oskarhhh said..

Acker said..
I've now got the SF930 and SF1080, as well as MA1050 and HA650.
For a while the MA1050 was my go-to wing for everything, but I'm now getting more and more into the SF range. The HA650 is an incredibly exhilarating ride (esp w 178 stab) and super fast, though needs consistent high winds and a lot more technique to stay fast all the time (espec in gybes and tacks). I'll keep this for high winds.

Been interesting comparing the SF930 to 1080. Was using the 1080 a lot and had some great sessions including down-the-line wingfoil waverides and got it to 23knots down a swell, but now totally loving the SF930. It's faster (yesterday I pushed it to 25.3 knots) and more agile/looser. It also has amazing pump'n'glide (perhaps tiny bit less than the 1080), but the extra speed and agility makes it overall more fun. I can only imagine how good the smaller sizes will be.

So, I may well now consolidate to the SF930 and HA650 but will do bit more testing to gauge if I still need the 1080 for very light days as it's got me up in 8-10knots with a 6.0.

When you push to those speeds with SF do you use the s215 tail? Do they behave well at speed? Thanks!!

Still using the S210. Yes they do behave well. When you push them they sort of break out of cruising speed into a faster mode, especially if you experiment with tilting it over a bit and really locking the handwing forwards and close-hauled. 25 knots again yesterday over 5 seconds on a 6.0. There's something about the looseness that allows you to quickly steer around chop too. I know they're not really meant for speed but it's an added bonus over their surfing ability.

This is my first post here. I came across this thread by Google search spent time reading it and feel I can contribute since I have lots of North foils from the old stuff like reflexed wing profile and the old HA to the new HA and the newest SF foil.

I have these North gears.

Front wings:
1850R (this foil is the very strange one but mostly good in its days it has a very good speed range you can go really fast in high wind but no glide at all so it is so bad in light conditions with lulls)
Old HA1450 (not a high aspect in today's standard this foil is very easy but very slow)
HA1050
SF1080

Stabs:
S01, S270, S208 and have S215 on order

Masts and fuselages.
I have CF72 and CF85 mast and C600 and C700 fuses.

In the local spot where I lived (Phuket, Thailand) the wind is mostly light 6-15kt rarely above 20kt and many no-wind days. So my gears are for that kind of condition. I'm around 73-75kg.

I think if you want to buy North gears right now you should only consider the HA and SF series. The MAs may be suitable for some people in some conditions but I think the right size HAs and SFs will cover that condition with higher performance.

HA1050 is high-performance foil very slippery through the lulls. I can get it up in 8-10kt relatively easily in flat water with lots of wing pumping to get board speed. Foil pumping when the board is still on the water does not really help with this foil. So I have difficulty in light wind and choppy sea with the chop to slow you down all the time (I use a 5ft board about 72L). I just ordered a very narrow 18" downwind board to see if it will help in this condition. I use this foil with S208 (didn't try with other stabs) The glide is unreal but the problem is the stall speed. You may drop off foil if you are not careful. And in very light wind you need to manage your wing to avoid back winding in jibe as you are lots faster than the wind.

The SF1080 is my go-to light wind setup. Before I had this foil I used an OLD HA1450 for light wind and it is very good for that but it is very slow and not good at turning at all. The SF1080 is very easy to get up in and it has very low stall speed you can slow down to almost a standstill and regain speed and control when you dive down which is incredible. The carve stability is insanely good. You will feel lock-in on pitch and roll so it makes you a better foiler instantly. It's the easiest foil to pump. And very stable when you luff the wing and go downwind with the swell. I currently use SF1080 with S208 (high aspect fast stab) because my S215 (low-speed surf stab)

I think I might buy a smaller SF830 when it comes out.

oskarhhh said..
Thanks and welcome ! Is the sf1080 much faster than 1450?

Yes it is very slow.

My HA 1450 is the older gen HA from North (which is not really high aspect) SF1080 is better in every aspect. It get up on light wind easily.

Hi this is my first post,
I am an intermediate/advanced rider and weigh 70kg.
I own:
North Seek 58lt
Sonar CF 85
HA850 with fuselage 700 and S210
MA1050 with fuselage 600 and s270 with green shim

I also tried: HA950, HA1150

The HA850 is a really nice front wing but a little difficult to get going
The MA1500 is very fast and super easy to handle

I'm looking for a replacement for the ha850, for example the mav2 850.
Has anyone already tried it?

I ordered the MA850v2, can't wait to try. I will use it with my 700 fuse and S210 stab. Later i will add an S208 to my setup.

PatsSurf70 said..
Any has any experience with the SF930 vs SF1080?

- Topspeed
- Control at topspeed
-Difference general

Does the SF1080 that slower, or difference minimal but far earlier release and lower stall speed?

Think im gonne make one of these my low wind front wings.

And what stab should i add? Will regular 208 do?

