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freeride to race foiling

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MaximumAC
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Posts: 127
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 5:00 pm
Kiting since: 1996
Local Beach: Chesapeake Bay, Assateague MD
Style: Foil; Freestyle
Gear: Flysurfer Soul and Sonics; SAB 679/800 and Mikes Lab Bullet 5
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freeride to race foiling

Postby MaximumAC » Sun Mar 03, 2019 10:26 pm

I'm still a novice foiler, but have had 9 months experience on a slingshot H5 and H4. Working on gybes, foot switches etc but still awful. I'm curious what the most appropriate route is to shift towards race oriented foiling? I'm not necessarily trying to compete, but I feel like that style more appropriately matches our summer/fall weather on the Chesapeake Bay. Best to master a slow surf wing and LEI first, or dive into high aspect foils and go for it? TIA!

- Alex

twig
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Style: freeride/boosting/Hydrofoil/race
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North Vegas 11m
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Moses Vorace 101 2017
w558 w590

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Re: freeride to race foiling

Postby twig » Mon Mar 04, 2019 7:24 pm

I would not recommend to just get the fastest kitefoils and biggest foilkites instantly - wich would be the choice of a very experienced racer.

Then I would rather first get a carbonfoil where you can swap wings and get a high performance freeridewing that is fast but still stable + a racewing when you mastered the carbon freeride wing.
You could get a moses foil or a levitaz. Moses is a popular high performance foil and theres alot to read about moses gear here at this forum.

Wait with high Aspect ratio foilkites and stick with your tubekites for some time unless money is not a problem. If youre ambitious with racing then a foilkite could be interesting later on.
Keep your foilboard if its a bigger board, then its still good to learn with your new high performance foil. Is it a foilboard with 9cm rails? Then a moses mast will fit.
To go fast you need to learn how to use a board with a carbonfoil and a wing thats fast and still stable enough to be consistent with and a mast that is around 100cm long. Maybe not the 110cm now but get that later on if you really want to race. Its really hydrofoiling that is the thing if you want to race in kiting today.

A good thing is that the racers always needs the most recent fastest gear and the 2hand market is pretty good because they sell as fast as something faster appears. Look at the facebook group "Kiteracing2hand" Here you could get a moses for around maybe a bit more then 1000 euros.

My perspective is from europe and maybe it easier to find other brands then moses in the US. Moses gear is kind of the same as slingshots ghost whisperer. Just different logos on the products if im not wrong.


I have the ambition to learn hydrofoiling and start to race later on.
I first got 3 foilkites because i like them and they where not hard to ride with my twintip, then I thought that I would easily learn to hydrofoil and got a moses 101cm mast and two wings: 590 and 558. wich is their fast beginner wing and semirace wing.

Its been really hard to learn and im a bit dissapointed that I now changed my focus about my next kite that could have been a 9m racefoilkite to want a 6m wave tubekite and a new foil, probably some big surf wing to learn on.

twig
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Style: freeride/boosting/Hydrofoil/race
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Flysurfer Sonic fr 18m
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North Vegas 11m
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Ozone Reov4 7m

Moses Vorace 101 2017
w558 w590

Flysurfer Flysplit m
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Re: freeride to race foiling

Postby twig » Mon Mar 04, 2019 7:46 pm

I belive you have used the right foil to begin with and are now ready to step up to something high performance, I have to go back one step to your type of foil to learn on..

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MaximumAC
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Posts: 127
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 5:00 pm
Kiting since: 1996
Local Beach: Chesapeake Bay, Assateague MD
Style: Foil; Freestyle
Gear: Flysurfer Soul and Sonics; SAB 679/800 and Mikes Lab Bullet 5
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Re: freeride to race foiling

Postby MaximumAC » Mon Mar 04, 2019 8:05 pm

thanks for the advice. Perhaps I'll start by shifting to the H3 wing and the 90cm mast. I've currently got the slingshot wakefoil board as well as a Shinn El Stubbo. Problem with the wakefoil board is it doesn't have screw holes to allow 2 front straps, so I've just been using one centered front strap. I ride the El Stubbo strapless.

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Re: freeride to race foiling

Postby grigorib » Mon Mar 04, 2019 8:11 pm

There are plenty seconhand fast Ghost Whispers for sale. It'd get you a mast/fuselage compatible with 2016-2019 Moses wings and decent pair of wings. Even original 545 (558 Moses) is super smooth and faster than H5. 576 and 600 wings are Moses 2016 and 2017 race wings so they'd fly way faster too.

Also, you can fly pretty fast strapless.
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airsail
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Re: freeride to race foiling

Postby airsail » Tue Mar 05, 2019 8:44 pm

I went this route and bought a Levitaz Bionic, bloody hard to ride with that tiny V stab. Changed the stab and instantly a great foil to ride, a lot easier and now a pleasure to ride. Still can’t gibe it but that will come.
Speed is addictive, still love the big wings when the winds up but in the lighter stuff it’s great fun pushing the boundaries of speed and courage. 12 mtr Soul is the most used kite with it.
Levitaz did a great deal on the upgraded rear stab, just contact them if you have the old V stab.
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davesails7
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Re: freeride to race foiling

Postby davesails7 » Tue Mar 05, 2019 11:50 pm

Just go for it! It will take a few sessions to get used to it, but it's not too bad. The newer race foils are much more stable and easier to ride fast.

You dont have to have your transitions nailed to ride a race foil. A race foil kite actually makes learning tracks much easier because it floats you much more.

Agree, there are lots of good deals to be had. Last seasons race gear is usually on sale for half price on the used market. You should be able to pick up a complete used race foil 1-2 years old for $1200-$1500 (originally $3k+). You can get a spotz 2 or spots 3 for $800-$900. The spots is definitely harder to ride than though. Ozone R1V2s are now available for $1200-$1500 also because the V3 just came out.

You should try racing! It's a ton of fun. Even if you're at the back of the fleet, you're still racing someone and it's just as fun. There a race coming up in April in Charleston, Fort 2 Battery. They are going to have races specifically for beginners on Sunday.

https://www.facebook.com/forcekitewake/ ... 0662159017/
Last edited by davesails7 on Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:02 am, edited 2 times in total.
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davesails7
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Re: freeride to race foiling

Postby davesails7 » Tue Mar 05, 2019 11:54 pm

MaximumAC wrote:
Mon Mar 04, 2019 8:05 pm
Perhaps I'll start by shifting to the H3 wing and the 90cm mast.
I only heard one review of the h3 wing. There was a video comparing all the wings. They said the h3 was a waste and they didnt recommend it for anyone.
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