Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Shorter fuselage or smaller stab?

A forum dedicated to Hydrofoil riders
foilfun
Medium Poster
Posts: 84
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2018 2:58 am
Kiting since: 2001
Local Beach: Hefner, Oklahoma City
Favorite Beaches: SPI, Texas
Style: kite foiling, surfboard, winging
Gear: LP, DT, Cab, NP, Fanatic, Takuma
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 34 times

Re: Shorter fuselage or smaller stab?

Postby foilfun » Tue Apr 14, 2020 5:12 am

Learning to mono is similar to learning to foil, you have to be willing to give your brain time to build an autopilot. One day it just clicks.

Riding a stubby gives about 50% of the mono feel, but it's much easier to learn. I tell my friends they have to give it an hour, but usually their egos only let them struggle out and back once. When I switch between boards and foils it takes a few passes to feel normal and fun. The guys who have given it the hour have really enjoyed it.

I've even had success giving foil lessons to a couple of wives using a stubby CRX. They were getting rides on foil both directions by the end of the day. As a bonus, they're less likely to kick the foil because it doesn't stick out the back of the board.

bigtone667
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 582
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:24 am
Kiting since: 2013
Local Beach: Birdie Beach, Budgewoi Beach, Lakes Beach
Favorite Beaches: Umina Beach, Birdies Beach, Lake Munmorah, Canton, The Swamp, Le Morne
Style: surf, foiling, jumping, lawn mowing
Gear: Kites: BRM Cloud D's, Duotone Rebels, Peaks
Wings: Cloud W1 2,3,4,5, Duotone DLAB Unit 4.5/5.5/6.5
Boards: Bit of everything
Foils: AXIS and Triton Foils
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 70 times
Been thanked: 55 times

Re: Shorter fuselage or smaller stab?

Postby bigtone667 » Tue Apr 14, 2020 8:18 am

I am kite foiling on a 2000cm2 foil and a 440 stab with the long fuselage (light wind rig).
I swapped in an ultra short fuselage and 400 stab and it was a fantastic improvement. Everything went ZING.

Stabless was also a lot of fun on the 2000cm2 foil. Only took me about ten minutes to get steady. An interesting experience.

User avatar
Peter_Frank
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 12734
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2002 1:00 am
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Denmark
Has thanked: 1005 times
Been thanked: 1187 times

Re: Shorter fuselage or smaller stab?

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Apr 14, 2020 8:53 am

foilfun wrote:
Tue Apr 14, 2020 5:12 am
Learning to mono is similar to learning to foil, you have to be willing to give your brain time to build an autopilot. One day it just clicks.

Riding a stubby gives about 50% of the mono feel, but it's much easier to learn. I tell my friends they have to give it an hour, but usually their egos only let them struggle out and back once. When I switch between boards and foils it takes a few passes to feel normal and fun. The guys who have given it the hour have really enjoyed it.

I've even had success giving foil lessons to a couple of wives using a stubby CRX. They were getting rides on foil both directions by the end of the day. As a bonus, they're less likely to kick the foil because it doesn't stick out the back of the board.

Why do you use the stubby, and not always the mono?

8) Peter

slowboat
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 783
Joined: Sat Jun 10, 2017 2:55 pm
Style: wave foiling
Gear: This and that
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 95 times
Been thanked: 104 times

Re: Shorter fuselage or smaller stab?

Postby slowboat » Tue Apr 14, 2020 10:29 am

I think it is very hard to predict specifically how the ride will be different with changes to fuse or stab because there are so many variables involved. In general, if you have less behind the front wing, there will be less drag and more "responsiveness" but less "stability". Every brand will be different and there is certainly some subjectively involved in the user reports. Only way to really know is to take a best guess and try a change and see how your specific rig is affected.

foilfun
Medium Poster
Posts: 84
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2018 2:58 am
Kiting since: 2001
Local Beach: Hefner, Oklahoma City
Favorite Beaches: SPI, Texas
Style: kite foiling, surfboard, winging
Gear: LP, DT, Cab, NP, Fanatic, Takuma
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 34 times

Re: Shorter fuselage or smaller stab?

Postby foilfun » Tue Apr 14, 2020 3:00 pm

Peter_Frank wrote:
Tue Apr 14, 2020 8:53 am

Why do you use the stubby, and not always the mono?

8) Peter
The quality of the wind and water mainly. The mono is more sensitive to bad conditions. Also, it's easier to learn some tricks with the extra stability. There's always a tradeoff. That's why I'm a foil hoarder; I like having the best tool for the job. 😁

I agree with Slowboat that every foil is different, and different foilers like different things. So, you should try it before you cut your fuselage. But be sure to give it time, most people aren't initially happy with any change from what they're used to.
These users thanked the author foilfun for the post:
purdyd (Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:25 pm)
Rating: 3.03%

Huib
Frequent Poster
Posts: 202
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2015 4:23 pm
Kiting since: 2015
Local Beach: Brouwersdam, Ouddorp
Style: Hydrofoil
Gear: Groove Full carbon Wave, Ketos 118cm board, Ketos Foil, BRM Cloud E8+ 6.2 +4.8+3.7+ 2.8+2.2
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Rotterdam
Has thanked: 30 times
Been thanked: 27 times
Contact:

Re: Shorter fuselage or smaller stab?

Postby Huib » Sat May 02, 2020 10:39 am

I went from the big Karver stab (280cm2) to the smaller XS2 stab (180cm2) and now I foiled about 6 times this stab in combination with the 1200cm2 wing.
Thought it would be much more difficult. That isn't. The gain in maneuverability is really impressive. Great for carving. Much more fun. Only foot switch is a little more difficult.
I like it so much more that I ordered the shorter fuselage last week. I think and hope it would be great to use this with the small XS2

Huib
Frequent Poster
Posts: 202
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2015 4:23 pm
Kiting since: 2015
Local Beach: Brouwersdam, Ouddorp
Style: Hydrofoil
Gear: Groove Full carbon Wave, Ketos 118cm board, Ketos Foil, BRM Cloud E8+ 6.2 +4.8+3.7+ 2.8+2.2
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Rotterdam
Has thanked: 30 times
Been thanked: 27 times
Contact:

Re: Shorter fuselage or smaller stab?

Postby Huib » Wed Jul 08, 2020 12:22 pm

I finally received the shorter fuselage from Ketos. I tried first the combination with the 1200cm2 wing and Karver stab. This makes the maneuverability even more then with the combination standard fuselage/ XS2.
Yesterday I tried the short fuselage in combination with the XS2. With this combination I think the foil is very close to a monofoil. Wasn't difficult to ride on it :-D
These users thanked the author Huib for the post:
Peter_Frank (Wed Jul 08, 2020 1:28 pm)
Rating: 3.03%


Return to “Hydrofoil”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: jhonson and 125 guests