I had already ordered from Totti when the AEON announcement came out - but now the choice to be made is even greater
I am the same as you. I ordered the foil and now I am scratching my head wondering what is best for me. News is supposed to come out this week as to what exactly is in the "foil sets"
I should also say that the unavoidable flat shape under the front of any inflatable board can stick when it comes back down onto the water. So unlike the engineered shape of a good hard foil board with an inflatable board there is a element of luck. You could come down and the nose hits the top of a bit of chop and bounces right back up again but it could also come down between waves and stick and slow you right down so you get catapulted over the front.
I used to have the novenove duo. I got it partly so it would be easier to take on holidays abroad but also I could teach people to foil without worrying about them bashing the nose.
it did what it was supposed to. It is quite heavy and while in a straight line that doesn't matter I could feel the weight pulling the board down while gybing.
When dropping down the board bounces off the water. I made a video here -
In summary it was certainly possible to fly but no where near as nice as a hard board.
You could have both panels replaced by just one panel to keep the cost down. That is a flat seam so it would make no difference to the performance. In the UK is would cost 90€ to replace as one panel or about 120€ for replacing both panels.
I recently did a similar repair. You can ask the sail repairer if he can put the black stripe on the yellow film. they can do that easily with insignia tape.
here is a review I have done on the Patrik Foil-comp 78 -
This is a new board for 2022. Before I continue with the review I would like to point out that this board is made in the Patrik factory in Ukraine. While our thoughts are for everyone in Ukraine they are particularly for the employees at the factory and their families.
This board is unmistakably made as a competition board with its sights firmly set at PWA highwind foil slalom, however this review is not done in a competitive environment and is more of a comparison to other foil boards. It may help if this review is read in conjunction with my review on the Foil- Comp 91. I have used the board from over powered with a 4.2 (30 kts) to marginal “gust hunting” with a 7.0. I have used the board with an AFS W95 with R810 and R660 wings.
First impressions – From above the board looks very much like a scaled down version of its big brother the Foil-comp 91 which was released in 2021 and a board I have spent a lot of time on. Compared to the 91 it does have an extra row of inserts for the back strap. The two rows are only about 2cm apart so it is for fine tuning rather than offering an inboard or outboard rear strap option. The front strap is the same as on the 91 – allowing you to alter the angle of the strap to suit your sailing stance. The mast track is recessed the same as the bigger boards and also the same distance from the tail/foil.
Flip to board over and you immediately notice the size of the cut outs, they are massive. The cut outs extend right up to underneath the front footstraps.
Length – 209cm, width 78cm, volume 145 ltrs
On the water – Being used to the Foil-comp 91 the board feels very familiar. It is stable to uphaul and sail along waiting for a gust. As you would expect from the volume there are no issues with the board supporting the heaviest of sailors at rest. Getting the board to the water in strong winds is a bit more manageable than with a bigger board. The cutaways at the tail make it easier to grip.
Getting flying – The board offers plenty of support allowing you to get into the front strap early. When you have plenty of sail power the board releases without any effort. You can hardly feel the release, this is where the large cutouts come in. Due the very small surface area under the tail it is easy to initiate the take off with slight back foot pressure. When there is less sail power and you have to accelerate to take off speed the cutouts are noticeable. In light winds I try to get a gust in the wind to coincide with a slight downslope in the chop (no water is ever truly flat). I pump the sail and the board accelerates a bit, pump it a bit more and it is like the board changes gear and the acceleration increases. It is the board riding up onto the steps in the cut out and it is just like changing gear in a car.I think it is important to use an efficient high aspect wing that will allow the board to accelerate and not to act like a brake. The result is that the board will fly early in light winds but you would be missing so much potential if you are passive about your take offs.
In flight – The board is comfortable in flight as it should be considering all the footstrap fine tuning options. The ride is comfortable and controlled at all angles to the wind. The lowered mast track position helps steady the flight. As you would expect with 78cm width the board will not point as high into the wind as it’s bigger brother the 91cm. Interestingly for competition use the board is recommended for sails up to only 6.5 while I found it very comfortable with a 7.0 and it would probably take a 7.5. But I guess the recommendation comes from the fact that at the top level a wider board would be faster once you are onto 7.0+ sails.
