Finally have some time to post my new Foil with both wings fully 3D printed.
All Foils components are cheap and can be acquired in any Local store.
Mast - Building External Shade. 120mmx20mm
Fuselage - Aluminium Standard Profile 35,5mmx19,5mm
Wings, Mast Base, and Rails for the board (All 3D printed)
My printer has a good printing size of 26x26x35 cm
It was a tuff battle to tune my printer not to warp big pieces too much. After several Months testing and trying this was the final result.
Still could not test it, since don’t have a boat at the moment to pull me…
My Full foil construction with Engine is slow… Still struggling with some electric issues and waterproof parts…
So many Chinese aluminium mast bent during the past 6 months.
I see two potential problems with your mast. The moment on a mast being quite high on big boards, I fear that:
the screw hold is too weak in the mast between plate and mast
your mast wall thickness might be too thin. At best it will bend, at worst it will crack. The good thing is that aluminium mast prices with proven wall thicknesses have decreased (rlkite.com from EU, mantafoils.com from EU or UAE with mast prices ranging from 45 to 70 usd plus expensive shipment , one guy in the US)
If you go for a Manta mast, you have to refuse the Tuttle head and ask for a rebate instead.
Then you have to wonder what happens if… the mast breaks between pod and plate. Will your connectors hold or will they open ? How to not loose pod AND foil ?
Wishing you all the best for your first tests (with a leash between board and foil and between plate and fuselage ) .
Thanks on your advises. I know the tick walls might be an issue, but still they seem pretty solid attached. That version has a 1 Meter Mast, but my first foil with Hood wings has 75 cm Mast.
I hope to try the foils first either being pulled by a boat or in the waves… If Mast bends or breaks it will be before i put the full gear on it…
What printer are you using? My bed size is only 200x200 and the wing parts look wider than that. Interested in printing one out. Still don’t understand why foils are so darn expensive!!
I am takuma Foil : expensive, well made ( R and D) , high quality , precise cnc , full fiber , carbon ? All ready hit a few rocks with it : nothing… You add shipping 2-3 Times ,taxes , +30-40% from factory … I guess that is the price …
Hi Dirkdiggler,
i bought an Ali Express FLSUN Printer 250 Euros. My printer does have a big printing size 26x26x35cm That allowed me to print such big wing in 3 parts. I guess it’s just a matter of dividing your wing in 4 parts. Has you probably know printing big parts is very difficult, and my printer out of the box could not print big parts with quality. I made some modifications to my printer, like a fan blower right after material is extruded and a lot of Fail and try.
It’s a continuous learning process.
Other plate and mast source: Gong who have started shipping their 332€ exVAT Allvator Kite hydrofoil (712cm2 65cm wide high lift low drag front Wing)
Plate: 24€ exVAT + shipm.
65cm mast: 49€ exVAT + shipm.
I’d love to do more of the slingshot H4 (space skate) style wind. Just the front wing is msrp $549, but can be had for $300. Still too expensive, especially after what I’ve dumped into foiling. I might have a go at the design. My fusion 360 skills are totally lacking! Much easier to just pony up the money!
Viva Rui,
Como vai o teu projeto, o brinquedo já funciona?
Também estou a fazer uma projeto semelhante e se fosses da zona de Lisboa ou margem sul, seria interessante trocar algumas ideias ou até mesmo fazer algumas peças em conjunto.
Hi Anton,
still could not test my foil wing, but considering other large wings i have seen, i would say it’s not that far away from others in terms of weight… my foil is 5.2Kg and compared with other down wind foils is within same range of weight.
I am slow on my build, but i expect to test it soon. Been building some batteries…
I make some of my own foils using 3D printed shapes. It’s labor intensive, but fairly simple. I usually make a mold from a printed shape. I’ll then print or foam mill a slightly smaller version as a core for the mold. Then I just layup with carbon and clamp it. Lots of sanding later, I’ve got a new shape to flail around on.
) .
