As I'm living in Berlin there are not too many opportunities to have fun on the water. We don't have proper Wind, Windbumps or swell at all which makes the lakes kind of boring compared to the Ocean. However there are still a bunch of Boat Wakes and a few "windy" days each week making the lake a pretty good playground for all different things Foiling. This channel represents my interests in all different Foiling Disciplines and tries to show what I'm up to and what I'm testing. I hope you find it useful!
For lessens in Berlin check out my company: www.foil-club.de
Hi Leo, es klingt als würde dir der Dockstarter besser gefallen als der Wavecatcher/Lakemaster, stimmt das? Worin bestehen die Unterschiede? Welchen kann man länger pumpen? Danke und liebe Grüße Rebecca
Sehr cool! du machst mir Mut, weiter den Traum vom DWen auf dem Zürichsee zu verfolgen. Ich bin soweit ein kleineres Foil raus zu paddeln (sirus1700) und warte jetzt auf grossen Wind... denkst du der ist immer noch zu gross?
Hi Leo, nice that you're posting again. In previous videos, you were using the Sabfoil Leviathan 1350 as your big DW foil. Based on your reviews, I got one and have been using it for flatwater paddle-ups but have yet to do a downwinder with it. Do you think it would work OK in conditions like in this video?
Hey man, thanks! There will be more content soon :) I would have preferred the Leviathan 1350 for this day, but didn't have it with me at the time being. It would work fantastically! I'm now at a point where I usually don't use it for downwinders any more, as the AXIS 1201 is my new ligth wind wing, but I would choose the Leviathan 1350 anytime again to learn the paddle up and to get the first experiences downwinding. It's definitely too slow to keep up with good wind swell, but getting up is more important than being fast in the beginning!
Thanks man! :) There will be more content soon, had a lot to do recently but will have some time to edit everything from the past half year or so very soon :D
Thanks for posting 'Real Life' conditions for a lot of us. If the wind was more South at that location what minimum wind speed (kts) would you attempt a Downwinder there?
Yeah its not all Maui conditions :D Good question! As the wind is always very very gusty here, probably on a day thats like 16 kn base to 30 kn gusts or so. From Winging on days with max of 25 kn gusts with perfect direction south west wind, I unfortunately already know that its not enough to fly free when gusts don't exceed 25 kn. So I'll try again once it reaches the 30 kn Treshold I think :)
@@leo-stief Great! I am pump foiling at the Rudergesellschaft dock mostly tuesdays, fridays and saturdays. Sometimes also on Sundays. Maybe we can meet up. i would love to get some feedback from you. You inspired me to start with foiling :)
Very cool !! I am starting also small downwinders on lakes in Belgium but using a foil assist to take off and going back. I noticed I need at least a good steady 20 knots but higher will be better I think as I am heavy. Saw a Vampire board last week in France with a cool dude from Bavaria gliding like hell on waves with an Axis foil!
Nice, how much fetch does your lake have? Steady 20 kn sounds reasonable, here 20 kn ground wind mostly means 35 in the gusts so basically exactly like in the video's conditions. Yeah the Vampire Boards are sick, light and sturdy! How long can you go when always taking the foil assist upwind as well?
I was wondering the same thing! Would you take a closer look at this lake which is next to my "home spot": maps.app.goo.gl/ejgokA3FVU4Z6EXz7 Would it be possible in strong south westerly wind to wing upwind, deflate and then downwind in a north east direction? Also: which foil would you say worked better - the 1300 or the 1401? I have both and would also choose the 1300 due to the lower stall speed..
Hallo Leo! Ich war heute das erste mal am downwinden. Ich hatte den Leviathan 1350 und musste mit ansehen wie mir die Seewelle davon sauste:-(. Kannst du mir einen Frontflügel von Sabfoil empfehlen? Leider gibts da nirgendwo Infos :-(. Danke !!
