I had a friend visit from Hawaii this week and we were tanker towing my Silk 850 (650 is needed and in my checkout cart as we speak ). He said he used to run the original Takuma’s and chopped the front wing winglet’s off and he said it unleashed the wing.
My question:
Has anyone chopped their SIlk’s? If so, please share your experiences. For others familiar with the AFS or Takuma lines (Same designer), what are your thoughts on what I will gain and lose if I chop the upward facing winglets?
For reference: I prone, wing, and tow these Silks always in surf. Would appreciate your thoughts. (And yes, I will reach out to AFS directly for their thoughts.)
Your friend’s experience of “unleashing” the wing is a very nonspecific description. I think the better question here is what are you hoping to gain? What characteristic of the foil do you wish were “better”?
If you listen to the designer talk about this foil on YouTube (https://youtu.be/Vd7f4KPRCKo?si=WGcwAbi1uvZ2_46p) he describes what the winglets were for and what happens when you trim them - go to 6:49
Everyone in Hawaii chopped the tips off their takumas because they were razor sharp. The scars on my feet may never fade. Chopping the tips opened up the yaw axis a bit, but with the Silk wings being smaller in general, I’m not sure its as much of a benefit.
It’s good to have a refresher on the this youtube video…
Based on what Laurent says, and the testing they have clearly done, I would not chop them.
Based on my own experiences, I wouldn’t change a thing about the Silks. I also have lift and code foils and nothing has come remotely close to the silks for wave riding. Every time i try a slightly higher aspect foil (Code 850s > Lift HA120 > Code 770r, ) in order to get more glide/pump, I come back to the silks and realise I should have never bothered trying anything else. They’re so good. I would add the difference in pump between a silk 850 and code 850s is not much at all to my surprise, although admittedly I’m still a 2-3 wave connect guy on these wings.
I would however love to hear if anyone has tried chopping the Silks, and what difference it makes. I tried the Pure 150 tail with the Silk 1050 today and that combo pumps and turns really well.
I know there is a chopped Ultra out there. Maybe the owner of that foil (who visits this board) can opine on what that did to the foil and maybe that can be extrapolated to the Silk.
Personally, I wouldn’t consider chopping the 850. Its such an amazing foil, and particularly if you are planning to get the 650, you should try that first to see if it fills the gap you are looking for.
Thanks all for the quick responses. I think you guys nailed it. Chopping them would make it feel different (more yaw) but not optimize it. Yes I will buy the 650 for tow. On a side note, I freaking love the Silk line. I also own all the Progression and Vyper wings. And have owned and used many other brands over the years. NOTHING compares to the SIlks in wave riding in terms of efficiency, glide, and carve-ability. When you lay into a bottom turn (or any hard roll) I love how the foil accelerates and pushes back at you. My number one issue with the higher aspect foils is the forward pitch event. It drives me crazy to have to save it (stomp on the tail) constantly when I want to surf it hard. One can tune the Vyper so that it doesn’t pitch as often; but then I feel like it is too draggy. Does this resonate with you guys? (I feel like I am talking to our little Silk team)
Yes. What you describe is exactly what I was missing after I moved on from Takuma and I found that the Silk nailed that feel and massively improved on Takuma in many other respects. I find the foils also have amazing range.
When I was on the progressions, I had to shim the tails to tune that pitching event out of them, but it make a slow foil even slower. And even then they had to be ridden within a pretty narrow power range.
Silk has been my holy grail foil and while I’m curious about the Enduros (and curiosity might get the best of me here…) I really don’t feel a need to change anything in my 850/1050 Silk quiver.
There is no point, had a tip get damaged during all of the logistical juggling that is Hawaiian triple crown and I’m a better sander than I am carbon builder so made it symmetrical.
Even more worthless in this conversation as ultra tips are not upturned like the silk.
Haven’t had a chance to back to back test but tip breaches are definitely louder and more pronounced (more work to recover from).
At this time can’t say I recommend it.
I’m more interested in chopping an ha 38 stabilizer than the tips of a silk but will wait for damage to force my hand.
If you want a looser 850 definitely try the 650 it has enough lift to be wakefoiled at 175lbs and 12.7 mph but it is too loose and maneuverable for my skills at that speed. You can tell it’s designed to go faster than that. I haven’t tow surfed the 650 yet but looking forward to it.
Go for it - I could think of replacing my 850 SILK for an enduro 700 since you get same span and less area so hopefully it’ll be faster and doesn’t sacrifice almost no turning - and I’m a lighter rider (around 152-155 lb) - But the SILK 650 it’s a no sell for me - no other foil I’ve tested have that level of roll and pitch stability and glide/speed control for turning.
This is the only foil so far that has let me feel kinda “vertical” attacking a face of a wave after a good bottom turn at top speed.
Winging I’ve been able to push it to 27,2mph or 43.5 km/h - so speed range it’s pretty pretty good- which is needed for towin’ in decent waves -
I have recently started using the new Pure 150 stab with the silks. It pumps incredibly well, with no perceivable loss of silk stab carvabilty. Highly recommend it over any other stab I’ve tried. It effectively places the stab closer to the mast as the holes are far back on it. It’s thin so glides with little drag, it’s made to carve. Anyone who wishes their silks pumped better… try this!
). He said he used to run the original Takuma’s and chopped the front wing winglet’s off and he said it unleashed the wing.