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What foil should my wife and I buy as our 2nd setup?

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adri_levi
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Re: What foil should my wife and I buy as our 2nd setup?

Postby adri_levi » Thu Jan 25, 2018 2:02 pm

cwood wrote:
Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:19 pm
... As I upgrade to 2018 mast, all the wings and fuselages are interchangeable so we can use wave wings through race as the impulse or interests change or the conditions dictate. If something breaks or hardware is lost, then there are always backups that fit. I would think "system" if you are making decisions as a kiting couple.
Same applies to Levitaz. All parts are interchangeable.
Definitely worth looking into it. New products coming out end of Q1.

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Laughingman
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Re: What foil should my wife and I buy as our 2nd setup?

Postby Laughingman » Thu Jan 25, 2018 2:15 pm

slowboat wrote:
Wed Jan 24, 2018 8:29 pm
Not clear why you think the weight is making it hard for your wife to learn.

I think the beginner LF foil is still one of the easiest to learn on and would recommend your wife continue with it. It sounds like you are ready for something else. If you wanted to stay with LF, the Thruster is a great foil for the type of riding you want to do. Don't limit yourself to less than 15 Knots. Get smaller kites if you need to and foil as much as you can in all conditions.
What caused both of us a delay was using a front hook (half strap) instead of one full strap. It was a challenge for her to lever the board onto its side then hold it on edge while getting her feet in place and diving the kite, the fuselage is so heavy the it makes in unnecessarily difficult and then it wants to sink faster then it should. I struggled at first as well in fact I have inflamed my tendinitis from doing it over and over again. Once I took the half strap off and replaced it with one full strap we started to progress much quicker as we could use our front foot to hold the board in place long enough to get pressure from the kite.
I wouldn't say I am limiting myself, I just know there are sooooo many things I am working on with my twin tip I cannot imagine using that time foiling. I will have plenty of opportunity to foil in SWO. Not so many 15 knots plus days. I do think we have the small kites we need though, we have 5m,7m Prodigies 8m,10m,12m,14.5 Flites, I am not sure I need the 14.5 anymore.
I will look at the thruster. Thanks!

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Re: What foil should my wife and I buy as our 2nd setup?

Postby Laughingman » Thu Jan 25, 2018 2:26 pm

jakemoore wrote:
Thu Jan 25, 2018 12:11 am
Which ever one she wants! Pretty sweet she is interested in kiteboarding and hydrofoiling.
Yep, she learned a few years after I started. I took her to the Outer Banks and hired Ty Lucket to teach her the basics. She fell in love with it as fast as I did and never looked back. Honestly I think she is a better rider (on a twin tip) then I am now. It is nice to be able to share it with someone and buying gear is never a problem. :roll:
Learning to hydrofoil has been a challenge for her, there were almost tears, some serious bruising and cuts.
At dinner people would stare at her legs and look at me with disgust as if I beat her or something.

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Laughingman
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Re: What foil should my wife and I buy as our 2nd setup?

Postby Laughingman » Thu Jan 25, 2018 2:29 pm

Jzh_perth wrote:
Thu Jan 25, 2018 6:02 am
There is a new LF foil called Impulse which looks pretty amazing. It’s a slower foil for surf and freeride. I am enjoying kiting with a Sup foil these days for the variety.

I personally have great experience with Zeeko aluminium foils and still ride a green and white as my regular foil. Having had 2-3 carbon foils in the past, I’m back to aluminium as I can’t justify the Expense for simple freeriding. I’d rather have 2 foils for the same price instead of 1. I am on a budget however.

(Do you have a full size mast yet ? Or is 26” the only one ? If you havnt got a 90-100 cm mast for the LF you should consider adding that to the equipment pool too. Short masts are like training wheels - useful to a point but may end up holding you back in the long run. )
I'm okay with an aluminum mast, but that fuselage damn its heavy.
We do have a full size mast but I honestly could not pack it as we would have been over our weight limit. So I could only bring one and training wheels seemed like a good idea. Whats the zeeko fuselage like? Is it solid aluminum as well?

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Re: What foil should my wife and I buy as our 2nd setup?

Postby Laughingman » Thu Jan 25, 2018 2:37 pm

adri_levi wrote:
Thu Jan 25, 2018 2:02 pm
cwood wrote:
Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:19 pm
... As I upgrade to 2018 mast, all the wings and fuselages are interchangeable so we can use wave wings through race as the impulse or interests change or the conditions dictate. If something breaks or hardware is lost, then there are always backups that fit. I would think "system" if you are making decisions as a kiting couple.
Same applies to Levitaz. All parts are interchangeable.
Definitely worth looking into it. New products coming out end of Q1.
That EXO board looks interesting but holly crap 2000 euros just for the foil! Guess I better dig deep if I want to go to a carbon setup!

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Re: What foil should my wife and I buy as our 2nd setup?

Postby slowboat » Thu Jan 25, 2018 4:05 pm

FYI: The LF Impulse comes with a carbon fuse standard. It is an option for the Thruster foil.

As far as your wife, I was probably at her stage not that long ago when I got the best advice: STOP trying to foil. Ride with the board on the water until you can do it in both directions very comfortably, then start to allow a LITTLE bit of lift in a very controlled manner for short periods of time, then back down again. Repeat and progress under total control. This approach may seem like a step backwards but in the long run progress will be much faster with less pain and injuries.

