For those that have some experience on various brands and get the tips out often, which foils have you found to breach the best?
I just saw an F one clip on Instagram with inches of wingtip out of the water no problem. When I breach my axis wings, it’s either a wobble or crash. Makes me wonder if it’s technique, foil or both.
My code S series gear seems pretty happy to get front wing tips out, I do occasionally have issues with what feels like stab breaches though, I hear a slurp kind of sound and sometimes recover but also sometimes totally eat it.
Which Axis wings?
I can tell you that the SF 1180 and 1401 both breach tips without issue.
I can tell you that the PNG 910 does not like to breach.
I’m pretty sure that the 1300v2 and 1201 breach fine but haven’t tested breaching them very much.
Mostly the spitfire 1030.
Hard to compare that extensively across a wide number of brands because the turns and performance creating the breaches are different. What I will say is that the foils and masts that are the stiffest always seem to breach best to me. My Silk foils with the 80cm UHM mast are ridiculously stiff and I can’t even tell the tips are out when I am breaching. When I switch to the 75cm skinny I can feel the smallest burble on that mast. I think it’s a touch of both the shorter chord being less stable and the slight decrease in mast stiffness resulting in a touch of insecurity in the breaches. I’ve noticed this across many brands when testing hm/uhm masts vs standards.
This issue usually comes from the foil surface, which may have too many scratches or an uneven surface. Just take 1000-1500 grit sandpaper and sand slightly with water in the direction of the water flow. Wash and check if the water does not slip from the surface; it means enough sanding has been done.
I think today most modern foils don’t have this issue.
Today:
Modern high aspect foils all breach easily, as the tips are relatively lightly loaded (any exceptions?)
Most modern medium and aspect foils if loaded in a turn, it will breach without issue, especially for marketing content videos!
Huge foils don’t have this issue, and never really did unless breached flat, just due to the huge lift
The mast makes a huge difference, stiffness changes things entirely
(I haven’t noticed much of a difference with surface finish for lower speed downwind or prone breaches)
Here is an older thread
Anything older (when i started that thread) breaches pretty terribly, old Axis (1099, 880, 899 etc) foils were terrible with this, as were a lot of that generation. You had to work very hard to avoid breaching
Armstong MA breach really well. I’m talking full on breach and reconnect. I went to end a ride by breaching intentionally hard on my rails. The foil came out and then went back in the water. Was cool, but i was on shallow reef and ending my ride to go home. Wicked good. You can easily breach a lot of the tip and not even notice. Check out Cash Berzolla skimming his MA across the surface. Such fun wings.
The HA line breaches ok. You can get the tip out and it wil reconnnect. I have gotten a full breach winging and it will go back in. They do well. But nothing like the new MAs.