What’s everyone’s favorite front wings for winging? I got the P140 and P200 for prone and wing and have only had the chance to wing the 200. They both pump, glide and are optimized for surfing obviously. The stall speed of the 200 is incredible. But how about the Viper and H2?
viper 150 is fun but definately has some hiccups with venting ETC. Honestly i just have it for winging (and now kite foiling) to keep the wear and tear off my nice progression 170. Prone demands alot out of a foil and you really need something dialed to pump, glide, and surf but winging is so forgiving i think i’d honestly be fine with the old orange liquid force foil fish.
P125 is the best Uni I’ve tried for winging by a long shot. Has a lot of range and enough top end to wing. The 140 is fun in conditions where it matches the waves, but it always felt slow to me. Not enough top end to wing for me. I feel like the 140 sacrifices a lot for a bit more low end vs the 125. Given the speed on the 140 I never tried the larger Progression foils.
The larger sizes in the h2 wings (190 and 210) work pretty well for lighter conditions and they are fast for their size but they lacked control for me. A breach was an instant crash on these. I really didn’t like the h2 170 - felt very pitchy and dropped out at speed.
The quiver I wound up riding the most was the p125 and the h2 190.
Hyper1 190 is pretty fun. H210 for smaller days is very nice. but i like the longer fuse (vs. the medium), P140 is a bit too front footed requiring more microadjustments vs. the hypers feel more neutral footed.
I love the 140 progression for winging BUT it’s definitely a small wave/light wind foil. If you want to spend as much of the session with the wing flagged and connecting the dots doing turns from wave to wave then there’s nothing better. However, if you’re powered and you wanna go blasting, crank up wind or ride bigger waves then you need something smaller. There is nothing in the uni range at the mo that is similar to what the top wingfoilers are using in surf/freestyle competition. Until there is I picked up a Gong Ypra 700 and permanently mounted it to an old uni fuse I had (chopping off the old uni front wing). It’s like a different sport using that… full speed and still accelerating and it doesnt feel like it’s going to blow out or breach at all. just stays dead at the same level in the water until your alter it. Likewise on bigger waves you’re just surfing with no worry that it will explode out the water. However, if you’re flagged you’ve got to be at speed or you’ll drop so no lazy, cruisey connections between waves or transitions. Rail to rail at 75cm span is a different ball game to the 90cm of the 125/140…but I didnt get into winging to have to be full tilt top of my game all the time and thats why (even though my other foil is the same as the world champ uses) my funnest sessions still tend to be on the 140. I wouldnt be without it.
The P125 is my go to for wing, as has been said above it just has so much range. I also ride my P170 on the days that are less then 15 but it is noticeably slower. Still a blast and a good fit for light wind slow wave conditions. But as soon as it’s gusting to 15 I want to be on the P125 for its speed and increased turning.
For reference I weigh 200lbs and my one board wing quiver in the Omen Flux 48l board. The flux is narrow and accelerates quickly making it easy to start the 125 even when it’s just 10-15.
I have to give a different perspective on the 125 so you don’t make an uninformed purchase.
It has a high stall speed, I cannot imagine any scenario with a small board (55L) in which I (170 lbs) could waterstart the 125 in 10-15 as that is basically no wind at all. Must be gusting 20-25 or something. This wing takes a lot to get going but once it’s up it will be fun. Just want to help set expectations with another data point, in my opinion, it is not going to work in that light of wind. It’s a strong wind conditions wing.
I should add that I use my 8m CWC when it’s 10-15. As soon as it’s solid 15 I switch to my 5.5 strike v3. I really like the 8m and prefer it to a bigger board. Actually sold my dw board for light wind as I would rather ride the 8m and a small board. The CWC handles more like a typical 6m and flags really well. The extra torque is mostly just required to bring my 48l board to the surface.
A narrow board like the omen makes starting a smaller ha wing much easier. It just accelerates much quicker then my previous 60l Armstrong FG. Prior to getting the Omen I would have agreed with you guys on the 125 being for only high wind but not any more.
I live in Florida so 10-15 is a “good” day for us and very common.
The 125 is a more technical wing but it will surprise you with how slow it can go. It did kick my ass for the first few sessions though so give it time.
I’m 180 lbs on a 60L board. I wouldn’t use the P125 below 15 knots. Could probably get it going, but I would have to be very overpowered on a huge wing, which isn’t my preference. Above 15 knots I would be fine with a 5m. When I was riding Uni gear I usually used the H2 190 up to 15-18 and switched to the P125 above that wind level.
All that said, which tails do you use for winging?
I recently discovered 220 Takuma and while not super glidey or fast, it felt very smooth and controlled for winging. Good early lift. though 15" onofoil tail is even better for take off. 16" carve feels very draggy and 13 g10 tails do not have enough lift for light wind
I really like the smaller progression tail. It never leaves my 125 setup now. I put a KD blunt on my p170 setup and I am pretty happy with both setups now and don’t mess with the tails anymore other then maybe the shims which are currently +1 or +.5. I used to prefer zero but. Now I like a little front foot pressure.
I also run the 125 on a long fuse. It really tamed some of the twitchy ride that initially kicked my but I need to try the med again now that I am so comfortable on it.
You guys calling 10-15 light wind and hardly worth it crack me up. Must be nice being spoiled with good winds all the time…lol. For those fellow 200lb riders that can’t fathom liking a well handling 8m I would recommend a narrow mid length in the 60l range. If I had one of those I guess I would no longer need an 8m to get the 125 going on light wind days. But as I said I love the 8m so no need for me.
Just a followup… I snagged a h2 190 from Kahai and love that thing for light winds! I’m looking forward to trying the p125. The p140 has been a blast in the waves with the wing also.
The 140 is my daily driver for winging as I prefer to flag out and ride waves as much as possible. Normally on the med fuse but tried the short for the first time the other day and it really loosened it up. Think it will take a couple sessions to really get used to it but the turns on a wave feel worth it. I’m curious, anyone else riding the small fuse? Imaging most ppl on the medium.
78KG and also on the Flux (60 liters). I’m also sizing down the foil and favor a big wing if needed. With a mid length and a gust you can get anything out of the water and once up it’s easier to stay up with a bigger wing and a small foil.
Light wind winging on an Art Pro 1001 (845 CM) and finding it really easy to pump through lulls and get apparent wind.
Still using bigger foils and bigger tails to ride small, slow swell.