I'm paying attention. I'm pretty interested in trying out an Omen Flux 48L.

Hey ArthurAlston, thanks for the kind words! Shoot me an email [email protected] and we'll see if there is someone nearby with a 60L you can take out for a rip

FranP, haha - striking right for our supple alabaster underbelly! As a company run by an engineer, marketing is not our strong suit and probably never will be. Marketing is also very expensive and time consuming and we are focusing both on making, continuously refining, and delivering the best possible gear. So far, word of mouth and grassroots movement have led to great and manageable growth for us. We truly believe we are making a better product for our niche and it seems people who try the gear agree and are happy to tell anyone who will listen! That being said, if you have any thoughts on how to better increase the outreach of content like Mac's board awards I'd love to hear it! Haven't engaged much with the message boards as I don't want to spam what should be a place for community discussion with promotional material. Also interested to hear yours and others feedback on how the website could be improved. It's something we did ourselves so easy to make tweaks if there are elements to change that would better showcase the "magic" of our gear.

5L5, right now it's just ordering through the website for Aus. That being said we charge a flat rate for shipping so it's no more expensive there than anywhere else. Due to high demand and limited production capacity each month since the boards are make by hand in Appletree's facility we are shipping all our web sales direct from Portugal.

Likewise FoilWays, shoot me an email and depending where you are I'll see what I can setup.

Stoked you are loving the board from the first session CFLKiter! It will only get better :) I think the fact that our boards can be downsized so much from anything else available has been the core of what has driven interest. Buttery touchdown recovery, rail clearance, and the response + longevity provided by the Appletree construction are all key features as well but "doing more with less" is at the core of everything we are trying to achieve with Omen and is seeming to really resonate with like minded folks/early adopters of our foil system.

On the inserts having a centralized track is something that is often requested, however I'm a strong believer in the offset stance for foiling for a number of reasons. We also often get asked for boards without inserts so keeping the inserts very minimal has been a good balance between keeping the boards very light without removing the option for straps. A point to note, is that only one "centreline straps" advocate who has bought our board has ever stuck to their guns, the rest have happily transitioned to an offset stance after their first session trying it out :)

Thanks for the great video about stab shims. The best so far in youtube !!

Holoholo said..
I'm 95kg looking for a one board quiver to use most days- considering the 70L Flux or maybe 60L as my first true sinker being on 5-0/90L/25w board now. I'm typically in pretty rough conditions, lots of water moving and want performance in bumps/waves/DW with easy no sweat pop ups. Think the Omen website recommends 60% body weight, but I'm nervous w/ no demo opportunities biting off more than I can chew in one bite going to the 60L, and not sure if the extra 10L would help or hurt me.

Re shims. It really is remarkable what a difference this can make. After riding a foil for a month and being happy but not always feeling completely comfortable/dialed in w/ too much back foot needed, I spontaneously threw on a .5 degree + shim and felt like I had a new more balanced foil. It really is worth taking the time to dial in your equipment, but once I can see water, I just want to go- my attention span to mess with it disappears.

i'm about 88kgs and use the 72L Omen board. it sinks a bit, but my previous board was 75L (F-one Rocket board) so it wasn't much of a change. the side to side stability is worse on the Omen, but you get used to it fast. i'm often in rough ocean waters and it isn't much more trouble than my Rocket was. I believe Tucker at Mac Kites uses the Omen 60L and is about your weight. A buddy of mine also uses the 60L but he's about 80 kgs and is much better than me. Overall, I suspect you'd have easier pop-ups with the 72L than with the 60L, but it's a matter of your skill level and how much you want to push it.

CFLKiter said..

If you want a smaller board and are willing to take the time to figure out the technique you can definitely go a size smaller with the flux then you think. It's not hard if you have already mastered the stinkbug start.

