After buying, reviewing, and publishing my review on the 130 X I was contacted by Matt Elsasser from Lift. He offered up the 110 X and a couple Havoc foils for demo and I simply couldn't say no to the opportunity to try some new surf foils and the 110 X which I was really wondering about.
My riding style:
I'm a water explorer who enjoys long wing initiated downwind runs followed by upwinding back to my starting point. While I'm out and about I want user friendliness in terms of easy water starts, fast and aggressive carving, and stable/predictable responses from the foil in all water conditions.
My Daily Kit:
Rider: 86kg
Sunova Carver 5'10"x20" 85l
AFS 80cm UHM mast
Ocean Rodeo AA wings
AFS Silk 650 and 1050 w/132 tail
The Test Gear:
Florence 110 X
710cm^2
13.1 aspect ratio
12.75mm thick
20 Carve and Florence 21 X tail
32" M2 mast
First Impression:
My first day on the 110 X was in small swell conditions. Winds were 15 knots averages at the start and grew to 18 knot averages during my session. It was stable wind with a gust/lull range of 3 knots. I headed out into the 15 knot winds with a 4m wing and went straight up onto foil. I was shocked by the low end. Once on foil I expected the 110 X would turn like the 130 X. Fast, loose, not super user friendly for wingers. I couldn't immediately tell if it was the M2 mast, the Carve 20 tail, or if it was simply the different foil, but the turns were very different on this kit. The traditional pitchy/HA turns were gone and this had a fun, slower, but super enjoyable longboard style turn. Tips come out with no issue. The glide though... I didn't have a shock and awe moment on the 130 X but the 110 X took me to a happy place. My first ride, 24 miles of shin high rollers, was an absolute blast. I was blissed out and relaxed in the little bumps in a way that I didn't know was possible. I calmly crisscrossed up and down the river without a care in the world. When I finished my 1 hour and 45 minute session I checked my garmin data. I had just casually, without intent, broken several average speed records for myself.
Low / high end for takeoff and use:
Low: I was able to get up onto foil in about 13 knots of wind with a 4mAA. This was not easy. Others around me had 5+ meter wings with larger foils and couldn't get up. So, plan for that to be your ultimate low end if you are on a comparable kit (yes, 710cm^2 at 13 knot average with a 4m!). However, at 15-16 knots with the 4mAA this was very easy to get on foil and at 19 knots I was thinking that I could probably switch to my 3m if I really wanted to. Turns were casual and fun in small swell and light winds.
High: I never hit any impressive top speeds (18.3mph was the highest I clocked over 60 miles of testing) on this foil and I definitely never maxed it out. The strongest winds I got to ride it in were still under 30 knots. It was all about faster average speed (13.5mph). In medium+ swell my 8 AR Silk foils had higher average speeds with greater speed spikes vs the consistent speed of the 110 X. As the swell size increased the turns only got better on the 110 X.
Stall: Once on foil it's hard to go slow enough to stall this foil out. It maintains a steady pace so well that you pretty much have to fall asleep at the wheel to stall this foil out.
Swell Riding:
In small swell: I absolutely loved the speed, glide, and longboard vibes that this foil gave me. I was especially stoked about how much fun it made small swell light wind riding. This is the first foil I've ever ridden that excited me to go chase the tiny bumps. I'm not a highly skilled or dedicated pumper and I learned quickly to PUMP LESS, and let the speed/glide of this foil do the job. I loved this! When I did need to pump, I found a fast and light footed cadence was working for me on this foil. I had little issue linking small bumps due to the excellent speed and glide. My downwind speed in small swell averaged 14mph.
In medium swell: The biggest thing I noticed about the 110 X in medium swell is that the turns undoubtedly improved over their performance in the small swell. A little extra energy in the water opened up the rail to rail experience and changed the casual longboard vibes into slightly more performance longboard turns. I tend to find this as the norm with smaller foils in the 700 and lower range. This is specifically different than the 130 X which I found wildly loose at low speed, but stiffer in medium+ swell, which has also been the norm for me on HA foils as they increase in size. Upwinding on this foil in medium swell was also a non issue.
In large swell: Unfortunately I didn't get to test in any large gorge swell. It's summertime and we haven't had any nuker wind days recently.
Rolling vs steep swell: I liked this foil the most in rolling low power swell. It taps into energy that is hard to believe is even there. This signals to me that it's probably going to be unreal in the ocean and when the Stevenson east wind sessions come in the fall this foil will be a force to be reckoned with. This isn't to say that it's bad in steep swell. It's still fun. I just think switching to your favorite surf foils in steep swell will maximize the fun for wingers.
