MidAtlanticFoil forum posts in last 60 days

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MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
17 May 2026 2:32am
kiter63 said..
The S3 release finally has me thinking of grabbing a parawing and debating 4.2 vs 3.4.
I'm a kite foiler turned winger for a few seasons now riding primarily in the Outer Banks of NC.
Intermediate 75kg rider on a 75l Armstrong ML and an 55l Omen Emissary with AFS Silks, 850 and 1050.
Seems the 4.2 would be the choice but debating the 3.4.



drive up to Hampton VA tomorrow early to try them out! I’ll be at ft Monroe early with the quiver. Happy to let you try one out. Bring your wing too. Could be really good gorge like conditions with the flood tide into the SW’erly!
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
15 May 2026 9:11am
foilthegreats said..
If you're interested in watching the 5.3m fly:


You were cooking upwind in those gusts!
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
13 May 2026 9:37pm
georgsurfer said..

Frankieboy said..
also curious about the low end of the S3 compared to what I know F-one Quest or Frigate




I’ve been riding the s3 5.3/4.2/3.4 for about week now, in all conditions from underpowered to overpowered. Re low end for me that’s right now 14-16mph. I’m 190lbs and ride a KT SK2 83L (custom) and Nomad 830 foil (midaspect wavefoil). What impressed me most for getting up with the s3 is that it sits very far forward in the window and pulls forward, allowing me to get up going across the wind and not pointing downwind like all other PWs. The difference this makes cannot be overstated. I am barely pumping my board (maybe 3-4 times), then pump the wing moderately 2-3 times and I’m flying. This is in underpowered conditions. I’m pretty sure that a skilled rider on a floaty board and a larger foil can shave at least 2mph from my numbers.
getting the wing off the water was no issue for me as long as it’s blowing at least 7-10mph. Below that the s3 just doesn’t want to fly properly (we are talking 5mph). Conversely when I am nicely powered (16-18mph on 5.3, 20-22 on 4.2) the s3 literally pulls me on foil without pumping. After the pumping orgies w other parawings this still amazes me every single time. I’ve ridden all new parawings (Vayu, Dflow, PRv2, PowerPack, Quest, Stash v2) and sold all my existing PWs and cancelled PRv2 orders. The BRM is plain amazing.


Thats a great review! I've got a complete quiver landing today (minus the smallest size) to round out my 4.2M. Your comments about the lack of leg pump needed when well powered is not an understatement. I was getting pulled up on foil without leg pumping and the foil was just steady climbing in altitude to the point where I'd need to get max front food pressure to keep it from blowing out. This is something I've not experienced with my F4 Orca685 - as I've always needed to leg pump it on foil. The static leg start is a different beast with the impressive low end on the Orca. Plain caught me off guard multiple times during the session.
This also helped me out in ripping current and big bumps where the bit of lateral/dw speed helped when the pure DW pull style start of previous gens would leave me hunting for power and balance a lot, all while getting sucked out to sea.
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
12 May 2026 4:57am
CFL Foiler said..

BWalnut said..


MidAtlanticFoil said..



CFL Foiler said..
Those that have ridden the S3 curious to hear if you were able to comfortably find a one handed riding position/grip. Sounds like if the handle continued the sweet spot would be in the middle of the D.

Full hand grip behind the handle sounds like too much backline tension for powered riding. Full hand on the outside D handle sounds like full depower and you need to use your fingers on the bar to power up.
Is riding with your hand inside the D Handle the comfortable one handed position or is it still providing a little to much rear line tension?





I can say that riding overpowered with one hand is not really doable with the S3 (without a harness). Under the sweet spot conditions, maybe riding with your hand just up against the D may be perfect. Just haven't had the chance to try yet.




Hooked in, 25-30 knots with the 3.4m was a dream. I was riding one handed pointing at friends, goofing off, it was STABLE and easy to ignore.



Definitely get how hooked in riding will not be an issue. Just concerned about the comfort of unhooked one handed riding as that's how I ride most of my dw sessions. Only go two handed on upwind legs and hardly ever hook in


One handed going DW starts isn't really a problem. Its just going upwind for long distances where it can be an issue.
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
12 May 2026 2:29am
CFL Foiler said..
Those that have ridden the S3 curious to hear if you were able to comfortably find a one handed riding position/grip. Sounds like if the handle continued the sweet spot would be in the middle of the D.

