Had a sick session on my 5m PR a few days ago. I'm starting to love the bigger sizes. It handles beautifully through tacks, drifts well when hacking waves with it deployed, flies really well upside down in-front of me when I just want to cruise bumps. Bumps were too small to fully stash it, but I could fold it up with the lines for a few minutes at a time no problem. It's really challenging that "Light wind = winging, strong wind = parawinging" choice for me.

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zarb said..
Had a sick session on my 5m PR a few days ago. I'm starting to love the bigger sizes. It handles beautifully through tacks, drifts well when hacking waves with it deployed, flies really well upside down in-front of me when I just want to cruise bumps. Bumps were too small to fully stash it, but I could fold it up with the lines for a few minutes at a time no problem. It's really challenging that "Light wind = winging, strong wind = parawinging" choice for me.

What kind of winds are LW for you?

5m weather was around 12-15 knots? 60L board @ 90kg

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zarb said..
It's really challenging that "Light wind = winging, strong wind = parawinging" choice for me.

Yes I have also recently had this feeling. Before really getting into pwing I had thought I'd only want to do it in 20 knots plus as that's when the bumps get really good. Now I am realising there are plenty of days where the wind is a bit lighter but the bumps are still pretty decent. Also the extra challenge of linking bumps and pumping is a good part of the fun. I always used to find linking mediocre bumps with a big inlflatable wing a bit pointless and not much fun.

When you compare the difference in riding experience between riding bumps with a 5-6m inflatable flagged out or with a pwing stowed/ wadded its night and day. Even with a big pwing once you've got it put away you still have that total freedom which makes pwing so amazing!

Select to expand quote

Youngbreezy said..

zarb said..
It's really challenging that "Light wind = winging, strong wind = parawinging" choice for me.

Yes I have also recently had this feeling. Before really getting into pwing I had thought I'd only want to do it in 20 knots plus as that's when the bumps get really good. Now I am realising there are plenty of days where the wind is a bit lighter but the bumps are still pretty decent. Also the extra challenge of linking bumps and pumping is a good part of the fun. I always used to find linking mediocre bumps with a big inlflatable wing a bit pointless and not much fun.

When you compare the difference in riding experience between riding bumps with a 5-6m inflatable flagged out or with a pwing stowed/ wadded its night and day. Even with a big pwing once you've got it put away you still have that total freedom which makes pwing so amazing!

I'm not even trying to find bumps in winds under 20 knots and I'll say I want the parawing over the wing now. It just comes down to ride quality. The big wings are so cumbersome. My only question now is what will be the biggest parawing I buy?

Select to expand quote

BWalnut said..

Youngbreezy said..

zarb said..
It's really challenging that "Light wind = winging, strong wind = parawinging" choice for me.

Yes I have also recently had this feeling. Before really getting into pwing I had thought I'd only want to do it in 20 knots plus as that's when the bumps get really good. Now I am realising there are plenty of days where the wind is a bit lighter but the bumps are still pretty decent. Also the extra challenge of linking bumps and pumping is a good part of the fun. I always used to find linking mediocre bumps with a big inlflatable wing a bit pointless and not much fun.

When you compare the difference in riding experience between riding bumps with a 5-6m inflatable flagged out or with a pwing stowed/ wadded its night and day. Even with a big pwing once you've got it put away you still have that total freedom which makes pwing so amazing!

I'm not even trying to find bumps in winds under 20 knots and I'll say I want the parawing over the wing now. It just comes down to ride quality. The big wings are so cumbersome. My only question now is what will be the biggest parawing I buy?

I would say maximum size 5m, but powerfull and very light material and high aspect.
Now, I disagree with the statement of no use under 20 knt, as for me it is mainly a question of wind and wave angles. I mean side shore wind and 2 meters waves will put you as close as possible to the ideal 1:1 upwind: surfing time ratio; so for these days a big parawing is a lot more fun than a wing.

The only time I have issues now is riding cross offshore I find it hard to pack down when getting on a swell with the apparent wind increase.

Select to expand quote

BWalnut said..My only question now is what will be the biggest parawing I buy?

