Hi,

does anyone know what would be the low end for the Sabfoil w945? How does it compare to the w899?
I currently have a w799 and with a 55l board and 5.5m I would need around 10kn to get going.
I would like to push my low end to the 7/8kn (no stronger gusts) and I am thinking if I am more limited by my front wing foil or by the size of my wing.

As a side question, would you think a w945 could be a wing used also to learn surf foiling (no wind I mean, just wave)?

Cheers,
Michele

Select to expand quote

mitxval said..
Hi,

does anyone know what would be the low end for the Sabfoil w945? How does it compare to the w899?
I currently have a w799 and with a 55l board and 5.5m I would need around 10kn to get going.
I would like to push my low end to the 7/8kn (no stronger gusts) and I am thinking if I am more limited by my front wing foil or by the size of my wing.

As a side question, would you think a w945 could be a wing used also to learn surf foiling (no wind I mean, just wave)?

Cheers,
Michele

I guess it?s to close to your W799 - I use it below W1250 and W999 but above 14 kts only with 80kgs.

Select to expand quote

mitxval said..
Hi,

does anyone know what would be the low end for the Sabfoil w945? How does it compare to the w899?
I currently have a w799 and with a 55l board and 5.5m I would need around 10kn to get going.
I would like to push my low end to the 7/8kn (no stronger gusts) and I am thinking if I am more limited by my front wing foil or by the size of my wing.

As a side question, would you think a w945 could be a wing used also to learn surf foiling (no wind I mean, just wave)?

Cheers,
Michele

I personally like to go the other way around. Pick a good 7m that is easy to pump, light and that do not touch hears while pumping and you will achieve this and will keep going in lulls with more apparent wind created and slow less down since you have a faster foil. If you have true low wind gutless condition, this is a good way to go. If you have under 10 knts constantly and try to make a bigger foil keep speed in lulls...it is very hard since it push a lot more water and slow down more quickly...so you will need another gust shortly to keep your speed and foil....my opinion of a guy who live in a low/gutless/boring area.

Select to expand quote

NordRoi said..

mitxval said..
Hi,

does anyone know what would be the low end for the Sabfoil w945? How does it compare to the w899?
I currently have a w799 and with a 55l board and 5.5m I would need around 10kn to get going.
I would like to push my low end to the 7/8kn (no stronger gusts) and I am thinking if I am more limited by my front wing foil or by the size of my wing.

As a side question, would you think a w945 could be a wing used also to learn surf foiling (no wind I mean, just wave)?

Cheers,
Michele

I personally like to go the other way around. Pick a good 7m that is easy to pump, light and that do not touch hears while pumping and you will achieve this and will keep going in lulls with more apparent wind created and slow less down since you have a faster foil. If you have true low wind gutless condition, this is a good way to go. If you have under 10 knts constantly and try to make a bigger foil keep speed in lulls...it is very hard since it push a lot more water and slow down more quickly...so you will need another gust shortly to keep your speed and foil....my opinion of a guy who live in a low/gutless/boring area.

Yeah, makes sense not to go on huge foil for me, I am 71kg by the way.
I think I need both a bigger wing and a slightly bigger foil, without going huge as you mention. The 799 is 1100cm2 and even with a bigger wing I don't think I'd get the speed to lift it up. Hopefully I can demo a 945/899 in such low conditions with a 6.5m Unit and see how it goes.

Answering to Foxi, at my weight with 14kn I can get going on a 4m Unit and the 799 no problem. 10kn and 5.5m I am ok, that's why I don't think I need something as big as the 999, but I might be wrong :) Ideally I'd have to try it.

I,m 73kg and I do have a 1200 as a biggest front wing. I tried a 1400cm2...it can provide a hair of an earlier start...but wind is never constant and we mostly always start on foil always in the same gusts regardless you have a 5.5 or a 7m or a 1100 or a 1600.....it's in the lulls that could be an advantage to have a slimmer higher a.r foil as long as the foil still have a good stall speed. We are talking a fine line and if you very often have that situation, might be a good investment or better, try someone else foil / bigger wing to make your mind....there is always a gray zone... ;-)Saying that, i do mostly use my 5.5 and bite the bullet...rarely I use my 7m...it's in last resort when I know it's the only way.

