F-One Eagle HM Carbon 990 2022
Reviews / Hydrofoils
5,790
At A Glance
The Eagle HM Carbon foils are F-ONE’s fastest & most efficient in their lineup. They’re designed for maximum downwind performance and effortless glide. The wing itself is incredibly thin, with a 9.5 aspect ratio, and it features upturned winglets, both significantly reducing drag. These wings aim to provide both wingers & SUP foilers with the ultimate downwind gear.
I for one, am super impressed that F-ONE has bought out a wing specifically designed for downwind foiling. I feel like downwinding is about to explode, participation wise that is. Whether it be downwind SUP over open oceans, winging along the coast with your mates, or prone ‘shore runners’, there is just so much potential in this wonderful sport of ours.
F-ONE has gone all-in on foiling, bringing out an incredible range of equipment. The Eagle foils are available in 790 cm2, 890 cm2, 990 cm2, & 1090cm2, providing a good amount of choice. F-ONE recommends the DW210 HM stab which we had here on test, along with the 990 wing. These foils fit both the carbon & aluminium masts, we had the 75cm aluminium on test.
Built with a high-modulus carbon intended for durability and stiffness, they also feature a monobloc structure with pre-preg carbon, making them light and strong. F-ONE also discuss on their website having areas of the wing that are stiffer than others for load distribution to improve performance, sounds good to us, the details must be top secret though…
On The Water
I have to say that, out of the box, the wingtips felt pretty vicious. With my current prone foiling level, I don’t think I’d feel comfortable using it without a bit of ‘chop shop’. However, I’m more than confident enough to wing with it, so on the first windy day I got I headed for the beach. I aimed to do as much free-flying of the wing and ride the bumps downwind as though I was on a SUP as possible. The main reason for this is I have not learnt to downwind SUP yet, watch this space!
I had a couple of great sessions on the Eagle 990 but the standout one was a cross-shore 25knot sunny day, with perfect bumps that had been rolling along the channel for literally hundreds of miles. I used the F-ONE Rocket Wing S 5’0 and a 4m wing.
So what does a high-speed, efficient foil do for your winging? The immediate thing I noticed was upwind ability, the lack of drag meant I was able to point higher, faster, and with less pressure on my arms. I went straight upwind for a solid mile, ready to turn and fly back. My tacks on the way up felt comfortable & balanced, the glide of the wing giving me plenty of time to change my hands and re-engage the wing.
Time for the downwind: I have to say, I was blown away by this foil when I went into free fly mode. It’s the first time that I’ve flown for minutes at a time without picking up the wing, and it felt amazing. You’ll see in the attached YouTube video one example of a two-minute flight that honestly felt effortless, I only stopped as I had reached the shore! Yes, I was pumping between the bumps, but never for long. The Eagle held its speed and I had no problem in connecting the nearest energy.
I put a lot of my success in that session down to the size of the foil allowing the speed needed to reach that next bump, while maintaining the wingspan and high aspect ratio for pumping. I was hooked, if I can persuade F-ONE to let us keep it long enough for me to learn downwind SUP, I can 100% see this wing being an absolute weapon for it.
With regards to the rest of the wing session, it met all expectations. Again, the speed of the foil allowed for huge airs, not that that is really the intention. Gybes, like the tacks, felt great as the extended glide gave me such a long time to turn and move the wing.
Overall
Anyone looking to take their down winding experience to the next level, whether it be SUP or winging, should seriously consider the EAGLE HM CARBON. The speed, glide & efficiency are next level and will have you flying like you’ve never flown before.
Videos
This review was in Issue 12 of Tonic Mag.
For more information visit F-OneRelated
By Jack Galloway
