Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Need winging advise

Forum for wing surfers
Kitemanmuc
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 568
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2015 11:10 pm
Kiting since: 2015
Style: Big Air, Kiteloops, Hydrofoil, Wave
Gear: Eleveight
Has thanked: 12 times
Been thanked: 14 times

Need winging advise

Postby Kitemanmuc » Mon Sep 14, 2020 11:37 pm

So, I picked up kiting really quick, I picked up hydrofoiling with kiting really quickly, I paddleboard, but somehow im having issues with winging.
I have spent about 2 hours and a half on the water im just not picking it up. Maybe its my board? I have a 5'7 x 27" board 113. Im about 210.
I figured I could get away with it and it might take a little longer but not this long. I just cant seem to keep my balance. I have been using a 6m wing in 12-15 knots and a 1850 Armstrong wing.

Any advice and help would be much appreciated.

User avatar
juandesooka
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1193
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2012 8:05 pm
Kiting since: 2011
Local Beach: Sooke, BC, Canada
Style: Canada's Kai Lenny (in my mind)
Gear: Ocean Rodeo wings&kites / GoFoil
Brand Affiliation: Open to offers
Has thanked: 88 times
Been thanked: 97 times

Re: Need winging advise

Postby juandesooka » Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:41 am

Some people pick it up in a half hour. Some, like me, it took 10 sessions, fiddling around with gear and technique

Are you able to kneel on the board holding the wing? Don't try to stand until there is some wind power in the wing, solid pull...short of that balancing is challenging.

I suspect you need more wind. 12kt is challenging until you are on it. A little over powered is much easier, like learning kiting...15 to 18kt is optimal learning for your 6m.

That board is ok size but a little bigger would be easier while learning.

atomic-chomik
Frequent Poster
Posts: 232
Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 10:33 pm
Local Beach: The wild west
Style: Freeride/Surf
Gear: North Dice 8 and 10m
North Neo 12m
OR Prodigy 7m
OR Prodigy 9.5.
OR Prodigy 12m
2014 Rebel 5m and 8m
OR 17M Flite
OR Duke
Cabrinha Phenom 5'8
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 15 times

Re: Need winging advise

Postby atomic-chomik » Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:57 am

your foil wing is too small bud

User avatar
fluidity
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 657
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2016 11:20 pm
Kiting since: 2015
Weight: 115kg
Local Beach: Ngati Toa, Plimmerton, Titahi Bay, Waikanae, Petone, Seatoun, Lyall Bay, Eastbourne, Lake Wairarapa
Favorite Beaches: Plimmerton
Style: Wave, jump
Gear: Transitioned from Kiting to Wingsurfing late 2019. Building my own foils from my CAD designs and 3D prints, CNC machine.
Brand Affiliation: Designer of hydrofoils and many other things.
Location: Porirua New Zealand
Has thanked: 46 times
Been thanked: 91 times

Re: Need winging advise

Postby fluidity » Tue Sep 15, 2020 6:32 am

Kitemanmuc wrote:
Mon Sep 14, 2020 11:37 pm
So, I picked up kiting really quick, I picked up hydrofoiling with kiting really quickly, I paddleboard, but somehow im having issues with winging.
I have spent about 2 hours and a half on the water im just not picking it up. Maybe its my board? I have a 5'7 x 27" board 113. Im about 210.
I figured I could get away with it and it might take a little longer but not this long. I just cant seem to keep my balance. I have been using a 6m wing in 12-15 knots and a 1850 Armstrong wing.
Any advice and help would be much appreciated.
240 pounds here and I need about 20 knots to get up on a similar area front hydrofoil wing of my own design with a 5.3 Naish wind wing on a 6 foot 6 F-one foil SUP board. Have to time my learning with that wind speed relative to an outgoing tide or I spend most of my time walking. Let the board pick up a bit of speed before you stand and the motion of the water over the foils then will stabilise it a lot to help your ballance standing. Line up a wave to give a small speed boost and kick your rear foot down a bit then as the front rises you're going to have to correct it before it breaches like a dolphin. If you have good learning wind you won't need to head much down wind, picking up speed down wind is a pain because your apparent wind drops. If wind is strong enough like it was for me yesterday, you can also get some good glides in on your knees. If you have a friend who can drop you upwind then you'll maximise your quality time.
Concentrate not on lifting it right out of the water, but keeping the bow of your board just above the water. As you pick up speed your board will touch less and less, look at translating this to gliding flat above the water just between waves, touching at the wave tips. As you put time into this you'll get the opportunity to better feel how the board handles in the air, just build on this slowly and you'll be about where I am now :lol:
With your shorter board starts will be less stable but you can potentially get going at a lower speed.

Wear a helmet too, as you are heavy and need strong wind, if the wind catched your board then there is potential for the foil to ram you hard. I wear both helmet and impact vest in my learning sessions.

