NEW Sonar SF830 | SF680 Front Wings

The moderate anhedral front view combines with a gently swept outline to create a good balance of roll stability, giving you more confidence during pumping and take-offs and manoeuvrability for initiating and driving through your turn with ease.  

“The area-distribution across the span is tuned to the rolling ability of the wing - less area in the tips helps the foil to roll with lower force from side to side, explains North Foils Product Manager Uli Sommerlatt. “For a foil to roll, it must push the water above it out of the way, and less area in the tips requires a lower rolling moment/less force.”

North Brand Director Mike Raper says the new SF830 is his number one go-to for wing and prone surf: "The SF830 is not just epic for Prone and Tow, but it also excels for open ocean wing surfing. It's easy to pump onto foil and super-fast to crank turns."

Quit stalling. 

The new SF can be compared to North’s highly efficient HA Front Wings – only with a much lower speed range. Their relatively high aspect ratio ranges from 9.0 (SF830) to 9.2 (SF680), however because of the evolved foil section, the stall speed is remarkably low. The SF Front Wings deliver a similar frictionless sensation of glide to the HAs at lower speeds. This makes it easier for you to stay in the pocket and means you’re not outrunning the wave.  

“To maintain such a low pumping speed, we needed to generate more lift out of the foil section at low speeds,” says Uli.  “We always try to balance lift v drag – so to find that compromise here, we shifted the peak in the lift-to-drag ratio to the lower end of the speed range. Having more profile thickness and curvature in the front section of the profile makes it less sensitive to angle of attack changes.” 

 Having a wing that is not affected by sudden changes in pitch means you can really lean into your turns and drive through with confidence. It’s far more user-friendly: you can make a mistake, touchdown, then simply carry on – when you’re about to stall, give it one pump, then you're back in the game.   

How do they feel to ride?  
It can be summarized in three words: user-friendly, intuitive, and efficient.  

What characteristics really stood out for you? 
I'm impressed by how smoothly they roll from rail to rail. They intuitively follow my lines and are perfectly balanced (no need for a shim). They offer plenty of glide, making it comfortable to rest on top of the wave. These are the ultimate surf wings, providing a "shortboard feel".  

What are the most obvious difference between these new SFs and the HA wings by North? 
Much lower stall speed Easy rail-to-rail transitions Forgiving Stable pitch Speed matching with the wave 

I notice you seem to be really leaning them over in banking turns – what gives them the ability to do this? And how do they respond? 
They like to be placed on the rail. The more angle I apply, the more stable and controlled they feel, which gives me confidence to lean into my turns in all parts of the wave. The more I commit, the better is the outcome!  
 

And how about the stall speed? Would you say it’s true that when you feel the foil slowing down, it just needs one pump and you’re back in the game? 
The stall speed is incredibly low! I can recover in most situation even without much speed.  The wing also feels very light under my feet. Pumping is a breeze.  The speed range is awesome too. I have the flexibility to slow down if I want to, but with just a few dynamic pumps, I can also go fast. 

In what size waves or conditions would you select the SF680? 
Personally, I ride the SF680 100% of the time in all conditions, haha. I would say that the SF680 performs the best in 2-4ft waves  

And in what size waves or conditions would you choose the SF830? 
It performs the best in 1-3ft.