Gybeing – The board is easy enough to gybe whether you are overpowered with a small wave sail or powering into the turns with a large race sail. Height corrections are easy and predictable. When gybing in rough water you have to accept a few touches with the top of the chop otherwise you risk over-foiling and this is one of the most noticeable features of the board. On most boards you feel every touch sucking at your speed and momentum but on the Foil-Comp 78 you can hardly feel them. It doesn’t matter if the touch is a “flat skim” or if a wave tries to grab a rail while the board is banked over, the board carries on regardless. The result is you can gybe at a lower/safer height without paying a “speed out of the gybe” penalty.It is not a small board so it doesn’t have that nimble feeling of a small foil board but what it offers instead is a stable and predictable platform from which to push your foiling into higher winds
Overall – The Foil Comp 78 at 145 ltrs might have the volume of other boards that you consider as light wind foil boards but the 78 is so much more. Undoubtedly this board will be competitively quick around a slalom race course at PWA level but the board offers high wind comfort and control to average ability sailors. It could easily be a one foil board for anyone intent on foiling across a wide range of wind strengths. The only area where it could be bettered is in the light wind super efficient style of foiling with large foil race sails, that is where it’s big brothers come in.
In conclusion the take away impression of the Foil-comp 78 is that it showcases just how effective cutaways under the board can be and in that department few designers can match Patrik.
Hi
Today I got to try my new Patrik Foil-comp 78. A lot of the time it didn't feel greatly different to my foil-comp 91. Both boards have a familiar feel. The areas where I did notice a difference is the 78 doesn't point as high into the wind as the 91, just as you would expect. The other difference was the way the tail of the board interacted with the water. When getting flying it is hard to tell when the board actually leaves the water. The transition is very smooth. Likewise if you catch the tail coming out of a gybe it doesn't slow the board down. The board just carries on.
Does the SeaLion plane on flat water (even if slow)?
Straight line paddling on flat water: Is the length much too small / too much rocker? I don't do daytrips on flatwater, rather short paddling for an hour or so.
Would you think it's okay to start wind / wing foiling in it? Or too hard & rather frustrating?
Durability: Is it more durable than a usual windsurf board? As family board and with two small kids the board has to take a lot.
Yes, the board will plane. Its not the sort of board you want to put a big heavy rig on to try to force it to plane in light winds. You are best to stick with sail up to 6.0. It will skim along quite happily.
At 8'6" the board does track. While maybe not the ideal sup touring board it is a lot better than my current naish crossover which does not want to go in a straight line. The rails of the sea line are quite parallel which maybe why it tracks ok.
Yes you can foil it - it suits a medium to low aspect foil ie one with plenty of lift at low speed. If you wanted a foil to try both wind and wing foiling then don't go too big with the front wing. Ie if you used a 2000cm2 wing it might be fine for winging but you would loose control if you put a sail on the board. So go for a 1300- 1500 wing as a dual purpose foil of have two wings.
Durability? I never damaged the one I had. Probably the fact they have handles makes them easier to carry about without dropping them. And it is not the sort of board that you tend to go out on over powered so catapults should be rare.
The main point of the board is that there is no excuse not to be on it on the water. All you have to do is decide whether it is going to be the wind or a paddle that makes it go.
The retro colours are a bit of a insult to all the brands who research each years "in colours" and I kind of like that.
I had the 8'6" sealion wings and for this summer I have a sealion wings 9' on order.
I am 95kg and I got the sealion 8'6" for a bit of surf suping and occasional wind foiling. But I found the board a bit small for supping. It was frustrating trying to stay on it to catch waves so I ended up just surfing it and leaving the paddle on the beach. It rode the waves surprisingly well with the big "fish tail" doing nice bottom turns.
I did wind foil it a bit but I prefer dedicated windfoil boards. I like my foot straps. It flew fine once up but it isn't the earliest to fly board. There is quite a lot of board behind the foil making it harder to pump the foil. There is also quite a lot of rocker in the board so it does not glide quickly.
So there are compromises there but it is a board you can take to the beach then set it up in a lot of ways to have fun at the beach. It makes a nice light wind wave board for windsurfing. There is so much you can do with the board but in many areas it can not match the performance of a dedicated board. It does let you have one board instead of 3 boards.
Please ask any questions you want.
