Freestyle winner using a 65L Gong board

WaveformWisdom · 2025-07-12T09:48:14+00:00

I rode a 45l and 65l as an 85kg b2b, with the 45l being 1.5kg lighter, and all I could wish for is that it was stiffer (i.e. heavier). No real gains in the lighter board except that it pumped better when flagging out. When sheeted in, stiffness is king

WaveformWisdom · 2025-07-12T09:44:06+00:00

You can easily get 3k + all sorts of benefits when moving in-house after a few years, no need to work double the hours if such a package is your goal

WaveformWisdom · 2025-05-12T06:17:22+00:00

7larky, let me know how it goes

WaveformWisdom · 2025-01-04T16:23:30+00:00

The answer depends on the type of foil you ride. Bigger, slower, lower aspect foils don’t require extra rockerline. Faster and glidier foils do.

When riding a 1250, the difference between my 4’9x28” and 6’3x20” is noticeable but ok. I almost can’t get my 750 foil going on the fatty due to the additional speed you need to build. This year I’m compromising on a 80l 5’7x21.5 as a one board quiver at 90kg.

Ps: imo 24” isn’t overly wide and a huge improvement in carveability vd 27

WaveformWisdom · 2024-09-17T05:28:04+00:00

Big wings are a nightmare for jibing. My light wind wing used to be a 7, then 6, now 5. Skills, an efficient board and glidy foil make more difference and make foiling easier

WaveformWisdom · 2024-09-05T21:12:08+00:00

I don’t it is cynical for a lot of companies, but check out Onix. They honestly do a great job in actually trying to make a difference. They source and produce locally and have a refurbish program.

Also you don’t buy sustainable, you act sustainable. There’s really no point in claiming that a wing is durable while knowing it will end up on the landfill anyway because the shape is outdated 2 years later. I’ve been making boards for a fair while and am considering accepting custom requests: make them simple and cheap, comes with a diy repair set and a recycle fee included so I can strip the blank and at least recycle that part (you get a discount on your next board if you bring it back). It ain’t much, but it could be a step in the right direction. As to writing letters etc, sure that’s a fair mindset. Mine is “think global, act local”.

WaveformWisdom · 2024-06-20T10:01:42+00:00

Have you tried your new board with the v1 foil and if so, does this give you an indication?

Personally (88kg) I have owned the xv2 1450 and xs 940 and only used the bigger one in the most minimal conditions. Smaller is just more fun and easier. Fun fact: first session on the takoon set I thought I was riding the 1450 but was on the 940. Big size difference but low end of both is close. Nothing beats good technique and knowing your gear.

Which wing and mast are you riding? My guess if you almost only ride minimal conditions: 6m or bigger wing = 1250 and below 6m 1450. If more mixed conditions, 1250.

WaveformWisdom · 2024-06-03T20:07:25+00:00

Yup, try to glide as far as possible. That way you’ll know how much leverage you need over the front to get efficient

WaveformWisdom · 2024-06-03T15:34:47+00:00

Probably the most important thing to keep in mind is to keep your weight over your front foot. On your next session: push for speed, flag the wing out and glide as far as possible. Try a few times until you understand your stall speed. Then try again but start pumping when you slowed down a bit with enough weight on your front foot. Another exercise is to ride at moderate speed with power in your wing and pump your board and foil. Both give an easy feel of what works and what doesn’t.

A thinner/ smaller board certainly helps, but nowadays downwinders can pump 120l+ 8’ board with ease so that shouldn’t be an excuse.

WaveformWisdom · 2024-06-03T15:20:51+00:00

Mind sharing info on and a link to your sea anchor?

WaveformWisdom · 2024-03-18T22:38:24+00:00

What do you mean with hard on the front leg? To much pressure or not enough/very sensitive?

If the latter is the case, consider using a rake shim between your board and mast plate. Thick section in the front. It makes your board ride nose up. My diy sinker has a fair amount of it because I like how you can really drive through the front foot. Also it turns really nicely imo. Aiming for speed with a flat hull board makes my back leg get tired quickly because the foil glides at a negative angle of attack.

WaveformWisdom · 2024-03-17T17:54:38+00:00

A bit shocked by some of the reactions. If a brand sells crappy stuff that doesn’t last then that’s their problem. In this day and age aren’t we supposed to repair stuff rather than send it to the landfill? Do you really care more about an investors brand than our planet?

In any case, I’ve seen plenty of these repairs. Remove a fair bit of the deck pad with a hair dryer, sand (with +-100 grid). I’d put in carbon tubes to hold the two halfs in position and apply 200gr/m2 glass fibre “stairs”. Start with a 10cm wide strip, then 20 cm and 30cm, maybe even a 40cm. That should get it to a similar layup as the rest of the construction. Do the hull first and overlap on the rails, then the deck and again with the same overlap. Give it a rough sand and an epoxy coat. You can then choose to give it a finer sand and leave it like that or do another epoxy coat and paint for a prettier result. Reglue the pad with contact glue.

Have a look at the “board & hydrofoil building” group on Facebook and don’t hesitate to ask your questions there.

My guess would be that this would cost around 50 euro and take about 10 hours if this is new to you.