Turning vs Carving:
Normally I think of HA foils as having turning capability but not really having carving capability. In the 9-12 AR range I have consistently felt that was the case across all brands. There is usually too much pitch in those foils for my taste. However, this foil had my favorite HA turns to date and was definitely giving me longboard carving vibes which I really appreciate feeling on an HA foil. The normal pitchy feeling was completely gone in the turns. This makes me wonder if the ultra high aspect (UHA) ratios start to tap back into more of a carve instead of the pitch activated turns that I really don't care for. I'll have to seek out some more 13+ AR foils to confirm. That being said, there still wasn't a lot of drive through the turns. That is a rarely found trait in foils and despite the nice flowy lines made by the 110 X it didn't have a ton of drive and carry through harder turns on the river in small to medium swell.
20 Carve vs Florence 21 X:
Tough call on which one is "better" and you could say neither wins over the other. They are different. I felt a little more speed and glide on the 20 Carve while I had a few magic "oh yeah!" turns on the Florence 21 X. I would buy the 20 Carve for myself.
M2 Mast:
I'm a big believer in performance masts and any Lift rider should know that the M2 mast is an excellent choice for their quiver.
Wing Maneuvers:
This kit felt so much more comfortable to me than the 130 X for winging. Everything was more stable and friendly in the ways I wanted, while having huge performance gains in the places I needed. I still didn't feel inspired to start pushing tacks, 360s, and other wing inspired moves, but I tried a few and they were all doable on this foil. The Havocs and other surf foils are much better suited for that style of riding.
Noteworthy Data Points:
Speed:
In smaller swell/bumps, flat days, this foil logged some of my fastest average speeds ever and did so with little effort. When the swell was medium+ the speed benefits diminished. This foil still moves fast enough to have fun in good swell, but it doesn't have speed spikes like my Silks which allows them to reach higher top and average speeds in medium+ swell at the sacrifice of glide and stability.
Fatigue and Heartrate:
This foil is fast, slippery, forgiving. It has so much glide, phenomenal low end, and exquisite stall speed. As such, it doesn't transfer much drag to your body and limbs while handling the wing. I was able to spend hours on foil without using a harness and there was next to no fatigue when using this foil. My average heart rate was consistently lower than usual and my arms, shoulders, elbows loved winging with this foil down below.
Aspect Ratio 13.1 for winging?
I haven't found a 9, 10, 11, or 12 AR foil that I was really in love with. I have also been told to avoid AR 13 foils when winging. However, this foil has performed at a very high level in conditions that lower AR foils would not. When the swell is big and the wind is nuking in the gorge I still don't see myself reaching for this foil, that's when I want high performance carving that is unavailable to 9+ AR foils I have tried. When the wind is light (under 20 knots) and the swell was small (under waist high) this foil was a dream to ride. I don't know if SUPfoilers are using this in that small of conditions, but as a winger I think this foil provides us with a unique opportunity to learn about where power and energy lie in the river when riding the smallest swell. What was once more of a mundane river condition that pushed wing maneuver training is now a fun technical ride that is somehow relaxing and engaging at the same time. As such, I'm now inspired to try more UHA foils and consider them an excellent addition to a wingers quiver.
No regrets.
I was bummed about not riding the 130 X in the ocean and I could say the same about the 110 X. However, this foil was such a blast to wing in light winds that it restructured my perspective of swell riding in 15-20 knots of wind with shin high swell. It also sparked curiosity in finding out what other UHA foils might be fun with the wing. The only thing missing from this demo in the gorge was a classic monster day out east, but we just didn't get it.
110 X or 130 X for wingers?
For me, the 110 X is easily my choice over the 130 X for winging in the gorge. The low end is unreal, the high average speed on the bumps makes it fun everywhere, and the longboard turns are very relaxing. Plus, wing maneuvers were far easier for me on the 110 X. If you consistently have 15+ knots of wind, a 4m wing, and a midlength board, then you are set!
Conclusion:
This is, in my opinion, hands down the best foil I've ever ridden from Lift. If you live in the gorge and are on their foils winging this is a pretty obvious choice. I have a new found love for UHA foils and can see myself reaching for them as a first choice on light days when I want to focus on technical swell riding.
Customer Service:
I do want to give a special note on Lifts and Poseidons customer service. I had an issue with my original order and they handled it faster and better than any other brand I've ever come across in this industry. If you are worried about wether or not you'll be supported by the company you buy from I can tell you that as a first time Lift buyer and repeat Poseidon customer I could not have possibly been more impressed.
Order here:
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.
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