A forum dedicated to Hydrofoil riders
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Ero7
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Postby Ero7 » Mon May 16, 2022 11:03 pm
Has anybody tried F-One Race Pro Carbon board (the one that has both Tuttle and rails mount for mast) in real races?
https://www.f-one.world/product/race-pro-carbon/
I do like the looks of the board but how does it compare in racing with “top rider” boards (Tarifa, Levitaz, Groove, etc.)?
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tkaraszewski
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Postby tkaraszewski » Tue May 17, 2022 12:55 am
What foil is it even supposed to fit? The pictures on the site seem ti indicate Mike's Lab, but since his foils are no longer registered, you don't really want to buy a board for one unless you already have ML foil.
TFB builds boards with different tuttle box placement for Levitaz and Chubanga, and you'll specify when ordering which foil you're planning to use. The ML and Levitaz foil box placement was "mostly" compatible, but now that ML isn't make formula kite foils, they've adjusted the placement for Levitaz slightly for better compatibility as well.
Compared to the others, Groove has partnered with Chubanga, so I assume they fit correctly. I'm not sure if Groove has a Levitaz compatible board. Levitaz's board is obviously compatible with their foil. F-one doesn't actually specify.
I am currently riding a previous model year TFB board, and will replace it with another TFB board when I upgrade my foil (my current foil is a Mike's Lab Bullet 3).
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Ero7
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Postby Ero7 » Wed May 18, 2022 3:21 am
Good point, yes, I was empasizing on the "rail" mast attachment. Yes, an adapter (with added weight) is needed here.
But you can adjust distance from the back of the board, hence fit ANY top-notch mast/foil, correct?
Sample of the rail adapter:
https://www.sailworks.com/moses-sabfoil ... apter.html
I am aware the top racers are counting milligrams (in regards of overall weight of the board), but, personally, I think it's just "elite" BS.
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tkaraszewski
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Postby tkaraszewski » Wed May 18, 2022 3:40 am
An adapter like that adds approximately 10cm to the length of the foil, which is probably OK but changes the dynamic of it a bit. It also reduces stiffness, which is probably a bigger factor.
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evan
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Postby evan » Wed May 18, 2022 7:31 am
Get a Tarifa, those fone boards are only built for the looks and photoshoots and won't last.
Seen too many broken fone boards. So unless they changed construction or they are exceptionally cheap you should look somewhere else. If you see a pro on it, give it a second look. Most of the time it's a custom board with the same color scheme.
Ero7 wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 3:21 am
Good point, yes, I was empasizing on the "rail" mast attachment. Yes, an adapter (with added weight) is needed here.
But you can adjust distance from the back of the board, hence fit ANY top-notch mast/foil, correct?
Incorrect, angle of the box is also important. Chubanga v3 needs a different angle as all other brands (they made a mistake in the rushed registration process). Be sure to have a board with the correct mast to rocker angle for your intended foil as that is something you can't adjust easily. Most foils you can shim/trim to adjust the front foot pressure, no rail needed here if you are somewhat close to the intended footstrap position.
Adapter adds length and a less stiff connection making the foil behave different. Also you have some added drag, so you lose a bit of low end (harder to get up to speed and pump with the board on the water).
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windmaker
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Postby windmaker » Thu May 19, 2022 5:15 am
evan wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 7:31 am
Get a Tarifa, those fone boards are only built for the looks and photoshoots and won't last.
Seen too many broken fone boards. So unless they changed construction or they are exceptionally cheap you should look somewhere else. If you see a pro on it, give it a second look. Most of the time it's a custom board with the same color scheme.
Got a grudge against F-One ? I have rarely seen a broken race foilboard of any brand ... Can you speculate where "so many of them" are breaking?
Having met and talked to a few foil pro riders, a great part of their job is R&D for the brands that sponsor them, so riding boards made by "competitors " is nonsense. Anyhow, I can assure you that Bainbridge and Gomez (F-One), both top 10 riders, use off-the-shelf boards developed ... by them.
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evan
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Postby evan » Thu May 19, 2022 5:33 am
windmaker wrote: ↑Thu May 19, 2022 5:15 am
Anyhow, I can assure you that Bainbridge and Gomez (F-One), both top 10 riders, use off-the-shelf boards developed ... by them.
Connor rides Blue Fox boards and this is what Benoit was riding in Palma, don't know the brand but it's not the stock fone race board for sure:
- FB_IMG_1652934320063.jpg (31.86 KiB) Viewed 539 times
Just warning about sub par boards, all the ones we got here broke within a few months.
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