Very different wings, imho, the Veloce, Fluid and Curve, but all very nice in their specific way.
- Gong works to adapt size to size across lines, so that behaviour can be comparable within the same "official sizing": an M will behave as an M, mostly, even in the -T declinations, while an L will be an L, even in the -S declinations. So, expect (much) more comfort on the L-S at your weight.
- Fluid L and L-S do *not* become physical with speed with Fast stab as the Veloce M, which needs lots of front pressure. Totally different behaviour.
- Also: much better Yaw control with Fluid and Fast: a lot easier to go faster. I’m a super slow foiler, and yet I hit 22 knots few days ago, and get to 20 easily now with the L-S + Fast.
- Fluid L-S carves easily and holds the line when carving hard, and yet loses little speed. Not as efficient as the Veloce, but *a lot* better than the Curve for this, which loses much speed. Yuo have them, you will know what happens when you are foiling, and let the bar go: the Veloce glides losing little speed, the Curve slows down considerably.
- Paired with the Fluid 40 stab it goes into “railroad mode”: turns are a bit harder (need to inclinate the board and push on the back) but they are radical as no “sliding” is felt. I do not like it, prefer the Fast, but it is certainly an option if you like more locked in feeling during hard turns, which can be quite addictive at times.
- Like Veloce, Fluid allows you “pumping recovery” at stall: when you stall, let it fall, push hard on the back, and you have extra time to regain speed. Curves… they do not pump (maybe the -T, but I did not like my M-T, sold it almost immediately)
- Stalling: Veloce M then Fluid L-S then Fluid L (a fraction later than the L-S, but you’ll notice the first times) then Veloce L (which is a sweet, sweet wing for kiting…)
- Fluid L-S and L not too different. You feel a tad less stability on L-S and a bit earlier stall, but differences, while noticeable, are much less than what you get by changing size (i.e. M to L). Both are very much fun.
- Floating, as Peter said: a lot depends on your mast. New carbon mast has Alu fuselage, very heavy at bottom. Still, I find my L-S to float quite a bit with it. Floats even better on my v.2 carbon mast with the integrated carbon fuselage. No Moses 633 like which will stay there forever, but it gives plenty of time for strapless water start.
My opinion, at about 110Kg: the Fluid L-S with the Fast is a fantastic combination. The only one I use now in 6 knots or in 25 knots.
Super light wind just pump during waterstart and then enjoy the glide, gain speed and maintain it, without the killer stall of the Veloce M, and if it stalls during a jibe just pump and keep it up, and if you can get a tiny bit more speed, you can tack and do the same.
Higher winds in the waves… fantastic.
Less frantic than the Veloce M, which is quite adrenalinic at my weight, and more punitive (and really needs a Veloce stab if you wish to go fast). Just super.
Curve L is nice, gentle, effective, stalls sweetly (but not recoverable) and loses lots of speed to drag.
I liked it a lot, but newer ones… much better, imho.
You may also want to try a Veloce L, by the way.
With a Veloce 39 stab it is agile, glides, enormous low end and very very much fun on the waves.
I used it before the Fluid, and I keep it because it is a very pleasant wing , and I want to try it with the Fast stab to losen it up even more.
(tested it with Veloce 43 stab, it was not nice at all).
I am contemplating now the addition of a M-S size, for those days when I feel I'm really on the ball (they would probably be a couple a year...
).
But it will be tough.
P.S.
can I ask you where you got that fantastic compendium of Gong wings/stabs?
P.P.S.
if you can read french (or if you wish to use Google translate) there's lots of (admittedly sparse) information on GONG's forum, may be worth a visit.
Also: while the Fast is certainly the most "radical" stab in the lineup (it's a "race style" 210sqcm stab with zero aid for yaw control, after all) there's a lot to like in the others.
GONG crew swears by the new Curve stab, with the vertical winglets, as the best compromise for radical drive and control.
As they are relatively cheap, not much damage in trying... just buy the
smallest size available for kiting