Hey ArthurAlston, thanks for the kind words! Shoot me an email greg@omenfoils.com and we'll see if there is someone nearby with a 60L you can take out for a rip
FranP, haha - striking right for our supple alabaster underbelly! As a company run by an engineer, marketing is not our strong suit and probably never will be. Marketing is also very expensive and time consuming and we are focusing both on making, continuously refining, and delivering the best possible gear. So far, word of mouth and grassroots movement have led to great and manageable growth for us. We truly believe we are making a better product for our niche and it seems people who try the gear agree and are happy to tell anyone who will listen! That being said, if you have any thoughts on how to better increase the outreach of content like Mac's board awards I'd love to hear it! Haven't engaged much with the message boards as I don't want to spam what should be a place for community discussion with promotional material. Also interested to hear yours and others feedback on how the website could be improved. It's something we did ourselves so easy to make tweaks if there are elements to change that would better showcase the "magic" of our gear.
5L5, right now it's just ordering through the website for Aus. That being said we charge a flat rate for shipping so it's no more expensive there than anywhere else. Due to high demand and limited production capacity each month since the boards are make by hand in Appletree's facility we are shipping all our web sales direct from Portugal.
Likewise FoilWays, shoot me an email and depending where you are I'll see what I can setup.
Stoked you are loving the board from the first session CFLKiter! It will only get better :) I think the fact that our boards can be downsized so much from anything else available has been the core of what has driven interest. Buttery touchdown recovery, rail clearance, and the response + longevity provided by the Appletree construction are all key features as well but "doing more with less" is at the core of everything we are trying to achieve with Omen and is seeming to really resonate with like minded folks/early adopters of our foil system.
On the inserts having a centralized track is something that is often requested, however I'm a strong believer in the offset stance for foiling for a number of reasons. We also often get asked for boards without inserts so keeping the inserts very minimal has been a good balance between keeping the boards very light without removing the option for straps. A point to note, is that only one "centreline straps" advocate who has bought our board has ever stuck to their guns, the rest have happily transitioned to an offset stance after their first session trying it out :)
Took the 48l out yesterday with my p125 on a solid 20 knt side shore downwind run and can confirm I continue to be stoked on this board. It takes off so easy that I will be downsizing wings sooner than my previous Armstrong 60l FG. The narrow outline allows for super hard carves on the wave face. And the board just skips off the surface on touch down. Stoked.
Forgot to mention that I was doing wing drops on the first light wind day on the Flux and I was really impressed with how well it pumps. It's the closest I have come to pumping back out to the wing after my wave. Very connected feel to the foil.
looking forward to getting some prone sessions in soon.
I'm 95kg looking for a one board quiver to use most days- considering the 70L Flux or maybe 60L as my first true sinker being on 5-0/90L/25w board now. I'm typically in pretty rough conditions, lots of water moving and want performance in bumps/waves/DW with easy no sweat pop ups. Think the Omen website recommends 60% body weight, but I'm nervous w/ no demo opportunities biting off more than I can chew in one bite going to the 60L, and not sure if the extra 10L would help or hurt me.
Re shims. It really is remarkable what a difference this can make. After riding a foil for a month and being happy but not always feeling completely comfortable/dialed in w/ too much back foot needed, I spontaneously threw on a .5 degree + shim and felt like I had a new more balanced foil. It really is worth taking the time to dial in your equipment, but once I can see water, I just want to go- my attention span to mess with it disappears.
I weigh 85kg and I have found the 48l easier to start then my 60l Armstrong FG. Slightly more technical as you have to know how to get it to the surface but this shape makes that easy. Once on the surface it accelerates onto foil way easier then the old bar of soap shape that the FG was rocking. It's really quite shocking how little pumping is required to get into foil, pretty much sheet in and go.
If you want a smaller board and are willing to take the time to figure out the technique you can definitely go a size smaller with the flux then you think. It's not hard if you have already mastered the stinkbug start.
I would like to try the 40l as I think I could probably start it in similar light wind to the 48.
I have the 60L and the 84L. I'm 100kg and more with wetsuit and gear. I can get the 60L up in flattish waters and 20 knot gusts. It takes a few sessions to get comfortable. It is tippy at my advanced weight. Once the puff hits and the board starts skimming, I stand up and I'm up on foil almost instantly. It's awesome while up. But if the wind drops, I have to swim back or ride rodeo style at 0.1 mph. The 84L is much easier for me to slog on my knees and gets up in lighter winds. I still can't slog while standing though unless there is enough wind but at that point the thing gets up so easily on foil that there's no time to slog. Great, fun boards.
