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How rideable is Sligshot Dwarf Craft?

 
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voy-tech

Since 08 Apr 2014
372 Posts
Seattle
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PostFri Mar 11, 16 4:36 pm    How rideable is Sligshot Dwarf Craft? Reply with quote

Hi, I'd like to slowly assemble a foil setup - but I'm reluctant in spending a large sum up front - so I was wondering how rideable is the the new Dwarf Craft 42" without the foil? Would it work as a skim/skate board in lighter winds or as a strapless board for HR? Or does it only make sense to ride it with a foil?
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stringy

Since 23 Jun 2006
1724 Posts
vancouver
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PostFri Mar 11, 16 5:05 pm     Reply with quote

while I have not tried it, I really don't think one can achieve success riding it without a foil. the bottom of the hull is significantly beveled. one look at the board and you can see it most likely wouldn't work but more importantly it probably wouldn't be fun.
OTOH, the LF happy pill will be hitting the market soon enough and this baord does look like a multi discipline type board. same with the cabrinha double agent.

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Sella

Since 21 Apr 2007
1794 Posts
Doin' The Dalles
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PostSat Mar 12, 16 9:35 am    Re: How rideable is Sligshot Dwarf Craft? Reply with quote

voy-tech wrote:
Hi, I'd like to slowly assemble a foil setup - but I'm reluctant in spending a large sum up front

Same reason why I opted for the StringFoil first.....for any board I chose. I like to call it "repurposing the garage collection". Very Happy

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voy-tech

Since 08 Apr 2014
372 Posts
Seattle
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PostSat Mar 12, 16 10:37 am     Reply with quote

stringy wrote:
while I have not tried it, I really don't think one can achieve success riding it without a foil. the bottom of the hull is significantly beveled. one look at the board and you can see it most likely wouldn't work but more importantly it probably wouldn't be fun.
OTOH, the LF happy pill will be hitting the market soon enough and this baord does look like a multi discipline type board. same with the cabrinha double agent.


Thanks - that's what I thought when looking at the few pictures there are of that board. I looked at Cab's Double Agent but the TT construction and thin edges look like a bad combo if I end up hitting the board with my legs on a wipeout. I was thinking about LF Foil Fish but read that it's not the best skim since it's too heavy. I didn't know about Happy Pill though - I'll take a look at that one.

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Matt V

Since 26 Oct 2014
462 Posts
Summer- OR Coast, Winter - My van near good snow
Explosive Diarrhea



PostSat Mar 12, 16 7:23 pm     Reply with quote

I love skimming though at my age and weight it is not the best fit. I do not kite too much with a skimboard but my LF KiteFish quiver is 5 boards strong with little to no fin placement difference between them. I am nearly officaly a KiteFishQuadFin rider with only 3 real surfboards to sell to become exclusivly a KiteFish rider.

Fins are what you want for a light air board. Super light air???? - hydrofoil. Fins are super important for making it upwind. Could go off topic on that but my experienced opinion is that finless, twin or directional, is worthless for kiting upwind. Fun though, especially for downwinders????that I don't do. But the hard fact is that a foiled fin (airplane wing shape - not flat like a skeg) is the most efficient means of generating lift (sideways) to get you up wind. A flat, convex, or concave board edge is not as efficient. You may still make it upwind, but a foiled fin will get you there quicker if you know how to side-load it. Experience windsurfing in the Midwest with 6.5m to 10.5m sails and a 40 to 55cm single fin will get you the experience you need.


Here is a comparison of my boards given my attempts at kiteless skimboarding (flatwater only though I fantasize about being fast enough to do waves).

Liquid force TwinSkim is a great skimboard and almost puts up with my weight (100kgs). It throws good but has a bit of weight to it so it is somewhat slower than a real foamie. When I hand it to kids (15 -25years) old to try it out, they love it and seem to always like it better than their wood boards. Edges are sharp and I am not thinking I would want it for a foil board though some have done just that with them.

