i see the disassemble route as a way to transfer and have used partially but for me it needs to be ready or i'll just pick up something else ,

use anti-sieze on the bolts and it won't corrude. LF makes a nice set up with the bag.

wing is looking nice, very happy with shape and general finish, i'll try and get some pics, maybe some with it packed in the box with rest of the ready kite junk, anything can be removed without moving the rest, which is what it will take to get it in rotation.

heres fun box shoot ...

contents:

assembled fish foil
trampa ATB
TT142 misfit SS
6'2" sweet potato(bagged)
GI ATB (uderneath bag)
FS 12m/15m (on top of bag)
8m/12 RPM 9m EXA STAR

in back section another TT, maybe a kite or 2, harnesses, crap ton of wheels/tires/tubes, cables, tools blahblahblah

anyway glad it all fits.



closed for pull out access, with harnei layed in


tip taper, should've gotten forward shot

Sick!

right on man! ready for next project! just wrapped my bike cart carry all , i modded it to also hold (assembled)foil and complete run down of junk. wind has been whack for last couple days lotta moisture half crack fronts, hopefully smooth out.

def ready to bust some foil action and get the intro over with

super sessioned 12m today and took a ride ! well as best i could .

wow this joker is sensitive ! WAY OVERPOWERED ! to control it i would just submerge it and be snstched out of the straps! after 5 or 6 UP and zoom for 10 ft and be pulled off and over , i started running straight down wind finally gave me some run time mostly all holding it down on water maybe 25 yds. kinda got some pitch contro,l could hold it down but power was really overspeeding me and got jumpy and over i'd go.

as soon as i tried to point upwind foil shoots right at the water that definitely freak me out!. hit the bottom a few times on start . handling the thing was tough . few times with it flat just popped up on top of and maybe 10ft fly over it. just too much kite. overall definitely down for it!

back strap has to go it was killing me ! as soon as i move my back foot in front of strap i think thats gonna help .

i gave it a good 20-30 minute go around 3 hour TT session . less power is in order for sure.

totally stoked on it! by the end of the summer should regular on it .



and retooled bike tow cart for foil accomodations...its going !

Let the frustration begin!
Do NOT worry. It sounds like you had quite a typical first outing with your new toy. My first time out was identical. I felt like I had NO idea how to even stand on it. Don't worry, it will happen.

Yes, lose the back strap. No need for it.

Totally correct, overpowered does not work. But, don't error too much on the small side. You want to be correctly powered. If you are under powered you have to wag the kite too much and at this stage all your attention should be at the board not the kite.

Just keep all your weight forward and try to ride with the board flat on the water. Don't worry, you WILL foil.

When you are foiling, and crash, fall way away.

Good luck. It's all normal. It's just harder than it looks.

gotcha , just have to commit to small kite session with it and NO TT !

i think maybe too much front pressure was a problem , i'd get up, hold the board down, it running submerged til it the bottom.. . just choking out ALL control.

i did learn to shut it down safely and fly off , i was really concerned about it jumping up IN FRONT of me and flip into me. glad i got that element of experience behind me. should be a little more relaxed with it next time and feel out some control for longer runs. thanks for the reassurrance.

Heh. That sounds familiar!

Some tips, if I may.

Don't mix your sessions. If you don't want to dedicate every session for the next wee while to only foiling, then at least just stick to one discipline. Your brain won't cope*.

Water start your body up onto the board, landing on your front foot, standing up tall and straight. Go downwind a little more than you're used to and ride the board flat, rotating around to ride upwind...

First, aim to ride around with the board on the water, keeping it flat. Get used to how that feels and how much more you need to be on your front foot! You'll still rock upwind so don't worry about that...

Once you can ride around comfy, at a constant speed, you've got three options to get onto a foil: ease back onto your rear foot gradually, carve the board upwind (Cabrinha video), or stand still and increase the board speed. I reckon letting the speed get up a little is the easiest to control, in the beginning...

Ride the foil, not the board. You gotta get your head around that so you don't keep trying to edge the board :D

Kite choice is critical, especially at the start. You'll feel over-powered real easy...and once you're up on the foil, the speed will get out of hand even quicker cos you can't use the board to control it.
A good choice would be: kite should be able to sit at the zenith, you should be able to body-drag upwind slowly but you wouldn't waste your time on the TT.

Good constant wind and flat water will make it easier too. Less is more.

Straps...I got both on mine. Keep tripping over them when I change feet--TRY to change feet--but not sure I want to be rid of them...

