AIR Chair / SKY SKI / FOIL Lessons around DFW ?

[LS-One]

I agree on this. But just like other disciplines, speed it up or weight the boat & things get really fun.

Of course you have to pay to play too. Not just in gas. But the crashes at higher speeds or from up higher start to suck.

So you do weight the boat for additional air ? I did not know that.

[gorilla]

So you do weight the boat for additional air ? I did not know that.

Yup, a taller/firmer wake will allow the wings to "ride" up the pressure wave and allow more air. Kind of hard to explain, but you will get more air. Speed also allows the wings to get more lift, just like an airplane, allowing bigger jumps. I ride at 23mph with a no ballast wake and can "load up" the wings well enough for some big jumps. I have filled the ballast and the pop from it was amazing, but not worth the extra fuel consumption for me. I'm just fine with the wake off of my LSV.

[Bill_AirJunky]

So you do weight the boat for additional air ? I did not know that.

It's really just a crutch. Do the mechanics right & you'll get all kinds of air behind even the smallest boat. I have a buddy who just sold a Prostar 205. I would go from his boat to mine fairly often last summer. With his boat I'd have to concentrate on timing the jump just right, getting a BIG dip, pulling the feet up & over. If I did it all just right, I could get big air. Then go behind my own boat with 900 - 1100 lbs (stock plus possible lead) & if I did it all "just right" then things would be stupid big air. But even if I got one of two of the mechanics in, I could still hang it up there pretty well.

The picture above is behind an X-15 with 2500 lbs of ballast on it. We did a demo day last fall with our dealer & rode behind a 247 with the supercharged big block, 11 people on board & 1200 lbs of ballast...... wish I had pics of that day.... was insane amounts of hang time. I don't think I ever get that kind of air behind my own boat. And frankly I don't think my body could handle it on any kind of regular basis. But it's a LOT of fun to do occasionally...... especially when we have some young guys (usually boarders) talkin smack.

[Pistol Pete]

^^^ Yup.

In Feb. I rode behind Malibudude's SE and the much larger wake coming off of his boat made me get much higher than normal from behind my boat. And, I think we had the wedge up. I just didn't need the wake that much bigger.

[martinarcher]

I learned something today. I never knew wake size made a difference on a foil. That's pretty cool.

[Pistol Pete]

Yes.

For an advanced rider, (as Gorilla said) you want to time your approach to the wake and dip the foil so that the fuselage (lowest part of the foil with the wings) will ride up through the longest (tallest) part of the wake to give you the most pop out of the water.

[Bill_AirJunky]

I learned something today. I never knew wake size made a difference on a foil. That's pretty cool.

We also notice when a wake is really "solid" or if it has a lot of air in it. My buddies' Prostar 205 had a relatively small wake, but it was really solid & packed a punch when you hit it right.

The Wedge causes a really wide prop wash, which will throw a foil rider around a little as he rides thru it. Same thing with most any I/O..... maybe due to the exhaust being in the propwash? All that air inside the wake just doesn't allow the foil to fly or launch thru it as well as a wake that is really clean. Most any of the Malibus, with just weight, no Wedge, give a great wake for a foil rider.

Edited April 20, 2012 by Bill_AirJunky