Foiling brains trust. F4 has just launched these. Does anyone out there own either the 700 or 540 gp wahoo race foils. If so I'd love to hear about your experiences.
Likely not many around yet as the container still has to arrive in Europe. These are really racing wings and have with the current backwings a fuselage lenght of +/- 76 cm. Just got a set but haven't sailed them yet.
F4 just announced on the PWA (WindFoiling) site a big commitment to the sport for the next 3 years.
PWA WORLD WINDSURFING TOUR: F4 Foils (pwaworldtour.com)
www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php
Looking forward to see what they announce, and the development of their foils! These ones look awesome!
I have had a four sessions on the Wahoo 700 now. In every aspect a (big) step up with respect to the already availabe frontwings of the GP series (which are already very good). Take-off speed of the Wahoo 700 is similar to the GP1000 and I have been amazed how easily it glides through windholes and you can do jibes in low wind. The wing is fast, stable and very easy to ride under normal conditions. To push for maximum speed, I think riding it subtle and precise is more succesfull than putting brute force on the foil via your legs. So if you want to obtain the maximum performance out of the Wahoo wings you probably need to have some experience or to adapt your riding style. I have not riden the Wahoo 540 yet, but based on my experience with the Wahoo 700, I expect that even without a very good pumping technique a +/- 80 kg person can ride it from a +/- 15 knots with a 5.0 m2
Select to expand quoteNPN said..
I have had a four sessions on the Wahoo 700 now. In every aspect a (big) step up with respect to the already availabe frontwings of the GP series (which are already very good). Take-off speed of the Wahoo 700 is similar to the GP1000 and I have been amazed how easily it glides through windholes and you can do jibes in low wind. The wing is fast, stable and very easy to ride under normal conditions. To push for maximum speed, I think riding it subtle and precise is more succesfull than putting brute force on the foil via your legs. So if you want to obtain the maximum performance out of the Wahoo wings you probably need to have some experience or to adapt your riding style. I have not riden the Wahoo 540 yet, but based on my experience with the Wahoo 700, I expect that even without a very good pumping technique a +/- 80 kg person can ride it from a +/- 15 knots with a 5.0 m2
Thanks for adding your feedback. The GP1000 launches incredibly easily so that's impressive to hear that the Wahoo 700 seems similar to you. I ride the GP815 95% of the time and it's such a fantastic all round foil for me at 82KG. Do you record GPS data? Waterspeed or garmin etc. Any idea of your maximum speeds or averages. Love to see some data if you have any you can share here or privately. Thanks again for adding your feedback. Chris
I am not recording speed data at the moment as my GT31 is broken but when I have recieved my Motion GPS I will start posting on GPS-wingfoiling.
I do not want to state that with the Wahoo 700 you will be directly much faster than with the GP815 which I also have.
The two front wings behave completely different at high speeds. Whereas the GP815 is building-up some pressure in your legs, the Wahoo 700 keeps on slicing without resistance through the water. The latter makes it for me at the moment a little bit more difficult to transfer the complete power of the wing into the foil (especially at the high end). For this reason, in my opinion, you have to have a good technique to get the maximum out of them.
Nico
Yesterday I have sailed the Wahoo 540 for the first time. The characteristics are exactly the same as its bigger sister the Wahoo 700. So, easy take-off, astonishing glide and very easy to jibe. The only difference is that due to its smaller surface and wingspan you have to ride it more precise as compared to the Wahoo 700. However, it took me only a few reaches and jibes to get used to this.
