My riding style:
I ride in the Columbia River Gorge 150+ days a year. At my core I'm a dedicated swell rider that prefers to sail away from the launch and session on a good bit of swell. High performance turns are an absolute must for me no matter where I am. I've started to add in some flatwater wing trick days when the swell isn't so great.
My Kit:
Rider: 86kg
Sunova Carver 5'10"x20" 85l
AFS 75cm UHM mast
Ocean Rodeo AA wings
AFS Silk 650 w/132 tail in short position and 1050 w/132 tail (1000+ miles of experience)
AFS Ultra w/HA38 tail in long position (125 miles and counting)
The gear:
75cm UHM Mast
100mm chord
12.8mm thick
1625g
Ultra 750 with HA 38 tail
750cm^2
14 Aspect Ratio
12.3mm thick
1024mm span
95mm chord
1388g
*Updates* are added in blue.
First impression and thoughts:
The last few years I've tried an assortment of high aspect foils and none of them really inspired me. I wish I could tell you that I somehow knew this foil would have traits that I liked but I didn't. I ordered this one purely based on how much I like the Silks with the hope that some of their DNA rubbed off on the Ultra but with heaps of additional glide.
My AFS shipment and packaging was great. The first thing I noticed out of the box is that the Ultra is stiff! I've had a ton of foils come through my hands this year and I've given them all a little flex test. When I started to push down on the Ultra it flexed a very small amount and then stopped very firmly. I actually thought I had bottomed out on the fuse. But no, the tips of the Ultra are thin with a slight upturn and that's all you can flex. As soon as you try to flex anything beyond the tips the foil is rock solid, stiffer than any other HA foil I've handled.
The packaging is top notch, the best I've seen from a manufacturer:
The First 137 Miles:
At the moment I'm riding 2 different boards, 4 masts, at 6 different launches, and we are currently experiencing west to east wind swings in the Gorge. This makes for a lot of variables to address when getting a new foil and figuring it out. For me, the Ultra (unlike the Silk) feels like a somewhat nuanced foil that needs the correct combination of mast, tail, and board in order to feel at home. During that first 137 miles I had a few moments of doubt. I bought this foil expecting it would be a mellow super glider and it just wasn't doing that for me. I wondered if an Enduro would have been a better fit. I wondered if the Silks were just too good to not ride. But still, I put the time in to figure out the 750 and how this foil would perform in a variety of situations.
The 138th Mile - Ultra Unlocked!
On Friday, September 13th, I didn't want to ride. I worked early, took the dog for a long walk, was completely exhausted, and my body has been hurting the last few days. However, as I often do, I forced myself out to the river on the hard days and I'm glad I did. Everything clicked together. Skinny mast, ha38 tail in long position, Carver board, 4mAA, 17 knots of wind, and small swell at Stevenson. Mid session I started to ride this foil more aggressively than I had on previous days. I slung myself into swell with more speed than usual and I stopped thinking about my turns and positioning for glide. I just started making harder turns, getting rail to rail quickly and accelerating off my top turns with a hard pump that rewarded me with more speed and carry into the next turn. The Ultra came alive underfoot and my confidence grew. Frontside and backside tip breaches, 5, 10, 15, 20 hard turns in shin high swell without engaging the wing. I was in heaven.
150+ Miles - Entering Flow State
After the previous session I couldn't wait to get the Ultra out into some decent swell. I had invested a good number of sessions into figuring that foil out and I wanted a decent day with my confidence level up. Rowena provided 20-25 knots of wind and waist high steep face swell. I pumped my 3mAA and got after it. When I foil swell I ride it like I would a wave. There's lefts and there's rights. For the first time in my life I linked a left from Oregon all the way to Washington and then pumped into a right that I rode all the way back to Oregon without engaging the wing. I could overtake swell in front of me if needed and my ability to kick out the back and pump through multiple swell lines upwind was magic. Time melted away and I was lost in my own world where there was nothing but endless turns and effortless glide.
What I've Learned About the Ultra 750
Wind Range:
At this point I haven't tried to push the Ultra to a super low wind speed but 16 knots of west wind with an east current and a 4m wing is still enjoyable without a maddening amount of technique and pumping required.
High end has yet to be found as the peak average wind speed I've ridden it in was 27 knots of west wind with east current and I was on small wings with no issue.
September 17th I rode in winds steady over 30 knots and gusting over 40. The Ultra loved it.
Swell Range:
Small swell: Once technique and kit are straightened out, the Ultra absolutely rips small swell. I'd have to say that from a pure swell riding standpoint, the Ultra is my new favorite when it's only knee to waist high.
Big swell: I haven't spent as much time in big swell with the Ultra as I'd like. We just haven't had too many days yet. When I have, I've definitely never maxed it out and found it to still be very nimble in the big stuff. Not as quick rail to rail as the Silk 650, but far better than anyone would expect for a high aspect foil in big conditions.
The Glide:
Excellent. AR 14 is built to glide and this foil does not disappoint!
First serious try/test of the glide capabilities: 2.96 miles flagged out. Top speed 19.9mph. Average speed 14.9mph. Glide time 11 minutes and 52 seconds.
Associated speed graph from that glide.
