What about mast length? I use 85cm behind the boat and have no issues taking off and foiling. But struggling a lot with the wing. Falling on take off. Also what angle regarding the wind is the best? 90 degrees or more downwind?
Good questions! 85cm is a great mast length for beginner and advancing riders. it gives you room to make adjustments and allows you enough margin to get through chop. I always suggest angling a bit downwind to get going. It will help you get going from a dead stop. Play with the angle to find what works best for you. Between 90 degrees and about 70 degrees is probably a good area to test out.
Hello I took my first lesson this past weekend- it went ok - I used a 5 m wing abd started on a wide wind surf board- Do you recommend practicing on a SUP with a center fin? Also I am 6 ft 220 what wing size and board do you recommend ? I know you mentioned add 40 to my KG weight- thanks for great video!!
Hey! Nice work on your first session/ lesson! Practicing on a sup can help you practice your wing maneuvering. If you have it and want to have some low consequence practice it will help. That said, I don't personally think it's necessary and would go straight to a foil board. As long as it's big enough to float you, your first few sessions will be spent no the board and not really on foil very much. If you are going slow it's basically the same as a SUP... I always recommend AT LEAST 40 plus your weight in KG. If you go bigger, you'll have an easier time getting started! Hope that helps!
For beginners, the biggest board possible makes everything so much easier! I would say much more than 40liters over your body weight. I know this from 15 years of teaching windsurfing, it's the same principle. I use the 235 litre Air Beluga from RRD with a 2,450 square centimetre foil. It's so awesome, cuts hours off the learning curve.
I appreciate your encouragement the most, I'm have only had a handful of sessions and struggling a bit but will keep at it and super motivated to make it all come together
@@giddyzero7 nice! Keep at it is right! You'll get there. The hard journey makes the reward of flying so much more incredible. Looking forward to when it clicks for you! Wishing you good winds!
The other thing is, that you have to be careful while sanding carbon. Always do it with water and/or wear a mask. Because carbon is not good for you health.
I enjoy your vids, thanks. One thing as a beginner regarding foils is the unbolting, taking apart of the foils necessary with aluminum. I currently have an aluminum set up that I bought cheap. But my second setup will definitely be all carbon. I mean who wants to have to take the foil apart to prevent seizing of the bolts. What a pain in ones *ss!
Great Video, I pretty much used it exclusively for the last 3 weeks to teach me wingfoiling without any other instruction. Now done 7 sessions and i am foiling in waves on the North Sea (with windsurfing experience).
Thank you for this video! I have a question for you: I kiteboard, surf, and wakeboard, but I've yet to wing, and my wife is a complete novice/beginner (no watersport experience). I'm trying to figure out a setup that will work for both of us to learn on. I know it's not ideal, but I'm trying to save some money. I'm 6'0 190lbs (86kg) and she is 5'4" 120lbs (55kg)... This is the setup I have in mind: Board 90L, Foil 72-75, Front wing 1850, wing 5.0... Conditions at our spot are deep water and wind 10-20 knots. Thank you in advance
Hey! My first instinct is your board is too small for both of you. Do you have foil experience? If not, you're going to really struggle to even stand on your board, never mind get on foil. I'd suggest getting a bigger board and your wife will really benefit too as it will be more stable for her to learn on. If you have no foil experience a 125L is where I'd start. If you are insistant on doing something smaller, 110 would be as small as I'd go. You most likely won't be able to get on foil if the wind is under 15 knots at first no matter what board you have. Bigger board is going to be way more fun for both of you. It's always doable with a smaller board but you're going to spend a lot of time swimming and you may end up deciding it's not worth it and get a bigger board anyway. Hope that helps and good luck!
@@westcoastwingfoil Thank you very much for this insight and feedback! I genuinely appreciate it! I don't have any foil experience, and I now completely understand that going bigger is definitely the way to go. Thank you very much!
Looking forward to two weeks of wing foil training in Vasiliki. Only a week to go! I’ve foil surfed for a long time but really want to learn how to wing foil. Wish you’d recommended some footwear!
Awesom tips.Thank you so much for your thorough explanations. We are going to a foil camp in warm weather but do not want to bring much gear with us.They have everything there. What personal items do you think we would want to bring for foiling?
Honestly you should be good to go! If you have your own wetsuit, helmet, and impact vest those are nice to bring but I'm sure they will have all that covered. Enjoy the trip!
I don't use any dive case for the GoPro Max 360 camera. You really don't need it. The one thing that has happened to me is one of my lenses got scratched when in the rear mount position when entering the water. It scratched along the sand. Just be careful of that and you should be good!
