wakefoil with a small wave

[CaptainMorgan]

one other important note for my setup the other day (11.5mph, surf left, no wedge, ~25% ballast) -- lengthened the rope to like 80 ft and connected it to the ski pylon (equiv of 85+ ft from tower).  that put me just about at the bubble line where most of the power is and i'd still drop back another ~5 feet to get into the glassy swell. 

Also helps to edge out a little as you start so you can approach the 2nd wave from outside vs starting directly behind the boat and coming over the back of the wave (which shoots me forward usually causing foil to breach). 

[CaptainMorgan]

snuck out for a foil session on friends X24 today.  He wanted to run full ballast (4000 lbs water plus 1000 lbs of lead) as he is practicing foil airs - as guest i defer to owner of course.  But that means on my sets i had WAY more wave than i needed and i noticed that there was dramatically more turbulence in the water.  The barrelling wave was not only difficult to ride because it was periodically rocketing me down the wave, but as i carved back and forth through the bubble line it was like hitting a highway rumble strip.

moral of the story:  @shawndoggy has it right, for foiling (behind a modern surf boat at least), less is *usually* more.

[hunter77ah]

15 minutes ago, CaptainMorgan said:

snuck out for a foil session on friends X24 today.  He wanted to run full ballast (4000 lbs water plus 1000 lbs of lead) as he is practicing foil airs - as guest i defer to owner of course.  But that means on my sets i had WAY more wave than i needed and i noticed that there was dramatically more turbulence in the water.  The barrelling wave was not only difficult to ride because it was periodically rocketing me down the wave, but as i carved back and forth through the bubble line it was like hitting a highway rumble strip.

moral of the story:  @shawndoggy has it right, for foiling (behind a modern surf boat at least), less is *usually* more.

Totally agree. @shawndoggy got me hooked on the no ballast just surf gate. 

[mxmark4]

Went and rode with a couple guys the other day and they are in the full ballast camp. I dont mind it especially if it isnt my boat. In my boat I only foil full ballast if someone is surfing the other side. 

[ctvandy23]

Anyone have a chance to ride The Axis PNG 910 or HPS 1050?  If so, thoughts?  We are currently riding an Axis BSC 970 and looking to add a second wing.  

[xraydoc]

@ctvandy23 I have the png 910 and png 1150. The 910 is my favorite wing behind the boat. Pumps forever and so much fun to carve. The 1150 is great for dock starts and flat water pumping but for me no fun on the wave. Have not ridden the 1050 but my guess is that it is too much wing for behind the boat. I ride the 910 behind my Response Txi and my 25 lsv and like it for both boats\waves.

[ctvandy23]

Xraydoc, thanks for info! Exactly what I was looking for.  Prior to the BSC970 we tried the PNG 1050 and had a hell of a time getting out of the water in one piece.  We gave it a hell of try, but for some reason we just couldn’t come up on foil with an regularity.  

[anutami]

https://www.overtons.com/liquid-force-nebula-foil-board-759873.html

great deal on this LF Nebula plus their 15% off coupon worked

Edited May 5, 2023 by anutami

[shawndoggy]

excellent deal!  I paid like $600 for one of those! (which my wife is also too scared to try bc "too small!" so it's still in the plastic)

[mxmark4]

Bought this and it showed up last week. Quantum 100 front wing for my slingshot. Much bigger than my infinity 76 I had been riding.

So far I have not sucessfully  ridden this wing. I moved the mast all the way back but didnt try it again since it was blowing 30 mph out there and I got tired of swimming after the wing. Hoping moving the mast will allow me to get up on it. 

[hunter77ah]

15 minutes ago, mxmark4 said:

Bought this and it showed up last week. Quantum 100 front wing for my slingshot. Much bigger than my infinity 76 I had been riding.

So far I have not sucessfully  ridden this wing. I moved the mast all the way back but didnt try it again since it was blowing 30 mph out there and I got tired of swimming after the wing. Hoping moving the mast will allow me to get up on it. 

Let us know how it goes.  I have the infinity 76 and it takes a bit of work to pump.  If this is substantially easier, I might swap.

[mxmark4]

I didnt have much luck pumping my 76 either. But after more research and watching videos on youtube I wonder if I am even pumping correctly anyhow. I am hoping this higher aspect wing will let me pump and potentially even dock start. 

[hmh800]

I just ordered one of the liquid force boards (3’8) on that deal for $380 to my door.  Can’t beat that!  Thanks anutami!!

[rothoveb]

Right now Overton's has the promo code MDAY25 that will give you an additional $25 off the 3'8" version of the Nebula so it is $354.97 with free shipping before taxes.  Not sure why but it doesn't work for the 4'2".

[mxmark4]

Missed that code but got it shipped for 373 after taxes with the 10% off for email coupon. Swore I would never again order from them but that deal is unbeatable. 

[hunter77ah]

On 5/16/2023 at 8:59 AM, mxmark4 said:

Missed that code but got it shipped for 373 after taxes with the 10% off for email coupon. Swore I would never again order from them but that deal is unbeatable. 

How did the new foil go?