Also keep in mind that for many people who are still learning pitch control, it is hard to go back and forth from a twintip to a foil. If you want to keep riding a planing board, a directional is a better mix with foiling.

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Re: What foil should my wife and I buy as our 2nd setup?

Postby Laughingman » Thu Jan 25, 2018 4:16 pm

slowboat wrote:
Thu Jan 25, 2018 4:05 pm
FYI: The LF Impulse comes with a carbon fuse standard. It is an option for the Thruster foil.

As far as your wife, I was probably at her stage not that long ago when I got the best advice: STOP trying to foil. Ride with the board on the water until you can do it in both directions very comfortably, then start to allow a LITTLE bit of lift in a very controlled manner for short periods of time, then back down again. Repeat and progress under total control. This approach may seem like a step backwards but in the long run progress will be much faster with less pain and injuries.

Also keep in mind that for many people who are still learning pitch control, it is hard to go back and forth from a twintip to a foil. If you want to keep riding a planing board, a directional is a better mix with foiling.
Yah I was just reading about both of them. Interesting and hard to make a choice...

Regarding riding the foil, that is what we did, that is exactly where she is at, mostly riding on water allowing to the foil to engage off the backs of waves etc... it scares her so she doesn't stay on foil long...yet... The injuries were from the first few sessions, wiping out while trying to water start... trying to hold the foil in place with one hand and diving the kite while trying to get her feet on the board (it was a mistake to use the half hook) and she has a tendency to fall on the foil, just like when she was starting with a twin tip she would kick the board in front of her and then fall into it. The last few times she went out there were no new injuries so I think she is past that stage... I hope!

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Re: What foil should my wife and I buy as our 2nd setup?

Postby juandesooka » Thu Jan 25, 2018 5:52 pm

Laughingman wrote:
Thu Jan 25, 2018 4:16 pm


Yah I was just reading about both of them. Interesting and hard to make a choice...

Regarding riding the foil, that is what we did, that is exactly where she is at, mostly riding on water allowing to the foil to engage off the backs of waves etc... it scares her so she doesn't stay on foil long...yet... The injuries were from the first few sessions, wiping out while trying to water start... trying to hold the foil in place with one hand and diving the kite while trying to get her feet on the board (it was a mistake to use the half hook) and she has a tendency to fall on the foil, just like when she was starting with a twin tip she would kick the board in front of her and then fall into it. The last few times she went out there were no new injuries so I think she is past that stage... I hope!
I didn't learn with short masts, suffered through it full size like everyone else, but my friends who did demonstrate it is way easier! Falling on that mast is painful and dangerous.

Single strap is easier but risks breaking your ankle if you get stuck in a bad wipeout. I have found the happy medium to be two hooks, with a 2nd one at rear facing forward. My front hook is the new standard style, but back one is the old klingon style, with very little lip on it. It doesn't really cover the foot at all, really it's just a foam block to push against -- as pushing out with both feet "holds" the board in place for water start, then once up and riding you're free to move your feet as needed.

Travel and weight: I got my kite surfboard foil capable, now it's a dual purpose, which meant I could bring my foil to Maui. And needed it for a couple sessions! :thumb: I am now pursuing same with a vanguard, maybe a 4 in one, adding paddle surfing and surf foil too. :D

Nice OR quiver. I'd keep that 14.5. I have a 17m flite, now use it a lot less than I used to, but on its day it's still gold -- session saver when it's under 10kt. Lots of people will chime in that they fly their 12m in 5kts with their foil, etc., but for me, having that extra kite power in the 8-12kt range makes it so much easier, no drama with kite falling out of sky in lulls. But I am not a fan of the tiny kite flying with endless looping to keep it in the air, I'm more a park and ride kiter. And I prefer a little extra power, to help keep the kite drifting when riding straight downwind. (though the flite doesn't drift as well as the wave kites)

Back to foils and your question: I don't have much more to add, other than to say you're lucky to have a legitimate reason to buy a 2nd foil! If $ is an issue, the DIY route is fun and satisfying, to ride a wing you made. But it can be time consuming and frustrating, and also may end up costing the same as a used one if you account for trial and error. Probably the best bang for your buck is to buy a lightly used foil off someone who gave up on the steep learning curve. 8)

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Re: What foil should my wife and I buy as our 2nd setup?

Postby Dwight » Fri Jan 26, 2018 1:35 pm

Laughingman wrote:
Thu Jan 25, 2018 2:26 pm
Learning to hydrofoil has been a challenge for her, there were almost tears, some serious bruising and cuts.
At dinner people would stare at her legs and look at me with disgust as if I beat her or something.
Oh shit, we don’t want that...

My wife learned with a SUP/surf foil. They are completely dull wings. Nothing to cut or hurt you other than just weight and mass. You can foil with a really small kite and little power, so limited energy release from the foil when she bails. You just need really good kite relaunch skills. That’s been my wife’s only challenge. My wife uses a front foot hook only. She feels completely safe with this setup.

I’d look into bolting on those Cloud 9 surf foil wings. They fit liquid force.


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