Of all the videos on wing foling I find your videos as some of the most helpful on a lot of levels. Thank you for all your research and sharing your experiences. I see you once had a SAB front wing. Approaching the ultra light winds of summer, I was thinking of adding SAB’s Lev. 1550 to my quiver but it would also need a new stiffer $$$ mast. But even after that investment I would not have a faster wing when the winds pick up in the Fall. Your videos on the f4 got me thinking. I’m 86.2 Kg. (190 pounds) and have no problem staying on foil on long runs on SAB’s 1350 Leviathan which is good in light winds but stalls a bit too quickly as I’m learning to jibe. Current setup Wingboard HIPE Cruzader inflatable 7’11 (which is great for travel and light winds) Slingshot Wingcraft V2 80L 1350 Leviathan SAB 83 Mast (not the new super stiff one) Stab 380 Fuse 753 Let me know if this makes sense, Instead of buying SAB’s 1550 (2140 cm2, AR: 11,30) I’m thinking of f4’s two wing setup (and selling my SAB rig) F4’s Lightwind 2500 Frontwing (120cm - 2500sqcm) Freeride 1720 Frontwing (94cm - 1720sqcm) Aluminum Plate Foil 85cm - V2 Rear Wing (42cm - 340sqcm) Fuselage Wing 70cm Does this make sense? The GP Bonito 1450 Wing 1428 sqcm. sounds amazing as a third wing down the road but i’d have to get a second F4 most, correct?
Is there something you could advise regarding safely releasing the wing in a crash? I start the first sessions next week and I've had some shoulder repairs many years ago. Thank You.... I've been an OR Aluula kitefoiling since the first Roams come out
Hi There! It's safer to keep your leash attached for your wing at all times. it's a simply velcro that attaches it to your wrist. If you release it you will loose it and be stuck paddling in. You don't have to worry about it when you fall. It's not a big danger like kite boarding where it can drag you down wind. Hope that helps!
I can garantee you that if you dont have access tova boat you wont be foiling in the first 5 to 8 sessions, let alone 3. Specially if the water is choppy. I lnow because I work as an instructor and i know how hard it is, even if you have previous kite experience.
Wing foiling is my first water sport and I"m not a well self-taught person. I have FAR more than 3 sessions to get up on foil which is just starting to happen. Started from ground zero as they say. Great video though, I appreciate the tips!!
this was awesome but bro you literally said dont get a smaller board to start out with, and then you said you upgraded in 10 sessions. many people dont have disposable income to just drop 1000 on a board they use for 10 sessions
Totally hear you about not having disposable income to spend on multiple boards. I still stand by the fact that you need a big board to start. You don't need to go smaller so soon. You'll be happy foiling on a bigger board for long time.And the alternative is that you spend 10 sessions battling and getting know where vs actually learning to foil. Hope that helps!
Are you just starting out? If the answer is yes, then I'd really discourage that set-up. Will be almost impossible to learn on! It can be done, but really think it's a bad idea in majority of cases.
I hear you. But I've seen first hand the hours that and materials he puts into each board he makes and trust me he's not making a huge margin. Nothing close to a production board! It's the sad reality of locally and hand made products. If you compare them with production prices it doesn't come close in price. But it's 10x better when you compare quality and performance.
@@westcoastwingfoil I have a top shaper and I know many others who make customs price 1,500 or so. That's great if he can get 4k. Back in the windsurf days a Roberts board was gold but times change.
Thank you for professional video, I’m ready with new equipment,have plan going for first session tomorrow.I like your shirt where I can buy?Many thanks 🙏
I think both are great to get a feel for riding a foil and weight distribution for controlling your foil. Both efoiling and boat tow foiling are a bit different to wing foiling. Just the way you're powered and creates a slightly different feel and technique required. But if you have done either you're definitely better off than someone who hasn't foiled at all! What efoil did you try?
You can definitely give it a try with just the board. You can also practice on the beach with the wing. This all helps gives you a grasp of the wing and the positions you need to be in to direct you across the wind. Definitely a good idea. Once you're comfortable going across the wind you can add the foil and start practiciing getting up on foil. Keep in mind that even if your foil is on your board you can still ride on the board and not on foil. Getting up on foil takes work so if you want to stay on the board that shouldn't be an issue.
I can ride the foil indefinitely towing and learning to get comfortable switch but adding a wing to the equation and I can’t even stand up on the board. When on foil towing and pumping the foil seems really unresponsive to carving. 110 liter board 1950 cm foil.
Hey there, What wind speed are you going out in with your wing? It's a big foil which is great for learning. The downside to the big foil is it's less resposive to carving. The smaller the wing span of your front foil wing the better it will be for carving. But the bigger the wing surface area the easier it is to get up on foil.
Just AWESOME!👏 You're a talented & natural instructor. I'm subscribing. This is a highly technical endeavour, which you break down into executable steps and even estimate how long a novice will take to learn. After kiting, skateboarding, & snowboarding I was still hesitant to undertake this sport, however you inspire confidence that these skills can be learned with patience. I'll be studying your videos🏄♂😎☀🇨🇦
Thanks for the compliments and welcome to the wing foil family! I'm glad you are making the leap. It's not the easiest journey to start but once you get that first feeling of flying over the water the payoff is huge! Looking forward to sharing more content to help you progress! ✊💪🏄✈
@@westcoastwingfoil The outer contour gives the impression of a wing, but the whole inner shape, which is what matters, has the shape of and behaves aerodynamically as a kite.