Liquid Force KiteFish is not a skimboard. Nothing to do with the weight, but rather the rocker/V hull shape plus the round rails forward. The shape when you throw it just seems too narrow and long to make anything out of. I only get a ride out of it like 1 out of 5 throws and that is a short straight ride. My weight is probably orders of magnitude more detrimental to it skimming than any other variable. Honestly, it just sucks and I only try it once a year hoping for a recent change in the laws of physics or a glitch in the matrix.

Slotstick "Provac XXL" in S-glass is a dream to skim. It is sized for me, and along with the proper bottom shape, is an actual skimboard. It blows the TwinSkim out of the water for distance, feel, and not banging me up too bad (on the rare occasion I use it with a kite).

I do not skimboard with a kite very often anymore and log more hours skimboarding without a kite. But I am a huge skimboarding fan (without a kite), and just got done watching some vids of it. None of the stuff these kids are doing would I ever do more than just dream of. I really think skimboarding is harder than windsurfing or at least takes as much mental/physical capacity. I would pull down my kite just to watch an intermediate wave skimmer up close. I think I would even go on a diet and cut my kite time in half if I could wave skimboard at the level of YouTube worthiness.

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voy-tech

Since 08 Apr 2014
372 Posts
Seattle
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PostMon Mar 14, 16 7:48 am     Reply with quote

I'm not planning on actually skimboarding - I'd rather use a skimboard with the kite to play in lighter winds in the shallows and on Sauvie Island. But as far as a new board comes I'm primarily looking at something that can be used for strapless riding in HR (on lighter days) and something I could eventually convert to a foilboard - looks like the new lineup of Liquid Force boards might do the trick.
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stringy

Since 23 Jun 2006
1724 Posts
vancouver
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PostMon Mar 14, 16 8:13 am     Reply with quote

my first summer foiling I used the LF doum skim (strapless) for foiling. It's made of the same construction as the fish (compression molded) so can handle a baseplate style foil without having to reinforce the deck. Pepi has these at second wind and they are an affordable board. fun board without a foil, but yeah if you want to foil strapless, this board has good float and works well.


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voy-tech

Since 08 Apr 2014
372 Posts
Seattle
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PostMon Mar 14, 16 8:44 am     Reply with quote

stringy wrote:
my first summer foiling I used the LF doum skim (strapless) for foiling. It's made of the same construction as the fish (compression molded) so can handle a baseplate style foil without having to reinforce the deck. Pepi has these at second wind and they are an affordable board. fun board without a foil, but yeah if you want to foil strapless, this board has good float and works well.


Awesome - thanks for the suggestion - I'll stop by 2nd wind next time I'm in HR!

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Slappysan

Since 13 Jun 2012
308 Posts

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PostMon Mar 14, 16 9:26 am     Reply with quote

I have my LF foil attached to a LF Twinskim, you can pick them up used for $100 so if you want to save money just go that route. The board Stringy listed is more fun to ride without the foil as it has a small fin but it costs way more and is harder to find used.

When using boards like these for foiling I strongly recommend you put a handle across the mast inserts. I just cut holes in some 3/4" webbing and put my bolts through. This makes strapless foiling 100x easier being able to hold the board in position while setting up to dive the kite.

Another great option is the BRM Paipo from Greg. If I could only have one board this would be the one. It's hassle free and 100% fun. Greg uses it for his Stringy foil setup and ships them with a spot to drill your holes for your foil but I'm not sure how well it would ride without the foil with holes in it. They do cost $600 though, but so worth the price. I continue to use my Twinskim for my foil as I'm not willing to have holes in it for normal riding.

http://boardridingmaui.com/water-paipo.html

Another tip for using these low volume strapless boards for foiling: paint the top dayglow orange around the edge.

