I'm slowly learning with my 790 Moses on a Fanatic Blast 115. Seems balanced. One problem I have is that the two areas I can foil most often have lots of chop or waves. One spot gets waves and swell in only 15 knots and the other spot is a lot windier with associated chop. Uphauling on my 65cm wide board is totally doable but I spend so much time falling in and uphauling at every transition/turn, it's exhausting. I figure I'd learn twice as fast if I had a wide stable board for better balance when not moving/transitioning. And if I do drop the sail I could quickly get it up again, instead of precariously balancing while slowly lifting the sail up. Of course with waterstarting this isn't an issue but i can't rig too big in gusty winds so I'm often underpowered for waterstarting.
Anyways, I might start looking at boards for next year, especially if I see something used. It looks to me that the most common shape for my size of wing is 120 to 240 L, with widths of 78 to 89 cm. What are the disadvantages to the larger board (I'm about 65 kg)? I've seen people mention swing weight but I'm not doing a bunch of swing tbh. I'd be happy with reaching with some gentle turns and a nice stable platform to learn to jibe.
Maybe I'll be past some beginners bumps by the time I see a deal on a foil board. My dream would be a week of 18kn side shore flat water with sandy launch. Sadly I get gusty 20kn onshore chop with rocky/boulder launch. Lots of people learn here, so really it's me but it feels good to vent sometimes.
Hi shmish,
regarding your weight and foil, I would not go much bigger than you already have, just slighter wider. 75cm is plenty for your foil, I see no advantage in bigger boards, unless you're on a Racefoil. I am 95kg and my foilboard is a Horue Tiny with 133L and 77cm wide. That is the biggest I need. Controlling the flight is much easier for me with a short-length board (which has less swing-weight), but it is more agile, so you need to get used to it.
Is there any chance that you can hire a dedicated foil-board? Or improve your light-wind water start... just kidding :)
BR; David
Hi Shmish
I've been trying to foil for over 2 years now. I'd say you've given yourself a big challenge starting out with swell, chop, rocky bottom, if I read you right. I started on flattish estuary water with a 165 Starboard Go - really old. 14kgs! Plenty of swing now that I understand what that is. Good for me learning actually. Early 2000s I think. Foil I plugged in was Slingshot H2 with 900 mast. I weigh 76kg. The Starboard Go has been an absolute winner for me. Relatively wide, easy to uphaul or waterstart. I use an 8.5 camberless in light winds less than 10knots. I recently got a Slingshot 125 Wizard to match the foil but I'm going to do a bit of relearning for that. Probs won't be able to use that 8.5 easily.
One really good tip I reckon is to stick with the 1500 (sg cm) front wing I'm assuming you have. Lots of lift. I just got an I76 and that on the front of my foil has just been a gem. 1500 vs 960 for the H2. Stable and surprisingly quick for me.
All the best.
Cheers
Barry
I'm using my JP150 with Moses 790 and its ok for the first sessions. The straps are much too far out for getting in after the jibe. Now i'm looking for a smaller board like the JP freefoil 115 or Severne Alien 115 both 70. 70cm would be nice for your weight. Maybe you can get a used JP120 or 135. Great boards for foiling.
You made a good choice using the Moses foils as they are strong, fast and reliable. I have found that 790 is a very versatile wing that can be flown in many different conditions. As far as the boards go the Wizard family of boards has proven themselves as the leaders in foil board design with there short wide stance. They are much easier to waterstart then traditional boards and are very well balanced.
I also started foiling at a spot that is windy and choppy but I feel that helped me shorten the learning curve. Also with the wide boards you don't need as much volume so a 125 or even 105 for 65kg is sufficient as I'm 92kg and I now use the Wizard 105 as my lite wind board. I'm only in my second season so my opinion only holds so much water.
Just keep your focus and get as much time on the water as you can. It's very addictive once you start driving the foil hard and fast like a windsurfer.
This is the MOSES 790 on a 25 knot day
The board is a custom 4'9" modeled after the Wizard boards.
In my experience board width is more about sail size and the kind of foiling you do. While 66cm is fairly narrow I believe the blast is actually pretty wide through the tail so should have enough power to control 5.5-6m sails without issue.
I'm 90kg and use a 72x238 board with a narrow tail. I have to use the straps to crank it upwind. I've used a 66x190 board with a wide tail and it was much more powerful upwind.
When transitioning stop flying; drop to the water and do a non-planing gybe. Lots of videos on Youtube; follow the ones that have a similar board shape.
If possible go for a longer reaches and minimize the number of transitions.
In 15knots with a 1500 wing, I would have thought you would be mostly water starting.