I have ordered a 4.7. Time will tell I might hate it

I'm excited to try the big ones because I think the span will be much more manageable than on the wings. No bumps in the river when it's light but the casual sailing should be more enjoyable.

Surprised no one has brought up the POW. lots of low end grunt. 4m seems to have the same low end as a lot of other 5 meters. Especially compared to the PR 5m.

my quiver is 3.6m PR which works when it's 15-20 up to 30kt gusts. then 4m pow on those lighter 12-17 days.

Just had my first POW session after picking one up used. Lots of fun - definitely enough of a difference in wind range between the two because of their different flying characteristics.

i think it's silly to stay with the same wing/PW for all sizes. Fun to have different sails with different feels

Got to try my biggest pocket rockets in the worst conditions today. Full on disaster wind going up and down on the river.

85kg on my 90l 6'6"x18" Aviator

I taught a friend today and he let me try his 3.6m in 18 knots: This felt like the reasonable low end for me vs my 3m which is more 21/22 knot low end.

Since it died I was calling it a day but then got offered a 4.3m to try and I was super stoked to give it a rip. Unfortunately the wind suddenly spiked as soon as I got on the water. I was hoping to see if it felt awesome at 15-17 knots but instead I pushed it to it's upper limit which was probably 24ish knots before it started to be uncomfortable.

Since I would just be riding these, not stowing, the line length was mostly inconsequential. Both drifted great for surfing. The only negative I found was on the 4.3m when doing Heineken gybes. I couldn't quite bring it around fast enough, I kept clipping the water pretty hard. This would improve with time but it helps me think about metrics other than line length for retraction. Both flew just as well as the smaller sizes and I'd say I'm in love with the fact that in parawinging you can't catch the wingtip and get dumped like in winging. Even with the 4.3m you never worry about it.

" .......and I'd say I'm in love with the fact that in parawinging you can't catch the wingtip and get dumped like in winging. Even with the 4.3m you never worry about it."

amen to that!!!
and thanks for the feedback on the 4.3!

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banjohead said..i think it's silly to stay with the same wing/PW for all sizes. Fun to have different sails with different feels

nah sorry lots of positives. Usually get a discount for buying 3 wings, you know what to expect from size changes, no adjustments to pumping up on the foil and your mate have no idea what size you are on so they take a while to come out.

I had another great session on the flow dwing 5.5m today. Wind was about 18 knots. I was on -10
mid length. I first went out on my 4.2 Dwing and could get going ok but it was a bit of work. Swapped to the 5.5 and had ample power both for getting up and cranking upwind at a good angle. Doing upwind downwind fun little bump runs with the wing wadded up in my back hand. Today I really felt like the ease and reliability of being nicely powered up really outweighed the extra difficulty of stash/ redeploy of the bigger wing. I have also gotten a bit more used to the 5.5m and now it seems like it's only a little bit harder to stash/ redeploy than the 4.2. Takes an extra 5 to 10 seconds each time maybe. I was getting a very good redeploy success rate today too almost 100% but that was mostly due to improved technique. Once wadded up held in my back hand there is a bit more to hold onto but it really doesn't effect your riding noticeably.
Overall stoked! As a heavy rider, 105kg I don't get overpowered easily and mostly prefer to ride well powered. I am a long time kiter and winger and with kites and wings there is always a penalty to going for the bigger size and that penalty effects you the whole time your riding. With Pwing there is still a penalty to choosing the bigger size but it doesn't affect you the whole time you're riding. In fact the best part, which is when it's packed away, there's very little effect to your riding.

Select to expand quote

Youngbreezy said..
I had another great session on the flow dwing 5.5m today. Wind was about 18 knots. I was on -10
mid length. I first went out on my 4.2 Dwing and could get going ok but it was a bit of work. Swapped to the 5.5 and had ample power both for getting up and cranking upwind at a good angle. Doing upwind downwind fun little bump runs with the wing wadded up in my back hand. Today I really felt like the ease and reliability of being nicely powered up really outweighed the extra difficulty of stash/ redeploy of the bigger wing. I have also gotten a bit more used to the 5.5m and now it seems like it's only a little bit harder to stash/ redeploy than the 4.2. Takes an extra 5 to 10 seconds each time maybe. I was getting a very good redeploy success rate today too almost 100% but that was mostly due to improved technique. Once wadded up held in my back hand there is a bit more to hold onto but it really doesn't effect your riding noticeably.
Overall stoked! As a heavy rider, 105kg I don't get overpowered easily and mostly prefer to ride well powered. I am a long time kiter and winger and with kites and wings there is always a penalty to going for the bigger size and that penalty effects you the whole time your riding. With Pwing there is still a penalty to choosing the bigger size but it doesn't affect you the whole time you're riding. In fact the best part, which is when it's packed away, there's very little effect to your riding.