Full hand grip behind the handle sounds like too much backline tension for powered riding. Full hand on the outside D handle sounds like full depower and you need to use your fingers on the bar to power up.
Is riding with your hand inside the D Handle the comfortable one handed position or is it still providing a little to much rear line tension?


I can say that riding overpowered with one hand is not really doable with the S3 (without a harness). Under the sweet spot conditions, maybe riding with your hand just up against the D may be perfect. Just haven't had the chance to try yet.
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
12 May 2026 1:21am
I tried out my 4.3M again today in honking 20-30MPH winds with my D Handle Spreader Line with my Stringfellow hook and it worked great! I was able to fly comfortably one handed on my heelside tack. Toeside was a bit slower and more cautious (13-15mph vs 9-10 mph). Really making me consider taking a couple days to learn switch stance.

I also can't wait to fly the wing in it's sweet spot lol.
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
11 May 2026 9:42am
flowstate said..

MidAtlanticFoil said..
After my first (overpowered) session with the 4.3M, I've been brainstorming around a good reverse harness hook solution for the S3 and the D handle. Hooking in at the shaft side of the handle means full on power, while hooking in to the front of the handle means full on depower.


I've yet to try this, but I used a 12" or so piece of dyneema and a clove hitch and a random hitch knot to make this small line that bridges the gap of the handle. I'm hoping that this makes the perfect catchers mitt for the hook to reside.

I almost always ride one handed, unless I'm really focusing on most efficient upwind angle.



Only downside I see is though can't fully put your hand inside the handle. That's a good thing in my opinion. In Jeremy's vid above, he showed one technique of putting your hand up inside the handle, but that could be pretty dangerous in a wipeout and could easily lead to a broken hand due to the lever moment of something (board/knee) hitting the end of the bar.





Defs a sign its time to regress to a good ol single point low profile stiff harness line mate. muscle memory be damned


You’ve got a great point! I may end up there once I filter out my V2s, but it’s so nice to have a clean bar and not need to worry about a harness line for each PW.


Based on Greg’s harness line, the center of pull is just on the inside of the d handle base. If I had two of my hooks with a small spacer between them to make a mini claw, it could straddle the bar and hook in nicely. Brainstorming continues 😂
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
11 May 2026 1:48am
After my first (overpowered) session with the 4.3M, I’ve been brainstorming around a good reverse harness hook solution for the S3 and the D handle. Hooking in at the shaft side of the handle means full on power, while hooking in to the front of the handle means full on depower.


I’ve yet to try this, but I used a 12” or so piece of dyneema and a clove hitch and a random hitch knot to make this small line that bridges the gap of the handle. I’m hoping that this makes the perfect catchers mitt for the hook to reside.

I almost always ride one handed, unless I’m really focusing on most efficient upwind angle.



Only downside I see is though can’t fully put your hand inside the handle. That’s a good thing in my opinion. In Jeremy’s vid above, he showed one technique of putting your hand up inside the handle, but that could be pretty dangerous in a wipeout and could easily lead to a broken hand due to the lever moment of something (board/knee) hitting the end of the bar.




MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
8 May 2026 10:13pm
flowstate said..

MidAtlanticFoil said..
Here's a clip of the 4.2 in some very light conditions:




Wow!
biiig lifty foil and DW board doing lot of the heavy lifting, but impressive efficiency nonetheless.
ol mate makes it look so bloody easy


Yeah! Really impressive considering the wind range looked to be below Greg's range for his 90L 'Surf' wind chart for the 4.2M.
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
8 May 2026 10:26am
Here’s a clip of the 4.2 in some very light conditions:

MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
7 May 2026 5:33pm
Looking at Greg’s chart, I was way out of the 4.2Ms range. Thanks to the shovel handle I could still fly it and make it back upwind. Once I figured out the better harness hook placement it was even more manageable. In the lulls it felt really good!


Despite swapping to the Paia 3 or 4 times in the water, I didn’t have any tangles with the S3.
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
7 May 2026 2:22am
Had my first session with the 4.2 S3. Wind was too strong, so I started with the 3M Kanaha with the S3 in my pack. Wind dropped a hair so I got the S3 out and it ramped back up and I was littttt. Wind was gusting to 33mph and I hadn't sorted my reverse hook out quite yet. No bueno! It could handle the wind, but not being able to comfortably hook in was...physical, especially toeside. I ran in to swap out my 3M and bring the 4.5M Paia into the rotation.