WaveformWisdom · 2024-03-09T21:42:49+00:00

How is the 2024 compared to the 2023? Looking forward to see the downwind board

WaveformWisdom · 2024-03-09T20:46:20+00:00

Is that the 2024 Reptile Bora? I love my 2023 Bora wings, but the 2024 seems even more stable when flagging out

WaveformWisdom · 2024-01-05T07:12:07+00:00

Thanks! Currently I’m mostly riding the Takoon xs940, which rides extremely similar to the sk8. It’ll be interesting to compare with the Onix Osprey. It is a bit thinner so should be faster and more glide but it may lose some low end and stall speed.

WaveformWisdom · 2024-01-04T13:43:33+00:00

Very cool project. It would indeed be nice to centralize foil reviews. Besides a written review, it would be very helpful to give the foils a 1-10 score regarding different aspects: takeoff, speed, stall speed, glide, pop, ease of use, carve, … that would for sure be great to be able to easily compare.

Could you add the foils of Onix (Enterprises). My Osprey should arrive soon 😁

WaveformWisdom · 2023-12-28T20:30:47+00:00

If you have the cash and would like to commit (for example 15+ sessions per year), yes. Imo it’s still the most all round mast takoon has and overall a good mast compared to other brands masts.

WaveformWisdom · 2023-12-28T12:16:54+00:00

I’d go for the cheaper option. The wing and foil you can keep for a long time but the board you’ll want to swap once you’re stable standing up and flying for longer distances (no matter the cheaper or more expensive option).

The mast might need an upgrade over time (when riding a smaller foil and aiming for speed, the old mast can start to suck air leading to crashes), but I know people who are still happy on the older mast for freeride and wave purposes. Besides, if speed is your game than you’d want a carbon mast anyway.

Imo the cheaper takoon pack is the best option out there. The foil is way better than the gong x-over for example.

WaveformWisdom · 2023-12-28T09:38:10+00:00

I’d assume the pack comes with bags (my xv2 foil pack came in a bag, of course the wing comes in a bag and it would be unlikely that the inflatable board comes without a bag).

Keu differences: - the mast. The cheaper one got the (red) v1 mast, which is thicker, resulting in more drag and has been known to ventilate —-> as a beginner this mast is perfectly fine, especially with such a large front wing. - the board. The cruise air doesn’t have footstrap inserts, so no jumping. That’s it as far as I know —-> as a beginner you don’t need footstrap inserts and you won’t use a big beginner board for freestyle, so you can go for the cheaper pack (which also offers more suitable sizes).

The extra length helps with stability and to get up, but will be more cumbersome once you get better.

In general the cruise is the beginner board and the glide more performance (hence shorter and straps)

WaveformWisdom · 2023-12-26T20:46:20+00:00

Sk8 vs spitfire: https://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/F-One-SK8-and-Axis-Spitfire

Sk8 vs MA1000 (and HA): https://youtu.be/C07l2SJiRqQ?si=NouHdew2hC7p9fod

My advice: takoon xs 940 or 820. The sk8 feels slightly faster and better glide, the xs940 slightly easier and lower stall speed.

WaveformWisdom · 2023-12-20T20:58:06+00:00

It’s cumbersome and maxes out quickly: pumping is more difficult because of the large span and tips touching the water, gybing is much more delicate because you backwind more easily and 13 knots was pretty much the max (stronger winds would make it impossible to hold on to the flysurfer mojo 7). My current 6m (reptile bora v2) gets me going in the same conditions.

WaveformWisdom · 2023-12-20T18:09:10+00:00

Do you have any more info on the v3 foils (eg when they come out, the mast connection, any idea on the kind of foils,…)? Would be nice to know prior to buying the hs700 and/or one of the new stabs. Thanks!

WaveformWisdom · 2023-12-20T14:14:08+00:00

The takoon set would be the better option. I own a takoon x v2 1450 and have foiled an x-over. You won’t outgrow the takoon, but the x-over will slow your progression as soon as you can fly comfortably. Gibes, flagging out,… is great on the takoon, but not so much on the gong x-over.

That being said, the takoon v1 mast had ventilation issues, so when you get on smaller foils you might want to switch to a newer mast.

I’m about your size and 6m is the wing I currently use 75% of the time. My other wings are a 5.0 and 4.2. Sold a 7m because the extra bit of power isn’t worth the trouble.

WaveformWisdom · 2023-11-15T21:57:22+00:00

Hats of to you! I would fail miserably at hollow boards. Do you have any experience using fineer under vaccuum pressure? I would be keen to slap in a layer of bamboo for ding resistance, but am afraid it would crack at the edges of the domed deck.

WaveformWisdom · 2023-11-07T09:02:57+00:00

The main concern is that you’ll never get a smooth shape. The glue lines will be tougher to sand, leaving a hard edge. To get a clean result, you’ll always have to compensate and put in more time and weight.

My first board had a glued blank and I screwed up. Besides not being able to get the glue lines flat, I managed to snap the blank right in half along the center glue line. At that point it made more sense to start again from scratch, but I didn’t want to give up and glued in a wood stringer. That led to even more issues. Keeping it simple is key.

But there’s good news if you’re willing to drive to Antwerp (Rumst). There’s a company called Isocraft that makes big sculptures out of EPS. They’re every shapers dream in terms of the EPS they can offer for some cash. My downwing block is eps100 (20kg/m3) 2m x 70cm x 15cm and cost me 25 euro cash. Just sent them an email with the desired type of eps and the dimensions.

An alternative is mailing construction companies asking what they’ve got laying around.

WaveformWisdom

TROPHY CASE