As a heavier rider myself similar wt may I ask what foil and board setup your riding on the 5.5 vs more wind at the 4.2 size,As a longtime kiter/ foiler/ winger/supfoiler this PW is kicking my ass learning like starting over frustrating as always seem have a ingredient off on my set up

It's wild to see one person using a 4.2 from 12kts and another reaching for a 5.5 in 18kts.

I'm about to replace my wings (5.5 and 4.0) but wondering if I should try PW instead. I like carving with power which seems to be against the design remit of most PW but might be inline with the Flow? Definitely want something pretty easy since I progress slowly at best.

Select to expand quote

Grantmac said..
It's wild to see one person using a 4.2 from 12kts and another reaching for a 5.5 in 18kts.

I'm about to replace my wings (5.5 and 4.0) but wondering if I should try PW instead. I like carving with power which seems to be against the design remit of most PW but might be inline with the Flow? Definitely want something pretty easy since I progress slowly at best.

I too am a slow progresser who has just started PWing. I would suggest buying one & trying it. You might have to just manage your expectations. Each session is a lesson. You can always sell it for a little less than you bought it for if it's not for you. Getting up on foil is the trickiest thing as you've probably gathered. The wing is an on off switch for power. Once up & foiling it's actually pretty easy & yeah I can crank along with heaps of power on it. I don't think I'll use a wing again there's enough power for a PW so you may save yourself some money by not updating your wing quiver. I'm addicted to it. In fact the thought of using a big cumbersome inflated wing in front of my face would be a let down after the PW.

I think there's a misconception that all PWs are for is for packing away & DWing. Youtubers & podcasters seem pretty dismissive of the thought that people such as myself would mow the lawn with it or ride them without packing down. Yes riding the bumps is the goal of them & but I'd still rather PW than wing even if there's no bumps to ride.

Select to expand quote

Microsurfer said..

Grantmac said..
It's wild to see one person using a 4.2 from 12kts and another reaching for a 5.5 in 18kts.

I'm about to replace my wings (5.5 and 4.0) but wondering if I should try PW instead. I like carving with power which seems to be against the design remit of most PW but might be inline with the Flow? Definitely want something pretty easy since I progress slowly at best.

I too am a slow progresser who has just started PWing. I would suggest buying one & trying it. You might have to just manage your expectations. Each session is a lesson. You can always sell it for a little less than you bought it for if it's not for you. Getting up on foil is the trickiest thing as you've probably gathered. The wing is an on off switch for power. Once up & foiling it's actually pretty easy & yeah I can crank along with heaps of power on it. I don't think I'll use a wing again there's enough power for a PW so you may save yourself some money by not updating your wing quiver. I'm addicted to it. In fact the thought of using a big cumbersome inflated wing in front of my face would be a let down after the PW.

I think there's a misconception that all PWs are for is for packing away & DWing. Youtubers & podcasters seem pretty dismissive of the thought that people such as myself would mow the lawn with it or ride them without packing down. Yes riding the bumps is the goal of them & but I'd still rather PW than wing even if there's no bumps to ride.

I'll happily throw some support your way on the lawn mowing. I learned to parawing in 30+ knots doing full packaways and figured I'd keep wings for point sailing. However, all it took was 1 session sailing around with the parawing in mellow conditions to convince me to sell off all my large wings. Mowing the lawn parawinging is so much better than doing it with a wing. 100% think it's the way for mellow sessions.

Select to expand quote

BWalnut said..

Microsurfer said..

Grantmac said..
It's wild to see one person using a 4.2 from 12kts and another reaching for a 5.5 in 18kts.

