Best Foil for Absolute Beginner?

[kitegirls]

Ive heard large/ slow foil and large, thick, floaty surfboard? Should I try and construct this myself or does someone make such a beast? Ideally I would like to get one from Alibaba.com due to the cheap pricing, the fact that I may not want to stick with it for too long and the shallow reef which will inevitably eat the foil eventually...

Any direct website links would be appreciated, especially Alibaba suggestions. Thanks!

[jumptheshark]

Big board, big wing, short mast.

That being said, back in the day.... well a couple years ago, plenty of us learned on average size boards, with full size masts and pretty small wings.

If you handy with a little fibreglass work, its easy to put a decent mount into any old surfboard. If not, there are plenty of used option on ikitesurf's classified section.

Either way, just get into it. its well worth the money or effort you spend.

[faklord]

Ive heard large/ slow foil and large, thick, floaty surfboard? Should I try and construct this myself or does someone make such a beast? Ideally I would like to get one from Alibaba.com due to the cheap pricing, the fact that I may not want to stick with it for too long and the shallow reef which will inevitably eat the foil eventually...

Any direct website links would be appreciated, especially Alibaba suggestions. Thanks!

Gong https://gongsupshop.com/epages/box1707. ... 2FKitefoil
Great value. Users seem to like them. Not the lightest.

[lucafoil]

Hello, I have seen this brand called GONG that they have pretty big and good shape foil, with Volume and really Thick. Their price is interesting too. They also have the pack available with board for 799 Euro. Maybe it's worthy to have look at it.

https://gongsupshop.com/epages/box1707. ... ck_surfoil

[merl]

How come gong don't market a package with one of their bigger wings but aimed at kiters? If you choose a bigger wing then you get it with a 65cm mast (rather than 80 which is their standard for the kite package) and they don't even hint that you might want to use it with a kite.

[drsurf]

Two schools of thought on a beginners setup with regard to wing size. I have a customer who purchased a large surf wing setup for learning to kite foil on a 150cm board. Couldn't get over the fact that a good sized wing got him up on the foil so quickly... whereupon he crashed just about every time and was quite frustrated. He was using a 55cm mast and weighed approx 85kg.

So I gave him a try of a smaller kite wing setup on the same mast and board. Instantly much happier. He could keep the board on the water easily and felt more in control of the foil.

So there are a lot of variables and I would suggest trying at least a couple of foil types to see what works best for you. Would agree that a short mast and larger board is definitely best. However a thin low volume large board can make the process easier as the board doesn't bob and move around in the water as much as a higher volume board when water starting.

Have fun, Dave

[slowboat]

There is no doubt some of the larger surf foils have too much lift for some beginners. Others do well with them. Hard to predict for a given individual. My limited observation is that smaller and older people have more trouble with the large wings.

[edt]

If you want to get up to speed in the minimum time you have to spend time behind a boat foiling then go on your kite. Boat hydrofoil lessons are not too expensive especially if you can get a group together and share gasoline costs. I like both the slingshot and liquid force setups a lot aluminum mast and g10 wings give you great durability. I wouldn't bother buying anything from alibaba simply because too many of those are foam core wings with fiberglass coating, they will smash to bits the first time you hit something. Even though it might cost less per unit, if you end up destroying 10 of those to learn how to foil it will cost you more in the end. My favorite setup for beginners right now is the liquid force thruster and galaxy board. I don't like the liquid force rocket and slingshot boards that much because they are so heavy. The thruster is not a beginner setup that is, it's intermediate but I found that it could take off at speeds just 1 or even half a knot more than my large wing and it's really maneuverable. You would probably have to get the galaxy + thruster setup in their 2019 models as I don't see them showing up in the used market. anyway that's my two cents. Get whatever you want but if you do buy from alibaba check to see what the wings and mast are made of. for beginners it's nice to have g10 and aluminum.

[tegirinenashi]

As an advanced beginner I recommend wing around 800 cm^2. LF rocket foil is one example. Here is carbon version of it.

[jakemoore]

I learned on a Levitaz Cruiser. Mistake for two reasons. Sharp edges cut my feet and legs up and the tall mast resulted in more brutal wipeouts. It worked but was not ideal. The wing is 900 cm2 and I like that size or maybe a little smaller, but definitely not a racy wing.

I would recommend:

Softer edges on mast and wings typically found on an aluminum foils and molded or G-10 wings. All carbon setups are often sharp.

Compatibility of masts and wings. It looks like Gong has some foil systems that are tuttle only and others that are plate. If all the masts and fuselages worked together I would otherwise look seriously at Gong.

Mid sized wings.

I would choose an established brand so you know what you bought works right. I've seen mixed results with the Alibaba stuff. The Takuma knock-off is easy to ride but quite slow. Also its a very big wing so hard to taxi. The other Alibaba foils I rode I could not get along with at all.

Based on the foils I have ridden I would likely choose Liquid Force Rocket or Stringy foil. I would also look at mid aspect mid size offerings from Slingshot and Cabrinha.

Learning on the lower volume board was easier for me. I have and ride with low and high volume boards and like both for different condition.

One front foot hook to position for water start but allow easy escape and moving foot position. The foot hook will break but it will get you past the the first starts.

For a beginner board I like the Cabrinha Double Board or Crazy Fly Chill Deck. A friend took an old hyper lite Broadcast wake surfer board and drilled 4 holes in it. It worked great. If you are up for a little DIY and are cost conscious that might actually be my first choice. You will likely want a dedicated hydrofoil board once you get going but that Wakesurf would be nice to get past the taxi and first flights stage. It has a lot more area than most of the thin foil boards, but is thin enough to bury the rail in the water. So its easier to plane the board on the water surface and easier to get your feet on it for a water start.