@@maxagent86 I guess in a "true sense" you're right. But since Kiteboarding/ foiling was taken I can see why it makes sense to call the sport Wing Foiling... 😎
Youre welcome. A session is just when you go out doiling on a given day. It can vary from 2 hours to 5 hours depending on your stamina and time available.
I also disagree heavily (most of all with the "Foil Size Front Wing Surface Area" chart) That might be true for starters but for the majority of people its like -400 cm² in every catergory. In addition to that a 1450 cm² foil can't be top measure for most people. I see why you think that it would, because it seems to start really late, but also F4 seems to be manufacturing very big and thin foils with the smallest one being 1050 if I looked it up right. In my opinion weight does matter big times. For me at around 70 kg (154 lb) it was easy to start at 1600 cm² and very soon after figuring out how to foil go down the scale of foils to the 1200 mark and today I also can use 750 cm². In reality people who crave for speed like @dengordo do already drive very small foils around 700 cm² in minimal conditions around 7-10 kts and compare the lack of minimum stall speed by using big wings around 7 m². Its the same on my lake here only that they favour sabfoil brand. If you really want to compare the speed alone you should track your gps speed in comparable conditions and on comparable equipment.
Thanks for your input! I always appreciate alternate perspectives. Just to clarify, you're wing foiling a 400cm2 front wing in 7-10 knot winds on a lake? That would be really imprrssive/ surprising and definitely require a lot of work and pumping skill. Also to me the upside (speed) would be marginal compared to a slightly larger front wing. I agree with the larger hand wing. I have a 7m and love it for light winds! But with a small front wing (higher stall speed) you still have to jibe faster which is more difficult especially for beginners/ intermediate riders and the larger sail doesn't make it easier (other than giving you more power). I love Sabfoil. Road it for a long time and still have one. I actually did use GPS from my GoPro Max to see my top speeds in different wind conditions and found I was achieving higher speeds on my F4. This also gets reinforced by pro riders on the world circuit... F4 is placing in top spots very frequently. I appreciate you challenging some points raised and do agree that some items are up for debate and a bit subjective. My goal is to help riders improve through my experience but I don't pretend I'm going to be right about everything. Thanks again for your input and perspective. 🤙
@@westcoastwingfoil Hi, no big misunderstanding there! I can (and I really can't say that I am an expert) wing with a 750 cm² front wing as stated above. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone nor on all conditions but when you have 15 kts its really no magic going on there. The -400 applies for your graph/chart for front wing cm² recomendations and thats where I disagree heavily because I had much trouble starting out on a 2500 cm² front wing I couldn't get enough weight on my front foot and found out some fellows had the same issue. In my opinion subtract 400 cm² for beginner advanced expert in every category that would be much more realistic. I went away from big hand wings I also had a 7 m² and to me they don't make much sense because I am 1,8 m tall so pretty much average and heavily impaired on pumping with such a big wing. I drive a 4 m² hand wing in almost every condition now and that works fine for me even in very low wind. You are very right about small front wings and problems with learning manouvers but on the other hand you can reuse the energy when already driving very fast which you can't with a big slow front wing. Same thing with wind lulls and gusts. But I concentrated on the matter of speed only and therefore just watch a video of @Dengordo on his 600 or 700 cm² front wing you will see what a big difference that is compared to your 1450 foil even if it is a very good one (which I don't know / haven't tried it). I quoted DenGordo here because he races and is out for speed AND he tracks his gps also so you can compare numbers furthermore his videos are kind of entertaining. I don't want to support any brand. I simply cannot imagine that with all the extra drag of a 1450 you could anyhow reach anything like that even not with a 1050. SInce you gave no gps stats I can only guess it from the spray of your mast and so on. Thank you for your very kind words I also only want to help other riders. In the end a foil system is always a compromise and it matters very much what you intend on doing with it. My guess is: Most people out there want a foil that can pretty much do everything (waveriding/ go fast/ responsive/ go well against (heavy) wind / jump/ efficient/ go long distance).
Thanks for your comment! That is a fair point. I tried to compare to 2 top brands, Naish and Sabfoil. My hope is that most people have those on their radar as high competing foils so it would be a helpful benchmark. I'll do my best to get access to more foils to proivde a wider array of options in the future.
@@scp8412 I don't even know who free-fly is... Is this a foil you think competes as being one of the best in terms of speed, stall speed, stiffness, and glide?
I've got a video showing how I do it. Check the video description as well as I've changed a few things: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ow0AKu8J_Fc.htmlsi=xEYjD5_cotGs5wb_
