Hi guys for the lucky one who rode the GL 240 or 210 and the new Armstrong 1550HA. Curious to ear some feedbacks !
Have ridden the 210 & now on the Armstrong 1550 -
the go foil was super twitchy and would have been better suited to a light prone board (I was on the Naish hover125)
so it kinda felt too heavy for the go foil set up .. a few mates tried it too and all said the Same thing ..
the new 1550 is just pure epic easy foiling.. it's just so much fun and surfy there's no going back for me now ..
Thanks ! I am doing mainly dock starts. Love the GL 240 but I am curious about the Armstrong quality and the HS 1550 look sick !
I have the GL210 and tried the Armstrong 1600. The Armstrong is much more stable and feel easy to ride.Didn't like the combo front GL210 with the stab tail kai or maliko, the kai is more twitchy and more for advance rider and the maliko is somewhat stable than the kai. The latest Gofoil stab tail 18W combine with GL210 is much better and more stable, its faster and the glides better if you got the focus and skills. I'm stuck with gofoil for now as I like the mast/fuselage setup and less bolts and the new things coming is exciting to see. But if I have to start again the AXIS is value for money and the Armstrong is the top end $.
As far as quality goes on the Armstrong, they are built to last. I have abused mine pretty good. Learning to wing I've raked over barnacle covered rocks and concrete by mistake and the damage was very minimal. Just some wet sanding to smooth out the scratched paint basically.
Another time, entering the water, I thought I was clear of rocks and tipped my board to get the foil underwater and it landed wingside down on a rock a few inches under water. Didn't even leave a mark on the wingtip.
Also, with each item that I've purchased from Armstrong, the quality seems to keep getting better. The finish on the 1050 wing is insane, with the white striping detail almost inset into the glassing so the surface is completely smooth.
I'm always tight for time and my previous foil, which had aluminum and stainless connections, had me trying to decide between bathing my toddlers or the foil. I can neglect the Armstrong completely and I have zero rust, corrosion, or seized bolts. My toddlers on the other hand, need baths basically every day.
My first dockstart on the HS1550 was a record setter for me (compared to the 1600 previously used).
If I were to start over, I would be wanting to try out the GL and Axis lineup too. The GL-140 sure seems to look good in videos with the pros ripping. But like MickChard said, the 1550 is so user friendly and smooth.
It is rumored that Armstrong is working on a proper High Aspect wing, with vids spotted on Insta. When it comes out, I'm sure it will be dialed to perfection. You could always sell the 1550 wing and get that new one.
Just picked up my HS1550 set & put it together, it's blowing my mind how well made this thing is. 
Do you know the weight of the mast and fuselage ? ( 60 fuse and 72cm mast ?) Thanks for the pictures ! appreciated !
Select to expand quoteFilow said..
Do you know the weight of the mast and fuselage ? ( 60 fuse and 72cm mast ?) Thanks for the pictures ! appreciated !
I weighed the whole thing (60 fuse/72 mast) last night, about 3.25kg
At the very center, the thickness is 27MM (due to fuselage), but it quickly drops off to around 22MM at the middle of the span between center and wingtip.
Interesting tidbit from the latest Progression Podcast with KDW. They were talking about fuselage lengths and he said it really depends on the front wing:
"The Armstrong, their foil section is really close to a flying wing, or a hang-glider, and those don't have tail wings. So, the section they use is really pitch stable and has a lower pitching moment, so as you speed up, it doesn't want to pitch down as much as much as something like an Albatros or Hyper would."
-KDW
Haven't ridden an Armstrong as yet so my comparison for the GL is Gong and Moses foils.
I think it would be better to look at the GL180. It is so similar to the 210 but the AR is a bit higher. It is an absolute demon. The ease and speed of this is mind blowing. The moses foils were very fast especially compared to the gong but the GL is next level. On the wingding I am managing several hundred meter rides with only the occasional pump, mainly just trimming the wing. On the prone I am now able to pump where I want to. Doubles and now triples are starting to open up, as is the idea of prone DW from a chip in.
As for the behaviour of the GL, it is very predicable, not at all skatey or loose. I am running a heavily cut down Maliko tail so that is a consideration. The flat tails will make it a bit looser and faster again, my next step. The whole setup is amazingly strong too. There is absolutely no issue being able to crank a turn on these wings either. If you are loaded up during a turn the wingtip will pop out of the water, but it remains in control and ridable, fast becoming one of my favourite way to turn.
Go Foil for some reason has fallen out of favour, but I find it to be bloody amazing. Oh and cheap second hand which helps!
Select to expand quoteMidAtlanticFoil said..
At the very center, the thickness is 27MM (due to fuselage), but it quickly drops off to around 22MM at the middle of the span between center and wingtip.
Interesting tidbit from the latest Progression Podcast with KDW. They were talking about fuselage lengths and he said it really depends on the front wing:
"The Armstrong, their foil section is really close to a flying wing, or a hang-glider, and those don't have tail wings. So, the section they use is really pitch stable and has a lower pitching moment, so as you speed up, it doesn't want to pitch down as much as much as something like an Albatros or Hyper would."
-KDW
Interesting about the Armstrong being designed like a Hang glider wing which doesn't have a tail, I thought the tail wings on the Armstrong foils were much smaller than other brands so that makes sense.
I was a hangliding and paragliding instructor for 10 years in the 90s and Rob Whittall was a legend in wing designs
for hangliders and paragliders back then ,so it doesn't surprise me that he is designing great foil wings as well.
Select to expand quoteRichJam said..
Haven't ridden an Armstrong as yet so my comparison for the GL is Gong and Moses foils.
I think it would be better to look at the GL180. It is so similar to the 210 but the AR is a bit higher. It is an absolute demon. The ease and speed of this is mind blowing. The moses foils were very fast especially compared to the gong but the GL is next level. On the wingding I am managing several hundred meter rides with only the occasional pump, mainly just trimming the wing. On the prone I am now able to pump where I want to. Doubles and now triples are starting to open up, as is the idea of prone DW from a chip in.
As for the behaviour of the GL, it is very predicable, not at all skatey or loose. I am running a heavily cut down Maliko tail so that is a consideration. The flat tails will make it a bit looser and faster again, my next step. The whole setup is amazingly strong too. There is absolutely no issue being able to crank a turn on these wings either. If you are loaded up during a turn the wingtip will pop out of the water, but it remains in control and ridable, fast becoming one of my favourite way to turn.
Go Foil for some reason has fallen out of favour, but I find it to be bloody amazing. Oh and cheap second hand which helps!
thanks for the feedback !
No problems.
I was pretty sceptical regarding the high AR wings. Thought it would only suit one application and would not end up as a good all rounder. I've been proven completely wrong. It just does everything I want it to do but it does it faster and more easily than before.
I like the look of the Armstrong stuff. But for me that just don't offer the wings I want for what I want to achieve.
What about Armstrong for DW, haven't heard about anybody doing dw except Army doing DW ?
Select to expand quotefrenchfoiler said..
What about Armstrong for DW, haven't heard about anybody doing dw except Army doing DW ?
Done it with a wing a few times. Works really well.
Select to expand quoteFilow said..
So nobody has ridden both in the foil world ? :-D ?
Appears not but this review which has been posted before is a good read foilsurfing.net/hydros-armstrong-axis-comparison/
