Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Double Agent vs Alien Air/H4 to start & progress with?

A forum dedicated to Hydrofoil riders
Pantoporos Aporos
Rare Poster
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2018 3:39 pm
Gear: Crazyfly Strapless
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Double Agent vs Alien Air/H4 to start & progress with?

Postby Pantoporos Aporos » Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:50 pm

Hi all,

I'm a intermediary kiter, riding both twintips and directional surfboard and thinking about getting into foiling now that the windy season for my neck of the woods is winding down (winds are hovering at 8 to 13 knots lately). I cannot afford to buy a set up that I will grow out of in a season or two.

My priorities would be:
  • having fun carving around
  • widening my low-wind range
  • Ability to travel with would be nice, but not essential
  • I'm not looking into racing or jumping at all
So, I'm looking at a cabrinha double agent (with the 2018 foil) or a slingshot alien air with a H4/Fkite wing. Both are available with good discounts from local shops, and both would come with both a shorter mast and the longest one offered by their respective manufacturers.

Does anyone have experience riding both of these boards and foils? Does the extra volume of the alien air help with low-winds or learning? Is the double agent fun to ride foil-less (could I pack that board instead of a twintip to travel with, if all I want to do is carve around)?

I'm even considering getting the slingshot foil and the cabrinha deck, as one of the shops I spoke with said it would work (I guess the SS foil has 140x90mm holes as well as 165x90).

My apologies for all the questions (a few google searches yielded very little info), and thanks in advance for your help. :thumb:

PA

VB705
Rare Poster
Posts: 36
Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2016 12:20 pm
Local Beach: VA/NC
Gear: Best, Slingshot, BRM
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Double Agent vs Alien Air/H4 to start & progress with?

Postby VB705 » Mon Oct 01, 2018 10:21 pm

I haven’t ridden both but I have the Alien Air and H2/H5
combo. I like the modularity of the different wings. I also change the mast out for a 24” and paddle foil surf with the same board and wing setup. Slingshot foils are pretty tough as well.

Only downside of the slingshot system is the weight. It doesn’t bother me much but I’ve seen people struggle til they get in the water. Once in the water, weight is a non-issue.

Hope that helps

Pantoporos Aporos
Rare Poster
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2018 3:39 pm
Gear: Crazyfly Strapless
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Double Agent vs Alien Air/H4 to start & progress with?

Postby Pantoporos Aporos » Mon Oct 01, 2018 10:53 pm

That does help, thanks!
I'd still be curious about head to head comparisons, if anyone has had the opportunity to do so...

gl
Medium Poster
Posts: 156
Joined: Sat May 31, 2008 1:44 am
Kiting since: 1999
Gear: Flysurfer Peak 4 8 and 11, Concept Air Smart, Water Smart, Pulsion, Firefly and Wave kites. Slingshot foil boards and foils, North Nugget
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 15 times
Been thanked: 43 times

Re: Double Agent vs Alien Air/H4 to start & progress with?

Postby gl » Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:07 pm

I do not have the alien air but I have the H4 on a simulator. I also have the wakefoil board that I kite with the WF2. The simulator has much more volume and as a result I can ride in less wind with it. Once up on the board I can stay up longer so that I can dive the kite a second time and get up on the foil. I suspect the volume of the alien air would provide the same benefit. I really like the H4 wing and can ride in quite light wind. It is turny and playful but I do not find it hard to ride. I agree the wing is really tough. I have not tried the Double Agent but would guess you would lose a bit of low end because of it's lack of volume. I cannot imagine myself out growing the H4 any time soon. I also do not notice the weight once on the water.

Okkiteboarder
Medium Poster
Posts: 146
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2018 2:52 pm
Local Beach: I kite in Oklahoma at Lake Keystone, Hefner, and Eufaula Lake
Favorite Beaches: My favorite beaches are: Maui, Cozumel, St. Pete, and home in Oklahoma
Style: Kite Foil and Wingfoil
Gear: Flysurfer, Delta Foils, FOne, jAxis, and Duotone
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 24 times
Been thanked: 71 times

Re: Double Agent vs Alien Air/H4 to start & progress with?