---------
* At least, mine couldn't. After two or three sessions of foil only, I tried the TT at the end of one and my reactions were phucked up--brain kept screaming that the front foot was going to get pushed into my chin, NOOO! don't weight the back foot NOOO! don't lean on the heel edge . . . you get the picture :D

gonna go for first dedicated session with small kite in about an hour , definitiely have new stuff in my head.

the stand striaght up thing , i am natural stiffy , and on land board speed passes i'm straight up on front axle , i have that part , just have to work out basic controls to find balance point of foil(not board).

then i will..." ride the foil" , right with you on that!

the upwind tries yesterday just blasted the foil out of the water with slightest weight on back foot. definitely moving back foot forward.

thanks for tips , just gotta slam it out til i get it.

oh yeah phailed to mention the true essence of phoiling with this custom unit...


its a phusion phoil...

What reduced my struggle a lot was observing foiling videos and figuring out that rear foot shall stand right behind the mast and front wing positioned about the center of the body. That allowed to apply more pressure to the rear foot, and muscles memory work well for board control then. Foiling is not as instant though, but dolphin effect decreased so much too.

short go today with wind just going to nothing. definitely alotta of bucking and wanting to rip upwind. all down , all down wind for short goes.

have to agree the back foot in the strap is just too far back , i just have to get a bit more over the mast with back foot.

thanks for the intel, its going and getting in the time. first good side shore day should be next run, just need light power match and back strap gone. i am getting more comfortable with it.

Quote: Originally posted by PHREERIDER

have to agree the back foot in the strap is just too far back , i just have to get a bit more over the mast with back foot.

No it's not I ride with rear foot in the center of the rear strap, center of the board and front foot up with toes touching the front part of the strap, foot more towards the heel side edge.

I have the straps at the widest holes on both the strap and the board...

I guarantee that you're thinking "I've got all my weight over my front foot goddamit!" but you're actually not :D but that's even correct, as the balance is just so different to TT or directional...

at this point i really don't know, i'll get some better conditions to allow longer tries.

up til now all have been off shore.


i will find the balance on the thing, just have to leave the ATB and the TT! and take the foil.

that is now and will be my biggest problem!

yep. first click!

finally !the conditions i intend to ride in arrives. late afternoon hi tides peaks and 12ish with some capping, beach has a quick 2+ feet rolling in, and tiny bit of wash close in , its side on with slight surface current flow.

12m kite (took couple laps on TT doable but very tideous light with current)

back foot over mast, giddy up! off we go ..right on top of the foil! standing straight up . ZOOM ! about 100m til hit the bottom , man that unit is slick quick! kinda balanced on both feet , steer with STANDING feet and head positon seemingly...don't even remember what kite was doing. board may have been off the water half the ride. seems "rigid "and glidy like ice , but totally silk smooth. love it!

next run kinda same but ripped upwind, instantly jacks me 3ft out of the water , wow amazing snap! the power ! then drop like a rock on my back glad the thing didn't smack me in the head ! without the back strap , thats what happens.

totally stoked ....and its THE EXACT same conditions i learned strapless in

still long way to go , glad the gear is square and solid!

Glad for you man! Feels amazing, right?
That stance I saw in so many videos including guys who race and it felt more balanced to me, closer to door in lightwind. Except that glide!

Right on!
I had a bit of a break through today. My conditions are not ideal at all. I have to body drag really far out passed impact zone. Waves were 8 foot, got denied twice body dragging out! But made it outside. Wind was 8 meter.
At first I felt like I was never going to get this. But then I started doing a few things different than I had been.

First, NOT intuitive, I actually moved my back foot further back than I had been. I have NO idea why that helped, but I kept the front foot pressured but was much more able to steer the board in dealing with the chop and swell.

Second I was ridding a touch downwind. This kept my board flat at all times and I found WAY easier to just deal with pitch and not have to deal with roll at the same time. I would say this might be the key item for me. I can't say that enough!

Third, I made MUCH smaller inputs and corrections. And tried to make them sooner. This really helped make my rides longer.

I sooooo wish I had flat water to learn! But it doesn't exist, so have to deal!

We'll get it.

Good stuff

I went out yesterday and took the back strap off so I could play with foot position. . . . Super-super light (Speed3 15 just staying in the air :o ) picking up to over-powered . . . probably 14 knots LOL

First, I should apologize cos you're wings are different so that negates anything I said :D

But I found my preferred foot position was . . . exactly in the middle of the rear strap.
Foot forward, it was easier to ride the board "parked" but the LF foil is inclined to fall at a certain speed, and you can't fight that so easily with the foot forward.
Also, the board was less snappy in direction changes, like when playing with swell.
I really missed being able to "ollie" the board up when the board speed or wind dropped, and the feedback from a carve.
Too easy to misstep and put the foot too far over the toe- or heel-side rail. . . .
It didn't improve my attempts to switch feet all so I reckon I lost more than I gained.