I tried an 80L Flux for about 30 minutes on a big water day, blowing 30-40. Didn't feel any different than my 5-0/90L board volume wise, adjusting to narrow width was a little tricky first few getups, but after a false start or 2, I managed it decent enough immediately. Once up, loved how the board rode, was surprised that a longer board felt way more responsive than my 5-0/90L.

Thx Jake, that's all helpful.

Holoholo said..
I'm 95kg looking for a one board quiver to use most days- considering the 70L Flux or maybe 60L as my first true sinker being on 5-0/90L/25w board now. I'm typically in pretty rough conditions, lots of water moving and want performance in bumps/waves/DW with easy no sweat pop ups. Think the Omen website recommends 60% body weight, but I'm nervous w/ no demo opportunities biting off more than I can chew in one bite going to the 60L, and not sure if the extra 10L would help or hurt me.

Re shims. It really is remarkable what a difference this can make. After riding a foil for a month and being happy but not always feeling completely comfortable/dialed in w/ too much back foot needed, I spontaneously threw on a .5 degree + shim and felt like I had a new more balanced foil. It really is worth taking the time to dial in your equipment, but once I can see water, I just want to go- my attention span to mess with it disappears.

Lots of great feedback and advice on hear from the community but I'll add my two cents. My recommendation of 60% bodyweight is generally for folks who want a two board quiver (with our 84L or a DW SUP as the other board), or alternatively are not chasing those 8 - 12 knot days. I suspect as our sport matures one board quivers like this will become more popular, not only as designs progress but most experience riders will focus on getting out on the "good days" rather than any day possible.

At your weight anything from the 60L up to the 84L would be a great one board quiver option. As stated by many riders here, each size has significantly better low end than the dimensions would otherwise indicate, but that being said the bigger boards will give you an edge when it's really light.

You should be able to get going on the 60L in around 15 knots assuming the rest of your gear is appropriate and good technique, as soon as the wind is above 18/20 it will actually be as easy if not easier than the larger sizes. Deciding between the 60L vs 72L really comes down to what conditions you have available to you and what days you're willing to pass up in order to have a higher performance board for the really good days. It is a tricky question which is why I often recommend two board quivers, but there is certainly an appeal to simplifying our equipment - something we've worked very had on enable with both our board and foil development!

Agreed on shimming on all accounts, the "out of the box" high performance tune of our foils is a feature that most folks have really appreciated.

Greg

No experience with the Flux, but have shaped one that's fairly similar a while back (45l, 5'0x20" and similar outline with the wide tail; not as aggressive rails and more nose rocker). Imo the impact of the wide tail on such a slightly longer board is overlooked. As soon as you get a bit of speed while kneeling, that tail starts to lift your board to the surface. I won't go back to pin tails any time soon on smaller boards. Don't know why other brands all go for pin tails with their new mid-lenghts.

"Buttery touchdown recovery, rail clearance, and the response + longevity provided by the Appletree construction are all key features"

I just got a 72 liter for my 6'7"/110kg body. Early days, but I can confirm this is not hyperbole. I am in love, and I can't wait for more days on it

CFLKiter said..
Put some straps on the 48l Flux today. Can confirm the offset straps are fine. Had a fun session even guessed the mast and foot strap position on my first try. The Flux jumps and lands really nicely. Continue to be very happy with this board.
ps Greg, would still like to have the option for center line straps, but I am probably usually offset when strapless anyway so the adjustment was immediate.

Stoked you're digging the offset! I do hear you on the centreline strap and it gets asked a fair bit. The reason I've held off is that I also get asked a fair bit for boards without strap inserts!

I think the current insert pattern is the best compromise, they are placed very conservatively for maximum weight savings but allow the offset stance that (at least in my opinion) is ideal for most foil disciplines. We could do two versions of the board but for now I tend to gravitate towards the more versatility given by the first option. Simple, highly effective, versatile, wave riding equipment is kind of our thing.

Will be interested to your experience if you go back and try centre strap after a dozen or so sessions on your Flux. I predict it will be similar to riding a flexible mast... you can get used to it but after spending time of a stiff mast its very had to go back! When I've tried a few really slim prototype boards that forced me into a narrow stance I found it quite uncomfortable compared to the "authority" of having a bit wider stance.