IMO, depends on how much you weigh. I am 72kg (granted on a 80l board) and ride the SF930, winging only. It has a very very low stall speed, especially with the S215. The 208 and/or 178 stabs open up the top end some more (but not much more) and impact the low end a little but not dramatically. S208 goes well and the S178 is more loose, skatey (if that makes any sense). I haven't ridden the SF1080 but don't see any potential use case for it where I wouldn't use the 930

Has anyone tried the SF930 with the s270 stab? What happens exactly?

North doesn't recommend it. Does the foil explode?

Anyone ridden both the SF930 and MA850V2 winging? What are the differences?

MProject04 said..

UisceBeatha said..

Acker said..
Still using the S210. Yes they do behave well. When you push them they sort of break out of cruising speed into a faster mode, especially if you experiment with tilting it over a bit and really locking the handwing forwards and close-hauled. 25 knots again yesterday over 5 seconds on a 6.0. There's something about the looseness that allows you to quickly steer around chop too. I know they're not really meant for speed but it's an added bonus over their surfing ability.

@Acker that is pretty interesting, I'm on the SF930/700/S208 (just off the S215) and haven't been able to hit those speeds. I tend to max out about 20knts. However due to the low end of the SF I tend to size down my hand wing and I wonder if I had a larger wing could I push it faster. I agree with you too on locking it into speed mode

To be honest it doesn't bother me too much, I love this foil setup, so much fun to ride. Only critic I have is that it struggles to stay with bigger wind swell, you can work it on and around and I suspect the higher AR of the HA series would be the main solution to this - or the new smaller sizes, which I am tempted by. Hoping to get the S178 in the near future but not sure will that have the impact am looking for.

Can you please describe that "locking into speed mode"? What do you actually feel, so I can compare to my experience.

I just got the SF1080 and paired it with the slippery and loose s208. Second session today and I went faster than the HA1050 (which I have for almost a year now) So a bit of a shocker.

My experience (note that I haven't gone as fast as Acker). Rather than tilting well upwind, steer toe pressure onto more a beam reach, come high on the mast and have even balance between front and back foot. Then allow the wing to fill and try to just keep the board flat, challenging to do if some sizey chop like I normally ride. For some reason this seems to unlock another level of acceleration for me. I'm on the SF930/S178 now and for the first time am breaching from speed, may just need a bit of getting used to. Getting the HA850 soon, all going well, so hoping speed is going to become my friend!

Greetings ?? how you can compare Sf1230 vs MA1200 ? I'm trying to find perfect setup. Currently I'm riding ma1200, feels good and pretty fast. I own Mode pro 5.5 and Loft pro 8m. My bottom end is about 12 knots. It's feels like there is a lot of hype around new SF. Which one from SF lineup could be one all around front wing? 82 kg / seek 98l. Located in Miami with on shore wind during the season, it feels like swells and currents decreasing my bottom end. What is bottom end for SF930 ? Or I need sf1080 ?What is your suggestions?

completely lost in options. Ideal setup for me to have one fast all around wing maybe new MA1050v2 and something for the light wind. Or one all around

I agree with all the positive comments on the 930 and 1080 SF so far.. Have put alot of hours on these foils since I bought them in June.. Many different wave conditions and even a bit of kiting on the 930. Always paired with the 215 stab.. Occasionally shimmed at 0.5 for more pump.. Always with 700 cm fuse. Really looking forward to reading some reviews on the upcoming 840 and 680 Front wings as well.

MOSTLY wondering if anyone lucky enough has been able to ride the 930 or 1080 with the new smaller version of the 215 surf stab?.? Will that be the 210 we see in their catalog or some other smaller size with same profile??

Thanx for any feedback on this!

Wow, blown away by the new MA850v2 after first go on it today. Has to be the best front wing I've ever used. Has amazing fast and sharp responsive feel to it, very loose in waverides (esp w 178 stab) and they managed to add in a nice pump'n'glide which wasn't quite there in the v1 MAs.
Have been using SF930 all the time (w 210 stab) which has a silky smooth glide to it and virtually accelerates in turns if you drive into them. I previously used the SF1080 and sold it as the SF930 is better for me. The only thing I miss from the SF1080 is super long coasting rides especially when very light win, but as soon as 14knots+ it's responsiveness wins over the 1080.

Now my main quiver will be the SF930 for light to moderate winds and quality waves and then MA850v2 for stronger winds (maybe 20knots+ though I could prob use it down to 16knots with the 4.8 Mode Pro). Will be interesting to compare both in proper swell/ down the line wave session.

when it comes to flat water paddle up what frontwing would be recommended?I have the HA1150, and the HA850. Would the 1150 be enough to learn flat water paddel up, or better the HA1450, or something else?

WindyBear said..
Hi all,

I've been silently reading all the posts and waiting to get my hands on a SF wing before posting a comment!

So here goes, I finally got my hands on a test SF930 wing to try from the local dealer (Ejka surf shop, Norway). I went out in storm conditions, 35-40 knots, swell coming from different directions, massive chop and nuking winds! it was a baptism by fire and did the 930 perform!! It was paired with the 270 stab, the only one I have.

