Have a custom built DW board (7'2 @100L 21" width) . (was the shapers custom design). Originally got it for light wind winging options last year for the Summer light winds in Mauritius. Found through trial & error that it didn't really match my then quiver of foil's except only one being my North ha1050 (the later version). The board seemed to naturally need/prefer/match up better with the wider high aspect wing than compared to when testing it with SF930 or even ma1050v1. So With the ha1050 it works pretty good (with a handwing in wingfoil mode in winds of 9-18 knots (or more if I wanted to push it I guess). However since my ha1050 at the time was my largest foil wing used for lightest breezes (I'm 63kg atm) and with summer now here starting again I'm looking to maximize as much low wind use out of the board that I can. Essentially wondering what size North front wing (& stab) would suit that need. Would an sF1230 be something useable on it? Or would another North foil option suit better. Purely guessing here but thinking something around 1300-1400cm would fit the need as still want something allowing some turning ease . any help appreciated. (I do get board going with ha1050 and 208/210 stabs in around 9-12 knots using my 5.5m mode some pumping the handwing when it's gusty with lulls to get the board/foil flying)
I can 'officially' state that the DW range (DW1400) is heaps of fun in the light wind. After 4-5 sessions being completely confused how to ride these things finally clicked for me. Maybe it also helped that I installed the footstraps on my AK Nomad and where I stand is more optimized, and I optimized the foil position to follow that.
They are fast, have loads of glide and the low end is unlike anything I've seen / felt. They go easily upwind and gliding downwind is a real treat. In a way they have a lot of the initial HA but then with massive low end added to it.
Perhaps DW1400 is a bit big for my 75kg and should have gone perhaps for DW1100. But it opens the 9kts window for me. The DW900 must be amazing with wing.
I received the s142 stab today. Looks quite different. I match it with the DW1400 since I'm < 85 according to the North Sonar guide it should work.
As with all foils...a few sessions are needed to understand the A, B, Cs.
Hope to hear impressions of others on the DW range!
My 2nd S208 is Quiet . Been out yesterday with the MA850v2 and the s208. Very nice combo! Could push it at really high speeds and the wing boosts high
Yesterday I had first session on DW900. In comparison I tired MA1200v1, SF1080, MA850v2 and I main for last half of year was HA1250 with s232 which was used from 8 knots put to 30 knots. DW900 has insane wind range. Stall speed is lower or about the same as HA1250. Glide is endless. Looks like new section gives easier pitch control. Was paired with s178. Wind was around 14-15 knots in the first half of session with 6m Ocean rodeo AA. I tried to downwind and push it for a speed to find where is the limit . I couldn't find it ??after winds picked up to stable 18 knots and I replace my hand wing with North mode Ultra 4.8. This foil is completely different from what I tried before. For sure for intermediate users who appreciate speed and glide. Turning is effortless even with such high wing span and aspect ration 13. I would love to try DW750 looks like this might be perfect free ride wing. I think with downwind board you might be able to use DW900 in about 10 knots.
Had a first session with the s142 with the DW1400. According to the Sonar Guide v4 the combination should work for my - super quiet. Not a single hum
- the DW1400 went much faster and actually felt like an HA foil going upwind. Super stable and easier to rise (mind you that the DW1400 is huge and a big lifter)
- very smooth downwind and easy to pump. Was easy to pump too with s215 but this feels better (hard to find the right words)
- I needed to move my mast twice forwards to achieve the same front foot feel as I did with the s215. That was interesting. But I think that makes sense since the area on the s142 is less.. so the leverage at the rear of the fuse is less too, hence I needed to move the mast at least 1 cm forward (two times 0.5cm)
Is it more stable in turning? I'd say less. It frees up the rear more so more ease in turning. But in return I felt more feedback from the foil.
The low end .. s215 vs s142 feels the same but with s142 you reach the take off speed quicker.
Overall good. Thanks Ganeshka for sharing the impressions on the DW900. Everything you say I can relate to and imagine to be true, since the DW1400 is a bigger version of the 900. I went in hindsight too big with the DW1400 and reading your post I'm super tempted to go DW900 but my quiver would then become too full ..
In a way the DW feels like a HAv2 with a better low end thanks to the thicker profile and deep camber. It's for this reason that we need to think in smaller sizes. The more I think of this...I went too big . But the original aim was to learn DW supfoil with the DW1400 (and my appetite for this has decreased.. looks too much hassle.. parawings on the horizon etc)
I'm next looking to test the s142 with the SF830 in wave conditions. According to the Sonar Guide this works too. I just need to make sure to find the right mast position for similar front foot pressure before making any meaningful comparisons.
Hello guys, dropping by with a question:
How far down is it worth going in foil size for wingfoiling?
I have an SF930 setup and am wondering if I should buy an even smaller setup for days with a lot of wind (20-40 knots). I have demoed a DW750 and found it very easy to get up with and was incredibly impressed with the glide. Tested with an S192 and think it was a bit too big, so I will try with S142 eventually. I may well buy a DW750 and an S142, but at the same time I miss the turns of the SF wings which do not have as large a wingspan.
SF680 and SF530 are therefore the options I am considering. I think the SF680 would have been a fairly safe choice, but I am wondering if anyone has any input on whether the SF530 could be an alternative when I weigh 92kg? I use a 63l board and mostly surf open ocean waves. I heard that the SF530 is significantly faster than the SF680 (presumably due to higher AR), so if the SF530 could be possible, it is very interesting.
I have never tried foil smaller than 750 cm2, so it would be great if someone with some experience could share their assessment of how far down it is worth going down in foil size.
More fancy bits on the way incl:
DW690, DW820
S122, S145, S158 (v2)
All the latest stabs look in concept like the s142 and s192
I have bought new S192 to pair with my DW1400. It took me couple minutes to get used to it but I think is fine now. If relying on brute force you need a little more pumping to get on foil than with S215 but with proper technique i recon you can start faster than on S215. It has relay nice glide, once you are on foil there is almost no need for pumping trough gusts. The speed is also quite decent, on flat water i get about 17knots max which is about the same as my SF930 in waves. Owerall quite happy.
I have also tried to pair it with my SF930 and it fellt like crap. Upwind was horrible, whole setup felt very shaky like i was foiling for the first time. After 10min i changed back to 215 and it was much more stable. But it is kind of slow so i guess i will have to get s208