Curious to learn what size wings the bigger guys on here ride in mushy, weak surf?
All the videos I see are guys between 120-165 lbs. At 190 lbs my foil has to carry 30% more weight than a 145lb guy.
I am a beginner/intermediate surf foiler. I recently downsized to the Lift 150haX from the 200ha and then the 170ha, and have found that on smaller days or dumpy closeout days it’s been hard to get up on foil. I have to pump my back foot hard to get up on foil. It stalls a lot. On decent days the thing rips and has no problem being on foil. I guess I need something bigger for the smaller days?
Lift 200ha with a foil parts short tail adaptor and a Kd maui blunt tail is a really fun small waves set up. Tighter radius turns and nice thrust on the pumps.
I’m 230. I think you can enjoy the 150HAX. I think based on the other thread it’s a technique thing. You just need to commit to forward weighted pumps / faster riding.
It is not apples and apples to compare a 10 aspect ratio Lift 970 to a similar sized Kujira 980 with a 6.5 aspect ratio for example. The aspect ratio makes a big difference. I think I could ride the 10 aspect ratio at 970. I’m pretty sure I would work very hard and not have fun on the 980 at 6.5 in my daily Florida dribble.
The Lift 200HA is not really HA. So the shape of it lets you get away with surf pumping up and down. The high aspect shape of the 150HAX likely seriously punishes up and down pumping.
Here’s how the 150HAX probably works: You pump upwards…and you fall out of the sky. Pump forward and flat, and you gain speed. Do the second one!
If you try to keep the foil flat and pull it forward on each pump with your shoulders in front of your front knee then you should be good.
When you get frustrated, go back to your other foils if you still have them, to make sure you have some fun.
Here’s the good news… your new high aspect foiling technique will work on your old foils. Your old technique will not work so well on the new foil.
Don’t you have to pump up and down even when pumping properly? LIke Oscar J and other pros say they do 3-4 glide pumps high on mast and then they inevitably lose speed and have to do 2-3 bigger “jump pumps” to get back high on foil. Will the 150x punish this?
At first it might look up and down. But notice his head is in front of his front knee on most pumps. So that’s him getting the foil energy moving forward.
