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does a foil carve or pivot?

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neilhapgood
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does a foil carve or pivot?

Postby neilhapgood » Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:15 am

When I turn a foil despite my best efforts I never really get a feeling that it is carving, not in the same way you feel a carve when gybing a windsurfer or paddle surfing.

I don't get that locked in feeling that you are pushing hard against something that is pushing back and creating that wonderful locked in sensation as you come round that you do when carving on a board with a rail.

On a 4m Gin Maroubu on flat water I can get something close to a carve but still feels like I am steering the board round not carving. Normally though my local conditions are short range windswell and I can't get any sensation of carving in that!

With all this talk of wings that are great for carving I am wondering if I am going wrong somewhere or if foil boards are just more designed to pivot, or do I need to commit more? I probably don't lean the board over very far when I turn, do other people find that helps to get more of a 'carve' or am I chasing a pipe dream and foil boards will never deliver the same carving sensation as surface boards?

Any thoughts?!

Thanks all

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Re: does a foil carve or pivot?

Postby Kamikuza » Sun Sep 27, 2020 9:41 am

If your definition is a "locked in feeling that you are pushing hard against something" etc then for sure. Go harder, use more body english, and yes, lean into the turn more. I also think I'm driving off the rear foot but it might be my imagination...

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Re: does a foil carve or pivot?

Postby purdyd » Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:38 am

If you aren’t leaning your board over you probably are pivoting more than carving.

If you aren’t cavitating because you have a tip of the wing come out of the water and or hitting the edge of your board, you aren’t exploring the limits of carving.

Like any carving turn, you do need speed!

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Re: does a foil carve or pivot?

Postby jumptheshark » Sun Sep 27, 2020 12:11 pm

Widen your stance and get your rear foot further back.

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Peter_Frank
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Re: does a foil carve or pivot?

Postby Peter_Frank » Sun Sep 27, 2020 5:54 pm

Foil boards can carve and they can pivot.

Pivot turns are the narrow 360s for instance, some do these without leaning back, simply a pivot turn.

Then you can also go into a carve with speed, leaning over, and pushing hard - just like you want to.
Best results are with a wide and at least rear foot back stance, and you need speed.
The popular really big wings many use (me included when waves) are no good for this, they simply go too slow, so you lose some of the carving feel.

BUT, they can turn so narrow, that it is sometimes even more fun - and you DO really carve when you ride 180s or more, downwind, with these wings also.

A bit smaller and faster wing, is in my experience better for carving hard and getting the "laydown" pushing feel.

Ride with speed, lean hard into the turn, and carve hard - as said, you must not use too short a mast, and the more speed the better.
Also, flying the kite really low when initiating the carve, makes wonders.

Besides the way you do it, foils also play a role, meaning if you got a supersmall stab, you lose some of the driving feel.
Flat wings and flat stabs also drive less joyful IMO.

Exactly the same as having a surfboard with too small fins, you lose the driving carving lovely feel.
They are loose and twitchy yes, but no drive.
Too big a fin, and it feels locked and boring, so one has to find his/her personal liking, both for surfboards and hydrofoils.

You have no spray in a cutback on a hydrofoil, so no matter how hard you push, it still feels fluid and great but extremely different from a surfboard (or TT) spray :wink:

Carving hard frontside though, is the same great feel in my experience :thumb:

8) Peter
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Re: does a foil carve or pivot?

Postby jakemoore » Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:17 pm

In addition to front wings, there is huge variation in stabilo and fuselage length. Flat wings and stabilo allow easier slide into pivot and yaw. A stabilo with some curvature or winglet is more locked in to carving. Some even had a fin to put on the fuse like an airplane tail.

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Re: does a foil carve or pivot?

Postby plummet » Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:36 pm

I'm getting good solid carves.

I'm thinking experience thing. You need to get more aggressive and faster and commit with more leaning. Plus reduce kite size. If you are over powered its harder to carve. Go with under power and then more aggressive kite flying and foil riding.

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Re: does a foil carve or pivot?

Postby Onda » Tue Sep 29, 2020 2:15 pm

Exactly this! Stronger winds (17+ kts) and a respectively small kite (7 or better 5 m²) are key to do those fantastic downwind carves. Throw your kite around and let yourself getting pulled into the turn by the kite... :thumb: Best for this is a kite with very good depower and drift, so you can enjoy the speed and carve without too much impact from the kite.


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