dohertpk said..
Hi,
I've been running the IQ foil set with the aluminium mast on a Starboard Foil 147 for about 4 years. I've loved the set up but am not seeing the kind of speeds other have reported on the IQ foil. What kind of difference could I expect if I upgraded to a modern foil course race board? I don't necessarily mean the IQ board, but something similar.

I was about to say changing boards will give you nothing extra speed wise, but i just looked up the starboard 147, so i'll change the answer to..it might.

we're talking about the board from the early days that's pretty much just a "foil ready" slalom board right? Most of what a course race board will give you is much greater leverage over the foil (more control) it will also help you wind upwind easier, and give you greater control down breeze. That in return will buy you some extra speed. Not iq foil olympian speed, that takes years of training and.. Just kidding, you have to be an alien to get those speeds

for the record my very average joe speeds are around16-19 knots upwind, best peak 23-24knots downwind on a course race board/iq foil. Others will have gone faster im sure.

I also have the iqfoil setup but the 1000 and 800 front wings instead of the 900. I use it with a free race foil board that is 76 cm wide. what sail are you using? Remember that course/olympic racing is mainly about steep angles so if you want to go fast and steep upwind you need to have a big sail.
if you want faster speeds, don't point that high. Remember the racers are trying to achieve VMG.
like Subsonic said, forget about the speeds the iqfoilers are getting (I believe they are going 30 knots downwind). You could either do what many do, which is keep buying the newest stuff to reach that speed (and much smaller front wings) or try to squeeze as much speed from your gear and your ability.

something that will make foiling more enjoyable and potentially faster is getting a carbon mast. That made a huge difference to me. Try to buy the iq carbon mast, not the original starboard carbon.

Many thanks all for the helpful replies. My main focus is maximising upwind and downwind VMG. I'm also a dinghy sailor so the efficiency of the foil upwind is what it makes it so addictive. I'm not that fussed about absolute top speeds as much as speeds I can maintain at efficient upwind and downwind headings. I'm running a 7.8m Severne M3.

How does the stiffness of the carbon mast translate into better board speed? Is it just a case of losing power through the flex of the alloy?

Thanks - will keep an eye out for something suitable so.

Unfortunately, the nearest IQ sailors are across the Irish Sea and given our neighbour's defection from the EU, I'd be hit with customs and VAT.

dohertpk said..

How does the stiffness of the carbon mast translate into better board speed? Is it just a case of losing power through the flex of the alloy?

I took some measurements of flexion and torsion of the iqfoil carbon and alu mast a while back. In flexion, the measurements with a caliper were very very close. For torsion, not even close. So torsional stiffness is super important. Like Subsonic said, for me it was about control. The board stopped diving when raking upwind and I stopped feeling turbulence when passing a boat wake, for example. I don't remember if it is thinner but it could be so there is less drag (it tapers down at the bottom so there is definitely less drag but I think thickness can make a bigger difference). One is maybe 5 times more expensive than the other but totally worth it.
also, you might want a bigger sail. If you can comfortably broad reach, I think you need a bigger sail to maximize your VMG. And get adjustable outhaul.