I'm about to replace my wings (5.5 and 4.0) but wondering if I should try PW instead. I like carving with power which seems to be against the design remit of most PW but might be inline with the Flow? Definitely want something pretty easy since I progress slowly at best.

I too am a slow progresser who has just started PWing. I would suggest buying one & trying it. You might have to just manage your expectations. Each session is a lesson. You can always sell it for a little less than you bought it for if it's not for you. Getting up on foil is the trickiest thing as you've probably gathered. The wing is an on off switch for power. Once up & foiling it's actually pretty easy & yeah I can crank along with heaps of power on it. I don't think I'll use a wing again there's enough power for a PW so you may save yourself some money by not updating your wing quiver. I'm addicted to it. In fact the thought of using a big cumbersome inflated wing in front of my face would be a let down after the PW.

I think there's a misconception that all PWs are for is for packing away & DWing. Youtubers & podcasters seem pretty dismissive of the thought that people such as myself would mow the lawn with it or ride them without packing down. Yes riding the bumps is the goal of them & but I'd still rather PW than wing even if there's no bumps to ride.

I'll happily throw some support your way on the lawn mowing. I learned to parawing in 30+ knots doing full packaways and figured I'd keep wings for point sailing. However, all it took was 1 session sailing around with the parawing in mellow conditions to convince me to sell off all my large wings. Mowing the lawn parawinging is so much better than doing it with a wing. 100% think it's the way for mellow sessions.

What wind speed and water state do you consider mellow lawn mowing? What equipment?

Select to expand quote

pitbulldoug said..

Youngbreezy said..
I had another great session on the flow dwing 5.5m today. Wind was about 18 knots. I was on -10
mid length. I first went out on my 4.2 Dwing and could get going ok but it was a bit of work. Swapped to the 5.5 and had ample power both for getting up and cranking upwind at a good angle. Doing upwind downwind fun little bump runs with the wing wadded up in my back hand. Today I really felt like the ease and reliability of being nicely powered up really outweighed the extra difficulty of stash/ redeploy of the bigger wing. I have also gotten a bit more used to the 5.5m and now it seems like it's only a little bit harder to stash/ redeploy than the 4.2. Takes an extra 5 to 10 seconds each time maybe. I was getting a very good redeploy success rate today too almost 100% but that was mostly due to improved technique. Once wadded up held in my back hand there is a bit more to hold onto but it really doesn't effect your riding noticeably.
Overall stoked! As a heavy rider, 105kg I don't get overpowered easily and mostly prefer to ride well powered. I am a long time kiter and winger and with kites and wings there is always a penalty to going for the bigger size and that penalty effects you the whole time your riding. With Pwing there is still a penalty to choosing the bigger size but it doesn't affect you the whole time you're riding. In fact the best part, which is when it's packed away, there's very little effect to your riding.

As a heavier rider myself similar wt may I ask what foil and board setup your riding on the 5.5 vs more wind at the 4.2 size,As a longtime kiter/ foiler/ winger/supfoiler this PW is kicking my ass learning like starting over frustrating as always seem have a ingredient off on my set up

Yesterday I was on my 6'2x21x95L mid length ( custom code/ ben tardrew) which I actually bought second hand from Hilly. Foil was a 1180 axis spitfire ( 1180 span 1550 area) and skinny rear. I definitely could have gotten away with a smaller foil or pwing but it was really nice to have an easy fun session. Also the big spitfire was a great match to the smaller bumps on offer. It's quite nimble for such a big wing and has a really good speed range. I would definitely recommend it for a heavier rider.

My main setup for pwing has been the mid length with ART v2 1099 skinny rear and 4.2 D wing. My bottom end on this would be somewhere around 18 knots or a little bit lower. I have used this setup in strong winds up to 35 knots but just going downwind. I can barely hold onto the 4.2 in those winds but can make it work for downwind because I don't have a smaller wing just yet. I also sometimes use an 8x20x128L smik flying fish downwind board when the wind is light or very up and down unpredictable conditions. I would definitely recommend the ART v2 1099 for a heavy rider, really good glide really good speed range and turns quite well for a foil of that size. I have an ART v2 999 which I have used on a few cranking downwinders, that foil will get a lot more use once the good summer winds kick in.
I also used the Spitfire 1180 and dw board a lot more when I was learning ( now 6 months in).

