I’m currently riding: Lift 170HA, 34 glide tail, on a 39 L board
Me: 6’1", 210lbs (95kg)
I’m considering moving from Lift to Takuma Kujira since there seems to be some used gear available lately, and I’m wondering which wings I should be looking for. This would be for prone surf foiling on Oahu and I’m a pretty big guy. I’m not very good at pumping and figure if it’s not clicking with my current set up it’s technique rather than equipment. The main reasons I am looking to switch is that I want a surfier feel. The Lift 170HA feels like it is really pitch sensitive rolling into turns and then locks in once banked. I’ve heard the Kujira doesn’t feel as pitchy and has some “pushback” on the front foot going into turns. Also that the 1210/980 surf well but still retains glide as well.
I’ll probably look for the 1095 since it seems similar to the lift 170HA, but for my weight, I’m not sure if I should also be targeting the 1210 or 980. And am not really sure how those compare to the 1095 since they seem way more mid-aspect.
Get a 1095. It’ll be a better 1210. You don’t need a 980 if you want to pump between waves. The 980 is more about surfing the wave you are currently on.
I’ve not ridden the 1095, but I did own a 1210 for awhile and I have ridden the 980. I’m 6’1" about 170 lbs. The 1210 is a more enjoyable pump than the lift 170 which I also owned. The 1210 is happier going slower. I prefer the way the lift ha90 turns and I sold my takuma setup, stayed on lift.
me: 6’1 185lbs
I have the 1210: pumps good and rolls-over on turns nicely. nice slow stall speed.
I also have the 980: surfers and turns really well but doesn’t pump very well for me .
I went from Takuma 980/1210 to Lift 120 to Takuma 1095HA.
I’m at 140 lb and the 1095 is my favorite. The 1210 is the easiest to pump. But I’ve met 200 lb guys that could pump the 980 better than what I could pump the 1210. But I don’t pump that great.
When pumping back to the outside, I can pump the 980 about 80yd. The T1210/T1095/L120, I pump all those wings about 120 yards to the outside. The T1210 just seems more consistent/easier to pump. The 1095 and 120 are a lot looser than the 1210.
I’d actually recommend checking out the Takuma 1440. I met a foiler that was 6’6", 230 lb or so and he was having difficulties pumping an Armstrong HA wing. He switched to the 1440 and he was suddenly getting double dips regularly!
Which do you find yourself choosing to ride more?
Also, does the 1210 ever feel too big for you? I know once I rode the Lift 170HA I couldn’t go back to the 200HA. It just felt like way too much lift and locked in on turns.
The 1095 is definitely surfier than the 1210. I’ve gotten my best turns with the 1095: round house cutbacks, carve off the top and occasional whitewater hit. The Lift 120 seemed more pitch sensitive than the 1095. I was more likely to blow an aggressive turn on the Lift 120.
The 1210 didn’t feel too big unless the surf got over CH+. I could do S-turns easy enough on the 1210, but I had a hard time doing round house cutbacks with the 1210. I couldn’t get the 1210 to roll over fast enough for a decent round house cutback.
I thought I might ride on the 120 on the bigger days and maybe switch to the 1210 on the smallest days. But I just ride the 1095 100% of the time.
1210 is my everyday foil with the 178 tail. I don’t think it feels big at my size.
Shimming the tail 1 degree leading edge down definitely loosens up the turning on the 1210
1210 is a very forgiving foil. you can bobble your pump and still recover.
980 is my special occasion good wave foil ( I live in new jersey so that doesn’t happen that often)