How good is the new North Sonar?

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Blippblurp said..
Do any of you who have tried several of North's foils have any recommendations on which wing is best suited for light wind foiling? I then aim to mainly focus on getting up in the least possible wind, but if possible also fun to use.

I weigh 95 kg and currently have sf930/c600/85 mast/s185 which I use together with a 63l board in winds from 13 knots. I now want a light wind setup with a new foil and board to be able to cruise around.

Can maybe the DW1400 with a Horizon board be a good alternative?

I have the same question, hoping someone can weigh in with a review of the DW1400 in light wind conditions.

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Blippblurp said..
Do any of you who have tried several of North's foils have any recommendations on which wing is best suited for light wind foiling? I then aim to mainly focus on getting up in the least possible wind, but if possible also fun to use.

I weigh 95 kg and currently have sf930/c600/85 mast/s185 which I use together with a 63l board in winds from 13 knots. I now want a light wind setup with a new foil and board to be able to cruise around.

Can maybe the DW1400 with a Horizon board be a good alternative?

The earliest take off would be on the P1800 pump wing. However for winging it is spany and you reach top speed quite quickly as it is not really designed for winging as the focus.
The DW will need a touch more speed to take off then the P1800. They work well for mid to advanced riders pump foiling. But you need to run a bit faster to get onto them. For winging I feel the DW would be a bit wide in span also, the glide though will be phenomenal on them.Personally I feel the SF1230 will be you best light wind option for winging with your weight.

Hey Uli,
When are we going to see the designer notes on the new foils and some stock? We've been teased for a long while now.

Ive been for a few weeks now on the SF1080 and S215. Yesterday I changed the S215 for the S208, leaving all other parameters the same incl. frontwing and mast position.

It took me the usual 10mins to dial in and my observations were:
- the foil tended to ride higher and I needed to apply more front foot pressure.
- everything was more sensitive. I could feel more of the forces in the water.

I'd say the S215 allowed me to be lazy and carve around. While the S208 woke me up. Needed to be more active. I guess with the S208 I need to move the mast position 0.5cm back (?) to find the sweet spot (compared to S215)?


Ps. Good news I got the DW1400 and SF830 arriving soon. Tracking the package as we speak!

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MProject04 said..

Ps. Good news I got the DW1400 and SF830 arriving soon. Tracking the package as we speak!

I'd leave your mast as is for a while and after a few session if still an issue move back.

Looking forward to hearing about the DW1400 :-)

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UisceBeatha said..

MProject04 said..

Ps. Good news I got the DW1400 and SF830 arriving soon. Tracking the package as we speak!

I'd leave your mast as is for a while and after a few session if still an issue move back.

Looking forward to hearing about the DW1400 :-)

Good one! Yes by the end of my session i felt comfortable already. Next time out the brain has already optimized my stance vs foil

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randomfoiler said..
Looking for (Uli's) expertise as I've received conflicting advice from different shops regarding the "next step down".

I am currently covering all (Wing) conditions with two setups:
SF930 + 208 tail for light wind
MA850v2 + 178 tail for 15+ knots

I'm looking to optimize my setup for stronger winds, specifically above 20 knots. I'm considering either the SF680 or MA700v2. Which would you recommend for best speed and glide and what tail size would be best suited for each?


Or would just adding the S142 tail to my MA850v2 be enough for higher winds?

What is it that the MA850v2 can't do for you in "high winds"? What do you think are its limitations for your style of riding?

What do you consider high winds?

Except for massive swell/waves(2-3 x overhead) where the 850 is sometimes, not always, too slow to keep up with the speed of the waves, I haven't found any limitations yet.
I can ride it with a S178 from 12 knts (4.2m) to 40 + knts (1.9m)

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Tangur said..

randomfoiler said..
Looking for (Uli's) expertise as I've received conflicting advice from different shops regarding the "next step down".

I am currently covering all (Wing) conditions with two setups:
SF930 + 208 tail for light wind
MA850v2 + 178 tail for 15+ knots

I'm looking to optimize my setup for stronger winds, specifically above 20 knots. I'm considering either the SF680 or MA700v2. Which would you recommend for best speed and glide and what tail size would be best suited for each?


Or would just adding the S142 tail to my MA850v2 be enough for higher winds?

What is it that the MA850v2 can't do for you in "high winds"? What do you think are its limitations for your style of riding?

What do you consider high winds?

Except for massive swell/waves(2-3 x overhead) where the 850 is sometimes, not always, too slow to keep up with the speed of the waves, I haven't found any limitations yet.
I can ride it with a S178 from 12 knts (4.2m) to 40 + knts (1.9m)

This is not so much a question of necessity but curiosity...
The SF930 is fun but I find it a bit slow (hence my concern this might carry down to the 680).

Indeed, I haven't come across conditions where the 850v2 was inadequate.
However, I have come across conditions where I was wondering what it would be like to be on the SF680/700v2 instead ...

No shop here has these as demos and "try both if you keep one" wasn't an option either.
I was hoping I'd come across someone here who did try both against the 850v2 and has come to a conclusion.
The 850v2 might just be the sweet spot for me but the mere existence of the SF680/700v2 is intriguing enough...

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larsdegroot said..
I still have whistling from my s208. Tried to sand it a couple of times already, but no luck. What side needs to be sanded ? Top or bottom or both?

My S208 was the same. I sanded the trailing edge several times and it improved a bit but is still has an annoying hum. I have written it off as a dud of a tail by North. My S215 is quiet, smooth carving and not much slower.

Still in love with the MA v2. Riding MA1050v2 and M850v2 almost all the time, while the MA1050v2 is the most used. It's working in almost all conditions. Flat water, chop, waves, 10 knots or 30, the MA1050v2 just works. Incredible speed range from walking speed to 40 kmh strapless no problem.