Then the wind proceeded to see-saw over and over and I kept changing out between the Paia and S3. Extemely frustrating! I was riding a 635 Manta surf wing, so not super lifty, but the Paia was struggling to get me on foil - may have been the ripping flood tide making it difficult to get good laminar flow. I'd pop out the S3 and BAM - on foil with excess power to spare. I was hoping the 4.2M S3 would work through when the Paia could take over, but there was a gap.

I eventually figured out that I could hook the front of the handle and just use my one hand to manage the sheet in/out. This worked extremely well and I was able to ride toeside upwind in overpowered conditions.

It was a challenging session, but I was able to get some amazing DW runs with the Manta. Can't wait to try it within it's normal range!
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
Reply in Topic: New Armstrong Masts
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
5 May 2026 10:47pm
slowmotion160 said..
What do people recommend for 50% parawing and 50% Winging. 795 or 865? Does the 795 go up wind ok with a 770 or 880?


If you don't want to worry about breaching going DW, the 865 is good. Also allows for some serious steep angles when carving.

The 795 size works great as well with those wing sizes, just can be more demanding going upwind if the swells line up perpendicular to the upwind line. Definitely easier to keep the foil in the sweet spot and feels a bit less precarious compared to the 865.
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
2 May 2026 3:24am
Good god, look at how the wing doesn't fly down in the wind window when sheeting in. His bar is almost vertical. It just sort of sheets in but doesn't move back. That will be epic when the PW is on an angle and getting going.
(1:55 in launch vid)

Sheeted in:

Sheeted out:


I guess this makes it more like a standard inflatable wing in this regard. You can't let a hand wing completely fall back in the wind window without it getting yanked out of your hands. You can sort of sheet in to a point and that's it.

He mentions that it sort of flies like a balloon on a string. I guess he's not kidding. Maybe less dynamic to fly, but it should get the job done! Can't wait to try mine out next week.
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
1 May 2026 10:51pm
Urgull said..
Alright, I had the chance to sail it.
PROS[/b]
Much better upwind angle compared to the KANAHA
Incredibly lightweight material. Shockingly thing.
Stiffer ride (less vibration)
Even easier to stash and pack. It felt so so nice
Even thinner lines (how do they do it?)
CONS[/b]
Trickier to jibe
Sizes over 4.5 are even[/i] trickier to jibe
The material is so light that if the tip touches the water, the shape collapses

I haven't tried it myself, but they say the 4.0 is really, really good.
The handle looks like a shovel?? guess it's a matter of tastes but I prefer simple stuff. But it pulls you upwind like a bull.


Can you comment on riding toeside with the D-Handle? I don't switch stance and kinda concerned. Hopefully I'll just be able to hook in and put my one hand just behind the harness point to control the sheet in/out.
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
28 Apr 2026 9:27pm
foilthegreats said..

Frankieboy said..
the handle needs to be minimalistic for stashing



Think super small oval ring big enough for 2 hands but similar in size to V2 bar so much more compact and stowable compared to other Parawing bars on the market. Again I'm just speculating and have no insider knowledge.


Full on go-cart mini steering wheel style! Could be great ergonomically with back hand at 12:00 and front hand a 9:00 or 3:00 depending on the tack. Could make transitions super intuitive as well.
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
26 Apr 2026 9:01am
BWalnut said..
Does anyone know what foils Greg uses most days?


Armstrong HA1080 if my memory serves me correctly. I believe he mentioned it in a podcast.
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
28 Mar 2026 4:18am
Yeah, I second Sheps. If your keeping your North for a minute and the 930 ends up having better low-end than the 800, you could use that for the first few sessions as you get your bearings.

Now the tough call is going to be whether you add the 685 or the new 600:

f4foils.com/products/gp-orca?bg_ref=p7EWLsfpSy
MidAtlanticFoil
MidAtlanticFoil
849 posts
849 posts
26 Mar 2026 4:12am
BWalnut said..

foilthegreats said..
So I ordered a 6m Ka'a with BRM only to reach out and tell me NEW Parawing coming in 1-2 months. Offered 30% off if I still wanted to keep my order or cancel. I choose to cancel and wait for the new product.



Hybrid? Paia v2?


Exciting! I'm trying to hold off on the 777 Hybrid. Hopefully there are some mod recommendations to the Paia similar to the V1 to V2 single skins. Imagine if the Paia could be converted to a hybrid by removing a portion of the double skin towards the trailing edge!
Return To Classic site 😭
Or... let us know if a problem, so we can tweak! 😅