WindyBear said..FyrFlieWork said..
That is cool. The DW foils do sound interesting. I should have my P2050 in the next day or two, I will try it with the 215 and let you know how it goes. With all this talk I am considering putting the 215 back on with my sf1230 and see if I can slow down and ride more of the lake chop without constantly overrunning it. It has been a while since I used it instead of the 208.
Any feedback on the P2050? have you used it In any swell?
I'm looking into a good pumping and glide wing, possible either the p1800 or Dw1400, that can get me on foil with a flatwater SUPfoil start but could also work for smaller bay runs/sheltered water downwinders. It seems on the specs sheet the pump wings (p1800, p2050) don't have ticks for anything but pumping disciplines, but I wonder if there is some crossover potential just like the Axis PNG 1300 seems to be a favourite for many on lake/bay downwind runs.
i currently have the HA(v1) 1450 which is a great wing for winging In light wind, and decent enough on a winging downwinder - when paired with my 208 stab. But it doesn't really have the endless glide and so far seems impossible to do a flatwater start on it. Having said that, I did dockstart it last season with reasonable success.
So I have tried the P2050 for dock starting, what can I say... I suck at pumping and dock starting is HARD, I actually have a youtube video I can link which is just me falling off repeatedly :) but I will keep working on it. I have pulled it slowly behind the boat to get the hang of pumping it... it does NOT like to turn. Because of that I have to be very stable and super balanced right in the middle or it rolls out on me. It has good glide, as you would expect, and you don't have to put too much power in it to keep it moving, it comes up really early but doesn't like to have any speed or it dives. So kinda what you would expect really from a pump foil. I am mostly struggling to keep it balanced. I am used to my SF 1230, which is much friendly in a lot of ways as it turns easy, making it easier to balance, isn't too bad to pump either, and still has a decently low stall speed, but no where near as low as the P2050, but I feel the SF's glide is almost as good.
My main struggle is staying balanced on it which surprises me, I thought a big foil would be more stable, and easy for balance, but there is definitely an art to trying to stay upright without it rolling out from under you. I am really quite comfortable on the smaller foils, like my SF and HA1050 for both winging and wake foiling, so didn't think this would be as hard to handle as it is. I took the P2050 out winging in less then 10mph of wind last night, and I was able to get it going with almost no wind, none of my other foils would have been up and going. Again it was more the balance I was having trouble with, as I couldn't get it around for gybes without it rolling out from under me. I will keep working on it for dock starting and flat water paddle ups, and maybe use it with the boat and wing to practice getting the balance of it, but I don't feel like it would be good for down winding, or light wind winging as it doesn't like to turn, and dives with the slightest extra power, and is very finicky with the balance point, at least at my skill set so far. It pumped good with a wing in hand though, as you would expect. I would love to try the big DW foils and see how they compare, but I can only afford so many foils this year. I don't think the pump foil is what you want of you are thinking swell, I was hoping it would work in light lake chop, but with how touchy the balance point and its very limited top speed, and how little it likes to turn, I am not sure that it will work for that, but that my be more my lack of skill more than the foil itself.