New GoFoil GL240 & Iwa 1.5

It's been a busy week back on Maui with epic downwinding conditions & fun surf to be had.... Perfect for testing new boards & the All-New GoFoil GL240 & Iwa1.5 wings...
The weight & finish on these new wings is unbelievable...They're now 30% lighter with a gloss finish which feels soooo slippery through the water but they're just as strong with both of them sliding on & fitting perfectly to my existing 29.5" mast...
I took the new Iwa1.5 with my Kai tail out first on my JL Flying V in some ideal foil waves next to Thousand Peaks which is a perfect testing ground with waves peeling left & right & then reforming to create great bumps & link ups going for a few hundred meters..... The shape is identical to the existing Iwa but felt so lively & turned & responded more like my Kai wing without losing any lift...
I then tried the new Iwa1.5 on my new JL prone board & the same thing....Great controllable lift but much more responsive & harder turnability...A bigger range of usability....As it is I use my Iwa on both my Sup or Prone board 85% of the time but now I'll use it even more....
I must admit i was nervous going back in to change back to my sup & put the new GL240 on for it's maiden surf.... I hadn't ridden my M280 or M200 for 6 months until yesterday's Maliko downwinder due to injury & travel commitments...
I must admit it looked like a weapon on my new Black Carbon JL Flying V with it's gloss shiny finish & high aspect narrow shape...I paired it up with my Mailko tail & paddled out...
The paddle out was easy with no drag or flex like you get when you use the big M280 as the GL knifed through the water.... I got straight out the back avoiding the shallow patches of reef & paddled into the smallest wave I could find....Liftoff was immediate but in a controlled way & because I don't use footstraps it took me about 10-20m to find my footing & I was away cruising without any porpoising & just stood there as i cruised back in towards shore... It did feel twitchy until I found my sweet spot but then I felt comfortable pumping back out & arcing some wide cruisey turns... By my 4th or 5th waves I was loving the speed & glide all in preparation for the afternoon's downwinder...
Having down only my first downwinder the day before & back on the M280 again i was nervous about the big change going to the new GL240...I was pleasantly surprised at the success of my first downwinder back on the M280 after pretty well only using my Iwa most of the time & only sup or prone surfing & having become so comfortable on it...I have no problem pumping the Iwa back out or getting 2 or 3 for ones in the surf....
If you want to learn to downwind the M280 really is the perfect wing to do it on... As soon as i paddled out through the keyhole & into the wind line i pumped up & into my first long ride.... I was probably more surprised than anything & over foiled the M280 but as soon as I touched down I was back up into an even longer glide....During the middle of the Maliko run i over-foiled a few times & got a bit tired but once I got to Baldwin beach I got one long glide linking multiple waves all the way to Sugar Cove for the last couple of km's...
So day 2 of downwinding & I paddled out the key-hole with the GL240, again a nice & easy paddle out even with the Hawaiian trade blowing it's head off....I was excited & paddled for the first bump I saw but didn't get the same initial lift as I did the day before on the M280 but the board & wing were stable so I waited for the next bump...By about the 3rd or 4th bump I was up & flying & staying up effortlessly until I zigged instead of zagged & came down... I didn't get the same pop back up as i would have on the M280 so I spent the next 10 minutes trying to find a bump to take off on...Even though the wind felt like it was howling it just wasn't creating the little same little chip-ins that i was expecting...Or it could have been purely fatigue from over a week of foiling & sup downwinding...
When I did pump back onto the next chop I flew down the line until my back leg started to give way & missed linking the next runner....Not once did the GL feel like it was going to "over-foil" or breach....
As I got near Baldwin again there was more chop on the bumps & i flew nearly all the way into Sugar Cove & the only thing that stopped me making it to the beach was fatigue...
Can't wait to get out there tomorrow for another run down Maliko...The new GL is next level but the new "high aspect" wings everyone's doing aren't for the beginner market....They're for the experienced foilers who want to step up their downwinding & pumping...For evryone else getting into foiling the Iwa, M200 or M280 are still the best wings to learn on & surf in the pocket...
5'2 JL "Super Fly" Prone board, 6'6" JL Flying V Downwind Board with GoFoil Iwa1.5 & GL240



Dave ripping on his GL

GoFoil Photoshoot

Thanks. I've seen that. I want more.

I've heard that the IWA 170 is for 170lb riders, which only vaguely makes sense. It might also be 1700cm area, which looks about right, but why mix units and numbers and 31" span? I've also seen 1500 and 1800cm.

What is a 1.5 or a 240?

FCS do all the measurements for their fins. Foil makers should do the same. www.surffcs.com.au/pages/fcs-fin-data

Sorry for a minor thread hijack. Other foil makers do the same. I am personally more interested in Gofoil than the other products. It looks like Axis prints all the numbers right on the foil.

Is the only difference in the 1.5 version of the Iwa lighter weight, or did the shape change at all?

Nice Find Camarillo

Baby steps :) I'm not good with change lol...
The New 18N & 18W tail wings are for the new GL front wings & downwind speed but as far as surfing goes the Kai & Maliko seem to be the rear wings of choice...

so you love the New GoFoil Iwa 1.5, good for you!

But why don't you tell us what it is?

Is it the same as the old IWAbut only lighter?

Yes, that is what I've heard. Just a lighter weight version of the same shape.

Yes the new Iwa 1.5 is exactly the same size & shape only lighter....It just seems to make it that much more responsive but I'm not saying you need to run out and replace your existing Iwa...The new GL's are where it's at for the guys who want ease of pumping & speed...

Interesting Podcast with some info on High Aspect wings,

Listen to Foiling Series Ep. 4 - James Casey Round 2 by The Progression Project on #SoundCloud soundcloud.com/progressionproject/foiling-series-ep-5-james-casey-round-2

Any feedback on the new GL wing for dockstars compared to the classic line ?