When did you get hooked on foiling?

[rnelias]

btw, I'd like to ask some tips to go faster on hydrofoil. I've already changed my learning wing from 1250 to 850 but it's not that easy to go beyong 35 km/h. It sounds physically weird as we can easily reach 40-45km/h on twin tips. What am I doing wrong? Should a go less upwind to have less resistance? I've already tried to "tune" the angle but I'm still struggling to reach higher speed.

I'm also after going fast rather than carving. My understanding is that going fast is a sum of many factors, skillset being the most important. At each skill level there is a sweet spot of the optimal equipment. For example, depending where you are in your progression, you may want to go down from 850 cm^2. But in my case, the jump 850->550 didn't work for quite some time, so that 650 cm^2 wing was delivering the most consistent performance.

A similar story is about the kite. 5 strut LEI is theoretically faster than lower AR kite 3 strut kite, but on my skill level the later drifts downwind better, and therefore is less prone to stalling and falling to the water.

Mast length is another contributing factor. Certainly, 110 cm mast is better suited to racing than 95 cm one... When you are comfortable riding it, as the center of the lift shifts awkwardly 15 cm down.

Therefore, to answer your question, if my current skillset is slightly above 20 knots max speed and sustained 15 knots per nautical mile, and I notice that other riders at http://regepe.com/ have much more impressive numbers, I'm sure it is the practice and water time rather than one magic trick and equipment.

Comparing HF speeds to the others I don't expect the number on the beam reach to be that different. XSports media has a video of one race where a windsurfer barged in into the final beam reach leg immediately after the leader. He was able to keep up the same pace!

I love the replies on this thread and wouldn't like to disturb it.

I've opened another thread to talk about the "speed issue"

viewtopic.php?f=196&t=2411018

[stevez]

I was hooked before I ever tried it.

The same with me.
Contacted a small Italian company called Moses. Does anybody remember it?
Ordered the cult Silente in 2012. Went to Thailand without any other board and with only one goal to master foilboarding.
Mission has accomplished so well that today I refuse to ride wings to save all time for kitefoiling

Same with me, hooked before I even tried it.
The moment I saw people doing it I knew this was the future.

Learned to foil on a Moses Silente in 2015.
What a dog of a foil that was by today's standards!
Fortunately they shortly came out with some better wings.

Since then had maybe 3 sessions where I haven't been on a foil. Occasionally get an impulse to get on a twin tip and boost a few airs, but haven't acted on it!

[Kitedicted]

I was out in so little wind the other day, surprised I could keep my kite in the air. It was actually really fun doing some more carving and I also removed the back hook since I don't need it anymore. I'm gonna learn to do gybes and maybe then I will be hooked

[richieski]

I have gone strapless and love the freedom

[ieism]

I like being able to travel a bit further and explore. I was always a bit limited in a SB with Peaks going upwind and stuff.
I also feel safer on a foil way out at sea. I don't know if it's because I rig smaller kites now but everything feels more controlled.
I got hooked the minute I saw a friend blast upwind in heavy chop, I hated that on a SB. Ive been riding the foil all summer now, I don't think I will go back honestly.