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stringy

Since 23 Jun 2006
1724 Posts
vancouver
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PostTue Mar 15, 16 6:09 am     Reply with quote

yes! the paipo is a great multi use board. little bit harder to fit in a golf bag due to the length, but you can use it in the surf, on the swell, flat water skim, and as a foilboard.
I've ridden it as a foil board and then taken the foil off and rode it in the surf. little weird having the water shoot up through the board but you can always just put some tape over the holes. that board is so bomber and beautiful, it's made with a wood core and has a solid rail. I ended up spraying the deck with monster traction spray so you could still see the deck.
as for foiling, keep in mind that this board doesn't have the best float. biggest issue will be if you are foiling in light winds and have to self rescue, this board will not be adequate as a life raft. that being said, its still an awesome board!

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K2

Since 30 Apr 2009
274 Posts
Hood River, OR
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PostTue Mar 15, 16 2:06 pm     Reply with quote

Everybody wants to use the foil boards Slingshot makes as a regular board but they're just not made for it. You wouldn't want to use a foil board as a regular board. I didn't read what other people wrote but the foil boards Slingshot makes have very soft rails and huge tracks on the bottoms of them. Not good for anything besides foiling.
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hshim

Since 20 Apr 2016
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UAE
 



PostWed Apr 20, 16 7:13 am    Pauli holes Reply with quote

stringy wrote:
yes! the paipo is a great multi use board. little bit harder to fit in a golf bag due to the length, but you can use it in the surf, on the swell, flat water skim, and as a foilboard.
I've ridden it as a foil board and then taken the foil off and rode it in the surf. little weird having the water shoot up through the board but you can always just put some tape over the holes. that board is so bomber and beautiful, it's made with a wood core and has a solid rail. I ended up spraying the deck with monster traction spray so you could still see the deck.
as for foiling, keep in mind that this board doesn't have the best float. biggest issue will be if you are foiling in light winds and have to self rescue, this board will not be adequate as a life raft. that being said, its still an awesome board!


Wrt the holes I went to the hardware store and bought some small dowel plugs which I cut to small pieces. I just put a little wax in the holes and bang the dowel pieces flush to the bottom of the Paipo when I want to uses it without the foil. When I want to reinsert the foil I just tap the screws threw the holes and pop out the doweling.

I've been torn about wanting to cut my Paipo down like Greg and his brother have done to reduce the swing weight and also make it easier to travel with but I like the multi usability of the Paipo in flat shallow water and medium waves. Guess I might have to buy one of those dwarf craft 42" boards from slingshot. Anyone try this board?

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stringy

Since 23 Jun 2006
1724 Posts
vancouver
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PostWed Apr 20, 16 7:34 pm    Re: Pauli holes Reply with quote

hshim wrote:


Wrt the holes I went to the hardware store and bought some small dowel plugs which I cut to small pieces. I just put a little wax in the holes and bang the dowel pieces flush to the bottom of the Paipo when I want to uses it without the foil. When I want to reinsert the foil I just tap the screws threw the holes and pop out the doweling.

I've been torn about wanting to cut my Paipo down like Greg and his brother have done to reduce the swing weight and also make it easier to travel with but I like the multi usability of the Paipo in flat shallow water and medium waves. Guess I might have to buy one of those dwarf craft 42" boards from slingshot. Anyone try this board?


I cut down my paipo and rode it today. took about 12" off the tail and its a great length for foiling. greg tried to talk me into cutting it down even smaller but I'm pretty happy with where its at. super fun riding it strapless.

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hshim

Since 20 Apr 2016
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UAE
 



PostWed Apr 20, 16 8:46 pm    Still ambivalent to cut the paipo Reply with quote

Hey Jim. Thanks for the reply. I still think some day I'll kick myself for not keeping the fins on the Paipo as I do ride in some areas where it's pretty shallow. Having said this I can't remember the last time I didn't ride my foil!

Also, have you found the cut Paipo significantly less buoyant? As it is, I find after some wipe outs the board takes a while to resurface.

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anders

Since 01 May 2012
107 Posts

Stoked



PostThu Apr 21, 16 7:14 am     Reply with quote

decent price to get started https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/spo/5548734749.html

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