Based on reccommendations in another thread (thank you) I bought my wife a Sabfoil 799 / S399 (93 fixed US Twin Track Sabfoil mast) about 3 or 4 months ago (on an 899 fuse), which she now uses regularly and absolutely loves, very stable. Yesterday was out on a 5.3m2 sail in 11 knots, very happy. Normally the US Track Foil Mast setting is 3rd stripe back (to tip of the foil mast) from the front of the twin-track, on a JP Freefoil 115 board. No shims as I think they are all intended for additional lift, but at 59kg more lift is definitely not what she needs. I am not aware of a shim for the SBFoil that reduces lift.

We have had some great wind recently and she was absolutely hooning along in 20, gusting 23 knots today but felt overpowered all day on a 3.3m2 NP Combat, rigged with lots of downhaul, mast track all way forward. She did 46km on it today but not hooked in a lot and sail pretty open the whole time.

So the question is as always, what to change to improve this experience:

a. Yet a smaller sail (very gusty here so it means when there's a hole, a smaller sail = nothing) AND/OR
b. Move foil back further in the track for more stability? AND/OR
c. Move footstraps inboard (cannot go further forward in the current outboard strap positions) AND/OR
d. Invest in a Saboil 699 front wing (will this work well (or just OK) with the S399 stab?).

Be really happy to hear experiences / comments / recoommendations (and not just from Sabfoil owners).

Cheers

k.

Hi jk
Im using same combo 799/399 with a 899 fuse but I'm not 59kgs
90 kgs but I found adding shims possibly adds stability
I use a 2deg shim.
Tried with no shim mast moved forwards 50mm, front foot/ back foot pressure felt the same but setup felt less stable
Maybee when it's 20+ try 1deg back 50mm
Also remember at 59kgs, if it's gusty while she may not be able to get up in a lull she will probable learn to sail through them with a smaller sail, 2.8 sounds good
Sorry haven't tried the 699 but also feel if I can get away with the 799 at 90 kgs she would also go ok on the 699
Keep us posted

2keen said..
Hi jk
Im using same combo 799/399 with a 899 fuse but I'm not 59kgs
90 kgs but I found adding shims possibly adds stability
I use a 2deg shim.
Tried with no shim mast moved forwards 50mm, front foot/ back foot pressure felt the same but setup felt less stable
Maybee when it's 20+ try 1deg back 50mm
Also remember at 59kgs, if it's gusty while she may not be able to get up in a lull she will probable learn to sail through them with a smaller sail, 2.8 sounds good
Sorry haven't tried the 699 but also feel if I can get away with the 799 at 90 kgs she would also go ok on the 699
Keep us posted

Yup, will do. Being invested in NP mast / sails systems, adding the smallest is 2.9 which doesn't seem much below 3.3. It's not a sail that would see any use outside of windfoiling.

Smaller wing will reduce lift and completely eliminate breaching in my experience, 84 kg, AFS Wind95 foil with F1080, F770, S670 cm2 wings. In 20+ knots F1080 with 5.8 Aerotech Freespeed sail makes for a thrilling ride because I am on the edge of breaching and can barely keep foil in water, and sometimes not, with front foot pressure, in contrast in 20-30 with S670 wing and Phantom 4.5 wave sail it is a breeze!, not even close to breaching at any time, easy to control wing with front foot pressure, and the Phantom cross over wave sail is on/off so allows me to let a gust pass by easily with just a little sheeting out.

The F1080 wing felt dragging in 20+ versus S670 cm2 that just slipped through the water. But the SAB 699 is 880 cm2 with an AR of 5.75, that may be still too big/too much lift for 20+ knots and a light weight foiler depending on sail type and size. According to SAB the 699 is for wing and kite.

The issue I ran into with the 4.5 Phantom is it gave no support during a tack, while the 5.8 Freespeed gave a lot of support if on the water just waiting for a gust to pass and also through a tack. So for 4.5 I head hard upwind while on the foil and then cut into/across the wind and as board comes down to water I step across and tack to get wind pressure back on the sail asap for support since I am 2-3' plus waves. Of course if you are doing foiling gybes then this is a not an issue.

W740 wing at 702 cm2 and higher AR looks like a better option, next step down is the W607 at 440 cm2, not sure how it would work for your wife in 20+ knots. Both of those wings are recommended for windfoiling.

SAB does indeed make negative shims. I have a bunch of them. Positives, too.

Sailworks can help you with these.

segler said..
SAB does indeed make negative shims. I have a bunch of them. Positives, too.

Sailworks can help you with these.

Cheers. My understanding is the stock ones are all -ve (but you can flip them to make them positive) so I might try one of those first.
ref:. sabfoil.com/en/products/shims-05-1-15-2-25-3-degrees

The youtube guy linked from another thread posted (below the youtube clip), 3D printer files for both -ve and +ve shims (no affiliation with his channel). The 3D printer files are here:

NEGATIVE: www.thingiverse.com/thing:4882104/files
POSITIVE: www.thingiverse.com/thing:4845396/files

k.