Kite Foil for Beginner

[tautologies]

FOIL:
The North Sonar 1150 foil sounds like a nice carvy board, but I haven’t seen much review wise. It may be less likely for me to outgrow it compared to the Shinn P wing. Moving to a Shinn K2 wing or similar sounds less suited for learning. Slingshot Hover Glide FKite Space Skate is another option. Seems suited to learning, and it has a good ecosystem to add other foils in the future. I can get a great deal on a 2019 Naish Thrust Surf foil but while I’ve seen online reviews for kiting, it seems intended for surfing? Not sure if its good for learning?

The Naish Surf foils are perfect to start off on. A friend of mine had a different kite foil he struggled with, then moved to the surf foil and rode pretty much immediately. The good thing about the naish system is that it interchanges so once you want the kite foil or a different surf foil you can just buy the wing.
I would consider getting the 2020 surf jet. The backwing is very different and you should be able to dig up some deals on it now that the S25 foils are out.
I would pair it with the 130 naish hover. and a short mast if you can. Board is super durable, and has not changed significantly over the past seasons...some good deals to be had. It'll have you up and riding in no time, but not wasting time for you...and you can use it beyond the 20 sessions. Also, I am the same way obsess over what gear to get...bikes, boards, kites, skis whatever it is... I love that process.

[juice]

Naish Thrust Surf Foil is very good for learning and kiting in general (if you are into cruising, carving). I have the size L and a 127 Hover board and learned on it last year (my weight is 73 kg) It starts to lift a really low speeds, stays up there in transitions easily and I found the overall speed satisfying enough for me, at least at my current skill level. It is really good if you want to get out in low winds (paired with the right kite). I started on the 55cm mast and now use the 75cm mast. I am starting to get overpowered now and then as I ride faster now and ordered a front wing one size smaller (1000 cm, it is called Jet Foil now, but the hardware is all interchangeable). At my weight I could have started with the smaller wing straight away.

Thanks Dirk, I'm definitely leaning towards the Naish now, there are good deals on the 2019s. I was debating the wing sizes. I'm about your weight, its right in between their recommended rider weights for the two foils(~54-77kg for the med/1050 wing vs ~73-91 kg for the large/1250). I was concerned with potentially too much lift on the large/1250, but being able to ride in lower wind would be helpful. I might have to do both foils eventually. If I go with the Med/1050 to start, hopefully its not a lot of work to get up. Definitely intend to get a bigger mast too.

Cheers!

[Matt_TYRCZ]

I had same question a few weeks ago , I was looking for easiest set up to learn ,
Kited 10 years mostly TT and some surf .

I got
2020 Slingshots Alien 4.8 board
2020 Slingshot Surf foil ( infinity 76 ) with 18 inch mast
front hook
price around 1800 $ for all

I was riding by the end of 1st session, after 3rd session full control

I would absolutely recommend that set up !!

[juice]

When you start learning to jibe you may find like I did that the thinner board without volume sinks. I tried both types. And ended up buying the slingshot Alienair. Slingshot alien air worked great for me with a moses 633 foil which you can carry on using into an advanced level. The key for me was some volume in the board and a good nose rocker. Also a short Mast for first few sessions.

Thanks Richy, the Alien Air was a board I was looking at before I was steered towards 0-volume boards. Makes sense for transitions. The Naish options I've been looking at recently are all a bit more volume, 17-22L or so, not quite as much as the Alien Air.

[juice]

-Volume board
-Adjustable track mount versus Tuttle box
-Y footstrap configuration with no back-strap at first to learn
-Buy a local/used foil from someone who is upgrading from their learning equipment
-Plan/save for your inevitable one-day upgrade

Good Advice Mossy. I've found a decent 2020 Naish setup for sale used, its actually a good price. Meets these criteria too. (volume, track, Y footstrap). Should do the job and if it isn't what I need, it can be sold again without taking a loss.

[juice]

I started 3-4 years ago back in small wing days.
I wouldn't buy any of those foils. All dead end or soon to die systems.

I would get either a moses 633/483 with 91 cm mast or a Gong Pro with 90 cm mast. ( M if under 85 kg, L if over 85 kg). Both of those systems have enough wings to change to if you get bitten. But both of those wings above are fun forever.

For a board, either buy any used foil board 130cm-150 cm and use it 20 sessions. Or until you can fly back n forth and water start easy.
If you cant find a used board, the gong 4-4 is good. Or the slingy dwarfcraft 4-6. Both these boards you will outgrow in 20 or så sessions. ( some company should start a rental / trade in scheme for beginning boards).
Then youll want a 100-120 cm board for enjoying many years.

Thanks Tom. Moses gear looks great. Price not so much. haha! I'm sure they're worth it, just not to start out. Looking at the used foil board option now. A rental business for boards would be a great idea. Actually, one of my local shops does that for short masts to learn on when you buy gear from them. Makes sense. No one needs a 40cm mast after the first week.

[Mossy 757]

-Volume board
-Adjustable track mount versus Tuttle box
-Y footstrap configuration with no back-strap at first to learn
-Buy a local/used foil from someone who is upgrading from their learning equipment
-Plan/save for your inevitable one-day upgrade

Good Advice Mossy. I've found a decent 2020 Naish setup for sale used, its actually a good price. Meets these criteria too. (volume, track, Y footstrap). Should do the job and if it isn't what I need, it can be sold again without taking a loss.

That's what the new foilers and non-racers at my spot are using (Matt_TYRCZ above for example), looks like a fun and easy setup. Matt has some of the best kite control of any rider in Virginia Beach and was able to figure out the foiling part in about 3 sessions like he said.

[DAnderson]

i don't care for the flexibility of some no-volume boards
the pairing of flotation in a larger volume front wing w/ the board to be semi-neutral buoyant seems almost impossible to accomplish shopping online
i personally prefer the wing to be able to sink into the water for ease of recovery

[StellaBlu]

I am in a similar situation and looking for a starter foil setup.

To pass along some of my diligence: I found an a Moses 633 setup with an aluminum mast for a very solid price. Also looking at the Axis aluminum setup for a similar price. Both are in the range of $1100-1200 without the board. Just thought I would pass along these options based on my research.

I've only ridden boards with volume, and I am also struggling with whether to go the route of high or low volume.