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Where do you stand on that board? You want to lean back and angle that board so that you would expose the flat area and not so much of the of nose rocker to the water surface. For me the drifter 80 (+8L) gets going super easy. I have seen people standing in a wrong place on that board and then complaining it does not go.

Isn't this approach inefficient for the low wind?

I think that the narrow board, leveled with the water surface can be much faster (lower drag) than wider board with the sunken tail and would need less wind to get you on the foil (to achieve the foiling speed).

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kvek said..

Where do you stand on that board? You want to lean back and angle that board so that you would expose the flat area and not so much of the of nose rocker to the water surface. For me the drifter 80 (+8L) gets going super easy. I have seen people standing in a wrong place on that board and then complaining it does not go.

Isn't this approach inefficient for the low wind?

I think that the narrow board, leveled with the water surface can be much faster (lower drag) than wider board with the sunken tail and would need less wind to get you on the foil (to achieve the foiling speed).

Definitely, if you have a board that is narrower, and has a longer flat section you can keep it more level, especially on flat water. And a board with boxy rails is likely easier to get going. But often such boards are less fun to ride. To each their own. For sure not every board excels in every condition, and they may need a bit different setup / technique to really shine. In case of this blue board the shaper has put a lot of thought into what happens if the board happens to touch the water during riding, and how effortlessly it bounces back, without getting stuck to the water. I think it makes sense to appreciate the boards for the things they do the best, and not so much put them down because of the specific things some other shapes do better. BTW, with this board, if you select the volume wisely, the tail is no longer sunk after you have reached some initial speed, way before reaching the foiling speed.

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Taavi said..

kvek said..

Where do you stand on that board? You want to lean back and angle that board so that you would expose the flat area and not so much of the of nose rocker to the water surface. For me the drifter 80 (+8L) gets going super easy. I have seen people standing in a wrong place on that board and then complaining it does not go.

Isn't this approach inefficient for the low wind?

I think that the narrow board, leveled with the water surface can be much faster (lower drag) than wider board with the sunken tail and would need less wind to get you on the foil (to achieve the foiling speed).

Definitely, if you have a board that is narrower, and has a longer flat section you can keep it more level, especially on flat water. And a board with boxy rails is likely easier to get going. But often such boards are less fun to ride. To each their own. For sure not every board excels in every condition, and they may need a bit different setup / technique to really shine. In case of this blue board the shaper has put a lot of thought into what happens if the board happens to touch the water during riding, and how effortlessly it bounces back, without getting stuck to the water. I think it makes sense to appreciate the boards for the things they do the best, and not so much put them down because of the specific things some other shapes do better. BTW, with this board, if you select the volume wisely, the tail is no longer sunk after you have reached some initial speed, way before reaching the foiling speed.

Totally agree :)

My current board (65 l, -7 l of my weight) is quite narrow (57.6 cm) but still quite short (4'6, 137.2 cm). Compared to my previous board (95 l) with more kicker and more width, it is more easy to get it to the foiling speed (if I don't mess up something). It is quite fun to ride and just bounces of the surface when touchdown happens. However, new board is harder to mount because of smaller volume and smaller width and when wind almost dies it is hard or impossible to stand on it.

As you said, too much pressure on the front of the board would slow down any board so I guess your original suggestion is quite on the mark :)

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kvek said..

Taavi said..

kvek said..

Where do you stand on that board? You want to lean back and angle that board so that you would expose the flat area and not so much of the of nose rocker to the water surface. For me the drifter 80 (+8L) gets going super easy. I have seen people standing in a wrong place on that board and then complaining it does not go.

Isn't this approach inefficient for the low wind?

I think that the narrow board, leveled with the water surface can be much faster (lower drag) than wider board with the sunken tail and would need less wind to get you on the foil (to achieve the foiling speed).

Definitely, if you have a board that is narrower, and has a longer flat section you can keep it more level, especially on flat water. And a board with boxy rails is likely easier to get going. But often such boards are less fun to ride. To each their own. For sure not every board excels in every condition, and they may need a bit different setup / technique to really shine. In case of this blue board the shaper has put a lot of thought into what happens if the board happens to touch the water during riding, and how effortlessly it bounces back, without getting stuck to the water. I think it makes sense to appreciate the boards for the things they do the best, and not so much put them down because of the specific things some other shapes do better. BTW, with this board, if you select the volume wisely, the tail is no longer sunk after you have reached some initial speed, way before reaching the foiling speed.

Totally agree :)

My current board (65 l, -7 l of my weight) is quite narrow (57.6 cm) but still quite short (4'6, 137.2 cm). Compared to my previous board (95 l) with more kicker and more width, it is more easy to get it to the foiling speed (if I don't mess up something). It is quite fun to ride and just bounces of the surface when touchdown happens. However, new board is harder to mount because of smaller volume and smaller width and when wind almost dies it is hard or impossible to stand on it.

As you said, too much pressure on the front of the board would slow down any board so I guess your original suggestion is quite on the mark :)

Oh, that's narrow, and short indeed. You must have good skills, well done! When the wind drops it becomes difficult to balance on my 62L board too (-10L for me) that's 4'10'' x 24''. I would not even consider using it in light winds if there are no strong gusts every now and then.

cheers
Taavi

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Taavi said..

Oh, that's narrow, and short indeed. You must have good skills, well done! When the wind drops it becomes difficult to balance on my 62L board too (-10L for me) that's 4'10'' x 24''. I would not even consider using it in light winds if there are no strong gusts every now and then.

cheers
Taavi

@Taavi: I think you would be surprised how easy it would be for you to use your smaller board in light winds. I saw your videos in the "balancing" thread and noticed that you have great control of the board and the wing. Your tacks look effortless. The smaller board makes the kneeling start just a bit harder but with -10L I don't think you would lose any low wind range. With a little wind, you would be able to taxi the board without problems and with a small gust, you would get on the foil without issues.

I decided to go with the "one board approach" and I am not tempted to use the bigger 95l board in low wind sessions.

Select to expand quote

@Taavi: I think you would be surprised how easy it would be for you to use your smaller board in light winds. I saw your videos in the "balancing" thread and noticed that you have great control of the board and the wing. Your tacks look effortless. The smaller board makes the kneeling start just a bit harder but with -10L I don't think you would lose any low wind range. With a little wind, you would be able to taxi the board without problems and with a small gust, you would get on the foil without issues.

I decided to go with the "one board approach" and I am not tempted to use the bigger 95l board in low wind sessions.

Thanks @kvek. The one board simplicity would be nice indeed. Currently I have 3 in my quiver, the 2 smaller ones are for stronger winds only though, as often our wind just stops, or has longer holes in it. And the water is cold most of the time haha. Love riding the small boards though. Here's a 32 L