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Anyone here windsurf foil?

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Eltreato
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Re: Anyone here windsurf foil?

Postby Eltreato » Fri May 24, 2019 4:59 pm

nothing2seehere wrote:
Fri May 24, 2019 4:19 pm
Sam light managed to get going on a windfoil fairly quickly:



Looks doable for competent person. Had a couple of the early adopter kitefoil people locally who have changed to windfoil and have never looked back. The claims here are that the low end is much better on a windfoil. I have heard the reps claiming as low as 4knots for the big wing models - though I suspect that may involve a lot of prior skill. I gather the big change is getting used to the extra roll balance.
I have heard similar claims to the 4 knots, especially a year or two ago when windfoiling was new. Robby Naish had a video where he was in hardly any wind on a tiny sail and was flying around like nobody's business, but he is after all the King. It does, however, make me question his low wind claims about his new wing-surfer. I run a 7.3m sail with a 2000cm surf wing when windfoiling and I still need at least 10kts for any hope of getting on the wing at 185lbs. No amount of sail pumping technique will ever get me going at 4 knots even with my prior skill. The ram air kitefoilers will always have the low-end advantage over the windfoils. I could never get excited about dropping $2500 on a ram air/foil kite despite the fact that nothing in windfoiling comes close to the power of a big kite loop to get up onto the foil.

Windfoiling certainly is doable for the competent person, far more so than kitefoiling, it's just easier. A competent kiter could certainly go straight ffrom kitefoiling to windfoiling far more easily than a windsurfer could go to kitefoiling.

Eltreato
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Re: Anyone here windsurf foil?

Postby Eltreato » Fri May 24, 2019 5:00 pm

Eltreato wrote:
Fri May 24, 2019 4:59 pm
nothing2seehere wrote:
Fri May 24, 2019 4:19 pm
Sam light managed to get going on a windfoil fairly quickly:



Looks doable for competent person. Had a couple of the early adopter kitefoil people locally who have changed to windfoil and have never looked back. The claims here are that the low end is much better on a windfoil. I have heard the reps claiming as low as 4knots for the big wing models - though I suspect that may involve a lot of prior skill. I gather the big change is getting used to the extra roll balance.
I have heard similar claims to the 4 knots, especially a year or two ago when windfoiling was new. Robby Naish had a video where he was in hardly any wind on a tiny sail and was flying around in next to nothing like it was nobody's business, but he is after all the King. It does, however, make me question his low wind claims about his new wing-surfer. I run a 7.3m sail with a 2000cm surf wing when windfoiling and I still need at least 10kts for any hope of getting on the wing at 185lbs. No amount of sail pumping technique will ever get me going at 4 knots even with my prior skill. The ram air kitefoilers will always have the low-end advantage over the windfoils. I could never get excited about dropping $2500 on a ram air/foil kite despite the fact that nothing in windfoiling comes close to the power of a big kite loop to get up onto the foil.

Windfoiling certainly is doable for the competent person, far more so than kitefoiling, it's just easier. A competent kiter could certainly go straight ffrom kitefoiling to windfoiling far more easily than a windsurfer could go to kitefoiling.

Eltreato
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Re: Anyone here windsurf foil?

Postby Eltreato » Fri May 24, 2019 5:00 pm

Eltreato wrote:
Fri May 24, 2019 5:00 pm
Eltreato wrote:
Fri May 24, 2019 4:59 pm
nothing2seehere wrote:
Fri May 24, 2019 4:19 pm
Sam light managed to get going on a windfoil fairly quickly:



Looks doable for competent person. Had a couple of the early adopter kitefoil people locally who have changed to windfoil and have never looked back. The claims here are that the low end is much better on a windfoil. I have heard the reps claiming as low as 4knots for the big wing models - though I suspect that may involve a lot of prior skill. I gather the big change is getting used to the extra roll balance.
I have heard similar claims to the 4 knots, especially a year or two ago when windfoiling was new. Robby Naish had a video where he was in hardly any wind on a tiny sail and was flying around in next to nothing like it was nobody's business, but he is after all the King. It does, however, make me question his low wind claims about his new wing-surfer. I run a 7.3m sail with a 2000cm surf wing when windfoiling and I still need at least 10kts for any hope of getting on the wing at 185lbs. No amount of sail pumping technique will ever get me going at 4 knots even with my prior skill. The ram air kitefoilers will always have the low-end advantage over the windfoils. I could never get excited about dropping $2500 on a ram air/foil kite despite the fact that nothing in windfoiling comes close to the power of a big kite loop to get up onto the foil.

Windfoiling certainly is doable for the competent person, far more so than kitefoiling, it's just easier. A competent kiter could certainly go straight from kitefoiling to windfoiling far more easily than a windsurfer could go to kitefoiling.

