Slingshot One-Lock Wake Foil Review: Turbo 180 vs. Flare 145 with the Glide 925

Ryan and Caden were out testing wake gear in Lake Michigan. Caden's been behind wake boats for a while and is currently a Junior on the Michigan State Wakeboarding Team. Ryan's no stranger to the foil but can usually be found riding the wind with a wing. They started out testing various brands, but then a screw decided to take a swim, so the guys switched their focus to the toolless, no-hardware-needed One-Lock foil system from Slingshot. What did they ride, and did they agree on the best setup for wake?

What's the One-Lock System?

We've gone over the One-Lock System for wake foiling in depth in this blog, but in short, it's a complete foil that locks the mast, front wing, and stabilizer together with a single lever. (Caden's gotten it together and locked on a board in 33 seconds and has issued a challenge to see who can beat him.)

On a boat, this lets you not only swap out parts in just a moment if you want to be on a different wing or tail, but it also lets you break down the foil when someone is out on something else. No need to have it hanging off the rack or taking up a seat in the bow. And there are no screws to drop in the drink!

What Were the Guys Riding?

For this session, Ryan and Caden both went with the Glide 925 front wing. It's got an 8.8 aspect ratio, an anhedral curve, and flared up wingtips. It's easy to initiate those carves and even be aggressive with them if you want, yet it's still stable, pumps well and, obviously, has amazing glide. It's a balanced all-around foil behind the boat.

It's a remarkable front wing because there's always a tradeoff. If a wing pumps well, like a dockstarter foil, then it's going to be wider and won't like to roll. Narrower high-performance carving wings can be unstable side-to-side and don't have the surface area for easy pumping. The Glide 925 has really found that sweet spot between the two, and you won't notice much compromise between carving and pumping, which is just what you need behind a boat. You'll feel like you're driving the wing, not riding it. You can tell it what to do and it'll react.

The board size does make a difference. Caden was on the WF2 4'6", and it was just a bit too large. The weight distribution felt off. He swapped it out for a smaller board and suddenly, everything clicked.

The stabilizer makes a big difference, too. Ryan went out on the Turbo 180, and he loved it. The Glide 925 was a surfier wing than he was used to, but the larger tail and longer fuselage offset that perfectly and gave him a ride that was less twitchy and more pitch stable, but still fun.

Caden initially went out with the Turbo 180 as well, but it was too much tail for what he wanted to do so he came in and was able to swap it out for the Flare 145 in seconds. The Flare is a higher-aspect shape than the Turbo, and it made his carves more reactive.

Ryan gave the Flare 145 a try as well, but it was just too twitchy a setup for him. The Turbo felt much more natural.

What Are Some Tips for the Glide, Turbo and Flare?

You'll need to drive your back foot more with the Flare, but if you find yourself about to stall, you can kick your back foot and pump to any wave you need.

The lake had a lot of chop that day, but the Glide 925 just cut through everything. You'll want a decent wake for it, though. A pontoon wake isn't going to have enough energy.

When you downsize your big front wing to a Glide 925, start with the Turbo 180 tail until you're comfortable on that setup. It won't drag, but it'll give you the stability you need to get used to the surfier Glide. Once you're ready to rip, then swap the tail to the Flare 145 and things are really going to liven up.

The One-Lock is a great system that encourages experimentation since it's effortless to swap out your front and back wings. Try new combos and see what works for you!

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