Nice! Do you think Flare 1050 is right size for your weight? I see many enjoy 850-950 @ ~70kg. I was considering Flare or X-Glide v2 as a second foil for medium/stronger wind.
Was thinking using smallest pump foil mainly for light wind winging, but dock/flatwater start, SUP would be a nice bonus also.
While I like Takoon moto - affordable gear for everyone (Flare is even so much affordable than other brands equivalents), but I am little concerned about durability, there reports of broken parts, try google search: takoon broken, but some are in French/German. Even on 16th September this year, some guy on Takoon riders fb group posted about broken V2 mast adapter on their new Pump Foil. Carbon and aluminum cause fatigue and galvanic corrosion when in contact, maybe sacrificial anode helps at some extend, do you disassemble foil after every session? have you observed any corrosion in long-term?
F-one is better in this situation, because they use titanium adapter for ALU mast, and overall wings construction seems more efficient especially new generation. Still there are users reports at forums that f-one ALU masts are not stiff enough for large JAM foils. Of course price is also a factor.
I really like the 1050. I've ridden it in 12-30 knots this autumn and liked it all the way through. Of course the 850 would probably even more fun in medium to strong winds but that is the price you pay when you want to have a small quiver. Also I'm riding a normal semi-sinker board (not an efficient dw or midlength board) and appreciate the extra bit of low end I'm getting from the 1050. Most days here in Switzerland we get winds in the 8-18 knots range where the 1050 is great for me. If I had a light wind board or lived on a windier spot, I would have gone smaller.
As for durability, I can't tell you that much. I've seen the reports (I speak german natively and some french) but have not had any problems myself. I'm only on the Takoon gear for about 2 months though. What I can say is:
- The fuselage seems very sturdy and the frontwing connection is rock solid for me.
- After a 2 weeks holiday with riding in salty water every day, there are barely any signs of corrosion. I used tefgel on the screws and disassembled & rinsed everything every third day or so.
My impression with the gear I have from this new generation of Takoon foils is that it's quite well made. It might be a bit behind some high-end brands in terms of weight & aerodynamics but for the price point, I find that really hard to critique. I moved from f-one because of the price difference and so far, I did not regret the move.
I'm sure you'll have fun with both f-one and Takoon.