A forum dedicated to Hydrofoil riders
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Flyboy
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Postby Flyboy » Sun May 23, 2021 7:05 pm
juandesooka wrote: ↑Sun May 23, 2021 5:59 pm
With so many foils out there now, you can probably find a top brand used for about the same price as secondary brand new.
Possibly. But "top brand" - especially in this case - is kind of meaningless IMO. Gong are probably more fully committed to foiling than any other major brand, so I tend to believe their R & D & manufacturing is second to none.
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Trent hink
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- Kiting since: 1998
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- Local Beach: Nokomis beach, Turtle beach, Venice inlet, lido key
- Style: Creepy old man
- Gear: Peak4, LF, solo, Moses 633 hydrofoil, couple of surfboards, a twintip I made in 2008.
- Brand Affiliation: once made an attempt to manufacture and market "Anomaly" twin-tip boards.
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Postby Trent hink » Sun May 23, 2021 9:28 pm
If you are super cheap, you can get a complete all carbon hydrofoil for around $600 USD delivered on AliExpress, and one with an aluminum strut and fuselage for much less.
I chose this option a few years ago, and what I got was great for learning on in light wind, but as I progressed I found the thick front wing on the particular model I chose was not fast enough to ride waves once the waves got up around waist high.
I've since gotten a used Moses 633 and totally love it, but I do not regret being cheap and taking a chance with a cheap product. Just make sure you read the reviews.
After trying a couple friends' foils out, I found it way easier to learn with an all-carbon set-up due to the lighter weight and the ability to float the board/foil on its side for easy strapless water starts.
Just something to consider. Keep in mind you can't really expect any service or warranty if you choose this route, but I did get something that fit my short-term needs very well.
My well-used Moses 633 foil was way more expensive at $800 USD. It's better in most conditions, but not really especially better in the lightest wind.
If, like most of us, if you are going into this thinking you will only use it in light wind, cheap is not bad, and the quality of the gear offered on Alibaba seems to be improving right alongside the branded gear, shape-wise at least.
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merl
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Postby merl » Mon May 24, 2021 9:12 am
If you read a lot about the "Moses 633" but think it seems too expensive then an option in Europe is RL foils "Orca" - which is essentially a copy of the 633. The fuse and stab are different (actually the stab seems nicer) and the overall foil with 90cm mast is around 3.5kg which is about the same as the Moses full carbon setup, and extra mast lengths are very cheap. otherwise as others have said, Gong is amazing value and good quality.
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RadDrDuke
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- Kiting since: 2001
- Weight: 75kg
- Local Beach: Stuart, Florida
- Favorite Beaches: Cabarete
- Style: Surf > Foil > TT
- Gear: Duotone Unit 5m V2, OR Glide Hybrid 5m, Airush Ultra 9m, Axis Foils, LF Moon patrol TT, Wainman kite surfboard, Fanatic 75L wingboard
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Postby RadDrDuke » Wed May 26, 2021 1:26 pm
I have lots of hydrofoils and have ridden lots of hydrofoils, both kite and prone surf.
For beginning kiting (and any kiting not focused on jumping) I would recommend the Neilpryde medium or medium slim. That's what I still kite with and it's so smooth, durable, cheap, and has a wide wind/speed range. You can also prone surf with them very well. Medium slim in particular is a great wing.
If you want the best option (but more expensive) in my opinion you should get an Axis setup since you will ultimately get addicted to foiling and want to be constantly upgrading and Axis allows this for the cheapest and most options.
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drone
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Postby drone » Wed May 26, 2021 2:45 pm
Try to find LiquidForce Impulse wing, after discount was really cheap, stabile surf wing.
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ieism
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- Local Beach: Ijmuiden
- Favorite Beaches: Beauduc, Rockanje
- Style: Foil.
- Gear: Flysurfer Peak 5: 4/5/6/8/11m
Kauper XT Falcon 11m
Dwarfcraft 110cm
Gong Curve, Pro stab fuse 85 carbon mast
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Postby ieism » Wed May 26, 2021 8:49 pm
Thanks for the input, I have ordered the Gong set as mentioned above. The reason being its upgradable, but also because I believe they are more invested in foils than a lot of kite companies who only have one or two model foils. The X-Over is a brand new design, so it's a bit of a gamble, but I'll take it.
The others mentioned like Neill Pryde, LG, or Moses.... Those sets are still almost twice what I paid for the Gong, and some of those are a few years old designs already. I'd rather go with something new that I know I can upgrade slowly.
I paid 400 for the foil, and 50 for the foil box so I should be on the water for under 500 euro and that was my goal.
I should get it in 3 weeks, and when I get to the level that I can sort of ride it I will update here..
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Flyboy
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Postby Flyboy » Wed May 26, 2021 9:20 pm
ieism wrote: ↑Wed May 26, 2021 8:49 pm
Thanks for the input, I have ordered the Gong set as mentioned above. The reason being its upgradable, but also because I believe they are more invested in foils than a lot of kite companies who only have one or two model foils. The X-Over is a brand new design, so it's a bit of a gamble, but I'll take it.
The others mentioned like Neill Pryde, LG, or Moses.... Those sets are still almost twice what I paid for the Gong, and some of those are a few years old designs already. I'd rather go with something new that I know I can upgrade slowly.
I paid 400 for the foil, and 50 for the foil box so I should be on the water for under 500 euro and that was my goal.
I should get it in 3 weeks, and when I get to the level that I can sort of ride it I will update here..
Good choice. You're right Gong is an enthusiast based company solidly committed to foiling. A smaller corporate structure means quicker turn around with new designs. Only downside at the moment is Gong's inability to meet demand & apparent struggle to provide good customer support.
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jbrodin
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TT and RL-boards orca foil set-up
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Postby jbrodin » Thu May 27, 2021 7:22 am
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BizB
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Postby BizB » Thu May 27, 2021 1:56 pm
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RadDrDuke
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- Favorite Beaches: Cabarete
- Style: Surf > Foil > TT
- Gear: Duotone Unit 5m V2, OR Glide Hybrid 5m, Airush Ultra 9m, Axis Foils, LF Moon patrol TT, Wainman kite surfboard, Fanatic 75L wingboard
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Postby RadDrDuke » Thu May 27, 2021 3:50 pm
Do not get a clearwater foil.
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