A forum dedicated to Hydrofoil riders
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HALF
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Postby HALF » Sun Feb 02, 2020 10:50 am
What would be the cheapest and still good quality foil and mast configuration to learn on?
I am kiting mainly in relatively low wind, no waves in general.
I see there are surf foils and kite foils, the big ones marked for surf, can they still be used for kiting(and are they easier to learn on)?
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Trent hink
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Postby Trent hink » Sun Feb 02, 2020 3:20 pm
A bigger wing is easier to learn. You can go slower and with less power.
If you want cheap, used is a good option.
Allibabba is another option. For example, the foil I learned on and have been riding for the last year came from Rupel Water Sport on alliexpress. All carbon and about $550 usd delivered. The finish is real nice. Quality is acceptable, but not what you would expect on a foil costing 2-3 time more.
It rides great and is much lighter than anything with an aluminum mast. It does whistle a bit higher speeds and there was in issue with the rear stabilizer screws; the supplied screws were too short and this problem nearly resulted in losing the stabilizer.
I'm happy with what I got and am gonna keep using it till it falls apart, but if you choose this route you need to consider possible problems and (probably) a lack support from the dealer.
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HugoMC
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Postby HugoMC » Sun Feb 02, 2020 6:28 pm
Take a look at gong
They have a selection of foils and their masts are very cheap. There surfing foil has been reviewed well for kite surfing too.
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a99
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Postby a99 » Mon Feb 03, 2020 12:40 am
Yes, gong, and gong will soon release carbon masts, this will be revolution in foiling i thin regarding chap prices for it.
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hongchew
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Postby hongchew » Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:24 am
I'm very happy with my USD450 foil from AliExpress, easy, smooth, and no whistling. But Gong looks very good too for its prices.
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merl
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Postby merl » Mon Feb 03, 2020 11:50 am
Alixpress tips without specific links are worthless. (Also the customs charges vary from country to country)
Gong seem to be on to something with the Pro M wing (see recent review by tomw) and they package with a board is excellent.
If you want something *very* similar to the Onda 633 then I can recommend RL foils:
https://gleiten.tv/index.php/video/action/view/v/3265/
- these are very light, and the alu mast is also lighter than most.
They also have a wing which is *very* similar to the Ketos Wave XL, and another which looks remarkably inspired by the Moses 558.
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gozokiteboarding
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Postby gozokiteboarding » Mon Feb 03, 2020 11:30 pm
A kite specific foil maybe easier to learn on as they usually don't have as much lift as a surf foil, but surf foil work as great freeride foils you can learn on it. I started this foiling with Neilpryde S and is still my go-to foil for kitesurfing, I do have the other three wings, but I mainly use these for wake/surf foiling. It is also an affordable option with a lower retail price than many different foil setups.
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RadDrDuke
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Postby RadDrDuke » Tue Feb 04, 2020 1:41 am
I have 5 different foil setups and I believe the Neil Pryde is best overall because it is so versatile and inexpensive. Medium and Large wings are great for surfing and wakesurfing, Medium is great for low wind kitefoiling, Small is great for regular kitefoiling. Very durable and high quality.
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juandesooka
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Postby juandesooka » Tue Feb 04, 2020 7:34 am
Foil industry has matured to the point that any name brand is pumping out decent foils now. Really just pick your price point and go. Except Alibaba or AliExpress where you are gambling...some are great and some are junk, quality control difficult to tell.
You'd be better off imho to get a used set up until you know what you want, then upgrade. I am a fan of slingshot... decent quality at a low price, all parts interchangeable. Lots around to choose from.
For new, would be hard to beat gongs prices, get decent reviews too.
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gozokiteboarding
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Postby gozokiteboarding » Thu Feb 20, 2020 10:39 pm
RadDrDuke wrote: ↑Tue Feb 04, 2020 1:41 am
I have 5 different foil setups and I believe the Neil Pryde is best overall because it is so versatile and inexpensive. Medium and Large wings are great for surfing and wakesurfing, Medium is great for low wind kitefoiling, Small is great for regular kitefoiling. Very durable and high quality.
I have this set up as well and agree the large wing also great for wingfoiling
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