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Wingfoil versus Kitefoil?

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Wingfoil versus Kitefoil?

Postby Peter_Frank » Mon May 24, 2021 11:33 pm

Hi - doing both for quite some time now, and noticed a few things, would like to hear other opinions:

When sufficient wind, wingfoil is extremely fun, and you can also ride even the smallest wind swell, actually even small chop waves a bit :thumb:

But when wind drops lower than a certain point, you are stuck, totally - yes you can pump yourself up to some extent, but there is a limit where you cant do nothing, and getting ashore now is a PITA :wink:
A bit like windsurfing, where you can not get on a plane - just worse, as with windsurfing you can still, even on small boards, practice tacks and helicopter tacks (a bit boring, but not as much as wingfoil when not foiling) :wink:

Of course you can ride a bit lower with a kitefoil, even with a small kite, but that is not the issue.

The frustration is, that with a kitefoil you can foil even when wind is too light, quite some, and even if too light for that, you can loop yourself to shore really fast.

My point is, that if winds get a tad too low when out, wingfoil is a :angryfire: compared to kitefoil.

simply an observation, as wingfoil is totally addictive and fun - but it has this really annoying limit IMO, a bit like windsurfing.

8) Peter

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Re: Wingfoil versus Kitefoil?

Postby tkaraszewski » Mon May 24, 2021 11:38 pm

When the wind totally dies you can paddle a wingboard back to the the beach like a surfboard. With a kite, you can't.

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Re: Wingfoil versus Kitefoil?

Postby airsail » Tue May 25, 2021 1:35 am

Luckily you can do both Peter, as winging is crap under 15 knots, just flat conditions with no chop or swell to ride. That’s when kitefoil takes over, down to 6 knots and still good, under that it’s time to stay or go home.
But I agree, winging is great when the winds up, and with kitefoil as a backup there is no point of a wing bigger than a 4 mtr.

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Re: Wingfoil versus Kitefoil?

Postby magnusod » Wed May 26, 2021 12:25 pm

What's your opinion about wingfoil on a lake where it's a bit gusty? I live 1 hour from the coast and have a pretty big lake 15 min away. You can only drift launch a kite as there are no beaches without trees. Was thinking about getting a wingfoil as that would be much more convenient.

I was surprised to see airsail comment that wingfoil is crap under 15 knots as I thought of it as an light wind option but the more I read about it it seems that many/most wingfoilers only uses it in medium to stronger winds and not in sub 15 knots conditions.

Would you say it's a waste of money getting a large wingfoil with a 6-7 m wing to use on a lake in 8-15 knots? My intention is almost only to be able to get out on the water after work without having to drive 1 hour to the coast so I'm definitely not looking for epic conditions but if it's more a struggle than fun I won't invest in a wingfoil set.

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Re: Wingfoil versus Kitefoil?

Postby jkrug » Wed May 26, 2021 1:02 pm

winging in light winds is not fun. a large wingfoil with a large wing won't help much if you can't get on foil. for me, it's about anything below 17 mph and I'm on a kite foiling. i'm just starting in winging (about 15 sessions in), but i see it all the time where kite foilers are out there and wingers are on the beach. sure, the best wingers can go a bit lower, but in general, winging is NOT a light wind sport.

p.s. schlogging about on a wing board is even worse than doing the same on a windsurf board.

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Re: Wingfoil versus Kitefoil?

Postby Oldman_Dave » Thu May 27, 2021 12:01 pm

My 2c: this is kiteforum.com not wingforum.com. I have nothing against wing for those who can't kite, but for me it's it's kite foil until it's jump session on TT (or small kite foil session}.

I'm getting really sick of wing foil creeping into every part of kite media, insta & Facebook etc. It's just something to skip over. Let's not have it here as well.

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Re: Wingfoil versus Kitefoil?

