Shortboard Hydrofoils

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by fins » Wed Jul 03, 2013 7:38 pm

.... that is VERY helpful , practical info ! .... thanks very much , Al !

It will be interesting to see in the future , with for instance , one of your boards [like josh's] , with a couple of smallish fin boxes and smaller winged keels , set apart , how the difference would be ...not just in weight , but also possibly , in terms of manoevrability , and getting 'into' [? 'fitting' into ?] the wave [?? more easily?] ...only time and further testing will tell eh ?

it would be nice to have another 'el mysteriouso' or your 'vanguard' , already set up with 'inline' fin boxes , eh ?

like so , but with two winged tips on the fins .....

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.....then , all Brett would need to do is modify the bases ['? struts"?] , to fit his two winged ones , into finboxes

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....or....

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by SURFFOILS » Thu Aug 08, 2013 1:58 pm

Sorry I lost all of my previous photobucket pics from the day Alex rode the board so I'm just posting them again and hoping they'll stay.

On the 11th June, 2013 at Curl Curl Beach.

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Its clearly riding above the water and the struts are only 8 inches high, it can easily ride higher by using longer struts.

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Alex was having a great time working the foils out, he even stalls for the occasional tube...

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The waves weren't huge but that's what was on offer today. Face height about 4-5 foot.

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Alex was surfing, I was in the water with the GoPro and Adam Rowlinson got these and a ton more pics from the beach.

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From the post-surf discussion its clear the hydrofoils lift with ease and are smooth and are as fast as any other surfboard, there's a definite difference in performance and feel.

Alex is keen to get bigger waves and more power so he can get into full cutbacks and see how fast the foils can go.

All thanks to Alex Budlevskis for having the time and courage to ride an experimental surfcraft and Adam Rowlinson for manning the cameras.

There is a new board and a new foil on the way.

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by fins » Thu Aug 08, 2013 6:34 pm

cool !

what do you think of the inline single fin idea , Brett, with your winged tips ?

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by ULTIMATS » Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:00 pm

Hydrofoils are good but what about surfmats Ben ? :-D-:
More Innovative Surfmat Building here......

http://ultimatsau.blogspot.com.au/

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by SURFFOILS » Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:05 pm

Ben, the pics disappeared completely from Photobucket but I had them backed up and I thought they were worth showing to prove how it rides, the next board will be heaps better.
Because theres only the foil in the water it needs to have at least 24 inches of length front to back for stability.
it could be that one long foil is the way to go but i think the inline fins is a good idea too, probably better. All the theory needs to be tested and I'm a bit snowed in with work and personal crap at the moment but I will get back to the foils soon enough.
Are you coming back to Sydney any time soon ?

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by fins » Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:33 pm

sydney ?

not that I know of...

how did you arrive at the 24" length measurement , mate ?


cheers

ben

.....surfmats , 'ultimats' ?? were you a sways lurker ? .....the name rings a bell [reminds me of a 'quasimodo' joke ....something about a 'dead ringer'?? [I'll have to write it down one day , so I can remember it properly , eh !...]

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by SURFFOILS » Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:07 pm

Hi Ben, I only arrived at that length because Al could ride the last foil which was 24" but he said it felt a bit unstable, so I think a good yardstick would be to keep future foils 24 " or longer.

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by fins » Thu Aug 08, 2013 11:27 pm

..... and , what is the depth ?? [and , ditto ...how did you arrive at THAT measurement ?]


It really would be interesting [to me , anyway !] to see footage of how captain Al caveman goes with an inline 'hydrofoil' setup , and ....with less than that 24" 'wheelbase' , too, I think ? ....

speaking of fins , I'm getting some interest and encouraging feedback at 2nd light , on my fin 'tinkerings' , glad to say !

[....you now how it is , when you put all that time and effort into taking , editing , and posting photos and sharing stuff , eh ?!]

cheers !

ben

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by SURFFOILS » Fri Aug 09, 2013 1:40 pm

Some things have to remain a mystery Ben, I can't tell you all my secrets ! :shock:
Yes, 2ndlights got 70 000 members or similar and it is nice to get some feedback after posting time and time again.