Select to expand quote

NordRoi said..
I,m 73kg and I do have a 1200 as a biggest front wing. I tried a 1400cm2...it can provide a hair of an earlier start...but wind is never constant and we mostly always start on foil always in the same gusts regardless you have a 5.5 or a 7m or a 1100 or a 1600.....it's in the lulls that could be an advantage to have a slimmer higher a.r foil as long as the foil still have a good stall speed. We are talking a fine line and if you very often have that situation, might be a good investment or better, try someone else foil / bigger wing to make your mind....there is always a gray zone... ;-)Saying that, i do mostly use my 5.5 and bite the bullet...rarely I use my 7m...it's in last resort when I know it's the only way.

ok, great info, can I ask you the volume of your board?
As you said, the best thing is trying. I can demo a 6.5m easily, and I might find someone who would let me try the Foils I a was mentioning :)

I own a 60 and a 48L. A board closer to my weight would get up and go maybe in 1/2 less knots than my 60L, when I had a 78 and 60 that was my conclusion...by a margin, it's just you are standing on the board with a 78 waiting for the gust and if you need to pump for a while before getting on foil, you save a few sec by being ready...and in my area, the gust doesn't last long...so I sometime miss a gust with the 60 knowing I would go with the 78 I used to have...but it's again very very very not a big diff. So have your current situation and wind pattern in mind before buying what I'm saying. lol

Select to expand quote

NordRoi said..
I own a 60 and a 48L. A board closer to my weight would get up and go maybe in 1/2 less knots than my 60L, when I had a 78 and 60 that was my conclusion...by a margin, it's just you are standing on the board with a 78 waiting for the gust and if you need to pump for a while before getting on foil, you save a few sec by being ready...and in my area, the gust doesn't last long...so I sometime miss a gust with the 60 knowing I would go with the 78 I used to have...but it's again very very very not a big diff. So have your current situation and wind pattern in mind before buying what I'm saying. lol

great thanks, I had a 75l before and had the same feeling when switching to the 55, not a huge difference in terms of low end.

I use the 945 with the 6m wing in 8kn+ wind to get going, with 72kg.

so i think just a bigger wing would be enough.
bigger wing produces a little more power in little gusts that you can use to pump you out with the foil.

Not sure about the knots, but w945 is fun. The wind foilers in this clip are with w1100 and 5.0 and 6.6 m2 sails, so it's not a windy day. I am 72 kg and with a 4.6 m2. w899 gets going sooner but I find the w945 more fun to ride in light winds as well (if you can get it to work that is), it just wants to turn so easily which is why I like it.

Select to expand quote

Taavi said..
Not sure about the knots, but w945 is fun. The wind foilers in this clip are with w1100 and 5.0 and 6.6 m2 sails, so it's not a windy day. I am 72 kg and with a 4.6 m2. w899 gets going sooner but I find the w945 more fun to ride in light winds as well (if you can get it to work that is), it just wants to turn so easily which is why I like it.

what size of the board did you use? and how much cm from the back of the foil box and end of board did you position your foil?I'm still searching for the optimal position that also allows higher speed.

I,m an adult size 95kg+ and owned both 945+799.The 945 and 799 have an almost identical windrange. 945 a bit more glide, the 799 a bit more speed and maneuvrability.

Select to expand quote

WST said..

what size of the board did you use? and how much cm from the back of the foil box and end of board did you position your foil?I'm still searching for the optimal position that also allows higher speed.

In that clip I had a big board. 5'8'', 115 L. The mast is placed like that, with a s370 stabiliser.


My theory of finding a good mast placement is pretty straightforward - I try to figure out where I need to stand on a particular board so that it would feel balanced while riding, and would expose the straighter section of the bottom to the water surface while getting going. When standing a bit too far forward you'd start pushing the water with the nose, and standing too far back is not helpful either. Once I find a place where to stand, I just move the foil accordingly. I usually take a screwdriver to the water with me every time I try a new setup and fine tune it right away. Super easy.

I have finally bought the w945 and I had the chance of testing it 3 times.
It definitely gets going earlier than the w799. With winds in the 8-10kn I am good to go at 71kg, 55l board and 5.5m 2023 Unit.
With 8-10kn I mean 8 steady knots with some stronger gusts to help waterstart.
Obviously it requires pumping technique and some physical strength.
Also, if the wind drops for a moment it has some nice glide once you are on the foil.
Gybing, tacking etc. is very easy as it has very low stall speed.
I have tried it on some small waves and I felt a little bit overpowered, but I might need to set the mast a little bit further back and get used to it.
It's a very nice foil IMHO for low wind and small waves. I also want to use it to learn prone foiling, but no good conditions at the moment.