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Convertible boards for foiling

Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 10:05 am
by andylc
I am planning to get a new directional board, was going for a Brunotti one which is the 'Vanguard' shape but it's not available for the time-being and was re-considering the possibility of a convertible board that I can then use for foiling. The F-one Slice Convertible looks interesting in that it's the only one I've seen which looks like it has a really nice shape for normal directional riding, but I notice it only has screws for one front pad, plus the rear screws appear to be slightly offset as well. For those who do it I was wondering whether this is relevant - most dedicated hydrofoil boards seem to have 2 front straps - if you use them that is.
Cheers!

Re: Convertible boards for foiling

Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 10:49 am
by Foil
so, if you are thinking of foiling then stop thinking.
just do it.
so many of us have wasted good years thinking just the same thing, I wonder if I can convert my Ttip, my surf board, etc etc.

Your interest in foiling is there, so don't delay, great suitable gear is available cheaply right now, gear that will be much easier to use than a compromised make do jobby.

save money and delay buying that convertible, as you may never use one again once you turn to the dark side :thumb:

Re: Convertible boards for foiling

Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 11:26 am
by bragnouff
to be honest, it's only worth doing if traveling is a big part of your requirements, otherwise having a dedicated foil board alongside your dedicated surfboard is preferable, and not much more costly.
Convertible boards make more sense in the short compact stubby surfboard style boards, as you want to limit the length and resulting swing weight. I'd say 5'4 is pretty much a max for your directional to be used for foiling. On the other hand, that small size would prevent that directional to be used for surfing on windless days, which could also be part of your traveling requirements. Depends where you go!

The F-One Slice is a good board in itself, and the extra weight of the foil mount is probably not completely ruin it. Straps options will soon become irrelevant as you'd ride strapless, but what's there will do the work. One strap in front is ok.
I personally have used a Zeeko slash 5'4 and newer Airwave 5'2 and they're very decent compromises if available in your country. They work really well for kite surfing, and they do the job just fine with a foil bolted on.

It's much better to have a good wave board that you can foil on than a foil board that you can somehow wave ride on.
Nothing more frustrating than having some nice wave conditions and a shitty board to ride them!

Re: Convertible boards for foiling

Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 1:16 pm
by andylc
I mentioned the F-one Slice because it didn’t really look like a compromise as it’s the type of wave board I was already looking for.
Can anybody explain the rear screw inserts for straps? If you’re using straps it looks like they can only be slightly offset either side rather than central, which I don’t quite get...

Re: Convertible boards for foiling

Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 2:01 pm
by Kamikuza
What I want is a split board, but instead of packing down for travel, the complete board is a directional and the split board is foil board 😁

Re: Convertible boards for foiling

Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 2:06 pm
by junebug
Kamikuza wrote:
Thu May 09, 2019 2:01 pm
What I want is a split board, but instead of packing down for travel, the complete board is a directional and the split board is foil board 😁
Now that’s a great idea

Re: Convertible boards for foiling

Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 2:11 pm
by Kamikuza
junebug wrote:
Thu May 09, 2019 2:06 pm
Kamikuza wrote:
Thu May 09, 2019 2:01 pm
What I want is a split board, but instead of packing down for travel, the complete board is a directional and the split board is foil board 😁
Now that’s a great idea
Yeah but I imagine it'd be horrifically bad at both :lol:

Re: Convertible boards for foiling

Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 2:20 pm
by TomW
Foil wrote:
Thu May 09, 2019 10:49 am
so, if you are thinking of foiling then stop thinking.
just do it.
so many of us have wasted good years thinking just the same thing, I wonder if I can convert my Ttip, my surf board, etc etc.

Your interest in foiling is there, so don't delay, great suitable gear is available cheaply right now, gear that will be much easier to use than a compromised make do jobby.

save money and delay buying that convertible, as you may never use one again once you turn to the dark side :thumb:
Yes, this is true. But there's the question of foil progression. When learning to foil you'll do best on a 140-135 board. Then as soon as you're flying and doing flying transitions, perhaps all the way to flying footswitch, you'll want to go to a 120cm or shorter if you are Freeriding, or a race board if you have those ambitions.

Re: Convertible boards for foiling

Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 7:53 pm
by bragnouff
andylc wrote:
Thu May 09, 2019 1:16 pm
Can anybody explain the rear screw inserts for straps? If you’re using straps it looks like they can only be slightly offset either side rather than central, which I don’t quite get...
On a thruster with thin volume, there's not enough thickness for an insert to sit on top of the center fin box. That slight offset is no big deal and having the option to slightly alter the angle of the back foot strap is actually a good thing

Re: Convertible boards for foiling

Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 8:02 pm
by andylc
Thanks for that - makes sense.