I finally got a chance to try my 585 Hammerhead w/ 85CM tuttle SR mast and 55L Emona at my local tide against wind spot on a decent upwind/downwind PW run in the Chesapeake Bay. With the general consensus being that these faster 16 AR foils are generally better for ocean runs, I was curious how much I would use it in the bay at my favorite spot. The has a huge fetch to the N, so the bumps were in the waist to chest high range.
The HH has a very unique feel / maneuverability that you can really feel. It is easy to manipulate up/down/left/right/roll and you can really feel it. This makes picking your line very easy. In steep bumps, this setup let me really run laterally and pick my points for cranking turns easily and then project out of the current bump to run 30 yards to a new spot that would be building a new train. The ability to get in the right location with minimal physical output is where this foil shines. Overtaking bumps when needed isn’t a 95% effort, more like a 70% effort. The more aggressive line choice lent to a higher HR and I was definitely getting my work in, but much more on turns than on pumping.
My fastest KM was 2:45 and my slowest speeds were in the 9-16 mph range. This is with a 1-2 knt headwind though.
I was also not being very efficient with mast height, as I was touching down quite a bit and touching rails in the water on turns on several occasions. The Tuttle and board shape helped a ton in that regard! Burying the mast is a great way to slow the foil down a bit to the speed of the bumps, then a quick altitude pump when needed to get to a better height to start an acceleration for a bottom turn or top turn.
Bottom line, very fun and dynamic foil for good bay conditions! I was about to grab the Piranha 600, but was happy I grabbed the HH 685/125 for the session.
To be more clear, it only one 1.7km run (before work session). Well 1.7KM in a straight line, but 2.1KM when factoring in the turns/wiggles. Here’s the stats from Foil.Run
With the steepness of the swell, I never felt under-foiled at 68kgs. The steepness is what gives lift and drive to the foil. Plenty of energy on tap. If I had been only going straight DW with locked knees, it probably would have been the wrong foil choice. An Orca 800 would have been the call for that riding style. My goal is a liquid skatepark style, using the ever changing canvas to draw lines. I’m no ripper, but I’m always pushing my limits.
Here’s a screenshot of a video I took of the conditions:
I need to order a small surf stab but can’t decide between the 120 with the surf profile and the 121 with the downwind surf profile. I prefer less drag, better pump and don’t mind additional pitchiness of the 121 but would love to be able to do hard turns with a grippy tail. Can the 121 downwind surf deliver that or am I better off going with the bit more draggy 120 surf? Anyone tried both?
If you want less drag it’s the 121, same roll rate just better for speed and DW.
The 120 has a bit more drag ( it’s a 120 so drag is Minimal) offers a bit more front foot feedback.ans better for the surf to stay closer to the pocket.
I ride the 121XS and 600 Piranha for all my sessions. DW and surf
I just picked up an Orca 1250 from another user here now that the wind is backing off and we’re going into flatwater and dockstarting season. It was super small at my local break yesterday and I had a lot of fun riding tiny little “waves”. Obviously its a really big foil and rides like one, but pretty easy to get it out of the water and pumps super easy.
Drag equals turning. Just like on a thruster. The rear fin creates drag which allows a Surfboard to turn better. So if you’re asking about a surf stabilizer. You should probably go with the surf version. if you were pointing and shooting in one direction. Then you would go with the downwind version.
Surely some great downwind and dockstart wings. Had my first session on an SR + Orca 900 today and it was a different sport compared to my previous gear
I wanted to comment on the stability of the 55L Emona (I’m 68kgs, so a 80% L to KG ratio). I was out in sizable conditions with capping shoulder + high short period swell and the wind dropped a bit so my 2.7M S3 wasn’t giving me much forward drive. I was able to quite easily maintain the ready position while waiting on gusts. The board would effectively duck-dive the peaks to make balancing much easier. I think it would have been more challenging with a 1:1 ratio. Sinking the board a bit, in that knee-to-thigh zone seems to be the sweet spot for gaining stability on a semi-sinker, while keeping the ask to get the board to the surface reasonable. I think the rocker shape also helps.
Question for the folks who own both the Orca 800 and the 900: Are they different enough that it makes sense to own both? Only 6cm span difference. I have the 900 already.
yes and no..
probably depends on budget / obsession level really. hahah.
they overlap enough to make having just one work. but it’s a question of the sweet-spot for your conditions and size. you might have two common use cases with different sweet spots - then you want both.
Same here. The low end on the 900 is just that little bit more and I only notice a small amount of loss in top end. Can comfortably push the 900 into conditions well above what the 685 needs.
I have a 1050 as well, and find a closer spacing to that (900 vs 800) works better for me. The higher aspect ratio of the 1050 (compared to the 800/900) makes it feel like a much much bigger foil then you would think from the 150/200 cm2 difference in area.
I have ridden both a lot and in some aspects they are close but it depends on your use case. If trying to rip turns is your priority then the gap is large enough to justify both if you have the different conditions for both. I am light so a 900 turns nice in very low energy and the 800 is much better when the energy is closer to 15 knots. 20 knots and 685 comes out. It’s an indulgence to enjoy the sweet spots.
For someone heavier it might be the 900 turns nice in bumps from wind up to 17 knots and then the 800 is in its sweet spot greater than that.
It’s all about the sweet spots for me and all foils turns best not much above their stall speed so the sweet spot for turns is small.
I’m 95kg, but I don’t know if I’ll ever let go of my 685. From reading through your post, you should sell your 900 and get a 685. I bet it will replace your 800 as your new favorite.
I’m riding 685 anytime there is good energy, 800 on medium days, and 1050 when its really light/small
