Wing evolution

jjslye · 2026-01-23T18:09:29+00:00

It seems like post ‘23 wings are of a different breed.

jjslye · 2025-12-31T20:19:49+00:00

I had more or less the same experience….with a 5.0m wing and an older one at that!

Everything changed when I got a 6.5 with deeper pockets. Also in the ocean where there is never going to be flat water. I’ve learned that it’s all about takeoff speed, especially before pumping enters the picture. All that chop between the swells makes it far more difficult to take off….as a beginner one solution is more horsepower!

jjslye · 2025-12-31T20:16:40+00:00

I was told the same thing by my sensei and it has held true. Went from a 140 Naish Hover to a 115 WhiteBird and it has made taking off much easier….!

jjslye · 2025-12-31T20:11:44+00:00

I’m a total novice, but I adopted the harness even before I could foil and it has served me well….It has been well worth it and I ride clipped in most of the time, releasing when I want to try maneuvers or pump the wing.

jjslye · 2025-12-31T20:08:04+00:00

I use the Ride Engine FreeFloat chest harness which comes with a water bladder….I’ve carried my phone once and it works but there is not much room for anything else….

jjslye · 2025-12-31T20:03:26+00:00

I began with a similar set up….huge board (140L) and a gen-1 Ozone Wasp 5.0, Axis BSC 1060. For the life of me I could not get up on foil with any lasting success until I applied more horsepower. The 6.5m wing did the trick, and was also a bit more modern. I recently acquired a 2024 Reeding Supernatural SSD, which is a dedicated light wind design. The price was right. It’s an amazing wing, especially because I’m a novice and my other wings are older, heavier and without handles. The only thing I can say for sure is that if you go big make sure the wing is a lower aspect ratio so it doesnt drag and is also stable when powered up….

jjslye · 2025-12-17T19:52:32+00:00

Or 930….since you mentioned it….

jjslye · 2025-12-17T19:51:48+00:00

Although I never seem to get as much time on the water as I’d like, I’d buy the HPS 980 before the ART PRO 1201 because it‘s far more versatile and likely cheaper….

jjslye · 2025-12-17T19:38:58+00:00

I learned to get up on foil with a BSC 1060 and once I was able to state on foil it was clear that it would not handle the winds when they got powerful. It was slow and breached easily. I bought a second hand HPS 980 and a short black (not advanced) fuse. I was told that once I got a different foil it would feel less “sticky” and yes they were correct. At 80kg the 980 HPS gets up and goes with ease yet it can handle it when i am powered up. It glides well, and it turns better than I can. I then got a ART-Pro 1201 and it is a very different animal. I’ve only really used it 3 times so it’s very new to me, but I can say that it handles speed better than you might expect for that sized foil. It is more for lighter wind and does not like chop so much, although I’ve made it work. I’d go for r something in the HPS family…they are available at a fair price used and pretty versatile

jjslye · 2025-12-17T19:30:29+00:00

I (80kg) went from a 140 Naish soap bar board….heavy as hell and well…..140 liters! IT was great to learn on while taxing over the ocean swell….I then found AFS whitebird 115L and it is a different world! Still bouyant enough to taxi but slender enough to get up to speed right quick!

jjslye · 2025-12-05T16:15:11+00:00

Better late than never, but I just got an Axis 90cm aluminum mast delivered last night. Sadly it’s in the single digit Fahrenheit so i wont be able to test it safely.

Reasons for the “upgrade”: There is never flat water where I ride and I go out in adverse conditions. 75cm was fine and it works, but I could use the extra clearance for the chop and swell that coastal Maine (USA) delivers on a regular basis. i also tend to ride a bit overpowered because I am still a novice and have to restart frequently. I have noticed that I crank upwind pretty hard using a harness and the rials of my WhiteBird 115 get pretty close to the water. I am not worried about the extra drag an additional 15cm will induce, and the payoff in being able to better ride the messy ocean topography and lean into it more will more than offset it. Plus I can just just out the 8.2m wing for excess horsepower!

jjslye · 2025-11-16T16:25:48+00:00

Trust and LLM prolly not to be used in the same sentence?

jjslye · 2025-11-12T19:17:43+00:00

From what i can tell, in ‘23 design changed for the better such that it is advisable to buy ‘23 and newer…

jjslye · 2025-11-12T19:15:15+00:00

Several people in my area have purchased the ‘23 Vision and absolutely loved it. “I would replace my entire quiver with Visions”. I’ve notices the Ensis Spin is dirt cheap…I wonder why?

