Surfdocsteve Perspective on Cloud9, F-One, Unifoil and Ono Foils

Intro

I started foiling in 2017. Since then, I have had well over 40 foils. The sport is young and progressing at a rapid rate right now. I am constantly seeking a foil that will make me a better foiler while trying to improve my skill. Ironically, I am at the age where things are getting harder to do. I therefore seek to find foils that make up for my faults. These are my top picks for foil surfing right now. Each wing is selected because it enhances my ability to do certain things. The comparisons I will mention will be mixed in, so it would be best to read the whole article and then circle back to what you think is for you.  Each opinion is for that wing and size, not the whole series. Here are a few caveats first.

There is no perfect wing.

 I can pump to a second wave about 70% of the time unless conditions are poor.

 I am 145 Lbs.

I prefer wings in the 800cm range, they just seem to fit my style, weight, and ability.

Please feel free to email me with any questions. Surfdocsteve@foilsurfing.net

BEST ONE WING SET-UP
CLOUD-9 FS850 with FS157 Tail

If you could have one set-up, what would it be? I get asked this question a lot. People that know me will be able to predict my choice. I have consistently answered Cloud-9. I have been a fan of Cloud-9 wings since the beginning. The design has always been different, and they look cool. That is not why I like them. It is because I love the way they ride. Is it the best wing? Yes and no. I will explain. Pumping is something I have never been that good at. I know the technique, but my form breaks down rapidly with my endurance. I need a wing that makes up for that. Cloud-9 does this for me, but is it the best at pumping in this size category? No, the Progression Project is the best at that easily. Is Cloud-9 the second best? Yes. The FS850 has a great low-end glide which helps pumping. It has amazing high-end speed, but is it the fastest? No, the Ono foil is the top in these for picks.  The Cloud-9 is great at every aspect of foiling. Pump, glide, turning and speed are top tier on this foil. The build quality is excellent as well. It is not the best of any of these, but overall, it outranks all the others. If you cannot afford multiple brands, then I have no apprehension suggesting this brand as your one choice. If I do not know what to take out for a foiling session, then I reach for my FS850 knowing that I can handle any condition with it. Also, Cloud-9 is the only system that allows you to change the tail position with just two bolts. This is important because if it is big out, I can lengthen the fuselage length to stabilize the foil. Conversely, I can shorten the fuselage length if it is small to make the foil more playful and turn better. The system provides over 20mm of variation in tail distances. All these things make it my one wing quiver top choice.

BEST SURF STYLE WING SET-UP
F-ONE SK8-850 with 180 XXS Carve Tail

This is my latest acquisition. I have not had many sessions on this wing but the few sessions on it have proven it to be my choice for surf style foiling. The very first wave on this wing I just laid it on edge and power carved through a turn. No yaw or pitch issues! The conditions were far from smooth, so it was not due to that. I was amazed. I then was able to do a round house cut back into the oncoming foam of a wave, which I had never done before. The wing felt solid, like it was on rails. I wish I had a video of it. The stability of this wing matched what I felt on my Mike’s Lab 800, but it actually turns better since the fuselage length was 62.2cm.  The SK8 has the smallest wingspan of the group at 82.4cm so this may be the reason that it turns so well and feels more stable. The chord length at the fuselage is 13mm, which is tied with the Ono M800, but it maintains the chord for more of the wingspan than the Ono. The dihedral on this wing is unique from the others. Pumping on this wing requires a lot more effort but if you are good, you can do it. I let a pro-level foiler, who rides for another brand, try my set-up and watched him pump all over the place and tear up the waves on it immediately. He was impressed with the wing.  I have had surf style wings before but none as good as the SK8 850 and if you goal is to do more radical foiling on the waves then this is your wing.

BEST CRUISING MELLOW CONDITIONS
UNIFOIL PROGRESSION PROJECT 140 with 33cm fuse and Shiv 13 tail (1+ shim)

This wing has been hyped a lot. I was excited to get this wing. I already knew the above set-up was the proper one from Instagram and paying attention to how other foilers were tuning it. What is the best thing about this wing? The low-end glide is really amazing. You can slow this wing down and it will still glide. The stall point is low, and this makes recovery easier. I find on this wing that I can pump longer since I can slow things down and even take a breather and just let it glide.  It is the biggest wing in cm2 of this group, but I have had bigger wings that do not have as good a low-end stall speed. This wing is wide at 89.5 cm, second only to the Ono at 90.5cm. The increased chord of 14cm at the fuselage, along with that chord being slowly tapered over the wingspan, allows it to have such a low-end stall speed. It also requires one to slow down in order to make a more radical turn. You can feel the width of the wing in the turns if you have too much speed. All these attributes make this a great wing for mellow waves. You can pump around at a moderate speed, turning and having fun. Keeping it in this speed range you feel in control and the stability of the wing. I have foiled it in bigger waves, and you can do it, but you feel the speed limitations of it and the instability while trying to turn at higher speeds. This is the best wing to jump from small wave to small wave having fun doing some turns. Created in Florida and it excels at those type of waves.

TOP PICK HIGH ASPECT STYLE WING
ONO M800 and 13.5” tail

I think I will get a lot of pushback for this choice but hear me out. I gravitate toward HA style wings. I have had the Lift 120HA, Cabrinha H800, Mike’s Lab 800, Armstrong 925 and this wing. This is the one I am keeping. I have sold or am selling all the rest.  Why? The simple answer is price, stability, speed and compatibility with third party masts. This wing is the widest of the four (top picks not the other HA wings) at 90.5cm and has the highest aspect ratio at 10.22. The speed on this wing is better than all the rest of my picks. This wing is also very stable despite the HA profile. It is much more stable than the Lift HA120. It is slower than the Mike’s Lab 800, but not by much. It is almost as stable turning as the Mike’s Lab but is definitely not as stiff. Unlike Mike’s Lab, the Ono can be broken down for easy traveling, which is important to me. I travel to foil a lot. Lastly is the price. It is the cheapest foil of the bunch but is a top tier HA style wing.

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

These are all new generation wings with some hype. I would say that they are all excellent at what they are made for. You just need to realize what they are designed for and not try to put a square in a round hole. I am a huge proponent of universal masts for the simple reason that one wing is not for everything. If you cannot buy multiple brands, then Cloud-9 is the best choice. It will give you the widest range of waves to foil in and still feel like the wing is good for that scenario. If you are like me who uses a universal mast and want the variety then Unifoil, Ono and F-One are your killer quiver of wings for any condition. Unifoil PP140 for smaller conditions and mushy waves. Ono M800 for the middle days and longer interval waves where you need to pump further. F-One Sk8 850 for those days of longer walls with some power to carve some insane turns. You can foil a large variety of waves on any of these wings, but you would not drive a Prius on a race track, nor would you drive a Ferrari cross country. I hope this helps you decide.