Front Wing & Hydrofoil Stabilizers Guide
Everything you need to know for choosing
your Sabfoil Hydrofoil Wing & Stabilizer
Sabfoil is one of the best foil brands on the market, previously known as Moses Foils.
The Sabfoils hydrofoils are made in Italy, where they are produced in a facility not far away from the coastal city of Rimini, famous for a hectic night scene during summer.
Due to the fact that at Sabfoil every single component is made in their own factory, including molds, their foil equipment features the highest standards in manufacturing quality and performance.
Sab's front wings are relatively close to the mast, which gives a direct action and also generate more lift. They are also compatible with most board brands.
Their carbon masts have a wooden core, which generates less noise and offers better performance than a foam core. On the mast plate, you can find multiple holes that allow riders to position it more further forward on the box than most other brands.
Fuselages:
Sabfoil offer 3 fuselage options:
- The older FS710, which works with M6 bolts.
The new wings are also compatible with it, because each new M8 prepared front wing gets delivered with adapters cups to fit M6.
- The F700HS (High strength), that we recommend for new Sabfoil users.
Just Because the front wings are getting bigger to push more and more the boundaries with high jumps, Sabfoil offers the HS fuse, that works with M8 bolts. M8 is 12 times stronger than M6, that's a serious upgrade in stiffness and durability over the older M6 system.
- The latest Kraken fuselage compatible ONLY with the Kraken mast. The Kraken fuselage offers the same compatibility of the F700HS
- The W1000+W800 aren't compatible with the F700HS or Kraken and don't need to. Due to their smaller surface, they work better with a lighter build fuse. For these 2 wings, we recommend the FK647 kite fuselage.
Sabfoil Front Wings:
A hydrofoil front wing works together with the stab. You can't see them loose from each other, the stab counterbalances the front wing, so this is why the recommended stab is also stated for each wing.
Sabfoil W1100
The
Sabfoil W1100, with its 1100 mm span and 2100 cm2, is
the Sab's light wind gun for wing foiling.
Using a 6m wingsurfer, this front wing can already be ridden with as low wind as 8 knots. As it will continue to fly well carelessly in the wind holes, due to its low stall speed.
The W1100 is not the fastest front wing in the Sabfoil range but, due of its winglets, it feels super stable and easy to ride. Thanks to its medium thickness, it remains surprisingly controllable also in higher winds, and it still turns fairly short for its size.
Watch out, if you want to turn too tight with too much force, you can reach the limit of this foil, the winglets will start to work against you, ventilate and spin out.
If really tight powerful turns are your thing, rather look at the Surf foils, like the W940 and W945, because they are a better choice for that.
You can combine the W1100 with the Sabfoil 483, 450, and 425 stabilizer. At Wakestyle, we personally liked more the W1100 with a 2-degree shim on the stab.
Sabfoil W950
The Sabfoil W950 uses the same position as the W1100.
The Medium-aspect W950 front wing is the smaller, thinner brother of the W1100.
With its 950 mm wingspan and 1350 cm2, the W950 is surprisingly versatile and fast for all-around use, with a very slippery sailing feeling.
Because the widest point is a bit further forward, it has sufficient lift. If you mainly sail on inland waters and occasionally at sea, the Sabfoil W950 is your mid-weather wing. If you mainly wingsurf at sea, look at the W945 (keep reading here below).
You can combine the Sabfoil W950 with the 483, 450, and 425 stabilizers.
W945
The
Sabfoil W945 has the mast placed 2-3 cm forward, compared to the W1100 and W950. It's a
medium aspect front wing that has almost the same wingspan and surface as the W950.The difference is that the W945 is a
dedicated surf foil.
Surf foils have their thickest point a little further back, so that they give less lift when you get that extra acceleration from a wave or swell, and also have no winglets. Because of this, they have a looser straight line feeling and are able to turn a lot tighter. Finally, due to the different tip design, ventilation/spin-outs are very rare with the surf foils.
The W945 has a lot of glide on a wave due to its wingspan and is not as fast on flat waters as the W950. If you mainly sail at sea with an inland water session now and then, the Sabfoil W945 is a better option for you than the W 950. Rather if you only foil on inland waters, then the 950 will prove faster and more challenging.
You can combine the Sabfoil W945 with the 425 stabilizer.
W940
The
Sabfoil W940 has the mast placed about 5 cm forward, compared to the W1100, W950, and W799 Balz.
Just like the W945, the W940 is a surf foil, but with its 1100 cm2 it is thinner and with a considerably smaller surface. So that you will not be accidentally lifted out of the water while riding a wave or running swell.
Therefore, the W940 needs a little more wind and has a slightly higher stall speed than the larger wings, but that is rewarded with a much higher speed and seriously short turns. A tip out of the water? no problem with the W940!
Although the 940 is a surf foil, its high top speed makes it ideal also for inland waters, when the wind is blowing hard, and of course also for downwinders.
The W940 can be ridden with the 425 stabilizer for more grip, but runs best with the 399 and 370 stabs.
