Foiling and weeds

[pikovsg]

Weeds and low tides are the only weaknesses of foiling. Short mast is the cure for low tide. Is there anything that can be done about weeds?

[socommk23]

Weeds and low tides are the only weaknesses of foiling. Short mast is the cure for low tide. Is there anything that can be done about weeds?

Razor blades on leading edge?

[bragnouff]

Jellyfish is another weakness of foil...
The other day there were some chunky ones about 40-50cm in diameter a foot or two under the surface ... I did hit one, tell you what, riding strapless, there's not much that you can do to avoid faceplanting forward! Bitch!

[Peert]

Weeds and low tides are the only weaknesses of foiling. Short mast is the cure for low tide. Is there anything that can be done about weeds?

I guess you could design a foil specifically to be less sensitive for waterplants. In windsurfing they have the lessacher fins specifically for this purpose.



So someone should make a 'lessacher foil'or should we call it a Pikovsg foil (if it doesn't exsist already)...

Doesn't solve the weed on mast though

[Tone]

go faster!!!!!

we have quite a lot of weed this time of year and I tell you something it is amazing how good you can get at avoiding it when you know what will happen if you hit it. bizarrely or not I guess, I found weed more of an issue on the course board as you were not high enough up to see it, on the foil I can normally go around it. Big clumps that you don't see as you're watching a mate eat shit will always take you down, single strands or small clumps I can normally cut through if I am lucky.

part and parcel of the game.

plastic bags though, they are another matter all together, I am going to lose teeth from one of those things one day...

[pikovsg]

Dare I ask, what happens when you hit a plastic bag?

[borist]

Jellyfish is another weakness of foil...

Turtles in murky water ... we had gazillion small jellys last year that were no problem to ride thru, just unpleasant to faceplant in

[Peert]

go faster!!!!!

we have quite a lot of weed this time of year and I tell you something it is amazing how good you can get at avoiding it when you know what will happen if you hit it. bizarrely or not I guess, I found weed more of an issue on the course board as you were not high enough up to see it, on the foil I can normally go around it.

You are assuming the water is clear enough to see the weed early enough...
Not always the case if you are riding in fresh water lake and it is not floating but just underneath the surface.

[Pedro Marcos]

Dare I ask, what happens when you hit a plastic bag?

If it gets the wing you will crash, if it gets mast it will slow you down alot until the point you have to stop.

[Peter_Frank]

Dare I ask, what happens when you hit a plastic bag?

Ha haa, yes, did that the other day - SMOK I got a faceplant, but apart from that no problem - except I thought I had lost my wing at first or something like that, but luckily just a plastic bag straight on the wing.

Seaweed on the mast is the major problem - it is quite rare it hits the wing (as then you will most often crash quite fast), but mostly the mast which picks up seaweed as the latter is most often up in the surface, at least around here.

Thus using a swept back wing will only help a little...

One can easily ride with seaweed on the mast, but it totally destroys everything if you even just THINK you got some on your mast, grrrrr

You can just as well stop, or like me try to do a trick you know you most likely wont succeed - then you get in the water and can lift the mast up to free the seaweed, if any left as often it disappears by itself during a complete stop

PF