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Author Topic: Wingfoiling sub par winds with downwind board. Is it for real?  (Read 6559 times)

toejammer2

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Wingfoiling sub par winds with downwind board. Is it for real?
« on: July 28, 2023, 03:07:47 PM »
Thinking about buying a downwind board like the Appletree Skipper for super light wind winging. Is the ability to get up in almost nothing for real? The few video reviews I’ve seen make it look great.
Cheers!
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jondrums

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Re: Wingfoiling sub par winds with downwind board. Is it for real?
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2023, 03:34:32 PM »
I doubt it.  if you really want to get up in "nothing" then go for a narrow long barracuda downwind style board.    There are several out now, and they work incredible to allow either super light wind or very small wing/foil combinations.
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Hdip

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Re: Wingfoiling sub par winds with downwind board. Is it for real?
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2023, 04:21:25 PM »
I tried today on a FFB 110L dagger. Big Foil. 5M wing. Turns out the 10MPH wind that I had seen, ended up only being 5 MPH by the time I got to the beach and in the water and then was even less throughout the next hour.

The best part about it was paddling the board back to the starting point was MUCH easier than walking on the sand carrying everything back. I did not get on foil if you were wondering. :)
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B-Walnut

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Re: Wingfoiling sub par winds with downwind board. Is it for real?
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2023, 05:11:48 PM »
It's real.

I have 60 sessions on my barracuda this season. 10-40 knot wind range.

My personal best is 10-12 knots with a 850 foil and a 4m wing. I'm 190lbs and on an 8' barracuda.

For what it's worth:
As soon as the wind reaches over 20 knots I can ride a 2.8m wing with my 850 foil. If I'm feeling frisky I can throw on my 700 or 550 if I use a 3.5m in 20 knots.

Lots of hype about these boards in trash wind. They are great in good wind too if you want to ride smaller wings and foils all day every day.
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Badger

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Re: Wingfoiling sub par winds with downwind board. Is it for real?
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2023, 04:44:32 AM »
The Skipper DW looks like an excellent board for ultra-light wind. To push the envelope even further, pair it with an ultra-light wind foil.

I can get up in 5 or 6 mph with my Kalama E3 DW combined with the Axis PNG 1300 and easily double the wind speed. Our wind is often very up and down so a high aspect/light wind foil can allow you to glide right through the lulls. The 1300 can reach its maximum top speed of around 17 mph over the water in 9 or 10 mph wind. When the wind is consistently above 10 mph, I switch to the Axis HPS 980.

For me at 66, the 6'1 x 23" Kalama has been the perfect all-around board for any wind speed. A volume of +30 liters makes it a fast slogger/paddler on those days when the wind dies. If I was younger, I might go a size or two smaller but still stay in the + volume range.

The Barracuda shapes are the ultimate in hydrodynamic efficiency but they are not a requirement for ultra-light wind.

« Last Edit: July 29, 2023, 05:12:05 AM by Badger »
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Kalama E3 6'1 x 23" 105L
Axis HPS 980 / PNG 1300
Sunova Flow  8'10 X 31"  119L
Me - 6'0" - 165lbs - 66yo

StellaBlu

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Re: Wingfoiling sub par winds with downwind board. Is it for real?
« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2023, 03:14:24 AM »
I have the 80 liter 5’7” skipper DW, which is designed and scaled specifically for winging. I’m just under 80kg.  It’s obviously not a full DW board, but I wanted something smaller and even with the reduced length it gets up much easier than a conventional board in light wind. I haven’t really tested the bottom end yet, but I was riding in 10-12 knots with a 5m, where I would definitely need a 7m on a more conventional board (and even then starting would have been a chore).  I think it is going to be a weapon for light wind and cleaner swell/DW conditions up to 15-17 knots.

I will caution that it is very tippy due to the hull shape and narrower width. In choppy or cross grained conditions it can be a chore and riding it overpowered is also pretty challenging. You need to be appropriately powered on this board - if you are underpowered you wont get enough stability from the wing but if you are overpowered the board can get unstable or you pop up onto foil really quickly. I rode it at 22 knots gusting to 30s choppy conditions and it was not the right tool for the job.

It isn’t an all around board for me and I would caution a novice against this design. I’m using this as a second board to my 60 liter Apple slice v2 and they seem to compliment each other well.   Once this board is on foil there is no drama and it feels totally stiff and intuitive.

I’m still figuring it out and only have 3 sessions on it - so I’m still figuring things out and my determination is still subject to change - but I might have sized up to the 5’11 wide if I did it again. That said, the added width of that board might be too much.

The build quality is incredible. I caution that it took forever for me to get one of these. Maybe they’ve ramped up production but I pre ordered before it was released and it still took around four months. The new tracks that they are building in house are beefy and long.
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B-Walnut

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Re: Wingfoiling sub par winds with downwind board. Is it for real?
« Reply #6 on: July 31, 2023, 05:44:14 PM »
Quote from: StellaBlu on July 31, 2023, 03:14:24 AM
I have the 80 liter 5’7” skipper DW, which is designed and scaled specifically for winging. I’m just under 80kg.  It’s obviously not a full DW board, but I wanted something smaller and even with the reduced length it gets up much easier than a conventional board in light wind. I haven’t really tested the bottom end yet, but I was riding in 10-12 knots with a 5m, where I would definitely need a 7m on a more conventional board (and even then starting would have been a chore).  I think it is going to be a weapon for light wind and cleaner swell/DW conditions up to 15-17 knots.

I will caution that it is very tippy due to the hull shape and narrower width. In choppy or cross grained conditions it can be a chore and riding it overpowered is also pretty challenging. You need to be appropriately powered on this board - if you are underpowered you wont get enough stability from the wing but if you are overpowered the board can get unstable or you pop up onto foil really quickly. I rode it at 22 knots gusting to 30s choppy conditions and it was not the right tool for the job.

It isn’t an all around board for me and I would caution a novice against this design. I’m using this as a second board to my 60 liter Apple slice v2 and they seem to compliment each other well.   Once this board is on foil there is no drama and it feels totally stiff and intuitive.

I’m still figuring it out and only have 3 sessions on it - so I’m still figuring things out and my determination is still subject to change - but I might have sized up to the 5’11 wide if I did it again. That said, the added width of that board might be too much.

The build quality is incredible. I caution that it took forever for me to get one of these. Maybe they’ve ramped up production but I pre ordered before it was released and it still took around four months. The new tracks that they are building in house are beefy and long.

Thanks for sharing! What's it weigh in at? I can't find weights on any of the appletree stuff...
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StellaBlu

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Re: Wingfoiling sub par winds with downwind board. Is it for real?
« Reply #7 on: July 31, 2023, 06:38:52 PM »
4.1 kg (weighed with a luggage scale, so assume a little margin of error).  Almost exactly the same as my 4’9” Apple slice v2 with several repairs on it. Slice has foot strap inserts which add some weight too although the skipper has the new longer tracks.
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Dontsink

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Re: Wingfoiling sub par winds with downwind board. Is it for real?
« Reply #8 on: August 07, 2023, 09:40:45 PM »
Quote from: StellaBlu on July 31, 2023, 06:38:52 PM
4.1 kg (weighed with a luggage scale, so assume a little margin of error).  Almost exactly the same as my 4’9” Apple slice v2 with several repairs on it. Slice has foot strap inserts which add some weight too although the skipper has the new longer tracks.

Is this correct??
4.1 kg for an 80liter XPS foam board is a super ultralight build.
Even 5kg would be pretty light.
My Appleslice V2 80liter was 6.1 kg...

Have they completely changed their tech?
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