Hi, I demoed a foil drive gen 2 setup the past days, a put together foil, board, and fd that was all new to me. I wing foiled the foil just to get a feel for it.
My question or problem is that my foot position for level comfortable powered flight was well forward of where my feet needed to be once I let off the throttle and tried to foil surf a wave. I found myself getting into a really awkward stance to make the transition easier.
Has anyone played with changing the angle of the motor, or wedging the mast angle of attack?
I watched other guys on the FD and they didn’t need to move their feet when switching from powered to free flight.
Hey,
Aren’t you are with the clayisland YouTube surf channel? Great channel.
I am a beginner, but will add my 2 cents…
Haven’t heard anybody change the angle of attack of the motor…
Maybe move motor up as much as possible .
Maybe don’t put the whole body forward, just place front foot more forward - wider stance
To me it feels like the motor is creating significant lift, similar to up elevator or shimming the tail up. I would guess the pod has a downward angle of incidence relative to the fuse.
I would think or want a neutral thrust angle that generates forward speed and I create the lift…
Rotational force might be what I’m feeling: When the thrust line is high above the wing and close to cg or center of lift. And probably more the thrust the effect is felt.
Angling the motor up/down can offset the force, so wondering if this is designed for, or the pod or sleeve is adjustable or installed incorrectly??
This seems like a plausible explanation. - lots of people using FoilDrive - if it acted this way with everyone they wouldn’t have the market share they have.
And how does one determine or verify a correct installation?
Back when I used tuttle I had an angle meter so I could install the same angle of attack every time, even if the “wrong” angle consistency is more adaptable than unknown and variable precision.
I tried finding any details on the angle of the motor and yet to find any…or said another way I suspect the install I had is off for me, and how do I correct it?
Howdy and welcome !! @Clayisland …Foil Drive has a good series on starting out with the Gen2 FD which includes : setup, launching and general riding technique which is very useful. The guy that refined this concept (Paul Martin) is about your weight too i reckon. Worth a watch to get the general gist…is a bit like foiling with a torquey motor…you have to stand farther forward to counter it and then feather your weight once your up to keep the board flat. You shouldnt need to shim anywhere unless your board has a ton of tail rocker or you like ( or need to tune) your foil wings.
K
Thanks, I watched his videos, he mentioned if setup incorrectly it can feel terrible, would love to hear an elaboration on what that means and what’s going on…
Yes, this specific group takes time for admins to approve…
Specifically the fdgen2 design puts most of the weight above the mast, not in the center of lift. Seems to me that it is problematic , that is why I am developing solution for middle of the board.
I talked with foil drive and was told the effect I’m feeling is proportional to wing size, so my normal much smaller surf wing should require less footwork during the transition. Also time on the water builds muscle memory and feels more natural.
