Gear Optimization For Flatwater Paddleup - The Foil

As someone who has been trying to get a flatwater paddleup for a year now, and intending to stay the course, I am continuing to work on my technique. And while my equipment probably has the potential to achieve this, I wanted to see if I could bring in a few of you to spitball on optimization of gear as any advantage going forward is key at this point. Not getting any younger.

I look at this in three parts, foil, board, and foil to board coordination.

For this thread I am asking about foil optimization for the purpose of a flatwater paddleup assuming the board and foil/board coordination is already optimized for this and the operator has at least the minimal level of sup skill to achieve lift off. I have worked with two foils, the low aspect Gofoil GT2600 and the Higher aspect Gong Curve 6XL that is 186 cm wide and has a surface area of about 3600 cm2.

I am starting to question if going with a foil so large in area is optimal with regard to the Gong. Is it possible that while the lift is greater, the drag from the size of the foil competes with that when only paddle power is being used to generate the speed needed. Seeing as I probably only have maybe 15 strokes to reach max speed, perhaps a foil with less drag would be optimal despite having less lift. I see some of you who weigh more than me paddling up on foils with less area like the Axis 1401 and the Naish Glide 1800 and while I am not forgetting about skill and practice, perhaps there is still an optimization of gear that can give a better chance to the kooks among us to achieve the goal.

Is there some point where a foil has adequate lift to fly an average to larger person over 80kg and going beyond that does not help and might actually hurt the process due to drag (and less speed being able to be generated in that first 10 strokes) produced by additional surface area, thickness of the front face of the foil etc? Is it possible that even though the Gong might have a lower lift off speed, it is actually easier to overcome the drag of the smaller Axis, get more speed, and achieve the lift off speed of that foil?

It is looking like higher aspect wings are better for this, with wider wingspan but with lower front face width (thickness of front facing edge of foil) but perhaps there is a diminishing return or even negative return when it comes to increased surface area past a certain point with regard to drag.

I still have some time to figure this out but appreciate any input on this before considering any next moves for gear aquisition.

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Hdip said..
Post video of yourself paddling across the frame so we can see your paddle technique. If you're buying gear, buy the biggest KT or Code foils. They are proven to work.

Video will help detemine where you are at - I'd recommend going bigger than the KT and Code options for that initial lift-off. I've tried the Code 1540 and there are easier options for sure. The Axis 1310 and AK 2050 Plasma are possibly some of the easiest foils to paddle up for guys from 70-100kg. The AK pumps a bit better but both are awesome for learning. Match with 8'2 or longer board (longer allows more speed in displacement mode) and you are off to the races.

I haven't tried the Gong 3600 for flat paddle-ups but would imagine it's pretty tricky on in the lift off phase as it will toss you to one side unless you are perfectly balanced on it. The two foil options above also take some getting used to in this regard but totally manageable.

Anyone can learn it on the right gear, but it can take time, so just keep at it.

So many old clips of Jeremy riggs and crew paddling up the GT2600. Due to its characteristics its all about legs and not a great deal of paddle. Yes its very slow and draggy but considered to be the type of foil where all the flat water started.

They seem to just pump that sucker off the water in a few strokes.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will be looking at some of these foils as it could be the case that going as huge as possible might not have been the best move. I am not an engineer so take any numbers I throw out with a pepper flake but using the lift equation for a hydrofoil, my largest wing does not achieve enough lift to raise 100kg until its moving at over 7 mph which probably aint happening. Perhaps there is some "point of engagement" that a foil will hit when it is producing a certain percentage of the load in terms of lift but I doubt that would be something I would be able to find or figure out.

Bottom line is I think that while a smaller foil in the 1500 - 1800 cm2 range might not have as much lift potential, it can give enough lift for engagement, lots of videos to prove that, and maybe the smaller profile, narrower leading edge, shorter chord allows for better pump synchronation to align with the sine wave involved.

Most of the successful videos I have watched show a paddle rate of 95 to 120 strokes per minute in the take off phase with around 110 being the most common representing a frequency of 1.82 herz for the wave path. Reducing chord width, lowering surface area etc with a smaller foil might just be more conducive for this situation.

I am going to give the GT2600 another go as the center of lift aligns with the center of gravity with my board better than the giant gong but as I will never have Jeremy's or Toma's skill I might need to give something else a try pretty soon. The axis 1401 could be the one I will take a serious look at first but the others mentioned look like good possibilities as well. Thanks again!