But . . . your results may differ


@Flyfish: when I was looking at the Fun Foil, someone reviewing it said that the straps are in a great position, perfectly balanced in the middle position, which is why I went with two straps from the beginning.

I think it works because you can "push" off the back foot to get your weight forward but your base as wide as possible. Look at the LF video of the guy on the balance board, and the second or third in their tutorials, of the guys riding well--they're making like they're doing Tai Chi or something, but that stance helps.

Initially, you gotta stand up dead straight on the board, keeping it parallel to the water, and ride upwind by twisting your hips into the wind. Well, I did--anything off-center balance point resulted in board shooting out in all directions.
Keep the kite in one position--any lift you get from the kite will reduce your weight on the board and the foil will lift and if it's close to the surface, it'll ventilate and . . . you'll crash. I found riding with the kite close to the water to be easier . . . but speed got out of control in gusts :D So, 45 degrees and sheet in and out for a tiny bit of speed and lift.
I found foot position on the board helped with roll control--rear foot centered and square across the board, front foot angled and towards the heel edge, like it was a 3-strap board.

If I can learn, here in chop and crappy wind, anyone can just gotta put the hours in. I just wish I could change direction without having to fall over

Thanks for input guys. KK the somo stance had muscling it too much, no worries. Definitely found controls to start getting more time . The small wave action and wash pheels like home to me. One more short session close in both ways , then hopefully start stretching out. Sea breeze starting to set up definitely helping.

Guys this is great stuff, indeed loving it

I just think it is really awesome how you made your own foil man. I hope you get to show it off to us at JIBE in a few weeks. I really want to see it up close. Your pictures and descriptions have been really fun to read, and I don't even ride on water. You have a real knack for building and hacking.

Quote: Originally posted by Demoknight

I just think it is really awesome how you made your own foil man. I hope you get to show it off to us at JIBE in a few weeks. I really want to see it up close. Your pictures and descriptions have been really fun to read, and I don't even ride on water. You have a real knack for building and hacking.

thanks so much man, will bring to JI for sure, i'm totally a neophyte now but by then a seasoned neophyte most likely.

in love with all of it. everyday.
AND..
bringing a deluxe surprise to JI as well. you'll be the first to ride it!

HUGE success for me today!
Waves were still 8 feet and light 8 meter wind. I was soooooo lucky to make it outside body dragging through the impact zone! I seriously have NO idea how that happened.

But once outside I started having consistent 5-8 second foil rides. But all were still ending with cavitating the wing out of the surface. Then I started fully standing on the front foot while I was on the foil.
Then the rides were lasting like 30 seconds!

Kami, it's just like you said about the stance. Once up and foiling it's like 90% weight fully on front foot.

Phree, it helped a ton again today keeping my speed under control by both depower AND ridding toward the kite when I felt a tiny need to kill power in the kite.
It's like Kami said, if you edge, you'll just go faster.
Also, it seems to help keeping the kite pretty low.

So stoked!

Problem: wind is shutting down. I'm Sooo close to break through!

nice Fly its the stoking season! , super sessioned TT 9m full on rodeo! mega chop , 6-8 ft rollers . boost phest fo sho , love it when the place gets washed out.

standing up straight over the mast definitely balanced froward to front foot , running down wind is working out .

today was NOT a good foil day, prolly would have lost body part!

Riding the foil's kinda like learning to balance a broom in your hand. At first, you over-compensate massively but as you develop the feel, your reactions become much more subtle and pro-active...

Actually, it's EXACTLY like balancing a broom :D

Windy, rough water days aren't the time to be learning. 12-18 knots would be perfect...

I can't imagine having to get out through 8-foot waves either--good job, FF!

Quote: Originally posted by PHREERIDER

AND.. bringing a deluxe surprise to JI as well. you'll be the first to ride it!

You got my curiosity piqued now... I am bringing another little toy with my to the island this year. I hope it helps get some unique camera angles. We will see if it works out. I have a new RC monster truck. It is pretty big, somewhere between 5th and 6th scale and it is electric. I have it geared right now perfect for hitting around 40mph on flat ground, and it still pops wheelies on demand. I plan to stick a camera on that bad boy and chase some buggies and boards!

cool DEMO bring it! promise you're in for some deep phun, its one phresh piece of phun junk!


You are right KK , focused , subtle and ALWAYS ahead of the action . i think 10-12 knts is ideal, but i have considerable education to go just glad to be up for short ride ATM.

Quote: Originally posted by Demoknight

I am bringing another little toy with my to the island this year.

Where are you guys going, OBX?

JIBE , on jekyll island, GA.

its a supreme scene ...



you gotta do it.

... ok , now you must!

Looked at it at the maps....Are flats on the East side rideable?
River/Inlets on each side of the island = sharks on each side?