Postby tkaraszewski » Fri Mar 22, 2019 6:10 pm
So, I felt a little rusty having not kited for the past two months, so this is a preliminary review. I'll be in mexico starting next week and be able to spend some more time on the new foil.
I'm mostly comparing the 683 to my 590. I wanted more stability for maneuvers without losing too much speed. I think I got that, the 683 doesn't feel noticeably slower than the 590, though I forgot to wear my GPS watch yesterday, so I don't have any real numbers. It actually felt like it might go upwind better than the 590, but again, no GPS track so I can't say for sure.
It felt particularly loose, especially compared to some of the bigger wings I've ridden. Small inputs get a noticeable result in pitch or roll change. It seems like this would be incompatible with my desire for "easier maneuvers" but after a short adjustment period, I noticed I was having nearly 100% success on my flying foot switches, which is better than I ever did on the 590. I think this might be due to more forgiving foot placement over the bigger wing. I'm not sure.
So far, it feels like exactly what I wanted. Next week I'll get it in the water with a GPS and get some angles and speed numbers compared to the 590, and after a few more days on it, see how my maneuvers are going.