This looks interesting.

Clever design! Go Pro mount is pretty slick too. DW paddle option is brilliant.

I'd be curious to see it fold up.

Also wish they had an angled front handle. It's subtle but I really think that's an important design element for comfort.

Impressive stress test. Exactly what I was looking to do to attach my paddle to my Mode, but the thicker heavier N weave just doesn't pack down as nice as my old V1 strike. Must be a lot harder on with the track on the strut.

Wing packdowns on the dw boards work best with 2.5-3m soft handle wings to keep the weight down and avoid folding windows or hard handles. Looks like a 5m in the video, a 6ft paddle with a 115sq in blade has a lot of influence over small light wings. The old strike is so much lighter/thinner and I can just crumple it up. No need to protect windows. Lately just been wearing my paddle on an inner tube strap Kalama/Riggs style. Works well especially for wing throws, plenty of time to draw your sword.

This is an interesting pack down, Saves a couple pounds of bag weight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6AQHhH8lCg

winddoctor wrote: ↑Sat Mar 09, 2024 1:30 pm Clever design! Go Pro mount is pretty slick too. DW paddle option is brilliant.

Do you have to use a screwdriver to get the paddle off?

You don't need a screwdriver to get the paddle off (see around 8 min in the North video - D-ring + velcro strap holds it to the mounts), however, you are left with two mounts on the wing once the paddle is off. At just after 7 min of the same video they talk about removing handles to avoid canopy damage. I'd be concerned the mounts would be liable to do the same. Would be interesting, as grantmac said, to see them fold it up, and on the water.

Smartang's video share seems particularly clever. I have zero DW paddling experience, but wing foiled briefly on of those DW boards. If one had a decent bag and bungee attachment points (which I don't think these boards generally have) is it not conceivable to get the wing on the board? Or that is too much of a pain with pumping/paddling dynamics and deck space? Thought is just to get it off the back, as that seems an annoyance (but perhaps it is less so than trying to get it on the board itself).

If you had a huge dw board and a foil that did not require too much pumping, then maybe? But I can promise, as a wind person the first time you're 2km offshore without windpower in overhead swell.... loss of words from my first deflate dw shocker ptsd.

Basically the same setup that you can calmly pack down and dance around on in flat water or organized swell will be dropping out from under you, board sinking and rolling, the paddle will feel like it's stuck in cement as your shaky legs struggle to stand up for more than a few seconds. Don't forget to pack a mini pump too as an out.

A wet wing and dry bag (which is heavier than you'd think) will weigh somewhere between 6-10 lbs. Pure swing weight, on a board that is already maxing out swing weight. For me, at 200lbs, the total rider + gear weight is somewhere around 250lbs (board, foil, wetsuit, vest, reel leash, wet wing, bag, pump, paddle, straps, helmet...) it's a lot to manage. And like I said, the board is already sitting much lower in turbulent water, so with only 16-20" width (less at the nose) that bag will drag.

I still think the best beginner training is wing throws in lake swell (pre req: flat water paddle ups), put a 1lb weight on the wrist leash, and just let it go. If you have a good dw board you'll pass the wing and be waiting for it whenever your legs give out from pumping. The ride back upwind should give your shoulders and legs enough rest for another go.

smartang wrote: ↑Mon Apr 01, 2024 8:14 am If you had a huge dw board and a foil that did not require too much pumping, then maybe?

That's what I figured. Was just trying to think outside the box, never having paddled onto a foil DW or flat water for that matter. Have paddled a bunch, just not with foils.

smartang wrote: ↑Mon Apr 01, 2024 8:14 amBut I can promise, as a wind person the first time you're 2km offshore without windpower in overhead swell.... loss of words from my first deflate dw shocker ptsd.

This is likely a reason I've not dove more into this. When I see that North advertising video I want to see what someone does when they get the paddle off the wing, pack up, and take off downwind. I feel it could be chaotic like you describe.

smartang wrote: ↑Mon Apr 01, 2024 8:14 amBasically the same setup that you can calmly pack down and dance around on in flat water or organized swell will be dropping out from under you, board sinking and rolling, the paddle will feel like it's stuck in cement as your shaky legs struggle to stand up for more than a few seconds. Don't forget to pack a mini pump too as an out.

A wet wing and dry bag (which is heavier than you'd think) will weigh somewhere between 6-10 lbs. Pure swing weight, on a board that is already maxing out swing weight. For me, at 200lbs, the total rider + gear weight is somewhere around 250lbs (board, foil, wetsuit, vest, reel leash, wet wing, bag, pump, paddle, straps, helmet...) it's a lot to manage. And like I said, the board is already sitting much lower in turbulent water, so with only 16-20" width (less at the nose) that bag will drag.

The visuals are great...this is not easy. That fellow who has the three bungees on the back of the lifejacket looks like a decent idea, but still not easy.

smartang wrote: ↑Mon Apr 01, 2024 8:14 am I still think the best beginner training is wing throws in lake swell (pre req: flat water paddle ups), put a 1lb weight on the wrist leash, and just let it go. If you have a good dw board you'll pass the wing and be waiting for it whenever your legs give out from pumping. The ride back upwind should give your shoulders and legs enough rest for another go.

This might be what I try but if the conditions are good I'll likely just wing. Didn't know what you first meant by 'wing throws' but now it is clear. I'll dig around more on this topic but do you know if one can one pump on flat water with an Armie HS1850/72 cm mast? or is that a waste of time even with a good DW board?

For wing throws (aka using the wing to get up on foil then letting it go). This is a good exercise for crap wind, if you don't want to do it when the wind is solid enough for winging. Crap = Where a gust might be strong enough to get on foil, but then you're fighting to stay up and can't really try anything stimulating winging. It will require a pumpable foil. Why not just paddle up? At my age/weight/fitness I really only have 5 good paddle ups in me before fatigue reduces my coordination to a point where I'm starting to fall on takeoff.

Dw boards, stingray paddles, dw foils are expensive. To the point where it makes more sense to get a foil drive and keep the gear you already have fun on.

winddoctor wrote: ↑Sat Mar 09, 2024 1:30 pm Clever design! Go Pro mount is pretty slick too. DW paddle option is brilliant.

Where in the video is the paddle option?

Atomic-Chomik wrote: ↑Thu Apr 11, 2024 4:40 pm

winddoctor wrote: ↑Sat Mar 09, 2024 1:30 pm Clever design! Go Pro mount is pretty slick too. DW paddle option is brilliant.

Where in the video is the paddle option?

8:07