Omen said..

CFLKiter said..
Put some straps on the 48l Flux today. Can confirm the offset straps are fine. Had a fun session even guessed the mast and foot strap position on my first try. The Flux jumps and lands really nicely. Continue to be very happy with this board.
ps Greg, would still like to have the option for center line straps, but I am probably usually offset when strapless anyway so the adjustment was immediate.

Stoked you're digging the offset! I do hear you on the centreline strap and it gets asked a fair bit. The reason I've held off is that I also get asked a fair bit for boards without strap inserts!

I think the current insert pattern is the best compromise, they are placed very conservatively for maximum weight savings but allow the offset stance that (at least in my opinion) is ideal for most foil disciplines. We could do two versions of the board but for now I tend to gravitate towards the more versatility given by the first option. Simple, highly effective, versatile, wave riding equipment is kind of our thing.

Will be interested to your experience if you go back and try centre strap after a dozen or so sessions on your Flux. I predict it will be similar to riding a flexible mast... you can get used to it but after spending time of a stiff mast its very had to go back! When I've tried a few really slim prototype boards that forced me into a narrow stance I found it quite uncomfortable compared to the "authority" of having a bit wider stance.

How do you ride switch foot & strapped with offset straps?

I'm having trouble understanding how these offset straps work. I can't find a single picture out there showing the Flux with the rear straps installed. Does it mean you need two rear straps side by side? Can someone please shed some light or post a pic?

CFLKiter said..

Kitz92 said..
I'm having trouble understanding how these offset straps work. I can't find a single picture out there showing the Flux with the rear straps installed. Does it mean you need two rear straps side by side? Can someone please shed some light or post a pic?

One rear strap, either put it closer to the left or right rail depending on your stance. I never switch my feet so it's not much of an issue. If you switch your feet you would have to get used to opposite offset stances depending on if your switch or not. Probably not as bad as it sounds to be honest.
I guess you could also put two rear straps on and always keep your rear foot close to the rail.
I mostly ride strapless though and only put on straps if I feel the need to jump.

Thanks for the clarification. Definitely a deal breaker for me. I can't imagine anyone who switches feet wanting an asymmetrical setup like that.

Kitz92 said..

CFLKiter said..

Kitz92 said..
I'm having trouble understanding how these offset straps work. I can't find a single picture out there showing the Flux with the rear straps installed. Does it mean you need two rear straps side by side? Can someone please shed some light or post a pic?

One rear strap, either put it closer to the left or right rail depending on your stance. I never switch my feet so it's not much of an issue. If you switch your feet you would have to get used to opposite offset stances depending on if your switch or not. Probably not as bad as it sounds to be honest.
I guess you could also put two rear straps on and always keep your rear foot close to the rail.
I mostly ride strapless though and only put on straps if I feel the need to jump.

Thanks for the clarification. Definitely a deal breaker for me. I can't imagine anyone who switches feet wanting an asymmetrical setup like that.

Makes sense, we figured most folks riding the Flux strapped would only install them on their strong side and go strapless to get back upwind goofy so the inserts are placed with that in mind and not ideal for running strapped in both directions unless you get creative like Gneve. I recall Tucker of MacKite might actually run his with two foot hooks for jumping but I could be mistaken. Perhaps I need to reassess that opinion, If anyone wants a Flux with centreline inserts I can make that happen, it will just be a three month wait. If it proves popular maybe I'll admit defeat and make it a standard feature!

There is always the below option too, but that requires cutting into the deckpad and I understand that not too many folks would be keen to buy a brand new board only to modify it on day 1:

www.mackiteboarding.com/nsi-surface-mount-insert-plates-set-of-2/

Easy for us to ship a board without the deck pad installed if anyone wants to go this route.

Greg

Nice work! How much weight did it add?