Plume 5.0 --> Next Steps & Lighter Wind

Foils and Boards - Gear Talk
1

I’m a “never-winger.” I moved from kiteboarding to buying a 5.0 Plume and foil setup last fall. My local conditions are choppy and difficult for beginners, but I went to OBX over the past few days. It was blowing a constant 22mph with relatively flat water and I was foiling in a matter of minutes. I spent 4 hours over 2 days on it and got a bit of gybing and riding toeside. Immediately addictive.

Equipment: Plume 5.0 & 4.2, Starboard 6’6" 105L, 1080cm 7.0 AR foil, 150lbs

I can’t downwind, so the Plume is perfect for me for the time being. It rockets upwind. But it is a beast to get on foil without serious wind. When the wind dropped to 18-20mph, poof, despite pumping until my knees hurt, I was glued to the water.

I’d like to keep riding down to 16mph which is more common in my area in the summer. [“Getting better” is not really an option. I have 5-10 days a year to get out on the water.]

My thoughts follow. Any other ideas appreciated.

  1. Stick with Plume and get a big-a%$ 1500cm foil and even a mid-length board. Pray.
  2. Suck it up, learn to wing (I’m a kiter, the few times I’ve handled a wing it felt clunky). Maybe get a 1350cm foil.
  3. Get a 4.5ish parawing with good low end. (My level of talent & skill is a concern here) Probably need a 1350 foil as well.

Thanks all.

2

definitely just wing, maybe even on a slightly higher AR foil if you are rocking that starboard.

2 Likes
3

Get a narrower board?

also, plume take offs are easier if you take off with the top of teh bar forward (allowing the wing to move more downwind)

1 Like
4

Rock on, thanks. I have a 5.0 wing I got in a trade. $0 start up cost. Swallowing my pride now, lol.

5

Thanks. It’s 25" wide. Superlight and great for stability at my level. It’s not a soap bar, but it does feel like it pulls water and doesn’t get on a plane easily.

Though I’m not good enough to have valid opinions on how it feels.

Noted on the bar position, thanks.

6

Get an Fone Quest 4.5-6m, if you like kites, PW is so much better than winging.
Alternatively you could get a board that is 20-22" wide, I know it doesn’t sound like much, but 25" is just too wide (even for winging) these days.

3 Likes
7

I agree. My first board was 25" wide and 6’7" long. I opted for a downwind style board for my second. It is 7’10" and 22" wide and made all the difference in my ability to go out in marginal conditions.

1 Like
8

Yeah, it’s a bit of a bummer that those Plumes are so gutless, because they are really fun once properly powered. At a good 100kgs, my 4.2 doesn’t get to see the light till about 25kts…

a 5 or 6m Parawing should bridge that gap below the 5 Plume.

1 Like
9

Plume to PW is an easy transition. Frigates pull similarly to Plumes. A 5.5 will get you into lighter winds. A bigger HA foil can help but a long and narrow ML is really key to generating speed to take off.

2 Likes
10

big thanks - I’m already looking at options for the board. I’ll look at the quest as soon as my skills improve enough.

11

My thoughts exactly. So much fun once up. I’m only 175cm, so I can’t see going above 5m on either a wing or a para. That should be enough.

12

This is gold, thanks. Do the Frigates have better low end than the Plume? Slappy makes a good case for the Quest.

Side question: Do you think the learning curve is bigger switching from plume to parawing or plume to wing?

13

Frigate low end better than Plume. And you can size up. Quest low end is marginally better than Frigate but I prefer the forward pull, top end and upwind angle of the Frigate.

1 Like
14

Unless you wait for the Frigate 2 I would stick with the quest for your use case. I love my Frigate but that’s because any time I’m flying it it’s just to rocket upwind and stash it. For you ease of use will greatly trump the bonus upwind you get from the Frigate.
The Quest is the most user friendly PW out (according to reviews, I haven’t tried it myself)

1 Like
15

Great stuff, thanks. better to save the sessions than fail at being a hero. When the wind is good I’ll be doing laps no problem with the Plume.

16

Everyone is lusting over parawings and leading you astray. If you genuinely only get 5 days PER YEAR on the water then don’t waste your time with a parawing before trying one and seeing if it comes naturally. I don’t see you usefully learning to pack away a parawing, which is 99% of the point

I have winged and parawinged and kited and nothing touches winging for convenience and ease

(Unless your budget per session is way higher than I’m reading between the lines on! anyway you’ve got the freebie wing, session saver for sure!)

6 Likes
17

Matt is spot on with his recommendation.

2 Likes
18

Thanks Basti and Matt. Much appreciated. Seems like the conservative approach (given limited time) is that I do the–hopefully short–learning curve into winging as a session saver.

If in a year or two from now I’m flagging out downwinding on the Plume… then I get more ambitious with the parawing.

I’m going to be conservative and get a bigger front foil. Seems like the first step. No ego. I can’t gybe well yet. Not so expensive (Gong). $335+taxes+shipping. I have a 900cm that I bought for kite foiling that I can use if I get good enough.

Next, get a midlength. Super pricy. Current designs seem like they might last a while though. Who wants a Carbon Starboard Hybrid 105L board? :joy:

Thanks again.

1 Like
19

Plume to PW very easy. It was designed for that. Winging is another discipline and learning curve. Makes sense to learn to wing if you are confronted with light conditions or wing in critical wave sections. Otherwise don’t look back!

1 Like
20

Packing not mandatory. Reality is many are already happily mowing the lawn and/or working on transition moves because they don’t have DW conditions but still love PW. None of these sports can exist without a broader audience.

1 Like