This page is dedicated to whatever new stuff we happen to be testing and working on.
When I have something to report I will post here and update the posting date, kind of a preview before a tutorial is ready.
I added 4 videos of the F-one Seven Seas 1200, reviewing this wing both surf and wing foiling. Available on the foil reviews page.
Jeff Clark's larger wing foil boards came in and I have 2 sessions on the 118L (5'10"). I am stoked to report that the extra volume is well placed and right away I noticed the improved stability over my 95L. I am only 2 sessions on the Jeff Clark board, and yet schlogging was a pleasure, and touching down a non issue. It's been so long since I have ridden higher volume boards that I forgot how nice it is to be able to touch down or even plane along the surface with no issues or pearling or sinking. He only had 2 boards made and with the good feedback is working on having more boards made. I am not a jumper so I don't know if this construction can stand that type of abuse, for my everyday surf style they are great. Going into the light wind season I am so stoked to have a short stable board in my quiver.
One of the reasons this matters to me is that the 110-140L size board is what a lot of beginners and intermediate riders end up buying, and it's a huge benefit if these boards are stable to stand and schlog on. In my opinion stability is priority one for a higher volume board, for me this was the single biggest factor that made wing foiling easier to learn.
I added 2 videos of no pump acceleration take offs, these are helpful with small high aspect foils, and when one cannot pump. Can find the videos at the bottom of the small board knee start page.
Also added an update to weak side or switch foiling, 1 video on small body weight board and no pump take off.
I also added a video on how to flip over an 8 meter wing while sitting on a body weight board at the bottom of the wing handling page.
I demoed a full 2022 Cabrinha wing foil setup: wing, foil, and board. The camera died before I got on foil so no foiling, I did make a video review of my short test on this gear on the foil reviews page.
In this video series I show and explain tips and drills to learn to jibe on a wing foil board. When I was learning riding toe side felt very foreign, and so I go in to detail how to get the feel needed to complete a jibe. I show and explain how to work on the parts of the jibe so we can put the pieces together and have success. There are 11 videos in this series.
Foil - One Time Membership Required
You must be a Foil - One Time member to access this content.
I hand shaped and glassed a hydrofoil wing out of a piece of wood and mounted it to an Axis fuselage for $20. This is a beginner friendly foil wing shape, designed for someone who has never foiled. Cheap, simple, and hopefully durable. The only challenge was deciding how thick to make the profile wing shape, I started really thick and worked my way down to a shape that is very forgiving and user friendly. I am stoked and feeling very proud and empowered, I can now make my own foils and I have lots of ideas for future builds!
There are 11 videos in this tutorial series. Cutting the outline shape, cutting the fuselage hole, shaping the profile of the foil, laminating, vac bagging, drilling and fitting for the fuse bolt holes, more shaping, even more shaping, laminating and vac bagging again, sanding, showing the finished foil shape in detail, and a ride test video.
Foil - One Time Membership Required
You must be a Foil - One Time member to access this content.
How to control and manage a wing while wing foil surfing waves or riding bumps downwind. When only holding the wing with one hand it can drop and twirl and flip and spin, this video series focuses on why this happens and what to do about it. Five videos in this series: why the wing moves around, strategies to control the wing, what the best wing foilers do in waves at Fort Point, managing the wing on tanker waves, and managing the wing when riding bumps downwind.
Foil - One Time Membership Required
You must be a Foil - One Time member to access this content.
Go ahead ding my board, it's waterproof and will be fine. I used to be afraid of dinging a board and would never let anyone borrow my super fragile glass encased sponge. I have seen the proof that waterproof boards don't soak up water and last for years. I am sold on the concept so I made myself two boards. Did I mention these waterproof boards weigh less than any of my EPS boards? What's the catch? Well, I had to make it myself. Considering how much I have learned it seems like a good catch.
This page shows the process of making a wing foil board from start to finish. Almost nine hours of video edited down to about two hours of video showing the entire build process and me explaining every step including making the vacuum bag. Also a list of the parts and materials and where to get them. This is not meant to be a master shaper or perfect build tutorial, my intent is to simplify the build and make building a board more accessible to anyone. I left all the imperfections and some rough edges as a proof of concept that a wing foil board can work well with a less than perfect finish. I also used plant cloth and plant based resin, it is important to me to continue moving towards 100% non toxic materials.
First video is a 5 minute fast time lapse of the entire build. Then videos showing: making the blank, shaping the blank, installing the boxes handle and leash plugs, making and setting up the vacuum bag, laminating the top and bottom and vacuum bagging, opening the boxes, sanding, and installing the deck pad. Then a list of parts and materials. I also talk about possible delamination of waterproof foam and the solution we came up with. Here is shorter preview I uploaded to YouTube.
18 videos in this series.
Foil - One Time Membership Required
You must be a Foil - One Time member to access this content.
How to stand up paddle pump after kicking out of a wave and pumping to another wave further outside. Showing and explaining the technique with slow motion video of Derek Hamasaki, Mickey Murch, and Johnny Heineken. Side by side video break down of the technique with these masters and also people who have recently learned. Five videos.
Foil - One Time Membership Required
You must be a Foil - One Time member to access this content.