I was about to buy the gong X-over L but then saw this video you are using a XL? Is L too small for pumping? Im 70kg surfed a lot and want to get into foiling now. What cm2 surface area do you recommend? I was also looking at the curve....
@@leo-stief cool anyways, I plan a Malaga trip next spring, but that's another coast. You do really amazing foil surfing videos. I've never thought of using it that way!
Moin Milan, ich gehe meistens Wannsee Havelchausse oder am Flensburger Löwen rein :) Wir haben hier auch eine große WhatsApp Gruppe mit vielen anderen Foilern, wenn du willst kann ich dich dort auch aufnehmen. LG Leo
@@leo-stief Ah cool, super gerne! Ich hab dir mal eine Nachricht mit meiner Nummer bei Instagram geschickt, weil ich nicht wusste wie ich dir hier eine PM schicken kann.
Awesome videos! I admire the color scheme in your beautiful DW setup! I also have the 1350 Leviathan for wing foiling in light conditions and didn’t know there was an adapter for the AXIS Mast. Thank you! I did not want to buy a $$$ shorter SAB Mast. My Current setup: Freedom Dagger 7’5’ 110L 1350 Leviathan SAB 83 Mast (not the new super stiff one) Stab 380 Fuse 753 I’m 86.2 Kg. wing foiling in the summer with very light (sub 10-6 knots) conditions. Winter, Spring and Fall much better wind. June-August want to work on pump foiling and get the SAB 1550 or even the 1750 for flat water starts. Would I need a different a shorter Fuse like your 663? I’m worried about 753 breaking. Gong requires a titanium fuse with their HA wings and I’ve seen videos of fuselages breaking with the HA front wings. Also any thoughts on your Flat 325 Stab vs the 380?
Hey man, Yeah the adapters are awesome now a days! No more need to buy a new mast for everything :D Freedom Dagger 7,5 sounds awesome, i really like the ffb gear. Were the same weigth! I would recommend to stay with the 753 for the beginning, specially as you're already used to it. the shorter fuse makes pumping way more efficient, however, it also leads to the foil feeling less in control and more twitchy, requiring more finesse in steering and potencially more frustration. For downwinding, out of the sab quiver, I would now definitely choose the 753, as the 663 is too instable for me on the pitch axis when reaching a certain speed. Only for pumping or flatwater paddling I would choose the 663 every day tho. The 1550 and 1750 make the paddle up easier for sure! Still, I think the technique used to paddle up the 1550 and 1750 is not really transferable to the sea/ ocean, as every wind swell is way faster than the 1550 or 1750 can go so it's almost impossible to ride them downwind, or to paddle them up as the bump will overtake rigth away... I still really enjoy the 1350, but don't really use it for downwind anymore as I can now paddle up faster foils consistently, making it easier to stay with the bumps instead of always falling behind and having to pump. I think for a downwind oriented paddle up training the 1350 is already almost too big so i would only advice on going bigger if the aim is to master the flatwater paddle up faster :) Best from berlin, where i will chase some boat waves later today on the axis 1201 :D
Thanks for your videos. I'm thinking about trying veloce XXL for light wind. In your sessions with veloce XXL, what was the minimum number of knots for the wind?
a professional surfer at 85kgs would be on 27 litre board or slightly more, i would say for someone at an older age even the ability to catch a wave with that litre-age would be an issue, and that's before you account for the foil. Yet with persistence you seem to have overcome the hurdle
I'm on a something 30 to 35-litre Board now and I love it! However, I would go back to the 48 l for learning immediately and think one should only switch to something smaller when feeling really comfy on the bigger board :)
@@leo-stief I do surf a 32 litre short board now, but now older running at 82kgs now so a little heavier but would like to try surf foiling, i have not done any before, I had a mispent youth and don't have an issue with surfing however foil size and board size is something I am trying to get my head around. Maybe a 2 or multiple step process?