I tend to match my foil to the bump size rather than wind strength. My local spot, woodmans point just south of Fremantle, is in semi enclosed waters. The bumps are a bit smaller and slower but can have very nice shape. The bigger foils allow me to really focus on carving and surfing the bumps whereas on a smaller foil I need to focus on linking and keeping speed up. I also tend to prioritise easy get up as we have a lot of seaweed. Once I have cut a K or so upwind I will almost always be dragging seaweed so I will have to do a little bunny hop and stop to shake it off. I am usually doing this 10 to 20 times a session so don't want to work too hard each time.


I have to say I am definitely not performing any light wind miracles on the Pwing. In kiting and winging I could really work the kite/ wing to create power then be efficient once I was going. In pwing I often find myself in a spot where I can sail along ok but just can't get the momentum to be able to activate the foil and pump it up. The big spitfire really helps with this but the ART wings not so much.

Another thing to consider is some of the riders that are posting about crazy good low end on their pwings are light riders using big foils. There's a guy on YouTube that is often using his 4.2 Dwing in 8-10 knots but he weighs 75kgs and is on the ART pro 1401. For someone my weight to match that kind of lift I would need to be on a giant 1.8m or 2m span foil which they don't really make and I have no interest in using.

Select to expand quote

Grantmac said..

BWalnut said..

Microsurfer said..

Grantmac said..
It's wild to see one person using a 4.2 from 12kts and another reaching for a 5.5 in 18kts.

I'm about to replace my wings (5.5 and 4.0) but wondering if I should try PW instead. I like carving with power which seems to be against the design remit of most PW but might be inline with the Flow? Definitely want something pretty easy since I progress slowly at best.

I too am a slow progresser who has just started PWing. I would suggest buying one & trying it. You might have to just manage your expectations. Each session is a lesson. You can always sell it for a little less than you bought it for if it's not for you. Getting up on foil is the trickiest thing as you've probably gathered. The wing is an on off switch for power. Once up & foiling it's actually pretty easy & yeah I can crank along with heaps of power on it. I don't think I'll use a wing again there's enough power for a PW so you may save yourself some money by not updating your wing quiver. I'm addicted to it. In fact the thought of using a big cumbersome inflated wing in front of my face would be a let down after the PW.

I think there's a misconception that all PWs are for is for packing away & DWing. Youtubers & podcasters seem pretty dismissive of the thought that people such as myself would mow the lawn with it or ride them without packing down. Yes riding the bumps is the goal of them & but I'd still rather PW than wing even if there's no bumps to ride.

I'll happily throw some support your way on the lawn mowing. I learned to parawing in 30+ knots doing full packaways and figured I'd keep wings for point sailing. However, all it took was 1 session sailing around with the parawing in mellow conditions to convince me to sell off all my large wings. Mowing the lawn parawinging is so much better than doing it with a wing. 100% think it's the way for mellow sessions.

What wind speed and water state do you consider mellow lawn mowing? What equipment?

I consider anything under 20 knots with swell that isn't downwindable on the Silk 1050 to be mellow lawn mowing. The gorge is pretty flat in those conditions. I just cruise around slashing turns on shin high bumps and doing parawing maneuvers. This could be on my -10l board or my +5l board it just depends on where I'm at and if there are any actual bumps to get my water start on. My biggest parawing is a 3m pocket rocket which feels pretty technical in those winds.

Select to expand quote

Grantmac said..

BWalnut said..

Microsurfer said..

Grantmac said..
It's wild to see one person using a 4.2 from 12kts and another reaching for a 5.5 in 18kts.

I'm about to replace my wings (5.5 and 4.0) but wondering if I should try PW instead. I like carving with power which seems to be against the design remit of most PW but might be inline with the Flow? Definitely want something pretty easy since I progress slowly at best.

