Slingshot V Stab and Jet Stab

Welcome back to MACkiteboarding Foil Fridays with Tucker. Today I'm going to talk about two exciting new stabilizers for the Slingshot Phantasm carbon foil system. The Jet and the V are smaller stabilizers for the lineup.

They've had the 400 as a standard stabilizer for quite a long time. It's a bit larger and more stable to provide ease-of-use. At the other end of the spectrum is the 325, which is small and has winglets to help with tracking ability at high speeds. In the middle has been a gap with room to grow, and the V 360 and Jet 340 fill that gap nicely and give you more options based on your ability and how you want to ride. Are you ready for something with more speed, agility, excitement, or just a new flavor?

V PS 360

In terms of total surface area, the V isn't much smaller than the 400. However, it does have a very distinct "V" shape. This is what makes it special and an easy step up from the 400. It's still going to have a lot of stability, low end, and pumping ability. It is a bit thinner in the foil section, which equates to a larger speed range and better glide with the decreased drag. You'll also find that you can get on foil more easily.

The "V" shape decreases the wingspan, which gives you a more fluid rolling maneuverability. It's also a very flat stabilizer, which gives you a loose yaw. The swept shape of the wing makes for easy pumping.

If you're swapping from the 400, you'll be glad to hear that the V uses the same mounting position, so you won't need to adjust your mast position on the board- just switch and go. It still provides a good amount of support to help drive the front wing up, so even if you're a newer foiler, this is an easy upgrade to inject a little more performance into your ride.

Other riders who would enjoy the V are surfers, wake foilers, or anyone looking for an efficient, agile performance and excellent pumping ability. It'll also lower your stall speed so you won't stall out as easily.

You can use this stabilizer with any of Slingshot's front wings, from the largest to the smallest, and you'll inject some performance over the 400. It's versatile and a nice addition to any quiver.

Jet PS 340

The Jet PS 340 stabilizer has a more traditional shape. At 340 cm2, it's not terribly small and still is a good do-it-all size. It'll work well with all but the largest front wings in the range. It's going to level up your experience to a much more aggressive and speedy foil.

The Jet is smaller all around: wingspan, surface area, chord, and thickness. It's got a very fast foil section, so you can expect amazing glide and quite a bit more top end speed. It's nearly flat, with a bit of anhedral and slight winglets. This gives it a pinch of drive and traction while retaining a loose, surfy feeling.

I wouldn't recommend this for a new foiler, but an intermediate rider will find it quite accessible. If you're up and riding, making jibes, and in decent wind for a smaller foil, this is the kind of stabilizer you'll want to level up your ride.

I've been riding the Jet with a 710 fuselage for wing foiling and found it to be phenomenal. It's also great for surf foiling, where you want a little longer fuselage to get better pumping ability. It's not twitchy, where on a shorter fuselage it's going to get a little bit looser and squirrely, so if you're not ready for that yet, leave it on the long fuselage.

The Jet does require a little bit of a mast change, depending on the wings you're using it with. For a few wings, you're going to slide the mast slightly forward to account for the different driving force on the stabilizer pushing that front wing up. You're going to ride it a little more loose and surfy, so you want to move that mast up under your stance.

Which Is Right for Me?

If you're trying to decide whether to pick up a V or a Jet stabilizer, Slingshot has made that decision pretty easy. If you're progressing out of the beginner stage into intermediate and are looking for that next level of performance, I would say to go with the V stab. I would also say that, for any foil where you're not riding at a high speed, the V stab is also a really good choice. It's going to give you a lot of efficiency and performance, but maintain that stalling ability and that easy, slow speed glide and pumping ability. It's nice to be able to pump yourself out of a hole or connect a wave or just glide through a jibe or a tack.

Once you're solidly at the intermediate level and are starting to look at faster foils and want a little bit more performance out of those, like better maneuverability and glide, then the Jet stab is a solid choice. You'll get a little more performance on the wave face or when you're carving around and making those higher speed turns. The Jet will unlock more performance for you.

While I think a lot of Slingshot's marketing on the Jet is dead on, they might be portraying it as a little higher level than it needs to be. They're looking at the Jet as an advanced level stabilizer, and it does offer that kind of performance, but it's certainly accessible to more than just advanced riders. If you're out there riding confidently on reasonably small foils like 1500 cm and smaller, then this is definitely one to take a look at and have in your quiver. It's going to take you a minute to get used to it, but as you progress into it you're going to be really happy.

I'm stoked that Slingshot was able to build more stabilizers into their lineup, yet keep the options clear based on your ability level and the foil you're riding. It's very easy to decide which one is right for you and where you're at in leveling up your performance.

Summary

I've been riding the Jet with some of Slingshot's new PTM wings for winging and surfing. I'm riding at higher speeds, gliding, and doing a little bit of downwinding, and I'm very impressed with it. It's very efficient and fast for a stabilizer of its size, so it's easy to ride and has great speed.

The V PS 360 was like a better 400 for me. Faster, similar pumping, similar stability, more agile, and quite a bit looser in the yaw since there are no winglets and it's pretty much dead flat. So it's really fun for surf foiling, wake foiling, and anytime you want performance but also that accessibility and ease-of-use. On the low end of its wind range, this is a fun one to grab, and also very fun on Slingshot's Kite Series foils with a shorter fuselage so you get that loose, freeride feel. It's not going to stall out easily on you, but it's also very skaty and fun.

If you have any questions, pick up the phone and call us, send us an email, or jump on our live chat on our website and we'll get you hooked up with the right one. It's really pretty straightforward, but you can always rely on us if you'd like to confirm your choice or just have any additional questions. This has been Tucker with MACkiteboarding and we'll see you next time.

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