Turbulence while riding

[Erinhdisc]

I ride a cloud9 s24 foil, which is the same design as the LF Impulse. I have about 25 hours on this foil and no experience with any other wings. While riding at my local spot there is typical 1-2 ft chop and avg wind is 15 knots. I am unsure if it's normal, but while cruising the ride is not smooth, I feel small jerks in yaw and roll bit not pitch. This happens anywhere in the 10-25 mph range. I would add that this is intermittent and the ride is smooth for 2-3 seconds and then shaky. I would like to figure out if this is being caused by my equipment or if this is just what foiling feelings like and these moments of turbulence are just feedback from the wave energy I am riding through. I notice this instability heeled way over heading upwind as well as flat board riding. I do not think this is originating with my own inputs or being off balance on the board. I have checked my setup for any slop or play and everything is rigid. I ride alone and don't know any other foilers, so you guys are my best option. Thanks for your insights.

[juanpasala]

Seems you have ventilation, either on your mast or on your wings...
Does it happens when you are riding harder (edging harder, doing sharp turns, or accelerating)?
This can be solved by doing a slight sanding on the mast, or the trailing edge of your wings.

[kazi]

I'm not an expert and have just gotten to the point of being able to ride both ways (switch feet). From my own experience I think what your feeling is turbulence you get from waves and currents. I learned to get up on the foil behind a boat and if you are in the prop wash area (anywhere behind the boat) it's extremely unstable and bumpy. Once I swing out to the side it smooths out. Whenever I kitefoil and go thru swell or waves I feel it. I'm on a Neil Pryde Glide Surf Medium. I imagine the larger and thicker the foil the more you feel it. The more streamlined and thin the foil, like a race foil, the less you would feel it, is my guess. Just an opinion of another new foiler.

[TomW]

You can definitely feel water turbulence. But generally it's more of a "global " quick change of altitude. The thing that can be happening is you are hitting vegetation or stuff underwater, even fish. That will give you quick yaw and roll change. Happens all the time at a few spots I ride on our sound. I don't like to ride there because of it.

[geron]

"While riding at my local spot there is typical 1-2 ft chop and avg wind is 15 knots. I am unsure if it's normal, but while cruising the ride is not smooth, I feel small jerks in yaw and roll bit not pitch. This happens anywhere in the 10-25 mph range. I would add that this is intermittent and the ride is smooth for 2-3 seconds and then shaky"
Same thing happens to me (in the same circumstances you describe); It sure feels like underwater turbulence caused by the chop; I would add that the sandy floor is between 1.5 to 4 m deep. It might be an effect of the sand floor shaped by the chop?

[Erinhdisc]

Thanks all. I can add that the lake has no debris. Also this bumping turbulence is pretty constant. I have noticed ventilation with air getting trapped in foil, but this goes away while the yaw and roll jerks don't. The question I am most interested in is this: When riding small chop with similar sized wing in the 1000 sq cm range are other riders experiencing a completely smooth ride?


I wish I could ride butter smooth water because that would tell me very quickly where this turbulence is coming from. It's just enough to make me feel like I can't relax and just cruise, as I have to make micro corrections all the time.

[juanpasala]

Thanks all. I can add that the lake has no debris. Also this bumping turbulence is pretty constant. I have noticed ventilation with air getting trapped in foil, but this goes away while the yaw and roll jerks don't. The question I am most interested in is this: When riding small chop with similar sized wing in the 1000 sq cm range are other riders experiencing a completely smooth ride?


I wish I could ride butter smooth water because that would tell me very quickly where this turbulence is coming from. It's just enough to make me feel like I can't relax and just cruise, as I have to make micro corrections all the time.

AS I told you, you might be getting ventilation, which is generated either by a wing breaching the water when you are edging your foil, or by air being drawn down the mast whilst pushing hard.
It might also be the model of the foil, big wings tend to have a speed ceiling at which the water stops flowing and starts generating turbulence.
One way to solve this problems is by sanding the wings and the mast. But easiest way there is is to ask a friend that rides a different foil to try your setup and see if they feel the same as you do.

[Erinhdisc]

As stated in posts. I don't have anybody to trade boards with or get feedback. Ventilation happens as you described, but is a noticably different phenomenon. I track all my sessions and my avg cruising speed is only around 14mph, could this be too fast for the foil to be stable?

Again, just very curious if others ride through small chop and have a smooth ride.

[Cdog]

yes
I ride in the sf Bay Area
There are times I'm cruising along and I roll over some bay swell and I get have a jolt in the role axis ,doesn't happen every time
Makes me wonder what the Hells going on and im I interacting with current on the wing or am I rolling over seaweed fishs garbage or whatever

For me seaweed has a diminished foil performance and it's obvious to me there's something on the Wing or mast

The roll jolt is something Else
Could be the swell rolls us too much and the wing stalls?

[vakiter]

i ride this foil, its generally like butter. breaching is pretty obvious. waves push your altitude up/down quickly, as mentioned. i have felt a rough bottom transfer through a different foil occasionally felt like a gravel road. once when my wings are loose, it feels like sudden jerks, as if i hit a fish. seaweed will slow you down, and make drag until you get it off. i would check all your hardware make sure its tight.