Tired of the psycho chop from hell on Lake Lanier? Well, you might want to consider the following:
http://www.neilprydemaui.com/itemDetails.php?id=48
Be sure to check out the videos!
... Chuck Painter.
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Tired of the psycho chop from hell on Lake Lanier? Well, you might want to consider the following:
http://www.neilprydemaui.com/itemDetails.php?id=48
Be sure to check out the videos!
... Chuck Painter.
Wow that's cool. Does it look a little twitchy? Did that guy on the regular board seem a lot faster?
cv
I'm waitin till they show up at Gene's consignment.
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
It looked a little twitchy to me - like a side to side wobble. There were other times when the board dropped down to the water and then raised up again - that seemed to happen pretty smoothly.
Right near the end of the video there's a normal windsurfer which seems to be catching up pretty quickly. However, in reading the information on the 8'0"" version, they say that it's experimental and no one has had the nerve to probe the top end speed range. So I think the speed is still an open question.
Chuck.
Foils must be fast, but if you constantly have to balance their angle by feel, I'd think you are going to make a lot of drag inducing over-corrections. Check out the Trifoiler if you haven't seen one- http://www.hobiecat.com/sailing/history_trifoiler.html
They have a little ski thing that rides in front of the hulls on an arm that automatically adjusts the angle of the foils-- lifting on the lee side and 'down forcing' the weather side if needed to keep the boat level. Looks like 35 knots is easy and it's a real smoooth ride. They're out of production now, but I think they went for about $10K new. You should get one Chuck.
cv
Check out the WindRider Rave hydrofoil trimaran video clips.
http://www.wind-n-watersports.com/WindRider%20Rave%20Hydrofoil.htm
Looks like it might be a handful to control until your skillset develops.
There was a guy out at Alatoona that had a tri-foiler. He sailed from the AYC (accross from Galts). It was really fast, though he seemed to have a lot of trouble with it.
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
To answer Chris's question, I do need a new board, however at $2500 a hydrofoil board, I think I'll go with a conventional design.
Chuck.
Aloha,
Thanks to Chris for giving me the heads-up on this thread...
I'm the guy in the video clip.
Yes, the foilboard is a bit "twitchy". I'd actually use the word sensitive, in that it is very responsive to even the slightest change in trim, body position or sail power. But, once you get the hang of it, it is really quite easy to anticipate it's reactions and movements, and is far less "twitchy" than it looks.
The foil does create it's own lift, and you are 85cm away from the lifting surfaces (the wings), so it is a bit physically demanding to sail, but I would say no more so than a Formula board. Most Formula sailors jump on it and sail it well within a few hours.
I think everyone can see the speed potential of leaving the surface of the water. Friction is the only thing that slows boards down (note NP racing sails can go 70+ mph on ice boats). Right now the only thing holding us back is control, the foil can go much faster than we can control right now. We can control speeds comparable to a fast freeride board (note the guy in the helicopter video shot is Antoine Albeau, one of the fastest men in the world). It can go faster, but trim changes happen faster than we can control. So, our main focus in development now is to make the trim easier and more automatic, then we can start to realize higher speeds.
Because the foil generates lift with reduced drag, it is incredibly efficient in light winds. I ride the 8'0" with a 6.7 in 12 knots - fully powered. I rarely go out in over 20 knots (using a 5.4), as things start to happen too fast, but once it gets more controllable it should work equally well in stronger winds.
The foil is all about the sensation for now. It is an incredible feeling, like riding on a cushion of air. No sound, no chop and pure exhiliration. I'm hooked on the feeling (as much as I enjoy the windsurfing on the foil, the tow-surfing version is even more amazing...).
Some day we'll make it less expensive, too. But, the board construction is complicated (needs incredible box strength to handle the torque of the foil) and the foils are high grade aluminum, so pricing will probably never be cheaper than a standard board.
If you guys are ever in Maui stop in and check it out.
Best regards, Kevin
I guy I used to waterski with had an AirChair. I only tried it one day and certainly didn't master it, but it was a great feeling for the few seconds before I crashed. :shock: You don't even notice the chop and waves. But the learning experience was brutal.
It seems the foils on all of the modern AirChair type boards have two wings to make them more stable and easier to learn. The early boards were single wing. I have no idea if this design would help on a sailboard as I'm sure the forces from a sail are much different and more dynamic than a tow rope.
