gregkn73 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 06, 2019 8:59 am
gmb13 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 9:10 am
Now to another thing that not very many people understand. Surface Area is not a good indication of the actual lifting potential of a front wing. Actually it is almost useless. For example the Moses 873 has almost the same area as the AXIS 1020, but as the profile is thinner and the profile taper is much thinner towards the tips, the 873 needs more speed/power to fly. Volume and Span are way more important in my experience. So when you talk about your foil, please tell us which foil you are actually using.
Also not all Wings are the same. There is a huge difference in low end between the different brands. Would be helpful to know which Wing you are on.
Thanks,
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Gunnar
Hi,
Because I am also at a search of wing and foil, with main interest low end, preferably 12kn or less.
Can you clarify about front Wings. ...bigger span and thinner profile , provide earlier lift? Unfortunately few brands give info about wing volume, so not easy to understand thickness of the profile. Moses above give info only of span and surface area.
Also which wing has got lower low end, and what characteristics of the wing, except the obvious surface area, determine their lower end?
Thanks in advance
Hi Greg,
Regarding the Foil:
The thicker the profile (typically) the less speed it will need to lift you and it will be easier to pump. Also the larger the span (higher AR) the more it will glide once you are up and flying.
Regarding the Wing:
There are many factors . Besides surface area, the profile type and depth, overall rigidity of the wing and features like the Y handles will have a great effect on low end.
The deeper the profile, the more the wing will pull, however if the profile is too deep, you get overpowered really quickly and also Upwind angle suffers. Also certain profiles are have more sheeting range. The Ozone and Fone can be sheeted in very far and will generate power progressively, whereas the Naish and Duotone are more linear and shut off/Backstall early which obviously has an effect on the low-end. The rigidity is also a major factor. If the wing is too flexible you loose a lot of power, especially in the lowend when you need to pump the wing hard.
Another thing that cannot be overlooked is how the Wing will handle in light winds, especially the big ones. If the weight of the wing is to high they are a bastard to handle when the wind drops. Case in point is the Slingwing. It is great when its blowing, but in light winds the weight of the wing makes it very difficult to handle as the wing wants to drop all the time, and your arms get tired very quickly.
The Y Handles on the Ozone and Slingshot make it a lot easier on the low-end to pump up onto the foil. I do not understand why none of the other brands have them. Every-time I try another wing without them I really miss them.
And now for the factor that most people always forget. The board itself makes a massive difference in light winds. Some boards make it super hard to get up on the foil as they stick to the water or the scoop rocker lines is not good for pumping and hangs up all the time on small chop. I have tested a bunch of different boards from different brands and have come to the conclusion that a large number for Supfoil Boards from larger Brands make wingfoiling difficult. If you are having problems pumping up with a large foil maybe try a different board once in while, it might surprise you how much more easy it can be with the right board.
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Gunnar