I've been riding north since the beginning of this year on the HA1050 which I love. Comparisons to the HA1050/270 combo:

way way lower stall speed
turns better, able really to surf a swell and turn back and forth
glides almost the same as far as I can tell
seems significant slower speed than the 1050
pumping requires some finesse?

The lower stall speed is almost hilariously low, my feet were all over the place in the transitions while I was battling to control my 3.5 wing and the thing just kept flying.. and flying...

The glide is insane for such a small wing...

But the pumping to be honest I could not figure out in that session. I wasn't feeling it like I do on the 1050 or on my (v1) 1450 which I am using for dockstart training (I have a full post called "The Dockstart Diaries" about that if people are interested: www.raet3d.no/l/learningdockstartpart1/

And the one noticeable thing I found was that it literally seemed to have some brakes on it. The mythical "speed zone" which people are talking about in this thread eluded me. Several times I wanted to get out of my existing swell line which was dying out and catch up to one further downwind. But it wasn't possible either because of my poor pump technique or because the wing is too slow. I have had no problem catching up to downwind swell on the HA1050, although that wing requires much more finesse to keep it flying.

I reckon going down to a 215 or 208 would help solve this problem and would again transferm this wing.

But here in lies a conundrum. Is the SF series fast enough for down winding/winging on open swells? would it be ideal for downwind sup foiling?

Would be interested to hear thoughts!

Overall verdict: an amazing wing.

>> But here in lies a conundrum. Is the SF series fast enough for down winding/winging on open swells? would it be ideal for downwind sup foiling?

Defo dropping stabs will transform the wing more for you. I have gone 215 ->208 -> 178 and with the 178 was the first time I felt like I was cutting through swell - although it was a mega day. I find the SF930 a little lacking in glide on big open swell (west of Ireland stuff here) but it makes up for it in how easy it is to pump and allows moving across swells and choosing good lines. I just got a hold of a HA850 so in a few sessions will be able to make an accurate comparison.

I think someone said above that the SF is like riding with ABS and traction control on and its so true, I have breached at the top of swells and controlled it back onto foil without crashing - its just so user friendly. I'm expecting the HA850 to kick my ass as a result.

Could ya downwind sup it, I reckon you could but you would be working to stay with the energy where as a little more aspect ratio would make it easier.

WindyBear said..
Hi all,

I've been silently reading all the posts and waiting to get my hands on a SF wing before posting a comment!

So here goes, I finally got my hands on a test SF930 wing to try from the local dealer (Ejka surf shop, Norway). I went out in storm conditions, 35-40 knots, swell coming from different directions, massive chop and nuking winds! it was a baptism by fire and did the 930 perform!! It was paired with the 270 stab, the only one I have.

I've been riding north since the beginning of this year on the HA1050 which I love. Comparisons to the HA1050/270 combo:

way way lower stall speed
turns better, able really to surf a swell and turn back and forth
glides almost the same as far as I can tell
seems significant slower speed than the 1050
pumping requires some finesse?

The lower stall speed is almost hilariously low, my feet were all over the place in the transitions while I was battling to control my 3.5 wing and the thing just kept flying.. and flying...

The glide is insane for such a small wing...

But the pumping to be honest I could not figure out in that session. I wasn't feeling it like I do on the 1050 or on my (v1) 1450 which I am using for dockstart training (I have a full post called "The Dockstart Diaries" about that if people are interested: www.raet3d.no/l/learningdockstartpart1/

And the one noticeable thing I found was that it literally seemed to have some brakes on it. The mythical "speed zone" which people are talking about in this thread eluded me. Several times I wanted to get out of my existing swell line which was dying out and catch up to one further downwind. But it wasn't possible either because of my poor pump technique or because the wing is too slow. I have had no problem catching up to downwind swell on the HA1050, although that wing requires much more finesse to keep it flying.

I reckon going down to a 215 or 208 would help solve this problem and would again transferm this wing.

But here in lies a conundrum. Is the SF series fast enough for down winding/winging on open swells? would it be ideal for downwind sup foiling?

Would be interested to hear thoughts!

Overall verdict: an amazing wing.

I have had the HA1050 and SF930 with the 178 and 215 stabs since earlier this year. I added the MA850v2 last month.
I can't comment on the bigger stabs as I have never tried them. I barely ever use the 215 anymore.
While the 178 unlocks the SF930 it doesn't make it that much faster. It all depends what you are looking for.
The SF930 is a fantastic front wing as has been pointed out in this thread. Its limitation is top speed.
Yes, the HA1050 (and the smaller ones) will allow you to chase the things in front of you.
With the SF930 you can stay in the swell and if it is rolling too fast you will need to go over the top and drop into whatever is building up behind you. I have to admit that I quite enjoy this as it lengthens my downwind journeys.
Now, this is where the MA850v2 comes in. With that one you can do whatever you want :)
The new smaller SF might unlock the same thing, but I currently don't think I will outgrow the 850 any time soon.