Recently some of the crew had the chance to try out the new Lift efoil for onboard.
Here’s some interesting pictures!
The boys said there was a huge amount of flex in the mast, almost too much!!
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Savage! I’m sure lift will replace that though.
I assume this was from a grounding? And why the fourth wire? Doesn’t look like a tube for water cooling.
I do think it looks like water cooling, on this picture you can see they use a blue tube for water cooling:
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Ideally the fail point during a grounding would be something sacrificial rather that an expensive component as seen here. Break -away bolts for example…
It is the water-cooling tube. The lift foil has a inlet in the front motor clamp on the mast.
Yeap bang on there!, cooling tube for sure.
There was no grounding at all. Just a weak point! There was a lot of flex in the mast.
They were testing them to potentially purchase them, less than ideal conditions.
That doesn’t look like “full carbon construction” to me. Well, at least not my definition.
For a 12k product I would expect a better build quality.
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I agree with you. I would expect the to be a layup of carbon uni’s in there. Certainly hasn’t splintered like I would’ve expected
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The flex of carbon masts is a problem in windsurf foiling, too.
The result is the same.
When the mast is flexing there is much more load on the connection to the board as usual because the board is not moving with the mast.
Not good for them that it is all one part…
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Wow, thats surprising! I wonder wether there was a defect in the manufacturing of the mast? unlikely I guess. How did you find the lift board apart from the snapped mast? Good speed, power?
Wow, wonder how it broke? hit bottom or really hard turn?
I use that same blue water line for our system as well. Its a quality anti-kink, anti-crush, tight turning radius, and looks cool! See water line here guys: McMaster-Carr
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I’ve been trying to find what they use. What do you use for a quick connect?
I have not needed quick connect until just this week with an updated design im working on. I will be searching for one this week, as should you. Lets post here our findings!
Nice! thanks for sharing
I’m working on the high current connectors similar to Lift for easy disassembly of mast from board for transport. Quality connectors that are IP67 are insanely expensive $350 for 5 (two battery, 3 motor). But looking for similar but alternate solutions.
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i’m also working on some similar connectors, but also fairly pricely have you looked at Lemo?
At this point https://www.digikey.ca seems to have the high current connectors we need, they do sell Lemo also. Its a huge step up in quality and cost going from RC remote parts to real life certified parts thats for sure!
Regarding the waterproof connectors I received a few days ago mine from Weipu Connector Home - WEIPU They are really cheap, IP68, external diameter a bit less than 4cm so you can have them going between 2 us boxes, rated 50A per pin, and what is great is that the outside cable diameter is 16mm, so it will be possible to use 1 tube filled with silicone and our 3 AWG8 cables acting as the main cable.
The contact was excellent and fast with the company. But I still haven’t tried these connectors in real condition, I will use them for my new board that will be finished in a few weeks.
The contact at Weipu Connector was assist02@weipuconnector.com
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This is the same issue that affected North Kiteboarding (today Duotone) during Q4 2017 with their Speedster kitefoil… on the fuselage nose.
The cause is the chosen material. North KB call it “carbon compound”, F-one “forged carbon”. It is in fact small strands of carbon mixed with resin or polycarbonate. The industry wanted a cheap way to make carbon foils like surfboard fins by injection molding. Here is the result. North Kiteboarding didn’t trust this material for the mast strength and stiffness so the mast material is aluminium. However, fuselage and wings are today made like that.
F-one have been using the forged carbon technology since their 2015 line of product. They have been very cautious when using this material:
- high strain: for F wings and masts => 100% pre-preg carbon (possibly with thin forged carbon core) or 100% alu for other masts
- middle strain: for rear wings/stab => “forged carbon” cores into layer(s) of pre-preg carbon fabrics.
- low strain = 100% forged carbon => fuselage
Furthermore, Fone don’t have mast with integrated plates in their catalogue like Lift which concentrate a huge amount of strain in the perpendicular junction between mast and plate. They use the KF-box standard, possibly with a plate adaptor and don’t have to bother with hollow masts.