User avatar
bragnouff
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1535
Joined: Tue May 14, 2002 1:00 am
Kiting since: 1999
Local Beach: New Brighton
Gear: Boards: Alkita boards
Zeeko Slash/AirWave/Scrambler
Amundson Johno
Foils: Spitfire XLW/ XXLW. GoFoil NL130/160/190
Kites: FS Peaks
HB Legion
Wings:Zeeko Carve
HB Flair/Guide...
Brand Affiliation: GK enthusiast / Zeeko & HB Pimp
Location: 43.5320° S, 172.6306° E
Has thanked: 82 times
Been thanked: 338 times
Contact:

Re: Need winging advise

Postby bragnouff » Tue Sep 15, 2020 10:49 am

atomic-chomik wrote:
Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:57 am
your foil wing is too small bud
that wing is perfectly fine unless you really want to push the light wind ability. Foiling isn't the issue for the OP, it's balancing and getting into position. For that, you need to eat shit, rinse and repeat... But still, use the leading edge on the water to stabilize you while getting on the knees and then grabbing the handles, then once there is some pull on the wing, the rest is MUCH easier. Gain speed and pop up on the foil, shouldn't be too much of a mystery for a kite foiler. 15kts should be ok, 12 is ambitious for early days. 18-20 makes it easy.
These users thanked the author bragnouff for the post:
Kitemanmuc (Tue Sep 15, 2020 9:37 pm)
Rating: 3.03%

salvino
Frequent Poster
Posts: 323
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:16 pm
Local Beach: Eastern end of Lake Erie
Favorite Beaches: Barbados
Hatteras
Lakes Erie and Ontario
Gear: Stallion SB
Moses 633,590,500 HF
Temavento board
Grooveskate board
Airush Ultra, North Neo 5,7,9
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: buffalo, ny
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 5 times

Re: Need winging advise

Postby salvino » Tue Sep 15, 2020 11:51 am

I agree with bragnouff. I’m 200 on 99L Armstrong with same wing as you. I’m like 2-3 sessions ahead of you.

Have foiled both directions when on flat to small chop and 15-20 knots, one session. Then same set up in 25+ knots and huge swell of 6 feet—VERY difficult.

First of these I used “tripod” technique of front foot flat on board with trailing shin across. Worked way easier and not painful like kneeling on both knees.

Second of these sessions that tech was difficult because as soon as wing pulled overhead, board would round up wind. Attempts to bear off led to wingtip catching. Then I switched to both knees and found I could stay bearing off wind much easier (not clear as to why). Then the thing that stuck out most was that as soon as I got board moving through water everything became way more civilized. Was able to stand and came up on foil easily, because was quite powered (was on 5M WASP).
By then I was so exhausted I couldn’t handle much more. But now I crave another session.

Any thoughts on comparing both techniques?

Is one better for certain conditions and not others?

salvino
Frequent Poster
Posts: 323
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:16 pm
Local Beach: Eastern end of Lake Erie
Favorite Beaches: Barbados
Hatteras
Lakes Erie and Ontario
Gear: Stallion SB
Moses 633,590,500 HF
Temavento board
Grooveskate board
Airush Ultra, North Neo 5,7,9
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: buffalo, ny
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 5 times

Re: Need winging advise

Postby salvino » Wed Sep 16, 2020 1:35 am

Any input?

User avatar
Peter_Frank
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 12735
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2002 1:00 am
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Denmark
Has thanked: 1007 times
Been thanked: 1187 times

Re: Need winging advise

Postby Peter_Frank » Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:56 am

I dont think you are doing anything "specific" wrong...

How many times have you been out, well it is two of you I can read?

When windy, and wind is needed when learning, you WILL point upwind very easy, even when on your knees before standing up.

And as you probably are very careful, meaning slow, to stand up and engage the wing in balance, the risk of heading up is also present.

Just keep practicing, as Juan said, for some (many in fact, I know from others, besides myself) it will take quite some time till mastered even these basics.

Ride on, and it will come, no big secrets to it :rollgrin:

8) Peter

User avatar
irwe
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 683
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:13 am
Local Beach: Keswick
Favorite Beaches: Choche
South Padre Island
Silver Rock
Bahia Salinas
Style: Allaround
Gear: Ocean Rodeo
Slingshot
Spleen
Axis
Best
Shinn
TKF
ConceptAir
Zeeko
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 78 times
Been thanked: 56 times

Re: Need winging advise

Postby irwe » Wed Sep 16, 2020 10:06 am

Make sure your foil is as far forward as possible in the box. This helped me alot

User avatar
Peter_Frank
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 12735
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2002 1:00 am
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Denmark
Has thanked: 1007 times
Been thanked: 1187 times

Re: Need winging advise

Postby Peter_Frank » Wed Sep 16, 2020 12:08 pm

irwe wrote:
Wed Sep 16, 2020 10:06 am
Make sure your foil is as far forward as possible in the box. This helped me alot

Hmmm, then it will turn into the wind even faster?


Return to “Wingsurfing”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: GregK and 32 guests