Velocicraptor forum posts in last 60 days

BWalnut said..
I really liked the 3.6m Pocket rocket for the time I had it. I regret selling it a little bit, but the top end was a bit of a hard 30 knot ceiling for me here in the Gorge and I disliked getting pulled off at that wind speed. That being said, I did think the upwind was nice and I think you might be able to squeeze it down to 18 knots depending on your kit.

I did have the 4.2 LTX for a brief period as well and thought the range was amazing. I especially loved that the retract gave me a full concertina and the stashing was better than the 3.6m PRv2. The lines at 140cm are 2cm shorter than the PRv2 3.6m as well. I didn't keep it because I just don't see much use for that size in the Gorge since I don't ride flat water or at the Hatch.

The 4.3m PRv2 would surely have too long of lines for my personal taste.

I think I'm optimistically waiting for a 3.7m supercharger with 130cm lines to be released. (I have no idea if that's a real size)

Thank you. Im also torn between the 3.6 v2 and the 4.2 LTX (was leaning away from the v2 4.3). The short lines, concertina and light fabric on the LTX is so nice. Curious how comfortable it will be in the high teens though. Appreciate the feedback.

Im riding a quiver of wings that are ~3 year old models. Some of the lesser used sizes have been used for 3 years, but most of them are only a year old and still in good shape (in fact I bought one new for VERY cheap this summer because I really needed a 2.5m for the first time). Ive also ridden a handful of the current generation. The current generation wings are better, but its not a huge difference and a lot of the difference can be attributed to just being new (vs changes in construction or design). The biggest design difference I can see is that some of the new wings have materially thinner leading edges (yet maintain their stiffness), which is more efficient going upwind and less draggy luffing. Im not really convinced there has been a lot of innovation in terms of longevity over the last several years, which would be the most meaningful improvement in my eyes. So are they better? yes, but not better enough to meaningfully impact the quality or fun in a session.

Bottom line is that my quiver is old, and I don't use it nearly as much as I used to (due to focusing more on parawing), but Im not longing for new wings for performance reasons vs parawings where the improvement has been pretty drastic in the last 2 years.

If I were replacing wings today I'd buy discounted 25 or 26 models with booms and I'm sure I'd be more happy with that budget quiver than if I spent a premium for a full price 27 model.

Anybody riding a 5m / 3.6m gap on the v2? Does it work and where's your crossover range? Probably considering a 5m ultra x and a 3.6 reg. Wish there were a 4m!

My recent lightwind gybe unlock was doing a Heineken or downloop gybe with my back hand (instead of my front). The front hand starting overhand and ending underhand is the typical maneuver, but I was finding the sail would sometimes get stuck at the bottom of the turn where my wrist got twisted underhanded or if my handoff wasn’t fast enough. Maybe my wrist flexibility isn’t good? Then I started doing them with my back hand starting underhanded and ending overhanded and it’s super easy. It’s a little more awkward to start with the back hand but you skip the hand switch and it comes around cleaner for me.


I’m goofy. Going heel side (right foot forward) hold the bar underhanded in my left hand, swing it through the Heineken or downloop and end overhanded. Opposite for toeside.

Might make more sense if you try them on the beach.

NordRoi said..

Velocicraptor said..

slashdotdash said..

Gav references the same low end compromise as Tucker. Ive also heard some commentary around how the sail doesn't fly very stable at the low end of its range. Coming from the Quests, I was really considering these, but not loving the sound of this.

I almost did not bought the quest after Gav's review last time. When I tested it agains't a friend who was on a wingfoil, what a surprise!(Low VMG and slow to react)

On my quest 3.5 vs him on a strike 3.5, I was slightly going more upwind than my friend on his 3.5 strike..and I was a small notch faster on upwind reach as well. It also has good grunt.

I agree - a lot of people were overly negative on the upwind-ability on the quest. Upwind angle is good (not great) but VMG is less than good because it doesn't fly far enough to the edge of the window and you go really slow when you are taking a hard angle. I think Gav had this aspect of his Quest review right. I generally see grunt (which requires a position deep in the window) and VMG (which requires a position in the edge of the window) to be tradeoffs in a lot of parawings out there. I was hoping for more of a balance or maybe a breakthrough allowing to accomplish both on the Frigate v2, but it doesn't sound like thats the case. Would love to try one and be proven wrong, but until then I don't see myself buying one sight unseen.

For what its worth, I was particularly interested in trading my large 5m quest for a 5.5m Frigate. Ive been told by a dealer that the design on the 5.5 and 6.5 hasn't even been finalized and these sizes are still a couple months out. Who knows, maybe they will be tweaked for more low end.

foilthegreats said..

foilthegreats said..

Velocicraptor said..

foilthegreats said..
1050 V2 with USurf 150 feeling really good, keeps going forward in my tracks. Almost done dialling it in. Got on the 750 with USurf 120 the other day and it was awesome. Also keeps going forward in my tracks but getting it to where it needs to be. The V2 whip around so smoothly. Feels are just more smooth and predicable than V1. I feel like once I find perfect mast placement it will really be next level of fun:

Im still figuring out position in the tracks too, but its at least an inch forward of the v1s and enduros and maybe closer to 1.5".

I agree, way farther forward than what I was expecting. I also think maybe the new fuselage geometry is required. As I've seen myself breach the stabilizer a few times. The V2 seems to stabilize itself at the surface but that leaves the tail to breach easily in an aggressive maneuver. New fuselage geometry drops the stabilizer down farther keeping it out of the flow from the front foil and deeper in the water. I have my eye on the new titanium one, but that thing is $$$

So I finally broke down and purchased the titanium fuselage. What an impressive piece of bling bling. I noticed right away it pumps really well, a noticeable improvement. Also the new geometry of the titanium & advanced fuselage does feel more suited to the Silk V2 with the USurf stabilizer. Feels super smooth and less pitchy. The titanium fuse is super sleek and does feel like less resistance through the water. Pushing into a turn feels ultra solid with no funny business. Can’t wait to spend more time on this thing and get dialled right in. If you’re on the V1 fuselage and using Silk V2 worth checking out the advanced at least.

I ride the carbon advanced fuse. I compared the titanium to carbon side by side and they were pretty much identical in terms of shape, diameter, etc... Inspected them pretty closely and couldn't really eyeball any differences other than weight. Im sure theres a difference in stiffness, but curious how "perceivable" it is and how it manifests in feel. Putting material aside, I agree that the difference in dims (mast to foil and tail angle) between the Advanced and the standard is noticeable and the Advanced definitely improves efficiency (more glide, smoother and better pump).

Seems like a pretty honest review.

airsail said..
Listening to the podcast on XFoils, Chris from F4 saying they won’t be there. Funny how the hottest thing re foils is kind of excluded due their marketing model. I guess no point having a stall at a dealer meet when you have no dealers.

The Kite Puerto Rico guys will be there and they are one of a very few f4 dealers in the US. They will be representing the brand to some degree and they have an event (“debuting” the f4 piranha) as well.

I used to exclusively ride Appletree boards and found that if I left them in the sun for a bit smaller dents would come right out. People often misconstrued the benefits of the closed cell foam construction to mean the boards were less susceptible to dings. I didn't really find that to be the case and I think the boards are about as "durable" as other boards, but there is a real peace of mind (and convenience) that comes with not having water infiltration risks when you do inevitably get a crack/ding. Makes repairs stupid simple when you don't have to think about drying out the core extensively. Not to mention the stiffness, and rock solid tracks that come with their construction.