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Zeeko Spitfire Hydrofoil

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juandesooka
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Re: Zeeko Spitfire Hydrofoil

Postby juandesooka » Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:47 am

airsurfer wrote:
Sun Jan 28, 2018 7:38 pm
I owned the MHL 150 and Takuma and tried the gofoil Kai. You're not going to like my answer but there is a good case to own both types of foils it really depends on the conditions you want/need to foil.

if you want to ride wind driven slow swell
open ocean swell and or clean small to medium waves the big wave wings provide a great feeling for that and give you that surfy feel. But when the waves are bigger and sloppy and you need to get through big white water and drop in fast and bail out of a wave before getting munched this is where the Spitfire shines . This is just my opinion with only 2 years of kite foiling others with much more experience may have different opinions.

If I had to choose just one of my foils I'd choose the Spitfire because it's the most versatile and reliable that can handle the widest range of conditions.
I agree with airsurfer. My experience is with a takuma clone and a diy spitfire that is about halfway between spitfire and xlw in size. They are quite different rides, so which is preferable to you depends on what you want to do and also what your other options are. For example, if you already have a mid aspect freeride foil, then I think the spitfire doesn't really add much new capability. It's fun to ride, the rear foot surf-like turns feel really cool, but it isn't going to be getting you out into conditions that you can't already ride with what you have. In that case, the large surf wing would be a fun addition: you can ride it in small surf and really feel the waves. You can also attach it to a sup or surfboard if you want to try surf foiling without a kite.

But if this is to be your only foil, then the spitfire would be a more versatile all-around option for riding under a kite. The large surf wing is a fun novelty, but only useful in certain conditions: very underpowered, little waves to play in. I don't know if you could even ride it powered or in larger waves, its top end speed is so slow (though I am still testing the takuma's boundaries). From all reports, the XLW is more user friendly and fun to play around with, as the foiling speed is supposed to be quite a bit less. That's the main knock on spitfire, have to be going fairly fast to get up, which takes away from the "surfy" feel if you want to play in small slow waves -- though of course it's fun to zip around in small waves.

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Re: Zeeko Spitfire Hydrofoil

Postby airsurfer » Mon Jan 29, 2018 4:10 am

as shown in zeeko vids with XLW you go very slow and almost stop completely and change directions while still on foil. even still to harness small slow wave energy bigger wings work better. Let's hope we see a Spitfire XXL wing option soon :)

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Re: Zeeko Spitfire Hydrofoil

Postby BWD » Mon Jan 29, 2018 4:29 am

They are working on it but it needs a new mast/fuse joint design.
The bigger wings put too much toque on the simpler/lighter connections used on their Al foils.

The carver wing is 710 cm2, normal wings 535, spitfire xlw 800.
The zeeko windfoil wing is 930 cm2 and bigger span; it uses different fuse with stronger connection to the mast and the mast to board connection plate has a collar around the mast.
From reading what Nico wrote on the French forum it seems 800 cm2 is the limit for the connection system of their Al kite foils, which is 2 8mm screws with no collars or tenons.
While the sweet spot for kiting in waves and kite/surf crossover seems to be 1000-1200 cm2 from what has been published and/or products released.

They do have the bullet Al foil too, with a thinner mast and 3 screws instead of 2.
I think they will bring out a stronger spitfires with bigger wings, a mast tenon keyed into the fuse and/or 3 screws, and a collar on the plate at the board connection. Hopefully this year.
Also supposedly a carbon version of spitfire is coming...

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Re: Zeeko Spitfire Hydrofoil

Postby airsurfer » Mon Jan 29, 2018 5:42 am

posted this before on another thread
20171011_171203.jpg

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Re: Zeeko Spitfire Hydrofoil

Postby max » Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:51 am

juandesooka wrote:
Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:47 am
That's the main knock on spitfire, have to be going fairly fast to get up, . . .

I am not sure I agree with that statement. The XLW wings do not need much forward speed to get up . . . though more than one of those Takuma wings.

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Re: Zeeko Spitfire Hydrofoil

Postby max » Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:53 am

BWD wrote:
Mon Jan 29, 2018 4:29 am

Also supposedly a carbon version of spitfire is coming...