No shims are needed.
W799 Balz Muller Pro
The
Sabfoil W799 Balz Muller Pro front wing features the same mast position
as the W1100 and W950.
This Balz Muller signature foil is short, wide, and has the thickest point farthest forward. Result: aggressive lift for high jumping and a lot of grip for extremely short turns.
The Balz is comparable to the W950 in terms of wind range and speed. The differences are that the 950 has more glide and a somewhat slippery feel, whereas the Balz gives a lot of lift/forefoot pressure for maximum pop off the water and super sharp turns. If you want to jump, freestyle, and turn short in medium and high wind winds, this is THE wing to go.
The W799 Balz Muller Pro can be combined with the 483 stabilizer for maximum grip, the 399 stab for a looser ride and max speed, or also the 425 stab. In our opinion, the 425 gives the best compromise between speed, grip, and short turns.
W899 Balz Muller Pro
The
W899 Balz Muller Pro is the big brother of the 799, designed
for light to medium winds. The wingspan is 899cm long and the high profile assures grip,
maneuverability, and more lift if compared to the W799. The front wing surface is 1382cm2
W999 Balz Muller Pro
The W999 is the latest addition and the biggest of these 3 Balz Muller front wings. The wingspan is 999cm long. You can expect more lift due to the ticker profile at the cost of a slower wing when compared to the W899. It performs well in ,low wind conditions and is suitable for freestyle in light winds. The surface of 1747cm2
W1000
The Sabfoil W1000 is designed for windsurfing foil races, but if mounting the short FK647 kite fuselage it can also be used for wing foiling while staying incredibly fast at the same time.
Due to its thin profile and small footprint, the W1000 needs little lift and power to get off the surface, about 17 knots with a 5m wing, but when it goes, it's a real speed demon with an endless glide downwind.
The reduced 987 cm2 surface area translates into a higher stall speed than the other wings, but, being faster and having more glide through turns, or downwind, will make you jibe at the speed of light! :)
The lower stall speed won't a be problem for skilled riders.
Pay attention: the W1000 does not fit on the 700HS fuselage but will fit only on the shorter FK647. It's thanks to the short fuselage that the W1000 can turn very tight.
You can combine the W1000 with the FK647 fuselage and the 399 stabilizer. Larger stabs are compatible as well, but, with the 483 you need to use 1 to 1.5 gr shim. Otherwise, the foil will not come loose.
For advanced riders and experts weighing less than 70 kg, there is also a W800 wing, which is the little brother of the W1000. With its 840 cm2, it is even smaller and more extreme, better suited to lighter foil riders that want to hit maximum speeds.
W1100
The Sabfoil W1110 was introduced this winter as a bigger brother of the W1000 made for racing in light winds, but, in our opinion, it is much more than that.
The 1110 gets going relatively quickly, comparable with a W950 and has a much higher top speed instead and slippery feel. It flies upwind and offers on a wave or bump insane glide with still pretty good turn-ability.
We loved it when racing with our friends as well when riding swell from knee high and waves up to shoulder high.with 6 / 5m2 wings
The W1110 fits only on the FK647 kite fuselage. Due its span width we don't recommend it as a jumping foil
Combined with the 399 stab its very fast and loose/nervous. This combo suits the best racers and highly advanced riders.
Our personal favourite is the combination with the 425 stab offering almost the same speed but with more control and ease of use.
Leviathan series
Around October 2022 Sabfoil introduced a new line called Leviathan. The Sabfoil Leviathan line is designed for pure glide and pump performance. Dock foil starting and downwind surf - wing and sup are becoming more and more popular and the Leviathan series is the wing of choice for these disciplines.
The Sabfoil Leviathan is available in 4 sizes : 950 - 1150 - 1350 - 1550
The 2 smaller sizes are ideal for surf foiling or for lighter or very experienced foil dock starters. The 2 bigger sizes 1350 and 1550 are ment mostly for dock starting and sup foiling. The Sabfoil Leviathan 1350 is ideal for riders between the 70-80kg and the Leviathan 1550 for riders above 80kg. The Sabfoil leviathan thanks to the incredible HA profile and wide span, assures an immense glide and pump performance. Contact us if you want to test the Sabfoil Leviathan1550
Review/Text by: Jeroen Van Gessel
WAKESTYLE WINGSURF & FOIL SHOP
At Wake-Style.com we are passionate wingsurfers and foil riders: you can always contact us to get some expert advice, personalized tips, and suggestions for purchasing hydrofoils and wing-foil gear, as well as great deals. We'll be happy to help you!
You can also read our guide about how to choose the right Wing Foil equipment and the Wingsurfing FAQ.
If you live in the Netherlands you can come to visit our specialized Hydrofoil & Wingsurf shop. We're in Bussum, just 20 minutes away from Amsterdam, Almere, Utrecht, Hilversum and Amersfoort.
The nearest wingsurf spots from our shop are: Almere, Marina Muiderzand, Loosdrecht, Wijde Blik and Ijburg.