Postby Peter_Frank » Thu May 27, 2021 1:36 pm

magnusod wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 12:25 pm
What's your opinion about wingfoil on a lake where it's a bit gusty? I live 1 hour from the coast and have a pretty big lake 15 min away. You can only drift launch a kite as there are no beaches without trees. Was thinking about getting a wingfoil as that would be much more convenient.

I was surprised to see airsail comment that wingfoil is crap under 15 knots as I thought of it as an light wind option but the more I read about it it seems that many/most wingfoilers only uses it in medium to stronger winds and not in sub 15 knots conditions.

Would you say it's a waste of money getting a large wingfoil with a 6-7 m wing to use on a lake in 8-15 knots? My intention is almost only to be able to get out on the water after work without having to drive 1 hour to the coast so I'm definitely not looking for epic conditions but if it's more a struggle than fun I won't invest in a wingfoil set.

I agree with what jkrug wrote, winging is not a light wind sport, AND, slogging around when too light is even worse than on a small windsurf board (as here you can still turn and make some trick).

Wingfoil starts around 12-13 knots for the majority, can be pushed a tad lower yes, but in general not.

But for your conditions Magnus, especially if the lake has gusty winds, wingfoil is perfect.
You can rig and get out without open spaces, and even more important, gusty winds means nothing for wingfoil - in fact a huge advantage, if the wind is on the lower end, as now you can get up foiling - and once up, you can ride on in lulls too.
So the gusty conditons is an advantage for too low wind, when on a wingfoil, as now you can get up and foil :rollgrin:

:thumb: Peter
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Re: Wingfoil versus Kitefoil?

Postby jumptheshark » Thu May 27, 2021 2:14 pm

Dave, you must be getting old! This is what all the kids are doing.

I'm sure all the 12m/TT guys feel the same way about foiling in general.

The longer I foil, the less connected to "Kiteboarding" culture I feel. Absolutely no one around here kites anything like me and my camaraderie with the race guys is based more on how often we share space than what we actually do out there. The regular kiters, tend to look at me like I'm an alien. I probably have more in common with wingers than twin tippers.

Anyway, don't read what doesn't interest you, but don't hate on it. In general I'm sort of blown away by how popular wings have become. Looks lame as hell to me, but I get the stoke that comes with learning something new.
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Re: Wingfoil versus Kitefoil?

Postby Oldman_Dave » Thu May 27, 2021 10:58 pm

Great reply jts. I don't hate on wing at all, I know a couple and always chat with any on the beach. It's just frustrating how it's the cool new thing but companies haven't caught up. So every kite company has pushed into wings real fast but they haven't split their socials yet so they push wings to kiters. I've nagged a few on Instagram recently and they all say it's a work in progress, coming soon. They have separate channels for windsurf, sup & paraglide, so it's just a matter of getting their sh*t together. It's possible to look away but the signal to noise ratio is getting ridiculous.

Every spot has a different crowd of regulars and it's a shame if you feel disconnected at yours. I rotate through about 5 spots depending on conditions but I have a great core of regular kite foilers who chat every day on messenger. So the crew has become unfixed to the beach, we go between open ocean, river mouth swell, and flat water.

If I though there was any value in wing I'd buy one and try. But so far so I do is feel sorry for them as I blast past. I ride pocket boards from 77cm to 1m. Couldn't handle going back to a battleship.

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Re: Wingfoil versus Kitefoil?

Postby airsail » Fri May 28, 2021 12:58 am

Many kitefoilers have taken up the wing in our location, not to replace kitefoil but as an option when conditions aren’t suitable for kitefoil.
Self launch and land is always iffy when the wind is 20 knots and above, I grab the wing when I know I will be by myself. Being closer to 60 than 50 years old self preservation becomes a bigger concern than for the young ones.
A mate has learned to wing as he has struggled kitefoiling off his boat, winging has solved many of the problems he faced.
Another lives a distance from our local, but has a beach close to home. But there is a major airport close by, and kite flying is banned. He has taken up winging and he can now foil 10 minutes from home during the week after work.

Winging definitely isn’t a replacement for kitefoil, just another option when conditions or location make kitefoil difficult.
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