Preamble: I just got a Maguire 1107, I’m very stoked, this is a review. I paid full retail, I would highly recommend all Axis riders to pay attention
After a fluke connection* with @McD on the forum, he was able to send his Maguire 1107 foil for down for me to test in the surf, as he designs their foils. I managed a very quick single session in micro waves before I had to send it back. I kept coming back to how easily I managed to pump it down the beach and snap some easy turns on my first wave. I don’t want to change systems as I’ve got lightwind downwind options on the Axis fuse, I’m happy with the skinny tails and the NLv2 85cm mast (though I want a shorter stiffer one). So I took a bit of a gamble on ordering one, but when Axis launched more ARTs I decided I had to try another approach.
The gist is that I wanted a reliable daily driver foil as a base for the quiver, priority being fun, easy and with significant range. So far the Maguire 1107 has hit this for me. I’m comfortable in saying that I think it is the most comfortable I’ve been on a foil since the first time riding the pp140, and maybe beyond that. I think this fills a gap in the Axis lineup perfectly. I have had a session on the ART v2 999, which while a fast foil, was as you’d expect quite tricky and drops out suddenly on the low end. I’ve been riding the ART PRO 1121 for downwinding, and it is quite fast but understandably quite bad in the surf with the span. I’m guessing this Maguire 1107 fits in the mix of the Code S series style foils.
I don’t have the specs other than the span at 980mm and area at 1107cm2. (the Maguire 877 for reference)
I’ll keep updating the review as things progress, but so far, based on a few hours on the water, I have the following impressions on the Maguire 1107 with NLv2 85cm, ultrashort fuse, skinny 45 tail
Background details (using this template)
- Rider weight/height: 73kg
- Rider experience: 3 years, 10min pumping on foil in the surf, downwind 10km comfortably, too scared to get radical in the foam but I can foil overhead waves without issue and like surf style cutbacks and flowing turns
- Region and Conditions: UK so ranging from knee high wind slop to overhead groundswell, luckily I had both in the first 3 days.
- Affiliations: paid retail as described here, custom order
- Gear experience: Nearly every Axis foil, I’ve been a long suffering Axis rider, and have documented a lot of the frustrations in the Axis thread. I’ve also owned the Unifoil progression 140 and tested the 170 and 200 and liked them but wasn’t happy with the speed, mast and lack of downwind options. Also tested the new Armstrong 880 and really liked some aspects, but it feels quite slow and I don’t want another slow foil, but Armstrong along with Code and AFS have compelling ranges that I’ve considered closely.
Prone: This is where I really needed this foil. The Axis range is pretty frustrating for prone, the spitfires are quirky and not fun, and the ART and PRO are too fussy, and there has never been anything that just works. I needed a fun easy and predictable foil, and I’m pretty blown away here. First session I was able to easily stay on foil for multiple 10s period sets without getting gassed, linking and turning right off the first wave. Most notably and surprising is the Maguire was really loose and playful for the span, easy to turn and snap, it rolls over in a very intuitive and smooth way, and rolls back really quickly. I also lucked into a big swell day and was happily pumping out to link 3-4ft faces and carve them before they got too fast, and at full speed not feeling out of control, in what is definitely the biggest surf I will foil in, no misbehaviour, and accelerates nicely. (Appletree skipper 34L)
Downwind: I’ve had one downwind session, in by far the worst conditions I’ve downwinded in, deliberately wanted to scope the very difficult backwash section, and I was able to get on foil and pump in what was otherwise hopeless conditions. The other reason I bought this foil was for a downwind run-saver, where ease of getting and staying on foil was the main focus, but still fast enough to cover distance. It is not as fast as the 1121 and doesn’t have as much glide, but it is much easier, far more forgiving on slow mode. I am hoping to get some pace times soon to see what the compromise is. I did find that if you pump it onto a bump, it will keep accelerating, so it might have a higher top end, but maybe not as much glide as optimal. (108L Armstrong DWP board)
Pump: The low end is very good, and the warning before a stall is super clear, it gets slightly mushy and warns you to keep it flat and put some effort it. This is the most critical element that makes it easy.
Breach: No issues here, I think the tips ventilate well, they have some curve in the tips.
Copying this quote from @McD which I think describes the intention:
General Comments: The finish is durepox, which seems to be standard on sailing dinghies to provide an optimal finish for sanding, and the finish is a brushed matte. The finish itself seems to have been sanded. The finish is not perfect, with some minor visual variance but imperceptible by touch. The bolts aren’t perfectly flush as typical with Axis foils. The matte finish attracts fingerprints very easily.
Next: I’m going to see if I can test out their mast and the rest of the foils. I also want to do a same condition back to back with the Axis ART 999 v2 in the surf.
*My only regret is not buying one last year…
Here is a clip across the first 3 sessions, knee high on one day, going overhead on another and some random pics