I too am a slow progresser who has just started PWing. I would suggest buying one & trying it. You might have to just manage your expectations. Each session is a lesson. You can always sell it for a little less than you bought it for if it's not for you. Getting up on foil is the trickiest thing as you've probably gathered. The wing is an on off switch for power. Once up & foiling it's actually pretty easy & yeah I can crank along with heaps of power on it. I don't think I'll use a wing again there's enough power for a PW so you may save yourself some money by not updating your wing quiver. I'm addicted to it. In fact the thought of using a big cumbersome inflated wing in front of my face would be a let down after the PW.

I think there's a misconception that all PWs are for is for packing away & DWing. Youtubers & podcasters seem pretty dismissive of the thought that people such as myself would mow the lawn with it or ride them without packing down. Yes riding the bumps is the goal of them & but I'd still rather PW than wing even if there's no bumps to ride.

I'll happily throw some support your way on the lawn mowing. I learned to parawing in 30+ knots doing full packaways and figured I'd keep wings for point sailing. However, all it took was 1 session sailing around with the parawing in mellow conditions to convince me to sell off all my large wings. Mowing the lawn parawinging is so much better than doing it with a wing. 100% think it's the way for mellow sessions.

What wind speed and water state do you consider mellow lawn mowing? What equipment?

I'm only a few sessions in learning -86kgs DW board huge foil 4.3PR on 13-15knots. 15knots & above DW board with 980s. Unfortunately we only have rough water over 13knots -enough to be fricking annoying when trying to get on foil. I've a smaller 7' board for when (not if) I get better.
I'm hoping either they release a big LW PW at AWSI or I might try to get hold of a big cheap V1 for mowing the lawn on summer breezes. I'm talking a huge 5.5m or similar - not even thinking about trying to pack that down.

If you're PW curious give it a go- there is something about them. I love the space around me they provide & the whole new skill set to learn. I don't really have a negative thing to say about them. I'm a beginner & I haven't had a bad tangle yet. There are so many videos out there now with great info that save you from making big mistakes. You were talking about getting new wings, if you think about it, how different would a new wing quiver be from your existing quiver? Maybe 10-20% difference? The experience would only be marginally different. I guarantee after a couple of sessions pwing you'll either toss your toys out of the cot & swear off parawings as a stupid waste of time & we're all morons, or you'll love them. Either way you'll have a different experience from the norm.

If you're looking at pwing for flat water cruising then just skip it and go straight to kite foiling. Thats where the flat water free ride pwing road ends and it's a much better tool for the job.
Tons of speed and power. Can use a tiny board and foil. Big jumps. Amazing low end and can ride really fast and powered in light wind. I am not a flat water guy almost all my sessions there is some kind of bump or wave on offer but if it was flat water only I would pick kite foiling over winging and pwing.

Select to expand quote

Youngbreezy said..

pitbulldoug said..

Youngbreezy said..
I had another great session on the flow dwing 5.5m today. Wind was about 18 knots. I was on -10
mid length. I first went out on my 4.2 Dwing and could get going ok but it was a bit of work. Swapped to the 5.5 and had ample power both for getting up and cranking upwind at a good angle. Doing upwind downwind fun little bump runs with the wing wadded up in my back hand. Today I really felt like the ease and reliability of being nicely powered up really outweighed the extra difficulty of stash/ redeploy of the bigger wing. I have also gotten a bit more used to the 5.5m and now it seems like it's only a little bit harder to stash/ redeploy than the 4.2. Takes an extra 5 to 10 seconds each time maybe. I was getting a very good redeploy success rate today too almost 100% but that was mostly due to improved technique. Once wadded up held in my back hand there is a bit more to hold onto but it really doesn't effect your riding noticeably.
Overall stoked! As a heavy rider, 105kg I don't get overpowered easily and mostly prefer to ride well powered. I am a long time kiter and winger and with kites and wings there is always a penalty to going for the bigger size and that penalty effects you the whole time your riding. With Pwing there is still a penalty to choosing the bigger size but it doesn't affect you the whole time you're riding. In fact the best part, which is when it's packed away, there's very little effect to your riding.