Funny - I have similar oders @Totti for 2022, too - but everything regarding delivery is beyond safety. We have to wait (and to hope for it)
-the 2022 Foil-Comp 91 and the Foil-Speed 78, too
-a 6.0 Foil S2 and a 5.0 Race SF (or alternatively a 5.4 S2)
long omikron winter to go till march, with my best regards, Boris
Yes, the best thing is for us to be happy with the equipment we have.
Have a good Christmas
The 5.4 foil sail looks a lot fuller than my foil+ sails, looser leach too. I have the 6.6, 7.2 and 7.8 pre-ordered. I will have to wait until June to get them. I have a foil-comp 78 on order as well to put them on. Although the 7.8 may well get used with my Foil comp 91v2 as well. So exciting stuff for next year. After 40 years of windsurfing you would think I would not get so excited by new toys.
Here at my local beaches in Scotland we are always a bit backwards. It is
Kite 10%
W.ing 10%
wind 80%
But in England the wingers outnumber the windsurfers and kitesurfers put together.
I.am just back from Costa Brava where they usualy hold the pwa slalom and it was
60% kite
30 % wind
10% wing
I.have had a wing for over a year but I hardly use it.
Make a sail yourself here is how - https://sailrepair.co.uk/making-a-sail/
I would rather teach someone to make a sail than actually make them a sail myself.
5 Oceans are the wave sail line of demon sails, both made by Matthew in small numbers. The 5 Oceans wave sails were a similar price to mainstream big brands.
When designing a sail you need to design it to be made in the far east or in Europe. By that I mean if you are making a sail in Europe you will tend to keep things simple to help with construction - think back to sails made in the early 90's. But if making a sail in China construction considerations are much less since you have 5 people working on a small part of the sail using small pieces.
A lot of sailmakers have found they make more money making "architectural sails" the things that shelter you from the sun / rain in pub gardens etc.
I hope my posts translate ok, and apologies for not being able to post in German.
I could do it but I would try to talk you out of it. How do you know there isn't a sail out there that you would prefer? If we all had the same sail every time we would still be sailing dacron triangles.
But to answer you question the sail would have to be taken apart and that takes longer than putting a new one together.
As well as repairing sails I alter sails for people and make custom one off sails. A while back I stopped making custom sails as I prefer just making "concept sails" for myself and put my design thought into helping Bouke with the Witchcraft sails. I only make a sail if I can't find what I want. I like making sails but I'd rather be windsurfing.
I have made a video of my Patrik kit in light winds - I am getting going very early with my 9.0 and once flying it just keeps going.
I have used my PD125 now with sails from 4.7 to 7.0 and it is a very easy board.
I used the 8.0 for the first time this evening. As usual the wind disappeared as soon as I got on the water. The sail is a lot flatter than I am used to. I did get flying but it was one of those days where you fly for 500m until you run out of wind. The sail certainly kept going in the light winds. I thought it was going to be windier so I had put the mast foot forward a bit but that was probably a mistake due to the rig being heavier to what I am used to. The sail rotated easily. Gybing was tricky due to a combination of the light winds (most gybes would have been in about 6 kts of wind) the heavier sail and my mast foot further forward. I lost height quite quickly and had to pump out of the gybe to keep the speed up.
My initial main impression is of the sail standing there cutting efficiently through the air with seemingly very little movement of the sail.
The Maverx masts do add a little bit more power to NP sails. the two work well together in effect it is similar to rigging a NP sail on a NP mast but with 1cm less downhaul. Some heavier sailors prefer it while some lighter sailors may find they loose some top end from the sail but gain some light wind power.
The 8.0 Patrik rigs as I would expect it 
Hi
I. only used it on the maverx and I accept it might be better on a NP mast. the normal V8 works well on the maverx mast but not the V8 flight.
I sold the sails and the person who now has the 8.0 finds the rotation sticky and he has a NP mast.
I have had s NP V8 flight 7.0 and 8.0 and in the end I decided they did not suit the gusty conditions I often foil in. You can see my full report here - https://sailrepair.co.uk/neil-pryde-v8-flight-review/
yes, I am using a Maverx mast which is a bit thinner than a patriK mast. I have the patrik 520 for my 9.0 but I have not rigged that yet .
I. am also finding that my mast extension is set 2cm shorter than recommended. I must say I don't like using such a long extension as I worry it stresses the base of the mast. I am using a chinook carbon extension but I have a Patrik "extendor" of 40cm and I am wondering if I would be better using the extender +5cm of extension rather than the looser fitting extension set at 45cm.
