fuselage

[meteo]

I have now tested all four fuselage on my LF hydrofoil... which consist of the original length 24 inches, and three homemade fuselage 120% (29 inches), 150% (36 inches) and 200% (or 48 inches)…

I can confirm that the longer the fuselage, the steadier it is up/down …

My opinion has change over time, and will probably change again, here is a resume.

Original length: good, ridable, it’s the one I learned on… I will probably never use it again…

120% longer or 29 inches: much, much, easier than the original length… it is with this one that I started to have full session of foiling without falling of the board… This length is now available as standard on the new LF foils…

150% longer or 36 inches: more stable than the 120% length… but I notice that turning on a foiling stance was a bit harder on this version…

200% longer or 48 inches: even more stable, the most stable of all for front/back movement, but a bit slower. To my surprise, not much more difficult for turning on a foil stance than the 150%, and very stable in choppy seas…

I think I prefer the 120% length, it is the best… for smooth conditions… if the sea is very choppy with waves of 1 meter (3feet) then probably the 200%...

Conclusion: if you are going to by a LF foil… you are not doing it for speed, so the 120% fuselage (now the new length on the LF Foils), is probably the way to go…

There are races here in Florida this coming weekend… I am probably going for the 120% length… If it gets very windy and choppy sea, I might go for the 200% one (48 inches)….

[Hawaiis]

With a 48" fuselage, you probably don't need the rear wing.

[av_dumitrascu]

I thought the first fuselage from LF was 680mm long (at least according to the dimmensions on LF site). The newer fuselage is 710mm long...
I might be wrong, mine is packed and stored over the winter, but I will check when I get home.
Just to be sure...

http://liquidforcekites.com/product/foils/foil-fish/

[meteo]

I thought the first fuselage from LF was 680mm long (at least according to the dimmensions on LF site). The newer fuselage is 710mm long...
I might be wrong, mine is packed and stored over the winter, but I will check when I get home.
Just to be sure...

http://liquidforcekites.com/product/foils/foil-fish/

You are exactly right... But they calculate both platic ends, front and back, to acheive the 680 mm i... If you mesure the aluminium bar, it´s about 24 inches long...... That´s why my 120%lenght is 29 inches, and they have 710mm. Very close... If you substrac the plastic fittings.

[Bille]

...

You are exactly right... But they calculate both platic ends, front and back, to acheive the 680 mm i... If you mesure the aluminium bar, it´s about 24 inches long...... That´s why my 120%lenght is 29 inches, and they have 710mm. Very close... If you substrac the plastic fittings.

Could you be so kind, as to measure From the Leading Edge of the front-wing ,(of the stock unit)
to the LE of the tail for me ? That will give me a better idea of what your talking about !!

Thanks : Bille

[meteo]

Could you be so kind, as to measure From the Leading Edge of the front-wing ,(of the stock unit)
to the LE of the tail for me ? That will give me a better idea of what your talking about !!

Thanks : Bille

Ok... from the LE of the front-wing to the LE of the Back-wind on the stock(short) LF Hydrofoil, I mesured 22 inches...

[Bille]

...

Ok... from the LE of the front-wing to the LE of the Back-wind on the stock(short) LF Hydrofoil, I mesured 22 inches...

Thanks a Bunch ; that was important, to my build !!

Bille

[meteo]

Here I go with the fuselage thing again... On the LF... I finally selected the 29 inch fuselage which can be calculated as 31,378 inches from the top to the end of both wings or 25 inches from center of the front wing to center of the back wing... the 29 inches represents the length of the aluminium strut..

Now, I have bought a brand new Spotz3 "tuna"... It's fast, but not that easy to ride. there is a minimum speed that I think greatly depends on the fact that the fuselage is very short 17,3 inches from center to center of both wings... In fact, I think it is the shortest fuselage on the market...

Since it is "extremely" easy to make the fuselage longer with no (or very little) added drag... I will try it... this must sound like sacrilege to good riders... but I not here to "follow" the crowd and suffer with this "learning" curve...

The only drawback is that all my tools and material are back home (Canada), so this project won’t see results before March 2016....

Meantime... I will continue with this "standard" setup... maybe I will get good before returning home, and this longer fuselage won't be needed.

[av_dumitrascu]

when mouting the longer fuselage on the stock mast/strut, where do you drill the holes ?

I have made a longer fuselage, that I`m gonna use, but I am yet to decide if I should keep the same distance of the mast from the tip, or should I place the fuselage proportionaly, i.e. to do some math to determine the position of the mast accordingly the new lenght of the fuselage...

where do you drill for the mast?

[meteo]

when mouting the longer fuselage on the stock mast/strut, where do you drill the holes ?

I have made a longer fuselage, that I`m gonna use, but I am yet to decide if I should keep the same distance of the mast from the tip, or should I place the fuselage proportionaly, i.e. to do some math to determine the position of the mast accordingly the new lenght of the fuselage...

where do you drill for the mast?

My mast/strut is fused/molded to the fuselage...

The lengthening of the fuselage is done by adding a simple piece of aluminium between the rear wing and the fuselage... Even though the fuselage in made in Europe... it happens to be 1inch by 0,5 inch and 1/8 thick and the centre piece is 3/8 by 3/4 inch... so adding 6 inches in length is super easy.. All I have to do is put holes at the right place and sand down the 3/8X3/4 extension in a way that I will be able to change the angle of the rear wing if needed.

for the distance of the front wing to the mast/strut... dont wory... do not change it... when putting a longer fuselage... you "always" back up the rear wing... I have tried different combination when varying my fuselage from 24 inches to 48 inches... and found out that the front wing "never" needs to be moved....