Freestyle windfoil board - exploring shapes

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Langdon
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Freestyle windfoil board - exploring shapes

Shorter but still lots of volume 170 x 66 x 14 ,110 litres , 8 kgs with straps

Custom M_Oz board Discussion here: https://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Foiling/Custom-Freeride-Foilboard
These are specialist boards. Don't worry that you have to ride one of these tomorrow but interesting to see the pointy edge of things.

Others in the thread:
Tillo custom 172cm*80cm

Flikka Custom 75lt,132x61cm, 5kg

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Langdon
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Re: Freestyle windfoil board - exploring shapes

Makes sense to me to move the mast base back closer to the footstraps as windfoiling evolves. Mast base pressure contributes to an increase in induced drag with the foil.
Changes in mast base pressure have to be offset by the riders stance which then affect other things.
The windfoil racing community seems to still follow a lot of the principles that go windsurfing on a slapper. (Big boards once airborne are nothing but drag, I know...they need Big boards to tack on and uphaul big sails. Big sails have diminishing returns past 7m ).

I am curious if we see more changes in sails in the next year or so to optimize foiling . ( increasing the high aspect ratios and maybe moving the power in the sail forward.)
I can see where an adjustable outhaul would be great even on smaller sails. One setting for bagging it for pumping on to the foil and then once up pull her tight.)

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zaosan
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Re: Freestyle windfoil board - exploring shapes
Langdon wrote:

Makes sense to me to move the mast base back closer to the footstraps as windfoiling evolves. Mast base pressure contributes to an increase in induced drag with the foil. Changes in mast base pressure have to be offset by the riders stance which then affect other things. The windfoil racing community seems to still follow a lot of the principles that go windsurfing on a slapper. (Big boards once airborne are nothing but drag, I know...they need Big boards to tack on and uphaul big sails. Big sails have diminishing returns past 7m ).

...snipped some stuff...
For less than advanced riders, a more conventional board is still easier to ride. These boards are more sensitive and turny - not something beginning or even many intermediate windfoilers want or need. This point was a big part of the discussion on seabreeze - whether some beginning windfoilers would end up going smaller too soon not realizing the nuances of boards like this.

Big race boards are like these - they fulfill their intended purpose very well but probably aren't suitable for a wider audience. My take is that the freeride 135-140 l boards most of us are on are probably more suitable until we have enough time on the water to start to identify what board characteristics we really want and the skills to actually get the best out of a more specialized board.

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