DW -Free-winging. Warning - Long Video

Nice..

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JB said..
HAd a super fun DWinger on Monday in some super light winds. I loaded up the GoPro on the chest mount and thought I'd share the glide with you all.

WARNING it is a long video, but it is non stop DW free-winging. I use my new technique of Wing placement which allows me to go dead down wind.

Enjoy.

I am riding the Naish Hover 125, JET 2140HA/310HA/75cm and the Wing-Surfer 6m.
Wind was lucky to be 10kn from the NE (045).
Swell was ENE about 1.5+m maybe more.

Ride safe,

JB

Is there a 2140 HA wing ? Thought only 1240HA or 2150 standard wings.

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AGK7 said..

JB said..


I am riding the Naish Hover 125, JET 2140HA/310HA/75cm and the Wing-Surfer 6m.
Wind was lucky to be 10kn from the NE (045).
Swell was ENE about 1.5+m maybe more.

Ride safe,

JB

Great video, and I really appreciate the caption-ed tips and advice. Really helpful!

Since you really have light wind wired, could you please discuss the advantages and disadvantages of higher volume boards for light wind winging? I see you are using a 125 liter board. I have been wondering if a longer, higher volume board than my 90 liter 5'1" would be able to generate more surface board speed to get on a foil. Any opinions on this welcome!

Thanks all for the kind words. Always love sharing.

AGK7. There is no right or wrong answer here. Everything has a place. But to understand whether something is more or less suitable you will need to understand what it is that you are looking for. I moved up from the 110 a little while ago not because of volume, but because I wanted more rocker line (longer board) for paddle DW'ing. My plan was to have the 95 as my Wing board and the 125 as my DW board. Problem (if you want to call it that) was, once I got my 125 set up dialled, I actually preferred it over the 95 in more ways that I preferred the 95 over the 125. I ride the 125 in light and gale conditions, wave foiling and DW'ing. The only down side to going bigger in my opinion is the look while you're riding (small boards look cool ). There is a confidence in riding a bigger board especially when you're a few km's offshore (I often ride about 5+kms out to sea when I go DW winging, it's all part of the excitement).

In basic,

- Longer rocker/length = More paddle speed or hull speed prior to foiling
- Longer board = A more usable and tuneable swing weight. This can be made neutral, or add positive for high winds or big waves.
- Higher volume and L+W = easy to get up and safe recovery in challenging conditions including too light to foil.
- Shorter boards tend to be more twitchy. You can find you have to ride a little reserved.
- Shorter boards look cooler and more advanced.
- Shorter boards are technically easier to pump as they are generally lighter (however I find I can do as many link ups on my 125 as I can on my prone board which I wouldn't expect. I think some of this is due to correct tuning of the gear, you can actually use the baords weight and swing to aid in your thrust of your pump).
- Shorter boards are easier to carry and fit in the car better.
- Bigger boards can fit more stickers on them.

At the end of the day, it is what you are comfortable on. I ride with some very good riders, some of the worlds best, and skill aside I never feel like my gear is holding me back (more just the 15+ years age difference). I like to have a one board go-to that I can do everything on. Get it dialled, invest the time to tune it properly (I can over tech here. I measure everything, draw force diagrams and review data to get what I want) and you will be surprised how good a big board can be, maybe even better than your small board. Living in Sydney you have to be ready for months of 10kn days. If I lived in Maui, maybe my quiver would be different (most likely).

I hope this helps,

Take the time to tune and understand what you are gaining and what you are giving up when you make a choice. Remember there is not WIN/WIN! For every gain you have to give something up - That is the way! (please note this is in general terms. Skills will move the needle as you progress).

Ride safe,

JB

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Windbot said..
This is great, I wasn't expecting 10 knots to look this much fun.

10-15kn can actually be when it is most fun if you can work it all out and be on the right gear. Most guys rush the bumps and miss all the opportunities. Work on riding slower, letting bumps go (or I like to call it retreating, fall back to the next bump) early and keep momentum. Use a big slow foil.

Today looks like it's windy. I will try do a 25kn version is I can this afternoon. Possibly not as long.

Ride safe,

JB