As a heavier rider myself similar wt may I ask what foil and board setup your riding on the 5.5 vs more wind at the 4.2 size,As a longtime kiter/ foiler/ winger/supfoiler this PW is kicking my ass learning like starting over frustrating as always seem have a ingredient off on my set up

Yesterday I was on my 6'2x21x95L mid length ( custom code/ ben tardrew) which I actually bought second hand from Hilly. Foil was a 1180 axis spitfire ( 1180 span 1550 area) and skinny rear. I definitely could have gotten away with a smaller foil or pwing but it was really nice to have an easy fun session. Also the big spitfire was a great match to the smaller bumps on offer. It's quite nimble for such a big wing and has a really good speed range. I would definitely recommend it for a heavier rider.

My main setup for pwing has been the mid length with ART v2 1099 skinny rear and 4.2 D wing. My bottom end on this would be somewhere around 18 knots or a little bit lower. I have used this setup in strong winds up to 35 knots but just going downwind. I can barely hold onto the 4.2 in those winds but can make it work for downwind because I don't have a smaller wing just yet. I also sometimes use an 8x20x128L smik flying fish downwind board when the wind is light or very up and down unpredictable conditions. I would definitely recommend the ART v2 1099 for a heavy rider, really good glide really good speed range and turns quite well for a foil of that size. I have an ART v2 999 which I have used on a few cranking downwinders, that foil will get a lot more use once the good summer winds kick in.
I also used the Spitfire 1180 and dw board a lot more when I was learning ( now 6 months in).

I tend to match my foil to the bump size rather than wind strength. My local spot, woodmans point just south of Fremantle, is in semi enclosed waters. The bumps are a bit smaller and slower but can have very nice shape. The bigger foils allow me to really focus on carving and surfing the bumps whereas on a smaller foil I need to focus on linking and keeping speed up. I also tend to prioritise easy get up as we have a lot of seaweed. Once I have cut a K or so upwind I will almost always be dragging seaweed so I will have to do a little bunny hop and stop to shake it off. I am usually doing this 10 to 20 times a session so don't want to work too hard each time.


I have to say I am definitely not performing any light wind miracles on the Pwing. In kiting and winging I could really work the kite/ wing to create power then be efficient once I was going. In pwing I often find myself in a spot where I can sail along ok but just can't get the momentum to be able to activate the foil and pump it up. The big spitfire really helps with this but the ART wings not so much.

Another thing to consider is some of the riders that are posting about crazy good low end on their pwings are light riders using big foils. There's a guy on YouTube that is often using his 4.2 Dwing in 8-10 knots but he weighs 75kgs and is on the ART pro 1401. For someone my weight to match that kind of lift I would need to be on a giant 1.8m or 2m span foil which they don't really make and I have no interest in using.

Thanks for reply good info,I'm actually a Axis rider too for many years best big guy wings IMO but been trying PW with 1100 SF as when I get on foil feels like I'm going bat out of hell Mach 5 on a SF never gone that fast on a 1100 SF reg winging then eventually crash and wad up few football fields in Lol
interesting you been using your 1180 as I thought it would be to much wing for PW but maybe I got to change my thought as it would get me flying up easier out of the hole.Ive been lately using a new 6'6"x22"110L mid that works great winging but like you started on my 8' DW board mixed results I'm currently in NE Brasil where usually 15-20 kts everyday this time of year plus,but sea state for learning PW at local beach here is a bit washing machine like not optimum for learning PW,out of curiosity what wind conditions are you PWing your 1180 SF been tempted to try my old 1180 SF PWing as think it might be my missing ingredient,currently reg winging on 1250 and 1070 FB love them but the 1180 is also superb big guy wing too was worried 1180 might overfoil in 20 kts but could be a trade off getting on foil more easily at 100 kgs plus. Maybe slow her down with a P rear 350 as been using the big skinny which is fast

The Gorge on a bad day is generally much better than what I have available. 5.5m wing and Balz909 on a 100L 6'10"x21" is my most used setup, occasionally 4m. 95kg plus a bunch of neoprene being on Canada's west coast.

Currently eyes on the 5m PR or POW. Seem to fit my requirements and might get me up into winds where I'd switch to windsurfing. Price is hard to stomach at new cost but not seeing any used compared to other models which is a good sign.
The POW bar seems excellent, I flew a 4m on the beach. Everyone seems to love the PR and the shorter/fewer colour coded lines are appealing.

