I run zero tail shim and use a 0.5 mast shim (thickness at front) to give my board more front foot feels. Works perfectly.
2 Likes
Hi Andy, following up whether you still think you could have a 155 and 115 combo and skip the 135 totally. I am similar set up (slightly lighter @82kg) and have wanting to go smaller than my current 155 (also on FD, progression mast, 15.5 AB, short fuse) - was thinking of going for the 135 but if too close would consider straight to 115
The Evoās have have more glide, role better and top end than the Progressionās in my opinion.
I used to ride the Progression with a medium fuse. I was told to ride the Evolutionās with a short fuse. They were right. The medium fuse feels to slow and draggy and the roll has a delay. I havenāt tried the extra short fuse yet.
I havenāt tried the 135 but have the 115 and 155 combo. Iām 72kg. I was surprised how small of a wave is needed to use the 115. Once you get it high on the mast it just accelerates and the glide is very impressive. I certainly canāt see why Iād need the 135 as well.
Howās the low end on the 115? I am 90.Kg and I really love my north SF 680 and I can almost pump around and daily that wingā¦ is just a little bit little at my weight. Just barely honestly low end is pretty unreal.
Iām targeting something in the 750 range for my next foil so Iām thinking about the 115.
Also, howās the top end? When I last rode the progression stuff it always felt really unstable wanting to nose dive when it got going fast. Definitely donāt want that.
I always find it interesting how people are targeting different things. In Florida, my daily is the Evo155 (stomach down to waist high faces in Florida). If I carve my hardest, I can link 3-4 waves. If I safety surf 6-8+ and just recover on waves. Iām thinking about the 175evo for more time on foil.
I couldnāt imagine all the work involved with those smaller foils 
Iām 6ā3ā 195lbs, I know weāre a similar size.
1 Like
And Iām in South Carolina! Weāre more Florida than Florida!
3 Likes
I know! Thatās what Iām saying.
A photo of your quads watching you grab your 680sqcm foil out of the garage on a thigh-high day:
5 Likes
Iām 6ā at 210 pounds and use the 115 to tow and prone it on better days. It does surprisingly well for a smaller foil on a heavier guy, even on smaller waves.
Iāve ridden the 680 a couple times and Iād say itās better than the 115 for bigger waves and turns better as well. The 115 locks in at speed and doesnāt handle breaches well when youāre going fast.
If youāre looking for more pump but willing to sacrifice top end then the 115 would be a good choice. Itās more twitchy but thatās probably where the pump/glide comes from.
So Iām only 73kg, tend to use the 115 when itās waist high or above. I find it needs a bit of power to get initial pop up but once itās flying high on the mast feels awesome. You can increase low end by using a progression stab instead of the afterburner - but you do sacrifice speed and glide. I am not the best pumper and it needs finesse to keep it at speed, but if you get it all right then it really flies with the glide. Others may be able to describe it better but it feels like when you kick it up from low on the mast to high, it suddenly rockets forward - amazing feeling.
2 Likes
Yeah in an ideal world North would just make a 750 between the 830 and 680. I find that 680 has the best speed range of any foil on the planet, crazy bottom end for such a small foil and incredibly predictable and composed on the top end. Thigh high with 10 kts on my back it works all the way to head high plus hurricane surf(closest Iāve come to a foil barrel last fall)
Iām 95kg+ and use mine on bigger days prone and kite-foil so have spent quite a bit of time on it. The low end is very good. Almost the same as the 130 Vyper i used before.
Compared to the Progressions, it is way more pitch stable. First impression was it just wants to stay high on the mast. Iāve actually gone negative 0.5 shim on mine to loosen the pitch.
Top end for me is around 45kph, but thatās maybe more down to the stab than the foil.
Pumping is surprisingly good. This was a small slow day and Iām a Very average pumper. Iām on medium fuse. Probably the short is better for tight turns, but i love the way it carves on larger open faces. https://youtu.be/pKz3jau7r_4?si=-5fuKV8C7f2hz0ax
Wow. I think I get to foil in water that clear maybe once or twice a year, definitely canāt see the foil 95% of the time!