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by SURFFOILS » Wed Aug 21, 2013 2:13 pm

Up turned wingtips give smooth turns and down turned tip give hold so I'm going to try both on a hydrofoil.

60 degree angle, 13sq in area, 2.5 mm thick

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Attached to the front foil. Side view.

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by fins » Wed Aug 21, 2013 2:26 pm

..... cool !

will these be used [now , or in 'the future' , maybe ? ] in the surfboard that Al previously test rode the 'yellow metal bar ones' in , Brett ??

...if so , is there any chance of a photo of when they are mounted on the board , please ?

cheers !

ben

good to see the creating continuing .... good on ya , mate !

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by SURFFOILS » Wed Aug 21, 2013 6:18 pm

Sure Ben, after suitable testing its all possible. Looking forward to getting some good waves on this prototype to see how the theories stack up in real waves.

Image

Funny story, over the past 3 weeks Ive had my photobucket account hacked and most pics lost, a guy in the US has been threatening me with legal action for infringing on his hydrofoil design and Ive been getting anonymous hate mail, probably from the same idiot.
I didnt know how excited people can get over a bit of fun.

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by SURFFOILS » Tue Aug 27, 2013 1:58 pm

Took this complex version out today just to check a few things.

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Sometimes you need a break between sessions and have some time to mentally digest the feedback and how it relates to the next design. But a concave front foil isn't the best way to go and neither are 90 deg fins.
The V shaped section at the back is really smooth to ride.
Here's tomorrow's setup...

Convex foil at front and flat foil at back with tips turned up (10 deg) and down (60 deg).

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I might look at joining the up and own tips together onto a vertical strut like this...

Image

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by fins » Tue Aug 27, 2013 5:40 pm

" But a concave front foil isn't the best way to go and neither are 90 deg fins. "


and , WHY is that , mate ?


Can you let us know if the boog goes 'better ' with the fins together , or spread apart , please ?


once it is on a surfboard , with Al captain caveman again test piloting it , I'm guessing you might find a few more people commenting on the foils , I reckon ... well, hopefully , anyway ....

cheers

ben

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by SURFFOILS » Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:00 pm

Hi Ben,
You get the highest lift from a horizontal surface and with the concave foil the side-tips are already pointing down, when you turn, those tips are pointing further down and giving less lift.
But a convex foil has up-turned tips. When you turn, the inside tip becomes more horizontal, and continues to return lift and gives a steadier ride.
The 90 degree fins lose their grip for the same reason, they need a bit of cant to continue hold over a wider range of angles.
I will certainly try moving the foils closer and further apart to see what's best, for prone I reckon closer (~18 inches apart) is best but when Captain Caveman gets another go I think the foils will be further apart for stability.
Another hard thing is to make a board that can accommodate movable foil setups. If the foils were going to sit in just one position it would be simple.
The shortboards glassed and ready to go but I haven't installed any support mechanism as I don't know what configuration the foils will be.
It'd be nice to hear other people offer advice or encouragement, or even flick monkey shit thru the bars at me...
But the Views number tells me they're out there watching, always watching....
Last edited by SURFFOILS on Tue Aug 27, 2013 7:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by fins » Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:19 pm

how did the test ride go , get any rideable waves , brett ?

did you manage to get the 'foils' to lift out of the water , when on a wave ?!

cheers

ben
Last edited by fins on Tue Aug 27, 2013 7:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by SURFFOILS » Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:35 pm

The surf was terrible, but warm, about 2 foot faces and I took that setup out just to reconsider a few performance aspects.
When you take out anything in 6 foot barreling surf,it works.
But its when you take something out in crap waves that the weaknesses show up.
The foils lifted easily enough but the overall performance isn't as good as other setups, I document how each setup goes and save the foils so I can bring them back if needed.
Its becoming a lifestyle now :-D-:

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Re: Shortboard Hydrofoils

Post by fins » Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:39 pm

" Another hard thing is to make a board that can accommodate movable foil setups. If the foils were going to sit in just one position it would be simple. "

two 18" long finboxes , inline setup , set at least 10" to maybe 20" [?plus?] , apart

piece o' piss , mate

:)

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