3 Foil Quiver Challenge – January 2025

Author: Jon Mann

So Dave posted this video about what foils he would choose for a 3 foil quiver which I really enjoyed as this is something I started playing with in December last year. I think it really helps me understand ideal use cases for certain foils (for what I like and my conditions) and it’s also has helped push me a bit outside of my comfort zone with some foils (both over foiled and underfoiled) which is also fun! So what have I been riding? For the last 2 months I’ve been riding a ‘forced’ 3 foil quiver for all disciplines (680R, 850S, 1130S) with a bit of free reign on the fuse / stab combos but primarily using the short fuse and 142 (though more recently also with the XS and the 135) and I think I’m going to continue with a 3 foil quiver ‘challenge’ for the next couple months to get me riding foils that maybe I wouldn’t have grabbed as often. But before I get into February’s quiver, I’ll explain the logic behind my current quiver. 

Quick side note: My stats are 1.75m, 78kg + whatever thick neoprene I’m wearing. My boards are: 7’7″ x 18.8″ 105L Appletree skipper DW, 5’5″ 50L Skipper prone mid length, 4’6″ 29L Skipper prone. 

Last year with the race focus I pretty much used the 770,860,960 to start, ending more on the 680,770,860 and unfortunately my S series foils didn’t get much use even though I prefer downwinding them a lot. So first off, I decided to try and focus more on surfy downwinding ‘post season’ and figured the best way to do this would be to pick foils that could span the same range.

• Small foil: 680R. I didn’t take an S series foil top France and ended up prone foiling the 680R with the short fuse and the 142AR. I really enjoyed this set up and ended up having some really fun downwind runs on it back home too. Despite the high AR, the small span of the 680R makes it really fun to ride. I kept this in the quiver as I wanted to spend more time on it. Especially in the lower energy conditions of the North Sea to challenge my paddle ups.
• Mid range : 850S. The 770R was hands down my favourite foil to DW in 2024 and in smaller messier / onshore prone conditions I also enjoy prone foiling it. However, when proning the 770R I always kept thinking “what if I had a foil with this speed range, with less span” which naturally led me to the 850S with my desire to focus on some surfier downwinding for a bit. With my original love for the 770R I never really thought about getting an 850S, but honestly the 850S has exceeded my (already high) expectations for it and maybe become my favourite foil in the range. I feel it is slightly harder to paddle up than the 770R, however, it’s so easy to throw around and regardless of stab I’ve run it with I’ve really enjoyed riding it. I’d even go as far as to say that the 850S could be a one foil quiver – if I could only take one foil on a trip to cover DW, prone, sup foiling and winging it would probably be the 850S. 
• Big foil: 1130S: This foil was 2024’s unexpected surprise for me. Before I got this foil I was either using the 980S or 960R in light conditions. The 980S was a bit more work and the 960R was more of a straight line and go type foil. So when I got the 1130S I really enjoyed the ability to turn and go slow on light wind runs. The low end of this foil met my expectations, but where it really surpassed my expectations was the high end. I think this is something that the S series really excels in, especially in the larger sizes. The foils have fantastic low ends, but even better high ends (relatively speaking) and last week I managed a 2:14 / km split without pushing it that hard either. 

So what will February’s quiver be?

• High wind foil: 720S. I love the 680R but I’m not sure I need the glide in the Netherlands. I’d also like to challenge my paddle ups a bit, and I find the 720S harder to paddle up than the 680. It’s also super nice to prone and wing. 2 disciplines I’d like to do a bit more of. 
• Mid range: 770R. Can’t wait to get back on this foil a bit more! As I’ve said before I really enjoy this foil. I’ve put it as my mid range foil as I want to continue where I left off with this foil as my go to foil a bit more.
• Big foi: 980S. Like I said with the 720S. I’m keen to challenge my paddle ups a bit. I will play with fuse / stabs when its light but I’ve used the 980S in pretty light conditions in the past. 
• Bonus foil: For dock starts and flatwater paddle up training sessions I will probably use the 1300S though

I think I’ll do this for Feb and March, then maybe also summarise what I think the ‘ideal 3 foil quiver’ would be for a range of different users. As always, feel free to ping me with any questions or feedback you have!