3 most important things?

[IanNJ]

Just posted in another spot and was told to repost.

If you could only give a new foiler three important tips when starting to kite foil, what whould they be?

[revhed]

Cool, now you are in the right place.
If possible have a confirmed pilot fly your set up to make sure it works and is in trim.
Start when you can`t touch the bottom.
Best board control bar none for learning is a front foot hook ,for safey, if not a loose front strap.
Never a rear strap unless you like taking chances.
A little underpowered is better than over powered.
Gusty wind is much harder, easy to see why.
Flat water as well makes the water start better.
Because you have no rear strap you can place your rear foot closer to the front to get the feel of the foil without lifting off.
This is why it is good to have it tested so he can tell you where the "sweet spot" is for your rear foot so you can be just in front.
Go slow, depower the kite when you lift off.
There are many other things to know but this is a good start.
R H

[Peter_Frank]

Do you have a board/hydrofoil ?
And do others kite hydrofoil in your area ?

1. As said, go out where it is deep, and never in straight onshore wind, but a bit (or a lot) from the side - as you WILL drift downwind a lot, and ruin the foil if onshore winds.

2. Learn to handle the board out there - use time to learn to drag upwind with your board, to handle and turn it around, to avoid getting your feet into the mast and wings.
Even to carry it out is not as easy as one might think.
Sounds easy, but use some time.

3. Use shoes and a full suit when learning, to avoid too many cuts.

Last but not least - dont get dissapointed if NOTHING works
It can be really difficult, so you might have success glimpses right away, but you might also use a lot of time where it does not seem to lead anywhere - and might feel impossible to EVER get control of that damn thing

Just continue - suddenly you will be up and foiling, and be happier than ever

PF

[stefaans]

I'd agree. put two traps on and keep them really loose.

so how do you learn to Hydrofiol.
Day 1. go out get spanked go home humbled.
Now that you have day 1 out of the way you can start learning how to hydrofoil.
Day 2.
Yes get to deeper water in marginal winds. don't dive your kite as if you were getting on a surfboard or twintip. Any angle to the water is just going to either crunch your legs up or throw you off in the most awkward way. Goal is to try and get your body just straight up on the board with the foils pointed straight down without moving or very very slow if you do. Place all your weight on your front foot and start riding it around like a surfboard. You will notice even though you are too underpowered to really ride a surfboard the foil under the water is assisting you and you can ride around just fine. Id say ride this thing around with the forward foot pressure as long as you want this builds a lot of confidence knowing you can take it out and get back safe. You can start riding a bit faster and basically the foil will lift itself out of the water 1 foot at a time but will go back down due to the front foot having some weight on it. as you progress transition some more weight to the back and always just concentrate on transitioning weight back forward when needed.
Option B is to go out and try really hard to accomplish everything in the first session and tire yourself out in 45 minutes. Trust me if all you do the entire time is trying to foil and failing miserably you will have no energy left.

take your time instead of beating yourself up. most poeple start getting controlled 5 second rides by day 2 or 3 and basically by day 5 you are full on foiling.
Here is the catch that nobody thinks about. its easy to foil upwind. Downwind seems impossible at first even at day 4 and 5. Easy trick to get back downwind is again to go back to what you were doing on day 2 and just keep your weight on your front foot. yeah doesn't looks the best but at least you getting yourself back downwind where you started.

Some get it in a day or 2 and some take a while but in the end everybody gets it so don't stress it and keep it fun.

[dwaynej]

Alpine Foil has a nice beginner tutorial with six simple steps to start with...

http://www.alpinefoil.com/en/videos/vid ... l-n-1.html

[windsunsea]

As a new kitefoiler, with the learning experience still fresh in my mind, I would say that as a beginner you should consider these 3 things (there are plenty more of course):

1. Do not try to learn on a high performance foil. Rather use a foil that generates lift at low speeds, the crashes will be less painful!

2. Do not try to get the board to foil, keep it flat on the water. The board wants to foil and that is what will dump you in the beginning. It will foil by itself when enough speed is attained, you just need to catch and stop the lift before it gets out of hand.

3. When you dive the kite to start, try to get all your weight on top of the board. By that I mean do not lean back or try to edge, like on your twin tip / directional board. You will not be able to control the lift (see #2).

Just persevere, it is well worth it!

[davesails7]

Im on day 4, but all 4 days were pretty bad conditions, so i might be more like a typical day 2

Having someone experienced try out the foil was very helpful. I got my foil amd board from 2 different people. First time out i had both straps too far back. It was a disaster, and just plain dangerous. Couldnt keep the thing in the water. Luckily a buddy who had moved away happened to be in town that day. He tried it, said WTF and i moved the straps forward.

I dunno about loose straps. If they are too loose my foot goes in too far and i get stuck.

[pierre.d]

I just started (successfully last summer), my best advices.

1) best conditions to start
- side shore condition, wind not too light not too strong, flat & deep water, light kite with a lot of depower

it is better to wait to have the good conditions than try in horrible ones and get hurt on the first try

2) wear a helmet, booties and a wetsuit for the first sessions (if not all)

3) the best advice that came from Damien (alpine foil) do not try to fly for the first 2 hours
just ride slowly at 8 - 12 knots with your weight on the front leg and relax.
Ride on the two tacks, upwind, downwind to be sure you can go where you want, when you want, without flying.
When you are relaxed enough and accustomed to the foil you will fly easily after 2h.

[cglazier]

Good advice above. The things I tell beginners are:

1. Don't start until you are up to your armpits in deep water.

2. Position the board on it's side (mast laying on the surface) and put your feet in the two foot straps.

3. Do a normal waterstart.

4. Go slow and just ride with the board on the water. Do everything to keep the board from foiling!

5. When comfortable riding then increase your speed and the foil will start to lift you. Do everything to keep the foilboard down! (depower the kite and lean forward)

Learning is all about keeping the foilboard down on the water. Beginners who work on this will repeatedly learn to balance their pitch without falling in.

Have fun. It can take many hours to get comfortable foiling.

CG

[Zeeko]

Hi I should add for technical choice:

- Start without a competition foil, start with short mart foils (80-85cm)
- Use a thin board: this is very easier for water start
- 12m kite size in 15knots for a 75Kg rider is a best.

Ride easy
Nicolas