Anyone tried foiling with a wing?

[cglazier]

I have had at least ten people try my Duotone 5m wing with my 96 liter board and 2000 sq cm foil. All of them were experienced kiteboard foilers and almost all of them got up foiling in their first session and came back with a smile on their faces. Those with windsurfing skills have had the quickest success since it is really close to windsurfing (and being young seems to help too ). Flat water and steady wind are very nice when starting. Most of us need about 15 knots of wind but those with pumping skills can get foiling in less.
Anyway we are all having fun.

CG

[ronnie]

Waterstarting.

[Macster]

I reckon it would be cool to have a water drone with a retractable tow leash that tows you out back and into a wave then follows you with a GPS arm band for when you're ready for a tow again. Doesn't need to go fast 15-20kph, size of a lawnmower, maybe something to detect other water users and not smash into them, electric to keep the noise down and be environmentally friendly. Maybe the cost of two of these wings lol...

[Macster]

I was gonna try and build one using a RC boat but I realised I had no idea electrically or mechanically lol

[ronnie]

I was gonna try and build one using a RC boat but I realised I had no idea electrically or mechanically lol

Maybe build a large scale one of these?

[scottnorby]

Drones
There are already people experimenting with that
A guy in Hawaii did it last winter....was all over social media

It's likely in the future...makes sense.
Not naturally powered but definitely would be fun to try

[juandesooka]

Seeing more of wing potential in waves. Though perhaps more of interest to people who are already into sup/surf foiling. Hookipa has pretty limited options for kiting, either with surf/windsurf priority, or with launch issues -- so maybe the wing opens up sessions that are otherwise not doable. Also, I expect it would be pretty fun to downwind it from there to Kanaha, right through the no-kite airport wave zone.

[nixmatters]

don't ditch your windsurf harness lines!

[juandesooka]

Flashing back to the earlier discussions of who these wings are aimed at. They are less efficient than kites or windsurfers, so not surprising that both groups of wind chasers aren't too impressed.

I also follow the sup foil and surf foil forums, where there's lots of surfers with no wind sports experience. Surfers generally hate wind, seems only a small % make the crossover to kiting. One of the most frequents posters on the surf foil forum stated recently that he's getting a little bored in surf foiling, having gone at it hard last couple years, and reached a plateau where it's getting repetitive. But he's since picked up a wing and is flipping out stoked. His feedback: "I'll never paddle for another wave again" ... just 6 sessions in and he's winging out, riding waves in with the wing unpowered, rinse and repeat. Though it helps he is in Kanaha Maui, which is about as optimal a set up as you'll find...weak waves breaking way outside, lots of sideshore wind.

Having brought lots of people into kiting and witnessing the froth, I am sure he'd be just as stoked if he took up kiting. But it's interesting that the wing was the easy entry to wind sports, pick it up quick without lessons, and less expensive gear. That's a pretty small target market, compared to the multitudes on sups on lakes, but it's a natural extension ... suspect we'll see a lot more moving across. And then as posters suggested here, no doubt some of these people will carry on to kiting or windsurfing, to expand conditions and capabilities. Wing may be the gateway drug for surfer types.

It's fun to read this guy's stoke, think back to starting kiting, opened my eyes to a whole new possibility for massive fun. That starting out phase is magic.

[elguapo]

Flashing back to the earlier discussions of who these wings are aimed at. They are less efficient than kites or windsurfers, so not surprising that both groups of wind chasers aren't too impressed.

I also follow the sup foil and surf foil forums, where there's lots of surfers with no wind sports experience. Surfers generally hate wind, seems only a small % make the crossover to kiting. One of the most frequents posters on the surf foil forum stated recently that he's getting a little bored in surf foiling, having gone at it hard last couple years, and reached a plateau where it's getting repetitive. But he's since picked up a wing and is flipping out stoked. His feedback: "I'll never paddle for another wave again" ... just 6 sessions in and he's winging out, riding waves in with the wing unpowered, rinse and repeat. Though it helps he is in Kanaha Maui, which is about as optimal a set up as you'll find...weak waves breaking way outside, lots of sideshore wind.

Having brought lots of people into kiting and witnessing the froth, I am sure he'd be just as stoked if he took up kiting. But it's interesting that the wing was the easy entry to wind sports, pick it up quick without lessons, and less expensive gear. That's a pretty small target market, compared to the multitudes on sups on lakes, but it's a natural extension ... suspect we'll see a lot more moving across. And then as posters suggested here, no doubt some of these people will carry on to kiting or windsurfing, to expand conditions and capabilities. Wing may be the gateway drug for surfer types.

It's fun to read this guy's stoke, think back to starting kiting, opened my eyes to a whole new possibility for massive fun. That starting out phase is magic.

i think you hit the nail on the head...

these things were made for...and are IDEAL for folks on the north shore of maui.
in particular beaches under the flight path of the airport and in the precious windsurf areas that they dont want tainted by us sullied heathen known as kiteboarders...
i'm certain there are kiters in similar "less free" parts of the world that are are oppressed by similar byzantine laws (those are areas i'd expect to see these things)