Is there anyone who has tried dw750 or dw900 who can say something about how these are to wing with?

I mostly ride open ovean waves at chest to head height and several people I know have fallen in love with downwind wings such as the Fone Eagle X for wingfoiling in these types of conditions. They have previously used surf foils. To be more precise, I'm talking about downwind wings in sizes of a maximum of 900 cm2 so that they do not become too wide and difficult to do somewhat snappy turns with. What I'm really wondering is whether the DW foils for North are a real alternative to eg eagle x? I want to stick with the North system, but being the gear junkie that I am, I can't let my F-one friends have better glide than me

Do anyone have any relevant experience to share related to this?

For my part, a dw wing would possibly be a supplement to my SF930 for the 20-40 knots days. If this sounds like a bad idea maybe i'd rather consider the sf680.

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UisceBeatha said..

Blippblurp said..
Is there anyone who has tried dw750 or dw900 who can say something about how these are to wing with?

I mostly ride open ovean waves at chest to head height and several people I know have fallen in love with downwind wings such as the Fone Eagle X for wingfoiling in these types of conditions. They have previously used surf foils. To be more precise, I'm talking about downwind wings in sizes of a maximum of 900 cm2 so that they do not become too wide and difficult to do somewhat snappy turns with. What I'm really wondering is whether the DW foils for North are a real alternative to eg eagle x? I want to stick with the North system, but being the gear junkie that I am, I can't let my F-one friends have better glide than me

Do anyone have any relevant experience to share related to this?

For my part, a dw wing would possibly be a supplement to my SF930 for the 20-40 knots days. If this sounds like a bad idea maybe i'd rather consider the sf680.

I share the same interest but got the SF680 last week instead. After an first run with the S208 in up and down wind I got a couple of 20knt wing sessions with the S178 stab and I absolutely love it. Fast and super nimble but still with the user friendliness of the larger SF models. Defo need to be powered up to get it flying but doesn't fall out like the HA models when going slow.

Finally feels like riding a short board on windswell in terms of bottom turn / top turn combos and the swell I was riding was decent but not the biggest, looking forward to riding it more.

S178 feels like a great match, riding that stab with the HA850 or SF930, the S208 always felt just as good, but with the SF680 its perfect.

Can't wait to run my SF830 with the S208 then! Now let's go to the other end of the spectrum of 'nimbleness' !

Yesterday had my first (jawdropping sesssion) on the DW1400. There was almost no wind. Lake completely flat and just a few breezes (not even gust) I looked back on the windstats and it was between 7-9kts. I was out with my AK Nomad 115 L (7' by 23") and 6m Nova v3.

With a slight breeze the board moved forward and the foil underneath didn't feel eating into the speed. As soon as I hit 5-6kph there was lift and with 3-4 pumps I was up. Riding in complete light winds, completely surprised this would be possible. So this experience.. seeing the foil giving lift at 5kph mark gave me hope that paddle ups can be possible. As soon as the board nose comes up you know the rest is up to you.

Up on foil the ride was good.. reached 26kph. When the wind died I could just keep going foot and hand pumping, which was the first time I ever managed this.. i.e. really riding through a lull. I tried some side to side carves to see how it turns. I had the S208 (Uli later advised that S215 would be better (as I have that) but S192 should be the long term setup) which seemed to work fine.

The part that was most confusing and fun at the same time were the jibes. The thing just threw me of the board like a bull, mid jibe. Basically what was happening (still trying to process it..) was I went into a jibe and when I switched hands/when wing depowered the board went in complete other direction. So you really need to consciously keep the pressure in the turn. I managed a sequence of jibes in the end. But fun learning process. In all this I also realized it is isn't meant for freeride winging.. more DW.

Another takeway was that it asks you to pump on a sweetspot above the frontwing/into the mast.. so a narrower stance felt better..

So these are my very first impressions ...as an intermediate rider who'se pumping techniques both foot and handwork can be much improved. Although I felt that the DW1400 will help me to improve my foot pumping technique. It clearly responded to a particular narrower stance pumping.. more forward oriented rather than pushing down. The best bit.. on those 7-9 kts hours I can now also go out

Hi all, I have been lurking around this forum for quite a while, love the info, and been riding North foils for a few years now winging. I am getting into pump foiling both dock starting and SUP flat water paddle up, and finally have a Pump foil coming, the P2050 (I am about 87Kg), and pretty excited to try the new wing. I can't get the stabilizers that go with it here yet, so wondering opinions on which of the stabilizers I have which would be best suited for this set up. I have a S208, S215, and S270. Has anybody tried the Pump wings any thoughts on the right set up would be appreciated? Thanks.

Oh by the way nice light wind winging MProject. I can't get much below 10mph with my SF1230 and dw board, I was wondering if the new foils will allow an even lower bottom end, we often have very light wind days where I am. Might even try the pump foil in the 5-6Kn days, I know it isn't meant for it, but if it gets me out

Awesome thanks. I have been mostly using the 208 for Winging, over the 215, even with my SF1230 as I find the 208 speeds everything up. But that makes sense with a foil designed to go as slow as the pump foils. I will try it with the 215 first and see if I can build some pumping skill with that. My pumping technique even with the 1230 is still pretty weak, so I won't really know right off the bat if the stabilizer is a problem.

So I got my new fuse (left) but I'm not happy. It looks exactly the same except for the screws and has a nice tight fit. But somehow it doesn't feel good, it feels wobbling, like my tail is very loose, like I make S turns with my feet. First I went back to see if everything was tight enough, because it really felt like some screw was loose.. but after 3 sessions, its still very shaky. What batch is this? With the shorter 30mm screws? And is someone having similar issues?