Turning: The most shocking trait of the Ultra 750
As I said before, I rolled the dice on this purchase hoping that this foil would get a little bit of Silk DNA in its turns. It did. No, it doesn't have the supernatural carve that the Silks do. However, you can ride this foil very aggressively and it will reward you for that behavior by getting rail to rail quickly and providing a very surfy experience. Keep your speed up and don't be afraid to throw this foil around.
Upwind:
With the skinny mast and tail in long position this becomes a fast and steep upwind ride. I love being able to get back upwind as fast as possible and this foil does not disappoint.
Speed:
All of my speed data is collected on a Garmin Instinct 2 watch. I am not doing speed runs, these numbers are just a reflection of the speed I'm riding at naturally.
Faster top speeds than the Silk 850 by 1-2 mph. Not as fast as the 650 (minus 3mph).
The range is quite impressive. My Garmin reads on foil lows near 10mph quite frequently and highs near 20mph frequently (when doing more wing powered riding). When focused on swell riding I tend to average 13-14mph with peak speeds closer to 16-17mph.
I tend to move upwind at a slightly faster speed than I downwind on this foil.
Average speed notes: The longer the ride the more impressive the average speed becomes. For rides over 2 hours and 30+ miles this foil consistently shows up as having some of my highest average speeds.
Speed readout of a session on the 750. It's hard to see any difference in speed between when I'm flagged out riding swell vs doing upwind reaches.
*My speed data is based on west winds riding with an east current. Your speed experience may vary depending on location.
These are the tracks to go along with the above speed graph:
Wing Maneuvers:
I can tack and do a few other fun moves on the 750 but it's not the foil I reach for if I'm wanting to play with the wing. I still prefer the Silks for that.
Riding Style:
I bought this thinking it would be a mellow ride that would just glide forever with slow turns. I was not successful using it in that manner. In my experience this is a high performance SURF glider that would rather be aggressively thrown around in swell to get the most out of it.
Does the Ultra replace the Silk?
No, the Silk is a special kind of carving experience. I feel as though I am riding and working with the wave on the Silk. The Ultra has more of a foiling on the wave kind of experience if that makes sense? Neither is better, just different.
Kit Choices
Tail choice:
I have only ridden this with the ha 38 tail. I prefer it in the long fuse position.
Mast choice:
I tested this with three masts. The 80cm UHM, 75cm UHM and an 80cm Universal mast.
My first rides where on the 80cm UHM in big and small conditions. The 80cm, with its deeper chord, gave me a lot of stability and confidence while getting to know this foil. I preferred using the stab in the short position on this mast to loosen it up a bit.
I did try this foil on my universal mast but it was not a good combo.
I've landed on the skinny chord AFS 75cm UHM mast as my favorite. My top and average speeds are faster with the shorter chord. Maneuverability increased to the point where I actually prefer this tail in the long fuse position. Most importantly, my small swell glide was dramatically improved with this mast.
Side by side you can see the chord difference.
Board choice:
I will likely end up riding this the most with my 20" Carver since that is my favorite board to match with my Silks and the 75cm mast.
I also really enjoyed this foil with the 80cm mast when paired with the 18" Aviator.
Smaller board, thinner mast. Bigger board, stiffer mast.
500 mile update:
work in progress...
1000 mile update:
work in progress...
My favorite Ultra 750 Setup:
20" Carver
75cm Skinny UHM mast
ha 38 stabilizer in long position
This combination has resulted in the best turns, glides, top speeds and highest average speeds.
VS the Enduro:
AFS released the Enduro just after AWSI this year and I got to test it at the local AFS day just before AWSI. I rode the 700 in full throttle conditions at The Hatch and had an absolute blast on it. In my opinion, after a demo on a great day, the Enduro feels like the perfect middle ground of Silk and Ultra. Turns are more intuitive than the Ultra. Glide is better than the Silk. The ability to break the foil down for flight will be useful for travelers.
All three of these foils are phenomenal. I prefer to have a quiver of foils where each is at the extreme end of performance spectrums so a Silk/Ultra combo is perfect for me. If you travel and are more into owning a single foil that performs at a high level for a wide variety of scenarios, the Enduro will probably win you over. The Enduro line also has 4 sizes to choose from where the Silk has 3 and the Ultra has 1. IMO, no matter what you pick you can't go wrong.
Customer Service
Both Wingfoil Pro Center and AFS have excellent customer service. I have zero concerns when I put an order in with them.
Final Thoughts
This is an awesome foil. When I first got it I figured it would be more of a side project for me where the Silks still stole the show but I might lounge on the Ultra from time to time. This turned out to not be the case. The 750 wants to be pushed hard in small and large swell and has rewarded me with several fantastic sessions. At the moment the Ultra is still shiny and new to me and is currently my first choice foil unless it's too windy with massive swell (grab the Silk 650) or if I want to play around in light wind with wing maneuvers (grab the Silk 1050).
Additional questions or interest in buying?
I bought mine through Gwen at Wingfoil Pro Center. He has a ton of knowledge that he is able to share as a rider, instructor, and shop owner. I highly recommend giving him a call if you have questions.
You can also contact me with questions in a variety of ways or simply comment on the article.
Thank you!
I hope you found this review helpful and informative. If there was anything I missed or could have added, please don't hesitate to ask.
See you at the river,
Bryan Lee, M.S. Experiential Education.
Your reviews are so well documented. Well done.