It Dependfs on what your use case is :) Overall, 1310 is more efficient in straight pumping, but i would prefer the 1300 for down winding and most other disciplines as it feels better for me :D You're experience might be different tho :D
What pop up method are you using for what worked best for you and what didn't I'm learning and using the standard surf pop up but wondering about the back foot first pop up
Respect that you can handle a 105cm high aspect foil with a 85cm alu mast on a hipe! Never tried more than 80 and that just a few times in the beginning! Way too much hassle with the sandbanks!)
Leo, i wanred to ask. Do you have any experience with Gong Sirus. 156 sirrus vs 1550 leviathan, or 135 sirus vs 1350 leviathan? I want to buy a set for flat water pumping and use it for lightwind and i was wondering if there is a big difference between those 2. I already have few foils from Gong, but I see most people on Leviathan. I like gong because its much less $. However is Leviathan would be much better, id switch. Its just so hard since i have no way to test either one. Any input is appreciated. Thank you.
Hey Martin, I have unfortunately not tested the Sirus too much yet. But what I can already tell you from the few goes I had in it is that when comparing a similar span Leviathan to the Sirus, the Sirus will be much faster but also much higher in stall speed. The Curve H is a closer replica to the Leviathan from how it feels and lifts, and i think the Curve H xxl/xxxl is superior for pumping to the Sirus. Size wise: If you're not above 95 kg or so I would suggest you to go for 135 instead of 155. Yes, it'll take a bit more power to start it, but the 135 is still comparably way to easy to start, yet it's definitely more turnable than the 155 :D Comparing Leviathan to the Curve / Sirus: I think that the Leviathan ist way better thann the Curve H, Its a bit more efficient, therefore the curve H turns better and the Sirus goes a bit faster. I think the most efficient pump will be generated with the leviathan when set up right but i think my choice for the next summer of pumping will be the curve H in xxlh. Hope this helps :) And for winging I would suggest the 135 range over the 155 range too, but some might also feel benefits from a bigger foil :)
Hi Leo. I am trying to learn how to pump and I feel my progress is kind of slow. Not that I am stuck, but certainly I was hoping to progress a bit faster at this stage. If you have time, would you mind having a look at this video and letting me know your opinion? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UEE1DQcoX84.html For some reason I struggle to maintain speed and altitud and I end up touching the water. I don't stall so often now like I did before, but still I cannot pump more than 15 or 20 seconds when I'm lucky. I thought you migtht be able to give me some advice. I would really appreciate it. I am using a GONG FOIL ALLVATOR FRONT WING X-OVER - XXL (2200cm) and a GONG Matata board 4'2. My weight is 70kg. Having tried a couple of GONG and AXIS foils yourself, what foil setup would you recommend for my level? Thank you so much in advance for your help!
How have you found the stiffness of the axis alu mast? Have you thought about moving to carbon or HM carbon? I'm on a gong 75cm alu mast and it really feels like a noodle, especially with large foils and in small waves <1m.
Hey man, I haven’t done a loaded bend test to truly compare them, but I feel like they are about the same stiffness. Maybe the axis is a bit stiffer but I’m not sure. What I do feel like is that the Axis feels a bit more free and less draggy (I guess less chord, different section…) I would love to get a Hm Mast! But I would want it because of it’s thinner for the same stiffness. I don’t believe in the Stiffness gain too much for now. In a year or so that might be different. The Nolimitz v2 72 for example feels almost the same as the axis 19 mm stiffness wise (a bit less stiff) but it’s sooo much faster! I think for truly large foils with like >130 span the masts are not there yet, feel like most large Frontwing setups feel like a noodle when not used to it. But when I then use it for two weeks it feels normal again :D Are you on the Gong v1 or gong v2? If on the v1 buy the v2 it’s soo much better :)
I have just started winging. Going to try prone foil tomorrow, what do you reckon to gong 85l lemon board, plus xxls fluid, 1700cm2 wing and 65 cm mast for first tries?