[mxmark4]

Haven't been back out with it and I also hurt my back last week so yesterday was the first day I was walking in my normal  gait. Gonna throw it on the new board and try some dock starts when I get off work tomorrow morning before coming home to sleep. Hopefully I will have a report soon. 

[hunter77ah]

On 5/19/2023 at 9:51 AM, mxmark4 said:

Haven't been back out with it and I also hurt my back last week so yesterday was the first day I was walking in my normal  gait. Gonna throw it on the new board and try some dock starts when I get off work tomorrow morning before coming home to sleep. Hopefully I will have a report soon. 

Dying with anticipation lol!

[mxmark4]

4 hours ago, hunter77ah said:

Dying with anticipation lol!

Got conned into working a 16 hrs shift instead of 12, so I didn't bother going out this morning. Board didn't show up until today anyways. Have a birthday party for my son tomorrow and after that we might try and slip out for a couple hours and try it behind the boat. 

[4skinuts]

@xraydoc Could you tell me about foiling behind your Response TXI. What speed are you running?  Do you have any ballast or wedge?  How long of a rope do you use?  What part of the wave provides the best push? Is it better to have the foil high in the water or deep?  I mostly slalom. I bought a wake foil to play on when it is too rough to ski. I have never wake surfed. I can get up and ride the foil with a rope. I haven’t figured out how to pump it. I have gone ropeless for a few seconds and then lose the push.  Any other tips for foiling behind a TXI?

[xraydoc]

13 hours ago, 4skinuts said:

@xraydoc Could you tell me about foiling behind your Response TXI. What speed are you running?  Do you have any ballast or wedge?  How long of a rope do you use?  What part of the wave provides the best push? Is it better to have the foil high in the water or deep?  I mostly slalom. I bought a wake foil to play on when it is too rough to ski. I have never wake surfed. I can get up and ride the foil with a rope. I haven’t figured out how to pump it. I have gone ropeless for a few seconds and then lose the push.  Any other tips for foiling behind a TXI?

I just put it at 11 mph and use a surf length rope. No wedge or ballast but you could run one or both for a larger wave. The first and second wave have plenty of power with a larger foil. Some of your struggles may be due to the lack of wake surfing experience. It's pretty hard to go straight to the foil but it can be done. You may also make sure that your foil set up is appropriate for that size of wave. Behind the Slalom boat, the average size guy would probably ride a wing with a surface area in the ballpark of 1800 cm². If you can find a buddy with a surf boat, that would be a great place to start. The main challenge is getting the feel for front and back weight distribution to hold the power of the wave which a surfboard can get you tuned in to.

[mxmark4]

Went out yesterday and had an awesome day of playing hanging out, dinner on the water and fireworks. 12 hours of boat goodness. Tried the nebula with my infinity 76 wing and with the shorter board it's a different ride. Getting used to the foot placement and the low volume of the board definitely took some getting used to. Felt like movements I would usually do on the bigger heavier board were over exaggerated. But I also think that part of that is the fact I have spent very little time on the foil this year so far. I took my new quantum 100 wing but did not get a chance to swap and ride it. I had a good crew and wanted to make sure they got to surf plenty.

They caught me singing along behind the boat!

[Smokedvw]

On 5/8/2023 at 7:55 AM, mxmark4 said:

I didnt have much luck pumping my 76 either. But after more research and watching videos on youtube I wonder if I am even pumping correctly anyhow. I am hoping this higher aspect wing will let me pump and potentially even dock start. 

I switched to Axis gear and found it a night and day difference compared to Slingshot.  I found the slingshot great to learn on but once you want to carve, feel like surfing I found it slow and not agressive like you can get with Axis and Amrstrong etc foils.  I did just buy a new Slingshot dwarf craft 110 and cant wait to try it out today and get my pump on with the wake thief setup.  I had different front and rear wing last year but a big part of it as well is to have a super stiff board from what I have heard for pumping but I do agree you need to have the boat at the right speed too.

I could pump last year but I couldn't pump off one wake and then back to the next but think the new board and new front wing/rear will help.
 

I find these guys pretty good to watch for techniques etc

Edited May 29, 2023 by Smokedvw

[CaptainMorgan]

Ok foiling friends, if you have lots of riders and want to maximize ride time - try a chase jet ski (see pic)

On previous trips we had done double foiling but besides awkwardness of starting 2 at a time (keeping ropes untangled, safely getting people spaced apart etc), 1 person always falls first and by time boat and other rider react the 2 riders are separated by a football field or more and it takes forever to pickup both and get reoriented.

So friend brought out his jet ski as a chase vehicle. boat would pull up a rider normal and jet ski would tow in 2nd rider to opposite wave.  who ever falls first gets picked up by jetski to restart while other rider and boat do a slow 180 so the jet ski can catch up easy.

After an hour or so we could get multiple falls/recatch the wave on a single ride.  Hardest part was driving the jetski as touchy throttle could easily pull foiler over the front and spacing to 2nd or 3rd wave for tow-in took practice. Fun challenge though and worked better than I thought it would.

[shawndoggy]

https://instagram.com/stories/shawndoggy/3118576317342417833?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==