like the Flux. Considered going with a local custom to make a small version of my Kalama 6'5 x 23" for high wind but after trying the 60L this might be even better. My small board is 4'9' x 24 70L and at my 90Kg in a wetsuit it's frustrating/exhausting to re-start underpowered. It's just too short and tippy nose to stern if there's no wind in the wing. I think I need pretty close to 20mph to get going with the 710cm2 foil.

Long story short... Dying evening breeze, I thought there's no way I'm getting up but I'm just curious how far I'd sink a 60L. Had to shlog out a ways on my knees (it was 2' under water at times) but when the puff came (16-17mph as per Ikitesurf archives), that thing squirted out of the water like a watermelon seed in two pumps (4.5 V2 Strike, my biggest). No way would my 70L do that. Caveat; It had the 1050 foil on and my board has either a 710 or 970 foil depending on the wind. The setup was also a solid 3# lighter than mine which was very noticeable.

Small things can make a big difference when you're right on the edge of getting going. I ordered a 60L

I am curious why you chose forged carbon for the fuselage extension?

A very brief search on the internet says the advantage of forged carbon is it makes it easier to make complex shapes. Woven carbon cloth is supposed to be better but more labour intensive.

I would not have thought that a fuselage is all that complex a shape.

Looks quality kit but it's a tough market to enter with a limited portfolio of wings and stabs when there are so many established brands with full portfolios, and some significanltylower priced

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Gorgo said..
I am curious why you chose forged carbon for the fuselage extension?

A very brief search on the internet says the advantage of forged carbon is it makes it easier to make complex shapes. Woven carbon cloth is supposed to be better but more labour intensive.

I would not have thought that a fuselage is all that complex a shape.

It's really good looking
Just my opinion (as an armchair composite engineer), the part is plenty stiff and strong enough.

I also have a 5'3 93 liter board made of just S-glass, no carbon at all and it pumps great. Doubt I could tell the difference if it was the same weight and carbon. It does weigh 13.7# whereas their carbon version weighs 12, that's the real advantage of carbon.

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Omen said..
Hey Marty,

Short answer: nope!

Long answer: In the presence of an electrolyte like salt water dissimilar materials can create an anode/cathode relationship which results in corrosion of the anode. Aside from the nature of the electrolyte, the rate of corrosion is dependent on the difference in nobility of each material as well as the difference in surface area between the anode and cathode.

This means a low nobility metal like aluminum will corrode when in direct contact with a high nobility material like carbon. The corrosion reaction happens faster if the aluminum component is smaller than the carbon part. Since stainless steel is high in nobility there isn't a risk of corrosion even with small parts:

www.corrosionpedia.com/galvanic-corrosion-of-metals-connected-to-carbon-fiber-reinforced-polymers/2/1556

Corrosion in aluminum can be mitigated with surface treatments like anodization and insulating the connection with non-conductive materials like plastic or fiberglass. The surface area relationship explains why scratches through the anodized layer of an aluminum part will corrode very quickly in salt water when connected to a carbon or stainless steel component.

This effect influenced our decision to select stainless steel for the front portion of the fuselage, however, the driving factor was its high strength and stiffness. These material properties allowed us to downsize the fuselage thickness as much as possible. We've found this has a significant affect on efficiency range which is our primary design focus.

That brings back an awful lot of College Chemistry lol. Great explanation thanks-you must be an engineer lol.

Thanks Thatspec, was great to meet you in Hood River and share your stoke for the gear!

Hi Gorgo,

the choice to use forged carbon was based on a number of factors. Forged carbon parts have a very high surface accuracy, which is especially critical to us since our tail shim system requires this to ensure the recommendations feel perfect. The forged carbon also has very uniform and consistent mechanical properties due to the extremely high molding pressures. Since the fuselage extension needs to resist loads in both bending and torsion this is preferable to the ability to customize the internal layup and use the light weight core materials that traditional carbon pre-preg molding would have afforded.

I'd also add that the part may not seem complex on the surface but there are a lot of sharp angles at the mating surfaces that would be difficult to fill repeatably with structural fiber using other CFRP molding techniques.

Patronus,

You're definitely right, coming into foiling at this stage comes with both advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage is to have been able to learn from the successes to date while building and innovating on that framework. Along with leveraging our team's existing foil industry and composites knowledge, this has allowed us to build next level wings right out of the gate rather than experiment with more basic designs to refine our manufacturing techniques.

One thing we've decided on as a brand is to maintain a narrow focus on performance wave riding. We're only going to offer the front wings and stabilizers we feel are at the absolute top of the game in this field. While it's tempting to look at other foil disciplines, having unrelenting dedication to be the absolute best in one area will help set Omen apart in the years to come.

The concept of Omen is to make what is currently considered the highest level of wave riding more accessible through higher efficiency across a broader range, and more intuitive handling. So far the feedback we've had is we've hit the mark! Looking forward to seeing and sharing more as the foils make their way out into the wild.

Select to expand quote

Omen said..
Thanks Thatspec, was great to meet you in Hood River and share your stoke for the gear!

Hi Gorgo,

the choice to use forged carbon was based on a number of factors. Forged carbon parts have a very high surface accuracy, which is especially critical to us since our tail shim system requires this to ensure the recommendations feel perfect. The forged carbon also has very uniform and consistent mechanical properties due to the extremely high molding pressures. Since the fuselage extension needs to resist loads in both bending and torsion this is preferable to the ability to customize the internal layup and use the light weight core materials that traditional carbon pre-preg molding would have afforded.

I'd also add that the part may not seem complex on the surface but there are a lot of sharp angles at the mating surfaces that would be difficult to fill repeatably with structural fiber using other CFRP molding techniques.

Patronus,

You're definitely right, coming into foiling at this stage comes with both advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage is to have been able to learn from the successes to date while building and innovating on that framework. Along with leveraging our team's existing foil industry and composites knowledge, this has allowed us to build next level wings right out of the gate rather than experiment with more basic designs to refine our manufacturing techniques.

One thing we've decided on as a brand is to maintain a narrow focus on performance wave riding. We're only going to offer the front wings and stabilizers we feel are at the absolute top of the game in this field. While it's tempting to look at other foil disciplines, having unrelenting dedication to be the absolute best in one area will help set Omen apart in the years to come.

The concept of Omen is to make what is currently considered the highest level of wave riding more accessible through higher efficiency across a broader range, and more intuitive handling. So far the feedback we've had is we've hit the mark! Looking forward to seeing and sharing more as the foils make their way out into the wild.

Are you planning to release a larger foil as well?

Anyone can share the board weights, pretty please? I'm esp. interested in the 60L (or perhaps 72L), but as a reference I guess any board size weight would do.

Much appreciated :)

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omg said..
Anyone can share the board weights, pretty please? I'm esp. interested in the 60L (or perhaps 72L), but as a reference I guess any board size weight would do.

Much appreciated :)

My 72L is just under 12LB or 5.4KG

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burchas said..

omg said..
Anyone can share the board weights, pretty please? I'm esp. interested in the 60L (or perhaps 72L), but as a reference I guess any board size weight would do.

Much appreciated :)

My 72L is just under 12LB or 5.4KG

That weight lines up with the weights listed on appletrees website for the slice v2. Since appletree makes the omen boards I would use the table of weights listed here as a good reference. appletreesurfboards.com/product/appleslice-v2-wing-foil-board/#stock-or-custom

I have the 84l omen. I'll report back when I get around to weighing it.