First Impressions - GoFoil GL140 vs. GL180

This morning I had the chance to finally ride the GL140 From @Gofoil… I’ve been riding the GL180 Pretty exclusively for the past five months with the pedestal flat tail for the most part. Really just focusing on connecting waves and flying as long as possible per takeoff. The 180 has gotten me to a place where on occasion a 5 or 6 wave connection isn’t unheard of. The 140 has been all the buzz since I got my 180, literally, they announced it a week after I got the 180 which was in and of itself extremely hard to track down. So is the game for chasing the latest tech in foiling.

    Anyway, I tried it out at the super secret spot I go to almost anytime I’m in the South Bay foiling. As always, I was apprehensive about how different it would be, lift, projection, speed. I’ve seen all the clips on social media with guys like @FoilTomo and @DerekHama Killing it with the 140 so I knew if it didn’t work it wasn’t the arrow… ; ) The conditions were being called 3'-4' fair… I’d say for @Surfline that was pretty fair, not as big as last week with some should to head high sets on occasion, it still had a little juice left in it. Paddling out was a bit more tippy than with the albatross of a wing that the 180 is but, that was to be expected. The first wave was just like the 180… easy. The turning was much looser and you no longer have to plan out the long drawn out turns that are fairly regular with the 180. It was much more like “surfing”. You can go up and down the face fairly effortlessly and cutbacks and figure 8’s are no where near as critical. Though I fell several times trying to find the right spot and pushing where the turns could go. The one thing that surprised me the most was the amount of lift and speed for a wing that’s quite a bit smaller. Several times I blew out of the wave with too much speed to make the cutback. So that’s going to need more work on my end. There were a couple of takeoffs where on the 180 I could fake it and pump my way into the wave to make the drop or kick out and have enough lift to pump back to the next wave to get going. That’s just not the case, at least on day one, with the 140. You need to be a touch deeper and in the pocket to get an effortless launch. That’s not a criticism just an observation. I adjusted and it was great. I think my favorite part is that the smaller 140 allows you to take any set wave without worrying about being bucked (think riding a smaller horse). There were a couple of larger faster set waves this morning and they were so fun. I was just playing doing cutbacks and  just playing up and down the faces. I mean ear to ear smile with my comfort and confidence on this wing. To be fair this spot isn’t a critical wave… it’s very forgiving compared to a beach break but having a little less foil was a perfect change. 

    Connecting waves was the next real question I had, when taking the long walk to the “secret” spot. It did have a touch less lift initially for me. I adjusted my weight a couple of times trying to get it dialed and I’d say after the 4th or 5th wave I felt it starting to come together. You can’t "fake it” as much with the 140 as the 180 but I’d say the trade off with the turning was well worth any sacrifice with the lift when pumping. 

All in all, I think the 180 is the perfect step in the @GoFoil line up coming off of a Iwa or even a Maliko, if anyone still has one of those. Learning to connect and get more out of each flight… and building up some stamina. Pumping multiple waves is a real workout. I’m truly happy that I went to the 180 from the Iwa and then moved to the 140. I think the jump from Iwa to 140 would have taken a lot more time to adjust to, but hey, that’s just me. If you’re on the 180 and just aren’t happy with your turns being aggressive enough I think you’ll find your answer in the 140. I figure when the waves lose their punch I’ll probably switch back to the 180 but for now the future will be in with The GL140 and trying to master it.

four days later... 

The waves have lost their punch as they inevitably do and the effort to fly the 140 is far too much. For me the 140 is for anything over waist, maybe chest+. Hopefully, as I progress that will change.. but for now that's my rule of thumb.  Best of luck on your foiling journey and hopefully I’ll see you in the line up. #loyaltothefoil #youshouldjoinus 

- Jason Shanks / Riding 5'6 Kalama Performance Foil Sup w/ 29.5" mast and pedistal tail wing