yeah, the pumping is unfortunate ... as it looks terrible. If you are focused on outcomes, then it's a great means to an end: hard to argue with catching 11 waves in a row over 5 minutes without paddling. However, if you're into enjoying the overall journey, then there's about 4 of those 5 minutes spent madly pumping. Surfers hate on foilers for this as a major style violation, as the so called "Huntington Hop" pretty much destroyed the aesthetics of pro surfing for a while there.
Anyways, this is the no-kite foiling thread, so here's where I'm at. I have a takuma clone. Mounted it on my sup, got about 6 sessions in before it broke the mount. Frustrating, as just got to the point of being able to get up on foil on every wave, and ride for up to 15-20 seconds at a time. Still tentative, but getting it ... then no more fun, until I get it fixed.
But it's also a 9.3, which is ok for learning, but way bigger than you want to need for sup foil....too much swing weight, too much weight in general.
Now have it mounted to an oversize Ocean Rodeo Duke, and have had 4 kite sessions in training on it for the first paddle foil attempt. Pretty sure it's going to be doable, but we'll see. Pray for surf! It will be interesting to see how the pop up goes, will have to quick on that takuma, as it rises so fast with so little speed.
Things are evolving quickly in surf/sup foiling, with boards getting much smaller and also with a trend toward custom boards (not intended for or capable of being supped or surfed). I have obtained a firewire vanguard, kite version, that I intend to mount tracks in and hopefully get a 4-in-1 travel board: kitesurf, surf, kitefoil, surffoil. Anyone have any experience with foiling on a vanguard?
So there's my story, what are others doing?
PS Canard: once i have takuma mastered and am a competent intermediate, I want to carve a huge wing out of g10 and mount it canard style, experiment with that ... so few people doing it, I want to know if it's by design or just by not realizing possibilities.