CrazyFly Cruz 690 2020
Reviews / Hydrofoils
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At A Glance
The all-new Cruz 690 is a fresh design from CrazyFly aimed at the freeride foilers out there looking for something fun. By modern standards, it looks small, but where it lacks size, it makes up for with a deep angled profile. Built using a combination of injected carbon in the wings and aluminium for the fuselage and mast it makes for a compelling set up for those wanting performance without breaking the bank.
The whole set up is very light, but it does lack some of the features of the heavier foils on the market. The wings are beautifully made and should be very hard-wearing too. The injected carbon creates an incredibly light and strong composite. The mast is filled with air and sealed off to add buoyancy, this ensures even with the smallest board in the CrazyFly range there is no chance of it sinking.
CrazyFly offers a range of masts to go with the setup, from 50cm to 90cm in 10cm increments there should be the perfect length for your level and style of riding. The connections and joins are all “pocket free” opting for a flat surface to flat surface join, where the mast meets the plate and the fuselage. This reduces the risk of design intolerances and, according to CrazyFly, eliminates vibrations too.
On The Water
Years ago, foils were all about going fast, small thin wings were the rage, and a sport that was born from racing was rather backwards. These days the sport has learned, and it’s easier to be on a huge wing having fun and learning than on some razor blade.
The Cruz 690 sits somewhere in between, stacked up with the other foils on test at the moment it is tiny. However, compared to the race wings it’s huge, a happy medium them between the larger wings we are getting more used to and the racier models reserved for making it round the buoys.
Where the Cruz 690 is smaller in size it compensates for in profile depth and angle, for a small wing it offers a surprising amount of lift, and it’s easy to pop it up on the water, even in light winds. Once up the top speed is impressive, thanks to the small nature of the wing. It’s very manoeuvrable too; the small size allows you to dominate it with your body weight and throw it around.
Compared to some wings out there we wouldn’t describe it as super stable, it’s small nature means it’s more playful than a straight line charger. With the right amount of power, though, the top speed is impressive. It’s going to suit the intermediate to advanced riders out there looking for a wing that is engaging on the water.
Overall
Small but packed with lift, the Cruz 690 is perfect for riders wanting a bit more performance from their wings. With a solid top-end speed and very dynamic handling, it’s fun to ride and well built, especially considering how light it is!
Videos
This review was in Issue 81 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit CrazyFlyRelated
By Rou Chater
Rou has been kiting since the sports inception and has been working as an editor and tester for magazines since 2004. He started IKSURFMAG with his brother in 2006 and has tested hundreds of different kites and travelled all over the world to kitesurf. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things kite and is just as passionate about the sport today as he was when he first started!