Correction, I weigh 90 kg not 85.
The 48l Flux is going to be my one board quiver. That's not something I thought I would be saying a year ago. But this board easily gets going in the same conditions as my previous 60l Armstrong FG. And it does so with less effort.
Some tips that allow this board to work in the lighter conditions. It's definitely a sinker at my weight. In light wind it can be difficult to get it to the surface while on my knees. So an adjustment from my Armstrong 60l is I don't wait to stand until it's on the surface, I wait till I have a gust and feel tension in the wing. Then I get to my feet and pump more vertical at first to unweight the board and bring it to the surface. Once on the surface it normally takes off on its own, but if it's marginal switching to a normal pump cadence and making sure to drive that power forward with your feet(don't absorb the pump by bending your knees too much) and this board accelerates very quickly.
You have more power in the wing when standing so hanging out on your knees too long will make it harder to start when it's light. And the 48l has been very stable for me when under water in a sunken position. I still stink bug start, but I often get to my feet before the board is on the surface now.
No experience with the Flux, but have shaped one that's fairly similar a while back (45l, 5'0x20" and similar outline with the wide tail; not as aggressive rails and more nose rocker). Imo the impact of the wide tail on such a slightly longer board is overlooked. As soon as you get a bit of speed while kneeling, that tail starts to lift your board to the surface. I won't go back to pin tails any time soon on smaller boards. Don't know why other brands all go for pin tails with their new mid-lenghts.
Appreciated Greg, NicoDC, Martian, CFLKiter. With all the really great feedback- think I'm fairly settled on 72L.
"Buttery touchdown recovery, rail clearance, and the response + longevity provided by the Appletree construction are all key features"
I just got a 72 liter for my 6'7"/110kg body. Early days, but I can confirm this is not hyperbole. I am in love, and I can't wait for more days on it
Put some straps on the 48l Flux today. Can confirm the offset straps are fine. Had a fun session even guessed the mast and foot strap position on my first try. The Flux jumps and lands really nicely. Continue to be very happy with this board.
ps Greg, would still like to have the option for center line straps, but I am probably usually offset when strapless anyway so the adjustment was immediate.
I'm having trouble understanding how these offset straps work. I can't find a single picture out there showing the Flux with the rear straps installed. Does it mean you need two rear straps side by side? Can someone please shed some light or post a pic?
I'm a foot-switching, winger and I currently ride the 48L Flux so I thought I'd chime in on my experience.
I was previously riding a board with a proper front v-strap setup and a centerline rear strap. This setup (Axis Froth) has my front foot pointing forward as opposed to perpendicular to the board's centerline:
At over 24" wide, I got very comfortable with the footstrap orientation and swapping my feet.
For my first few sessions on the 48L Flux, I was a bit skeptical of the front footstrap orientation as well as the offset rear.
After a few sessions, I came to the conclusion that the offset rear is fine but that the front needed attention. I put the board away for a while and even contemplated selling but I decided not to (glad I didn't). I am fine to ride with my back foot out of the back strap when riding goofy (I'm regular) but I needed something for my front foot so I got creative.
I don't do airs riding goofy so the minimal strap works just fine. Footswapping on a 19.5" wide board takes a bit of practice but I'm at the point now where I have a pretty high success rate.
While the strap inserts may be a deal breaker for some, I was able to adapt and I'm glad I did as this board is great for riding waves and doing the occasional air.
I personally like the this setup. A centerline hole for the front strap back hole and offset in the rear.
This lets me get my front foot a little more over the center line, without having the straps too wide open which can lead to getting stuck.
With the stock setup I found when I shifted my weight to my front foot when dropping down a wave I was a little heavy on the heel side rail, and harder to set up a downwind turn. This feels just right. The back strap stock location was perfect for me
and would be a bit lighter if all the offset front strap holes weren't there.....
Depends a bit on the foil also. With a long high aspect foil more offset is required to get it roll into a a turn.
The Omen operator is really easy to roll into a turn so like the slightly more over the centerline stance for that foil.
and if you haven't tried the operator, you should :)