I’m currently laid up with a pulled hamstring and have nothing better to do than ponder gear. Code’s been hinting at the new surf wings coming out soon, but there hasn’t been many details about them. Anyone have some info? Obviously the couple comments from their riders make it sound like it’s the best surf wing ever, though Josh Ku admitted it had a “laborious pump” and is for “advanced riders”. Anyone have info who and what conditions this wing is gonna shine in?
I’ve got a weird quiver right now and am looking to round it out with one of these or an 850S.
Rumor mill here. But in the 800ish range. Mid Aspect. The closest comparison would be the 720s I’d say. The surf wing is better in white water. Pretty sure Ku still does 5 minutes at a time on foil with the surf wing that “doesn’t pump” haha. I think it’s supposed to be out this month. I also think it’s a safe to assume any recent code wave riding footage is on that foil. I have no true verification of any of that though.
It’s interesting when people say a wing is “hard” to pump. I always found this not nuanced enough. I have the 1300S and 770R. I find the 770R harder to pump just because it requires more finesse and when I make a mistake it punishes me. When I do everything right, it’s fast and effortless. My 1300S on the other had is extremely forgiving and I can grave dig it out of any stupidity I throw at it. It’s more laborious to pump though.
If the 720S is it’s closest relative, I’m curious how they stack up. With how popular the Sk8 is and how hard I see people cranking turns on that wing, maybe more mid-aspect is worth the pump loss.
Yep Hdip’s info lines up with what I know of it. The most important thing for people to be aware of (same went for me when I redid my code quiver a couple of months ago) is that the initial release appears to be just the one size
Having both the complete sizes for both afs silk and code s. The silk 650 kinda feels better to ride when tow foiling than the code s because I use the 120r tail with all the codes usually. but the 615 with a 142 is very similar, to the 650 silk but not as forgiving and still too much glide/speed still. With the 850 afs, it feels like I’d take the code s 720/850 anytime because I’m only riding waves that are too small for the 650. The silk larger sizes don’t have enough glide and speed for the smaller waves im trying to ride them on and code s is way better in every way. So I’m curious to see how what this code surf foil is designed for because their S series is already very good for surfing and their limitation is when waves get too big and you need something draggy. I woulda thought 650 would have been the size, but maybe the 800 is kinda the middle of the pack sizing where the most people would use it.
I think we share the same opinion on wing priorities per wave size.
From flat to knee high, I’m willing to sacrifice turning for more glide. For me this is the 1300S right now. It’s my session saver.
From knee to chest, I can start sacrificing some glide, but I want to turn. I still need the wing to pump well to maximize links. Right now this is the 770R for me, but I think I might be better off with the 850S. I’m 76kg and of average ability.
From chest to head, pumping over big sets and lots of whitewater becomes less guaranteed for me. I’d rather use a midlength or SUP to get in early, get as many turns in as possible, pump as best I can back out, and paddle the rest. I want something that lifts gently, is draggy, and turns well. I don’t currently have a good option for these conditions.
I would imagine new surf foils (also wondering what Unifoil will do here, hinted at) are going to come out like each brand’s take on something that sits near the Silk 850. I rode the Code 850S and it felt much more a downwind foil in comparison to the Silk, super fun and very rippable but much more glidey and flowy, where the Silk felt like more fun in the pocket, and aggressive, comfortable in whitewater bashes and more snappy.
@Gibbon the way to think about pump it is that it requires more finesse despite being quite low aspect. That is how I’ve found the Silk. Compare that with the Code 850S which is easier to find the groove to pump.
Interestingly, I found an unlock with the Silk that has changed my thinking around glide being an issue for downwind. (parawing induced). I have been downwinding it and finding it very fast, obviously not much glide, but the speed is really good, and accleration is very surprising, and if you keep it up, and lock into the power of bumps and keep the foil moving fast, it is really fun. I did 3km at 2:13/km which I have only otherwise managed on Ultra 750, but the difference was that I was full powder carving at speed where the Ultra I’m usually just piloting (I’m not fast in absolute racer terms).
I think this space of aggressive surf foils is a big opportunity for development, currently only really have Silk, and maybe the Armstrong MA v2. Personally finding surf style without even bothering to link more than 2 waves a great break from the past few years. I don’t have an obvious gap in my one foil quiver of Silk 850 but I would love to try the 650 Silk for bigger wilder conditions, and super curious to try the Code and Unifoil offerings here.
lock into the power of bumps and keep the foil moving fast, it is really fun
this is where people will struggle with this type of foil, if you can’t push it hard and keep it moving then it’s harder than more moderate styles, which I find quite compelling (based on the experience with the Silk, and hinted at by the idea from Josh that pumping isn’t easy, which goes hand in hand)
This is what I’m interested in. The 1300S will turn, but requires a lot of authority if you want to do them repeatedly. The 770R generates a lot of unnecessary speed when turning, so it still ends up being slow to lay down repeated turns. It would be cool to ride something that happily goes rail to rail and lets you push in hard to generate speed without locking in.
Just reading through this and thought I’d add my perspective as I’m 70kg and very surf centric rather than the more speed/glide crew.
Flat-Waist surf or very light wind wing/parawing: 1130s
1300s was simply too big for me, I switched it out for an 1130s and it’s a much better foil in every department as I have control over it rather it controlling me. Also my session saver
Waist-Head average wind: 850s
Kind of an all rounder I swapped from a 980s (which I still feel may be codes best S foil) to the 850s with the expected results, handles a little more power, turns a little better, loses some low end
Head-Well overhead, strong wind: 615s
This one I’m not so sure on, came from the 720s as I wanted something for slightly bigger surf and I personally feel the jump from the 720>615 is the biggest step in the range. I haven’t gelled with it the way I liked my 720s. It has a finicky stall speed which can make lulls in the wind while winging annoying. It certainly handles bigger surf well but as the takeoff speed is higher it has less of that gradual lift feel the S series has and a bit more of a sudden not on foil>being very lit moment. I need more time to test it though as the conditions it comes out in are naturally more tricky.
I mix them up with my 142ar, 150ar, 158ar stabs mostly dependent on how much I want to speed up or slow down the foil. I only use the small fuse but just picked up a medium to see how it feels with the 615s
I’m definitely keen to demo the mid aspect when it comes out mainly interested to see how much slower it is. The flite 707 is also on my to demo list (not that I’d really consider changing brands at this stage)
Agreed. I’d most likely be better off with the 1130S, but I recently started SUP surf and the 1300 has been good to start that learning process. Also, I don’t have particularly deep pockets right now. It’s an interesting challenge because If I don’t roll into turns with a lot of authority, the 1300S will lock in at some point and buck me off. But man, laying down multiple hard turns successfully, often while breaching, on a big wing is a cool feeling.
Still on the fence about which would be better for me at this wave size, 980S or 850S. Demoed the 980S and found it such an easy all-rounder to ride.
I have a feeling I might just give up prone at this wave size. The SUP foilers by me seem to have so much more fun on big days.
I’m starting to think a 980S for prone waist-head when I want good pump. When I want to maximize turns, mid-aspect 800. When it gets head high+, switch to SUP and still choose between 980S and 800 (if it’s good for SUP).