Postby Okkiteboarder » Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:24 pm

Here are a couple of videos I just put together, first over things to consider, and secondly over the slingshot hypermiler board (love it, way more than the alien air, which I also have).
https://youtu.be/qA_k8qK71vc
https://youtu.be/6KWdJP5VBBE

Pantoporos Aporos
Rare Poster
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2018 3:39 pm
Gear: Crazyfly Strapless
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Double Agent vs Alien Air/H4 to start & progress with?

Postby Pantoporos Aporos » Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:33 pm

Tons of helpful information there. Thanks, gl and Okkiteboarder.

The Alien Air with H4 is looking increasingly like the winner for me (The Hypermiller sounds awesome, but I ride in choppy salt water, so the rocker of the alien air looks helpful)!

Thanks

PA

User avatar
Kamikuza
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7057
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:49 am
Local Beach: Sabae Beach
Favorite Beaches: Ol' Stinky
Gear: This, that, the other
Has thanked: 220 times
Been thanked: 193 times

Re: Double Agent vs Alien Air/H4 to start & progress with?

Postby Kamikuza » Tue Oct 02, 2018 2:58 am

I've ridden both and owned a SS foil and AA.

I'd say a Double Agent would be better.

The Alien Air is h-u-g-e and you'll "grow" out of it quickly if you're wanting to carve around -- it's width and weight ahead of your front foot is a burden...didn't travel with it, but imagine it'd suck. The SS foil is heavy as hell too, and its low-speed stall is aggressive ie. it pitches up hard just before it loses lift.

The DA will let you ride slower, easier. Top speed is low so you can go out and not worry about having too much power in the kite. The skim board idea interests me too, especially for traveling. Also found the lower volume board easier to handle in choppy water and surf conditions...

A fun session in the surf on the DA was actual what convinced me to get a surf/SUP foil in the first place :)

Pantoporos Aporos
Rare Poster
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2018 3:39 pm
Gear: Crazyfly Strapless
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Double Agent vs Alien Air/H4 to start & progress with?

Postby Pantoporos Aporos » Tue Oct 02, 2018 3:04 am

Interesting... That's unexpected, but nice to hear. Did you try the DA as a skimboard at all?

Oh, and it seems that the DA comes in two sizes now (135 & 145). Any opinions on them? I imagine that the bigger size would be more forgiving of low wind starts and learning to gybe. Is that a fair assumption?

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Lots to think about here.

User avatar
Kamikuza
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7057
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:49 am
Local Beach: Sabae Beach
Favorite Beaches: Ol' Stinky
Gear: This, that, the other
Has thanked: 220 times
Been thanked: 193 times

Re: Double Agent vs Alien Air/H4 to start & progress with?

Postby Kamikuza » Tue Oct 02, 2018 6:30 am

No, unfortunately. Everyone raves about the Shinn thing, so I imagine it'd do as an option for more wind and bigger surf.

I'd go for the bigger one, but go by your own weight and how you like to ride as a skim board re. more powered or less.

Of course, the AA is only for foiling so there's that...

User avatar
bragnouff
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1534
Joined: Tue May 14, 2002 1:00 am
Kiting since: 1999
Local Beach: New Brighton
Gear: Boards: Alkita boards
Zeeko Slash/AirWave/Scrambler
Amundson Johno
Foils: Spitfire XLW/ XXLW. GoFoil NL130/160/190
Kites: FS Peaks
HB Legion
Wings:Zeeko Carve
HB Flair/Guide...
Brand Affiliation: GK enthusiast / Zeeko & HB Pimp
Location: 43.5320° S, 172.6306° E
Has thanked: 81 times
Been thanked: 338 times
Contact:

Re: Double Agent vs Alien Air/H4 to start & progress with?

Postby bragnouff » Tue Oct 02, 2018 6:43 am

I've used the DA 145 quite a bit without the foil when traveling. That wouldn't be my first choice at home, but when traveling, that definitely saved the day. You just have to not have crazy high expectations of performance in the surf, but it's pleasant, and with a bit of adaptation it feels OK. Super fun in flat conditions with strong winds, also behind a boat it doubles as a pretty decent board to get into wakeboarding/skurfing. So, overall very versatile, compact and bombproof. The DA board is actually much nicer than the foil that comes with it. So if you have the option to mix and match, go ahead!


Return to “Hydrofoil”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: alekbelia and 157 guests