I think it is still the alloy fuse and same G10 wings . . . just a fuse designed to mount the spitfire setup to their normal carbon mast. Maybe I am wrong about the fuse being aluminium but the wings are supposedly the same.

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bragnouff
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Re: Zeeko Spitfire Hydrofoil

Postby bragnouff » Mon Jan 29, 2018 9:52 am

max wrote:
Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:51 am
juandesooka wrote:
Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:47 am
That's the main knock on spitfire, have to be going fairly fast to get up, . . .

I am not sure I agree with that statement. The XLW wings do not need much forward speed to get up . . . though more than one of those Takuma wings.
I think the original comment was for the normal spitfire. The XLW set of wings definitely takes off early. And the more you get used to it, the slower you can take it, and it makes for some super smooth rides.
Now that I'm getting pretty dialed on my spitfire XLW with 750 mast, with straps in the sweet spot, I absolutely love the feeling of repeated small carving turns, going deep downwind toeside on my regular stance, pushing down on the back foot in the turn to get some spring back reaction from the foil. Really feels like snowkiting in deep powder, ... the very few times I got to experience this elusive magic,... now available everytime! Only you can't look back at the mountain to see the beautiful patterns of your perfectly drawn traces.
Had the last 8 days in a row on the foil, and it only gets better and smoother! I'm super stoked!

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Re: Zeeko Spitfire Hydrofoil

Postby max » Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:42 pm

bragnouff wrote:
Mon Jan 29, 2018 9:52 am
max wrote:
Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:51 am
juandesooka wrote:
Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:47 am
That's the main knock on spitfire, have to be going fairly fast to get up, . . .

I am not sure I agree with that statement. The XLW wings do not need much forward speed to get up . . . though more than one of those Takuma wings.
I think the original comment was for the normal spitfire. The XLW set of wings definitely takes off early. And the more you get used to it, the slower you can take it, and it makes for some super smooth rides.
Now that I'm getting pretty dialed on my spitfire XLW with 750 mast, with straps in the sweet spot, I absolutely love the feeling of repeated small carving turns, going deep downwind toeside on my regular stance, pushing down on the back foot in the turn to get some spring back reaction from the foil. Really feels like snowkiting in deep powder, ... the very few times I got to experience this elusive magic,... now available everytime! Only you can't look back at the mountain to see the beautiful patterns of your perfectly drawn traces.
Had the last 8 days in a row on the foil, and it only gets better and smoother! I'm super stoked!

Agree . . . have the same feeling now. Much better at carving once you start to dial in the foot pressures.

Can you tell me where you have your straps? Do you use the recommended settings of 370mm from the back of the front strap to the front mast bolts? and then where do you find your sweet spot for the back foot?


I also have only ridden the spitfire with the XLW setup on the 90cm mast. I have a 70cm mast but not with the spitfire base and nowadays they locktite the masts to the bases otherwise I would be able to change them over.

Might have to try the fuse on the normal mast and plate setup and see the difference in the foot placements.

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Re: Zeeko Spitfire Hydrofoil

Postby BWD » Mon Jan 29, 2018 2:04 pm

@ max
That would make sense, if they develop a strong Al spitfire fuse to fit the carbon masts they already make at the correct angle, and handle the corrosion risk correctly. Or since nico has said the angle is better made at the board end, supply the fuse with a wedge shim for the mast plate. This would only work for plate connections though, so it seems no simple, single solution for all...

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Re: Zeeko Spitfire Hydrofoil

Postby bragnouff » Wed Jan 31, 2018 10:01 am

max wrote:
Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:42 pm

Can you tell me where you have your straps? Do you use the recommended settings of 370mm from the back of the front strap to the front mast bolts? and then where do you find your sweet spot for the back foot?
OK, I had a look today while I offloaded it from the van. Finally some strong wind and waves ahead!
So the front screw of the back strap is pretty much aligned with the trailing edge of the mast.
And then the 2 inline straps are 68cm apart (from front screw to front screw).

Which makes it a 390mm from the back of the front strap to the front plate bolts.
I'm 6'2"
P_20180131_203237_1[1].jpg


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