Your advice about my next Armstrong foil?

Keen to hear from folks with Armstrong new MA and HA foils. I am 61, 82kg (180 lbs), 60+ sessions, winging on a large harbour with prevailing gusty NW/N 14-20 knots in 50cm-2m (20-78 inches) chop, occasionally flat water Southerlies, gusty 16-~25 knots. I'm a slow learner & a bit cautious but I can mow the lawn confidently all conditions and starting to gybe. Feel like I'm about to click from a beginner to an intermediate? Now on an Armstrong Wing FG 90L (recent buy), 1550 S1 front foil, 70cm fuse, Flow 235 stab, 82cm mast. All Armstrong. Top speed is consistently near 16 knots according to my Garmin. Would like a faster foil setup with longer glide for fun and to make turns easier. But not too twitchy in the chop? Do you think the new Armstrong MA or instead HA is the way to go? Any thoughts on size and the right stab? Keen to hear your thoughts and experiences and will then ask a local dealer for demos. Thanks!

680 / 880 HA combo with 180/140 speed tails is your go. 980 / 780 if you want to go conservative.

Start with 880 / 180 if only buying one setup. Dont underestimate how important the tails are.

HA v2 are superb wings. I've ridden every size. They are very user friendly perfect for where you are at.

No need for MA in your conditions. Pointless unless surf is cranking. Stall speed is useless on them. Not a fan.

Hey Bubba,

I'm relatively early in my winging journey (finishing my third season but I log only 20-30 sessions/year) and I ride Armstrong foils. Season one I rode the HS 1850 and 1550. Season two I purchased MA 1250 and 1050. This season I acquired HA (V2) 1180, 980, and 780. And yes, I have a virulent case of gear acquisition syndrome.

We are almost the same weight. I'm further along on jibing and foot switching than you are but otherwise we are closely matched.

Taking a high level view I agree with the other posters that the HA line is far more user friendly than the MA line (due to lower stall speed and less twitchiness). But I have a few other thoughts to share.

First, regarding top speeds. My top speeds are close to yours on the HS 1550. I was really surprised that they didn't 'magically' shoot up on the HA 980 or 780. They are a little faster but not much. Maybe I lack the moxie to really power up the faster foils. I figure this is something to work on.

Second, regarding jibe progression. You will read that a "glidey-er" foil makes transitions easier and that is certainly true. However, the HS1550 has plenty of glide for easy downwind transitions, provided you enter the turn with enough speed. The upside of sticking with the HS1550 a little longer? The extra stability at lower speeds compared to HA foils makes learning footswaps waaaay easier.

Cheers!

Really appreciate all your replies - many thanks. Great advice here.

can somebody comment on the DWP for free riding? I own the HA780 but I am intrigued by the DWP 755 for days when I want to go faster. With the HA780 I can arrive roughly at 23kt but feels quite frenzy up there.
The DWP seem faster, but how more unfriendly they are vs the HAv2? Thanks

I have not used the new HA so can't comment but have a lot of time in winging on the HS and MA foils. At 93kgs and probably closer to 100kg in Scottish conditions wetsuits I mostly use the MA1225 and find it really good for winging in flat water, swell and DW.
But yes, it would be nice if it had just a bit more glide. I also use the MA1000 and MA1750 depending on wind strength and waves.
My HS1850, 1550v2, 1250 and 1050 just don't get used much anymore unless I am SUP foiling. Recently though I was out winging on the 1550v2 and had a really good session, carving about, easy to ride not really much slower than the MA foils.
Not sure I totally agree about the poor stall speed I can go pretty low on mine and still dig them out of the hole. But maybe it doesn't compare well to the new HA.
One of the big benefits of buying MA is that they are readily available second hand here in the UK for low prices. Guess its due to the new HA being so good but honestly the MA isn't a bad foil and is good fun to ride, its breach recovery is excellent.
So for not a lot of money it might be worth picking up an MA1225 or 1000 and the rear stab you fancy and taking it for a few sessions.
Of course if you can demo that's the way to go, but I live hundreds of miles away from any shops that stock Armie kit so thats not an option for me.

I recently bought the latest FG Wing board, 90 litre and was curious to find that it cruises about a couple of knots faster than the board I have been using for a few years on the same MA1225 foil. I haven't worked that one out yet but have been right at the front of the track on the old board for a while. The MA1225 worked fine at position 8 on the FG with a Glide220.
All the comments above about the stab choice importance are spot on. It is great to be able to tailor the ride to the conditions just by changing stabs though.

And. yes, when I get some cash or see a secondhand one I doubt that I will be able to resist buying HAv2.

I had a very similar foil transition recently. I'm 85kg, have foiled for 2 years now and have an 85 ltr board. I started out on the HS1550 and liked it as a first foil, on a 105 ltr board. A year later I decided I wanted more glide so purchased a MA1225 thinking this would help - but was a little disappointed. I found it fractionally faster but harder to initiate turns and I just never really liked it much and found myself going back to the HS1550 regularly as I learned. I then purchased a new HA780 this year and have been very happy with it selling all my other foils. It needs a tiny bit more wind to get going, and stalls at fractionally faster speed than the others - but honestly it is pretty remarkable at getting and keeping going for it's size. Once up it is so easy to use, it is faster (but not as much as I might like), and turns very easily. The biggest and most noticeable improvement is the glide which is in a different league to either HS1550 or MA1225.