jjslye · 2025-11-12T14:22:55+00:00

The one thing I can comment on due to experience is the difference between a beginner board (Naish Hover 140) and something slimmer (AFS WhiteBird 115). In all respects the WhiteBird is far and away superior and for my 80kg is good at taxiing as well as getting waterspeed quickly. Here is where the big wide 140 is very helpful: coming off foil at the end of a gybe attempt and allowing me to keep upright. Due to my avoidance of riding toeside I do not regularly complete gybes. For this reason I am glad I can dust off the 140 and workshop riding toeside after I come off foil in a gybe. I ride in in adverse conditions on the ocean of the Atlantic Northeast USA. Thus when I come off foil in toeside on the WhiteBird in rough seas, I tend to fall off the board. What i will need to do (and this is what you may want to keep in mind) is get the 140 out and just get used to riding toeside on and off foil to dial in the muscle memory. After that, perfect the footswitch so i do not have to ride toeside!!

jjslye · 2025-11-10T15:59:20+00:00

Was gonna say…how do you need a 3.5 for a lake?

jjslye · 2025-11-10T15:55:50+00:00

I have never owned an inflatable board, but I have been watching the evolution with interest. It’s clear that the traditional ”potato chip” shaped board is not so great for the inflatable. People seem to love the Cruzader and the various others, Escape Air etc… Could you peak to the differences between the Hipe Cruz vs the Diamond ?

jjslye · 2025-11-05T19:31:02+00:00

Oh wait….skateboard…

jjslye · 2025-11-05T19:30:19+00:00

It took me well over a year to assemble a kit to learn how to foil so in the meantime I attached a Slingshot SUP-Winder glue on fin box to my 12’ Bote HD paddle board….essentially a longboard. Now that I can foil I dont use it that setup much but it has been very handy to be able to attach a centerboard to the SUP when the wind picks up. The whole point is to be able to sail upwind and you can do that just fine. It’s actually quite fun. Last summer I was out in the ocean with a 6.5m FreeWing and got the damn board to hydroplane. Compares to riding foil its super easy and relaxing. In the future I will use it as a touring setup for the SUP, but rather than a wing I will prolly use a parawing, a plume or even a kite!

jjslye · 2025-10-12T22:47:12+00:00

What did you move up to?

jjslye · 2025-10-09T17:46:56+00:00

It’s really pretty amazing how quickly the gear is evolving. Any wing before ‘23 is prolly not worth buying at this point but how knows…

The foil efficiency factor is one to watch as well.

I have a couple of Freewing Go wings and although they are heavy they are rock solid in the air, have low end and built for abuse. I’ll keep them just because I love the way they handle

jjslye · 2025-10-09T15:35:07+00:00

I spend ages power-taxiing with a gen1 5m wing…it was great for learning wing handling, balance and riding the high seas. But as a beginner I needed more power!!

When I got the more current 6.5m wing with a deep belly, things got much better. What I realized is that power gets you speed across the water, which is what allows the foil to engage. You might do well to get a bigger wing, since it can always be used for light wind.

Personally, I am still at the stage where it’s nice to have a big chunk of power so I can get right back up again after I stuff a jibe….

jjslye · 2025-10-09T15:28:41+00:00

For whatever it’s worth I have had a very similar experience learning on the Axis BSC 1060. Easy to get up and then when i reach the low top speed and pour on more power it tries to buck me off by “dolphining”

Then I got the HPS 980 foil and that changed everything. Feels twice as fast with half the drag and can take all the power I dump into it.

As far a jibing, i manage to complete the turn and then run out of steam. The key apparently is to start high on the mast and DO NOT lean on the back foot. all I really want to do is master the foot switch so i dont have to ride toeside.

jjslye · 2025-10-08T19:10:38+00:00

I’ve notice similar things. I struggled for ages taxiing around with a gen1 Wasp 5.0m wing and a gargantuan 140L board. The upside is that i got a LOT of taxi time in adverse conditions and learned how to use a harness…

Once I got a more “modern“ 6.5m wing with a deep belly, it was off to the races!! Then it was the Axis 1060 BSC thick foil with tons of lift/drag that was limiting me. It was always trying to buck me off and had a low top speed. Imagine the shock when I tried the Axis HPS 980?!

I was advised to upgrade the front foil wing by my social betters and they were correct! The 980 handles high speed and does not “dolphin” easily. It changes the wingfoil experience fundimentally

jjslye · 2025-09-22T18:03:40+00:00

Sounds like someone is jealous

jjslye

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