Fatso wrote: ↑Mon May 23, 2022 9:23 pm
lederhosen wrote: ↑Mon May 23, 2022 7:23 pm
Zeeko spitfire xlw is nice and safe because it does not have a stabiliser and does not jump out the water when you fall.
Do you have one? I'm always interested on how it feels v the newer models, it's just such a special design with a promise of a surf like feeling... Care to comment on it?
I did spend quite a few seasons on the SpitFire XLW and XXLW, and I still take them out sometimes, and they feel great once you've found your marks around them. They're probably a bit more demanding (than "conventional" foils) in terms of finding the right foot position for optimal performance. Once you've got that position dialed, straps are great, cause you don't want (or need) to move out of that sweet spot. There's a bit more feedback towards the back foot during the turns, which is quite a surfy feeling.
They don't jump out in your lines after a fall, which is nice in terms of safety, but that means that if you don't have a load on the back foot, the foil doesn't rise by itself. That behaviour makes it harder (than conventional foils) to do flying foot switches, and pumping them doesn't work as well, or at least would require a different technique.
With the wings cut out of solid G10, they're absolutely indestructible, but this comes at the expense of weight. And specially for the XXLW, that feels quite heavy under the board. I think that's one of the main thing that users complained about. Some foam cored wings and a carbon mast would greatly improve that design, but at the same time, I understand Nicolas focusing his R&D efforts on more conventional foils (and lots of other stuff), since that's what the bulk of the market wants.
If you get the chance to ride one, give it a bit of time to get the position and adjust muscle memory. XLW is a great foil for kiting.