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Re: Anyone here windsurf foil?

Postby ronnie » Fri May 24, 2019 5:24 pm

kitejumping wrote:
Wed May 22, 2019 5:59 pm
Yeah, more wondering if anyone here has tried kiting with a SUP foil or Windsurf foil board.
This is Alex Aguera kiting with a Hypernut 7' 4" by 30" 106 litre SUP board (@ 1:10). You can buy the same board modified for windsurfing and windfoiling. So you can kite foil even with a fairly big SUP board.


While there is talk of getting a windfoil going in 5 knots and gliding in 4 knots, that would be an Olympic class windfoiler with a 10m sail and a big wide board with about a 950 sq cm race front wing - maybe. It's difficult to measure wind that light, and 7 knots is twice as powerful as 5 knots, so 1 knot is a very big difference. Pumping the sail and foil is a major part of getting the foil flying in light wind.

This is one of the best lightwind windfoilers currently - Thomas Goyard , who kept on foiling after racing was stopped to try to convince them there was enough wind to race. From about 7:10 into this clip.
Last edited by ronnie on Sun May 26, 2019 9:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Anyone here windsurf foil?

Postby Peter_Frank » Fri May 24, 2019 6:42 pm

I am not dissing windfoil.

It was very deliberate I chose the words kitefoil can be fun in "way less wind than needed for fun windfoil".

As riding on a huge formula windfoil board with a 10 m2 sail is maybe fun in itself, IF it wasnt for kitefoil where you can ride in this wind with a very lively agile board.

Formula windsurfers (no foil) can ride just fine in 8 knots, but using superwide boards and 12 m2 sails.
This was the combination many of us did not like at all, a very different sport than windsurf freestyle and waveriding.
Then first kitesurf, and later now kitefoiling changed it dramatically, as you could now ride in Formula windsurf wind, or windfoil wind, but a lot more agile and maneuverable - feels and is "light" so to speak.

That was the basis for my personal choice and comparison and why I have chosen kitefoil (and wavekite) now.

Not about the ultimate low end for a windfoil :wink:

I love everything on the water especially when using the wind, wingsurfer windfoil windsurfer freestylekite wavekite kitefoil dinghy catamaran foildinghy.

8) PF

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Re: Anyone here windsurf foil?

Postby jatem » Fri May 24, 2019 7:58 pm

ronnie wrote:
Fri May 24, 2019 5:24 pm
kitejumping wrote:
Wed May 22, 2019 5:59 pm
Yeah, more wondering if anyone here has tried kiting with a SUP foil or Windsurf foil board.
This is Alex Aguera kiting with a Hypernut 7' 4" by 30" 106 litre SUP board (@ 1:10). You can buy the same board modified for windsurfing and windfoiling. So you can kite foil even with a fairly big SUP board.
The SUP foil board looks unresponsive and slow to turn.

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Re: Anyone here windsurf foil?

Postby foilholio » Sat May 25, 2019 12:41 am

Eltreato wrote: I could never get excited about dropping $2500 on a ram air/foil kite
Pansh $300 to $600 for a light wind size foil kite.

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Re: Anyone here windsurf foil?

Postby kitejumping » Sat May 25, 2019 5:14 pm

Thanks for all the info everyone! I'm still snowkiting every day and probably will be for another month or two (there's still like a 10ft+ base above 12k ft) but one of these summers when we have a bad snow year think I'm going to get one of those 3 in ones.

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Re: Anyone here windsurf foil?

Postby 3InletsWindsports » Sun May 26, 2019 12:06 am

I see where PF is coming from and also some others.
But going from zero windsurfing experience to windfoil is overall a significant commitment in time and resources.
But I believe, well worth it.
For those chasing light wind Windfoiling, if that’s your goal and how you like your fun, then go for it.
But if it’s more about ripping around carving and swell etc. then yes you want more wind so you can use smaller more manageable rigs.
Shore breaks are out and out shitful and also if you get sucked into riding a swell to far in.
Having a rock wall or bluff etc. with deep water to get started and out back is great and also probably going to determine your Windfoiling locales.
I’m yet to see a video of a Windfoiler getting out through a shore break.(mush doesn’t count)

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Re: Anyone here windsurf foil?

Postby ronnie » Fri May 31, 2019 11:55 am

Slingshot designer Tony Logosz ahead of the game as usual. He is now using a 127cm 45 litre windfoil board - click right to go from the picture to the video (he is using a 3.7 sq m sail). I'd guess the blue sail in the picture is the 3m. Tony says he needs 14 knots wind to waterstart it with a 4.6m sail.



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