But will I want to cruise hooked into for hours like I do winging. Especially with the cold season approaching.

Just got my 4.7 Frigate but can't try it for a few days so can report back then. Nice having the Gold/Petrol Blue colour as change from all the Darker Red/Flame ones. Big standout - it's got chunkier ribs than the 3.5 and can tell that means ultra stable when flying on land. Will also mean have to concertina more in packdown, as don't want to bend the leading edge ribs. Lighter wind still a bit of a mystery - most of my learning has been Maui in 25-40knots w Kanaha 3.2 and 2.5!

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Acker said..
Just got my 4.7 Frigate but can't try it for a few days so can report back then. Nice having the Gold/Petrol Blue colour as change from all the Darker Red/Flame ones. Big standout - it's got chunkier ribs than the 3.5 and can tell that means ultra stable when flying on land. Will also mean have to concertina more in packdown, as don't want to bend the leading edge ribs. Lighter wind still a bit of a mystery - most of my learning has been Maui in 25-40knots w Kanaha 3.2 and 2.5!

be good to hear how you find your Frigate Acker
very little feedback out there re the bigger Frigates, and the 4.7 looks the sweet spot for lighter wind, unless they pull off some sailmaking miracle and their new 5.5's a feasible option in the rough stuff......

Just had my 5th parawing session yesterday. Used BRM Maliko 2.9 (V1) and Ka'a 4.2 throughout the day (some 54 km of cruising around, no swell), and switched between them several times. Neither one felt truly overpowered at any time, was easily able to get going with both, and both felt quite OK to ride one handed most of the time, no harness, with a -10 L mid length board. For now I love the Maliko's handling more, but that could well be because of the smaller size. Yes, the 4.2 pulled a bit a bit more, but in the lulls I had to pump the foil with both of them, and to pay attention and avoid the areas with lighter wind. But most of the time the Maliko just felt more intuitive and invisible. Would love to try how bigger BRM Maliko sizes feel, compared to the Ka'a.

Experienced winger but total parawing beginner here, 7th sessions, can get up and jibe, learning to stash. Tried BRM Kanaha, Ozone, Fone Frigate and Duotone Stash. For large size, Duotone was by far the easiest to jibe (short lines, super lightweight canopy, thin lines). Felt as easy to jibe as a 3m BRM, seriously. Had one session where I hit every jibe in 2.5 hours. 5m Ozone was very tough, had to be super precise or PR would drape over me/board as it turns so slow. Never had a success rate of jibes of more than 8 out of ten. BRM close to the Stash, but still more difficult. Stash flies very far forward in window, nice when on foil, feels more efficient but getting up requires cleaner technique, doesn't pull like a truck like PR or Frigate. Closed cell wingtips give Stash more stability and control when overpowered. Have to see what it does to stashing. Stash is nervous in flight, moves up and down a lot, at first it bothered me, now I disregard it and it's fine. 88kg, 100L downwind board, KT Atlas 790 and 960 foil.

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georgsurfer said..
Experienced winger but total parawing beginner here, 7th sessions, can get up and jibe, learning to stash. Tried BRM Kanaha, Ozone, Fone Frigate and Duotone Stash. For large size, Duotone was by far the easiest to jibe (short lines, super lightweight canopy, thin lines). Felt as easy to jibe as a 3m BRM, seriously. Had one session where I hit every jibe in 2.5 hours. 5m Ozone was very tough, had to be super precise or PR would drape over me/board as it turns so slow. Never had a success rate of jibes of more than 8 out of ten. BRM close to the Stash, but still more difficult. Stash flies very far forward in window, nice when on foil, feels more efficient but getting up requires cleaner technique, doesn't pull like a truck like PR or Frigate. Closed cell wingtips give Stash more stability and control when overpowered. Have to see what it does to stashing. Stash is nervous in flight, moves up and down a lot, at first it bothered me, now I disregard it and it's fine. 88kg, 100L downwind board, KT Atlas 790 and 960 foil.

You're a machine! I'd struggle trying 4 different sails in my first 7 sessions. Well done, good feedback.