NEW iFoil 2015

Since the beginning I was ALWAYS a little skeptical about windsurfing using a foil.
Something about the length of the thing, attached at the back, balancing and then tacking and/or jibing.
UNTIL i saw some pictures of the iFoil... Here is an unlisted video :



There is also FINALLY a decent write-up on the board here:

http://boards.co.uk/equipment-tests/tested-equipment/the-ifoil-tested.html#FWdBzd9dPKmjsD76.97

I will let the article and video speak for themselves.
Suffice it to say - it looks HOT !!
not so sure about those lights :-)

Fin is STILL 70 cm, but as the designer says:

some people are saying the iFoil ride is a little "bumpy" compared to the regular foils
ie MORE affected by the state of the water ...
like in this video ...



i like this view, but has the idea bit the dust ?? ifoil website is gone in early 2019
and parent company tomahawk foils dissolved in December of 2017 - oh well :-(

Montreal WindSurf Shops - they ship !!

Pour le français il faut juste le choisir dans GOOGLE TRANSLATE en haut
Falls Sie es auf Deutsch möchten - dann ist da GOOGLE TRANSLATE oben 
Si deseas ver en español - seleccionar langauge en Google translate

Just thought I would put in a good word for the local shops.
Even though they are NOT helping me make money with my blog :-)

It is IMPORTANT to note that even if these shops are in Montreal, many of them do internet on-line business - often shipping in North America is free. This business is often what keeps the shops afloat - pardon the pun ...

The ONLY windsurf shop left near MTL in 2024 is:

https://www.windspirit.ca/

OOPS.. in 2024 I also found --> https://windforce.ca/

and they have FutureFly S2Maui, etc !!

 

auventfou is well known for their supply of used equipment - from learner to expert stuff.
Yvan and René just recently added Tabou boards to their line of new stuff.
They can be found just east of the Island in the Industrial sector...
CLOSED in the summer of 2019 - we will miss them !!



2-rad now has a good stock of Fanatic boards and SUPs.
Bruno is well known for his expert board repairs and speed on the water.
He can be found in the industrial sector just off Côte Vertu.

CLOSED spring of 2023 and Bruno joined WindSpirit = another one bites the dust !!



30noeuds is on the South Shore.
They carry some interesting things like windskates...



WindSpirit is also on the South Shore, but a little further :-(
They have the largest windsurf board repair shop in town ...
Benoit Gauthier used to be the board shaper for Wind Obsession boards !!



In case I forget - for Angulo boards and Gun Sails ...
Speak to Bruno Courtemanche of VoileLibre ...
He works out of Sherbrooke ...
Spoke to Bruno and he says they are going away from Angulo boards.
This year Josh is moving from Boston to Florida as well ...
"Jesus loves you" Voile Libre seems GONE tooo - since 2016 ?? as per LinkedIn



Sharks used to have windsurf equipment, but seem to have switched to the kite world.
They are still known for a good selection of water wear.
Their shop is in Laval ...



For sail repair it is NOT quite as convenient as having all these choices ...
They seem to hang around the SouthShore near the Granby Zoo :-(
Another option is to leave them with the local shops - and WAIT :-(
Moral of the story - don't bust your sail !!

Loopee used to be here near Montreal
but now is in Maryland ??



what about Kingston ? none found !!

and Toronto ??

 

https://www.northlinesports.ca/

https://www.silentsports.com/Windsurfing/

and there used to be one in Ottawa !!

 

https://www.surfsideonline.com

StarBoard has Inflatable Sailboard that planes !!

La première planche windsurf freeride gonflable... by Wind_Magazine

Auch hier - auf Deutsch:
http://www.dailydose.de/story/airplane/index.htm



Since AIRPLANES are marked as 2016, I looked up the price. Listed near MTL/YUL @ ~$2300 CDN 

Here's a fresh link on analysis of the "board"
http://peterkosinski.com/starboard-airplane-2016-a-new-revolution-in-windsurfing/


Here the board is doing loops !!



In WindSurfing NOW Magazine 02.1 of early 2016 there was an article on the SB AirPlane. There was also a small section on gear trends. Entry level boards now not only have WindSUPs, but also what they are calling inflatable multi-sport boards. Examples are as follows:

Fanatic Viper Air

Naish Crossover Air

StarBoard WindSUP

Progressive Boards Party Barge

The Progressive Boards Party Barge is slated as 1000 liters and can be used as a kind of kayak with seats and paddles, a SUP for two, an optional motor, a windsurfer for one or a windsurfer for two.

To me it seems pretty obvious that they are ALL selling FUN in the SUN 

Now that we are in 2016, the inflatables are actually being used for speed tests !!



the board stiffness starts at the base. some people are considering hard bottoms on the inflatables
here is a discussion:


Duo Boards - Mat Pendle from i-99.it on Vimeo.

and here is another PR/ marketing video

Duo Boards - Cesare Cantagalli I-99 from i-99.it on Vimeo.

What Sail Size to Use ??

Before we go too far, please realize this analysis was performed for heavyweights in light to mid-winds. Not speaking about B&J/bump n jump, free-style nor wave sailing. Fairly flat water for heavy-weights ...

Most readers of forums and blogs are familiar with the James Douglass sail calculator:
http://jimbodouglass.blogspot.ca/2010/11/updated-windsurf-calculator-online.html

You put in your weight and voilà you have a guideline on what sail to use under which wind speed.
Here is a sample for 230 pounds which unfortunately is my current weight.
Luckily I have lost some weight recently !!

Click the graph to see it better

So, I used this data as a guideline and eventually drew up a table of numbers for which sails I used under which conditions... Then I plotted these numbers against the suggestions above:

Click the graph to see it better

Since I use kph, that is the measure I plotted against. Ironically the lines cross at the 8.x m² sail mark. THAT is my MOST used sail size for long boards AND short boards - due to the light wind nature in our area. The sails I use follow a more logarithmic trend than the other polynomial trend.

While I was Cape Hatteras about two(2) weeks ago, I had the honour of sharing the house with a fellow heavyweight whom we called King Kong/KK, due to his size. KK spent a month at Hatteras and was known to go out no matter what and usually clocked about 80 km per day on the water. His top speed was about 42 kph. He also used MUCH smaller boards and sails than myself and Helmut, another heavyweight in the house. King Kong's data looked a little different :

Click the graph to see it better

In this case both lines are following a polynomial trend, but King Kong typically uses a smaller sail than suggested until about 60 kph.

For me this data shows it is important to know what works for you and how far you can go. When I saw KK on an 86 liter board with a 4.8 sail, I could NOT believe my eyes !! The beauty of Hatteras is : when you go in the water it is typically shallow - EVERYWHERE... and THAT is why people like to try stuff there. Here at home we do NOT have such winds regularly and Hatteras is the place to try them.

Hope these numbers peak your interest in what works for you and how it compares. Would be nice to have some database that collected such data - where people live, how much they weigh and what works for them :-)