I'm 65kg so I'm not going to annoy you with an answer. I will say that with the 725 wing (more analogous to your situation), I have to be planing to take off. I run the 1.0 shim with the mast base at 105cm from the front screw and the HGO 8 fwiw.

I'm the same size as you are and for a while used the IQFoil with an 85cm board and an 8.5. I needed 12kt to get the thing up with that setup but on a borrowed IQ board could fly in 10, rising when the board speed reached just over 5mph - so just before planing. I mostly used a Taaroa setup which flew earlier - right at 4mph board speed but became a handful in stronger wind. The IQ will handle a lot of speed which is about the only thing I liked about it.

However, lots of the olympic hopefuls as well as the US olympian Noah Lyons often sail on the same water (Tampa Bay) and they all seem to be able to pump up in 7kt, using a lot of back-foot to rock the board into the air. They're starting in the front strap and move into the back strap just as soon as the board shows any signs of life. They also foil-tack as a matter of routine.

FWIW I eventually sold the IQ stuff and replaced it with the Patrik AIO. That 900 cm wing rises much, much earlier than the IQ did,

cris21 said..
I was using the front strap all the way to the front, i just moved them 2 holes back. maybe that makes a difference. mast rake is at positive 1. and the mast base i usually have it all the way back. it definitely feels like im planning before i get on the foil, a bit frustrating going from struggling to get on the foils to overpowered. top speed at the moment is 25knts. not sure if there is anything else i could move around to improve.

How "active" are you when getting on foil? (ie how's your pumping game?) Are you using an adjustable outhaul? The 115+ fuse as mentioned elsewhere is oriented towards VMG (upwind/downwind) sailing. If you are primarily just reaching, think about trying to find the 105+. You can definitely reach with the 115+ but when the wind is up, for me, it's more about dumping/controlling power or picking directions where the kit shines. Your top speed seems very respectable to me .

Here's what the world's best do around the course (start around 1:32) Speeds appear to be kph

Have a look. www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Foiling/Minimum-board-speed-for-take-off-in-light-winds?page=1

My lowest number to be able to successfully pump to foiling is around 6,5-6,6 km/h of board speed in ideal conditions: flat water and steady thermal wind around 6.5-7 knots average. 10 or 9.5 m2 HGO, 1000 SB wing, +1 or +0.5 spacer, 1 m board.

Below is from a slightly windier day (7+ kt average) where it was a bit easier to pump, due to board speed being close to 7 km/h.

Great to hear. I find this metric useful, because it's easily repeatable and comparable, plus I can gauge when it starts to make sense for me to pump.

Yeah, the old 1000 SB wing is a beast for light wind, especially below 8 knots when there are no or very few whitecaps. Also makes jibing significantly easier. I only use 900 wing when there's a great forecast and gusts 15-20 kt for a prolonged time (which is seldom in my local spots in the Adriatic sea).

Marek, I admire your dedication and out-of-the-box approach 😎

These are the typical conditions in our local spot:

As you can see, it's indeed quite light wind. It's doable with SB 1000, 115+, 1 m board, and 9+ m2 sails. Good pumping and consistent jibing are a must. My "wet" weight inc. harness, helmet, full Camelbak with 3 liters of hydration, and some spares, is also over 95 kg. But yes, it took lots of practice to be able to consistently foil in these sub 8 kt conditions.

Marek,
Formula said it best!
I also admire and respect your dedication and out of the box thinking! Your results are amazing, brilliant work! Also noticed how long and far that session was. Not needing to pump has got to be a big part of that endurance. But still that is a long session, Respect!
I have a similar board for teaching beginners and never once thought of using it for foiling.
After seeing this I feel like my unique set up is small and conventional!😀

Paducah,
I recently had a light bulb moment when by chance I noticed that finishing the pump with a push through the toes of the back foot really lit things up. Since then, I have refined the technique, and it has significantly lowered the amount of effort required to get flying in any conditions. That's a good detail to point out!

Think about Darwin and his study of finches evolution and “their customization” to local island conditions.

I am on a “unique island”, I am a unique “bird” where I want to plane or fly the earliest that is possible while also maximizing my distance sailed.

Extra Weight:
Considering my weight at 200LB in speedos, + wetsuit, +harness, +vest, +helmet, + 2L (4LB) water pouch + foldable paddles + accessories in my backpack. It all adds up to probably over 220LB.

Personal Preferences & Joy:
When I go skiing & snowboarding, I go for 4 hours of snowboarding then I switch to 4 hours of skiing (8h total). When I go swimming, I swim minimum 1 mile in one session, 3 miles most often in a day.

Conditions:
Seattle infamous convergence zone (CZ) makes it almost impossible for even the best models to predict what actually will happen on the water in 6-8h window.
Therefore, I target days when general predicted direction of wind does not change (either Northerly or Southerly). The forecast needs to be in 5-20mph range with gusts forecast up to 25mph.
Actual wind in 6-8h window still may greatly exceed forecast or there might be no wind at all.
Here is what I am looking for in forecast (forecast for May 11 session I shared):







I am sure I would have never “evolved” so much if I stayed in Sydney and continue sailing on Botany Bay like from 1997-2000:



I am just trying to help in particular “similar birds” (similar preferences and weight), facing “similar” wind challenges to maximize enjoyment of TOW (time on the water).
As the topic is about “ IQ foil take off speed” and I am still using “modified” SB race foils, I thought I share what might be relevant to the topic and do not drift to what might be irrelevant.