lightest weight beginners setup

[madworld]

What is the lightest weight beginners setup, my big turnoff for thinking about taking the plunge is carrying the board/foil to the water. Signed old knees and and back.

[Dontsink]

My Limit Waves 5.8 board has 98liters and weighs only 5.2kg...the same as my Naish Ultra Hover 85l.
It is probably more delicate but so far it is ding free.
I think single skin (non pvc sandwich) custom boards are the lightest build, though you have to care for them.

I do not know which foil is the lightest out there, but full carbon is the way to go weight wise.

The Takoon wing has no windows and is a great priced, lightweight,excellent perfo wing according to all people i know who have one.

A bottom handle on the board is a must and carrying the foil mast on your shoulder,board hanging down your back, will make your life a lot easier on longer walks.

[Frankieboy]

lightest foils: Moses, Armstrong
lightest wings: F-One, Slingwing v2 but in the wind most wings feel light
lightest board: difficult to say as production boards usually differ from what they advertise, except Gong who seems to be accurate. Takoon SW is a great shape (I have a similar shape but custom board).
Or custom boards but be carefull, the lightest, the more likely you will break it. I broke 2 LW boards myself...
The best option is to buy a full sandwich custom board from a well established shaper. It will be strong, quite light, but expensive and with a simplistic shape (which is best IMO).
Ride the shortest and lightest you can !

Be aware you will outgrow your beginner set very soon !!!

[Wazza Foil]

What is the lightest weight beginners setup, my big turnoff for thinking about taking the plunge is carrying the board/foil to the water. Signed old knees and and back.

Warning- I am also in the old range with weak legs. Small boards sink a bit when one is trying to stand up from knees.
I am 76kg and have the 125l Naish which is a steady platform and much easier to get up on compared with the 110l.

[Dontsink]

Out of curiosity,how did you break the Limit Waves boards?
I got mine second hand and it is holding up very well but there has to be a drawback to such lightness...

[bragnouff]

To be honest, the weight is only one factor in the equation. It is surely the most expensive factor to address, but it's not necessarily the most important in terms of ease of carrying your kit.

Carrying the foiled board to the water depends a lot on the position and balance of handles, and actually shape of handles. Handle on the bottom of the board with the foil on the outside can exert some heavy sideways leverage on your back. Whereas holding boardside handle AND the fuselage is much more symetrical and stable, and preferable for anything substantial. A balanced 10kg is probably better for your back than a sideways 8kgs...
The SUP handles where the fingers can get bent "inside" the handle are nicer than the straighter ones in terms of grip, load on the knuckles, and control of that leverage. Big board is also easily affected by wind and will exert some load independently of the weight.

Then, it all comes down to your spot, can you bring the board to the water edge, then the wing, or do you have to do all in one go for 300m? ... Technique and routines can help a lot to minimize the stress of carrying your gear, much more than shaving a few hundred grams on your kit.

[Frankieboy]

Out of curiosity,how did you break the Limit Waves boards?
I got mine second hand and it is holding up very well but there has to be a drawback to such lightness...

Wing board (5'8 x 98L also), one of the rails got in. Got it repaired and reinforced before selling. It was not build strong enough. I think he put some extra carbon on the rails after that.
Kitefoil board (my son's board...) I broke it in 2 just in front of the rails, after 15 min riding it. Only some polyyester, no carbon, no reinforcement. Not build for foiling... I could get a full carbon one instead, that seems stronger.
I am 100kg riding 1100 Moses so put a lot of pressure on this thing. Never ever had any problem with a foil board before though...

[Frankieboy]

...holding boardside handle AND the fuselage is much more symetrical and stable, and preferable for anything substantial. A balanced 10kg is probably better for your back than a sideways 8kgs...

I would add holding the wing handle in the same hand as the (edit: not fuselage) board handle. Very good technique indeed, used it with my first heavy board and could walk a long way.

Now I hold my 5,5kg board on the shoulder (mast on the shoulder) and use my thick waist leash as a cushion

Another point on board weight when foiling it: it is more important to have a well balanced board as it gives less inertia.

[fluidity]

Consider the inflatable boards. My 7'6 F-one inflateable is 7.2kg including leash and my 3D handle and 3D coanda disruptor strips. Feels light to me. For a lighter rider you can get a lighter inflatable.