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If you kite and wing which to do when?

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Peter_Frank
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Re: If you kite and wing which to do when?

Postby Peter_Frank » Fri Sep 17, 2021 8:39 pm

The more experienced I get at wingfoiling, the more wind I want before I go out, as simple as that.

Yes, in the early stages you need A LOT more wind, to get up foiling, but after some time you can get foiling earlier, and find big wings fun, just to get "up" foiling as a new sensation because it is a wing, and not a kite now :wink:

BUT, when the wind is on the verge to sufficient, it sucks bigtime, as in REALLY sucks...
Fun when you are new, to see how low you can go, and just to hunger for that foiling wingfoil feel, and you live with the "slogging around on the surface" :thumb:

Because the dreaded "a tad too little" is the worst thing you can ever experience, just in front of too much sea weed :(

And IF there is seagrass, then kitefoil is much better than wingfoil, as you can just lean back and clear the foil, easy, whereas with a wingfoil you HAVE to drop in the water, usually very ungraceful :rollgrin:
and clear the weed, and start all over.

Most days I change between wingfoil and kitefoil, as I still dont find wingfoil can deliver the same as kitefoil overall.
But sometimes wingfoil is just THE BEST, difficult to explain.

Waves or flat, does not influence what I choose, apart from the fact that I would never choose a spot for wingfoil or kitefoil if totally flat water - at least I would seek open sea water always, instead of sheltered flat water.

8) Peter
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Re: If you kite and wing which to do when?

Postby fluidity » Sat Sep 18, 2021 2:55 am

I wing almost exclusively now. There are occasional days when I think that the wind is from a good enough direction and steady enough to be a great kite day but on the wing even a really gusty day is good with more cardio excersize in the lulls pumping and more depower, even if squalls come through. There's more adrenaline and spectator oogling in kiting but I can survive without that. And of winging, kiting and wind surfing, restarting if I come off the board is simplest and fastest winging. I have two wings with good overlap which cover more wind range than my kites from 7m, 10m and 14m. The 14m is a heavy Switch kites element and in very light winds, I'm not even going to be able to relaunch it if it falls. Winging I can slog around on a floater board or work my cardio on a sinker board.
Lastly, from the kiting experience of constantly allowing a big safety buffer around myself, winging there are no lines to keep above wind surf masts or clear of other kiter's gear. It fits in a smaller space and the excersize is healthier with more stretching than kiting. I keep saying i must go kiting again, but when I look at the conditions, every even slightly windy day looks like a perfect winging day so I don't bother taking the kiting gear.

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Re: If you kite and wing which to do when?

Postby addictedtofoil » Sat Sep 18, 2021 3:46 am

I'm in agreement with Peter. For me it's > 15 knots and I start thinking about winging.

I have to be honest I've had more disappointing days winging than kite foiling, at least with kite foiling can always get up on the foil and make it work, can't say the same for winging. I've had days where I wait for a gust on the surface, foil around for a bit, wind drops, wait or have to paddle back. It happens kiting too but I can easily kite in 10knots and I can't say the same for winging.

I'd like to wing more but the local conditions don't allow it, and "just been on foil" feeling has passed for me.

I'm 95-100kg. If I was 60 kg like all the youtube videos it'll be a different story, but I haven't been 60kg since I was 12 ish :)

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Re: If you kite and wing which to do when?

Postby ieism » Sat Sep 18, 2021 7:33 am

Could you start wingfoiling on a 41 liter kitefoil board with 1250cm foil? I mean, as a beginner you'd have to learn waterstart but I'm not sure if that's doable.
I windsurfed my whole youth so water starting with a sail does not seem like a big deal to me but I don't see many people doing it at my local beach.

This for me would be a high wind option when my 4m peak is too big.

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Re: If you kite and wing which to do when?

Postby addictedtofoil » Sat Sep 18, 2021 7:58 am

If you are a waterman already you'll be fine, and depending on your weight a 1250cm foil is big or small. I use a 1250cm foil over 15+ knots but that's with experience, and depends on how windy it is at your local spot.

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Re: If you kite and wing which to do when?

Postby fluidity » Sat Sep 18, 2021 9:15 am

ieism wrote:
Sat Sep 18, 2021 7:33 am
Could you start wingfoiling on a 41 liter kitefoil board with 1250cm foil? I mean, as a beginner you'd have to learn waterstart but I'm not sure if that's doable.
I windsurfed my whole youth so water starting with a sail does not seem like a big deal to me but I don't see many people doing it at my local beach.

This for me would be a high wind option when my 4m peak is too big.
I think it's unlikely unless you're an olympic quality gifted athlete in your reflexes.
There is technique to pick up for pumping. However, if you are light and you love a huge challenge, don't mind mostly fails for a month or few then give it a try on a sinker board. Problem is even if you get up, you have to progress from taxiing to foiling with control on a smaller than learner wing without having built the muscle memory to pump up on foil. It's a heap of unknowns that will make for imense frustration. Things like wing handling without catching the wing tips and recovery when they do catch are so much harder on a sinker board to learn when you don't have the stability of a floating platform to give you more time to experiment.

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Re: If you kite and wing which to do when?

Postby jkrug » Sat Sep 18, 2021 1:16 pm

i've been surprised how much difference a few knots makes with winging. our winds around here are fairly light most of the year, so a day above 15 knots is not common. and that's my low/starting point for winging. now lighter guys i see going out in 13 knots, which for me is no chance in hell i'm getting up on the foil. and we get a lot more 13 knot days than 15 knot days. so...winging is best for lighter guys or windier climes. and it's kind of a catch-22 as i don't want to struggle in those light winds, so i'm probably not going to get better in those light winds.

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Re: If you kite and wing which to do when?

Postby addictedtofoil » Sat Sep 18, 2021 1:35 pm

yes not many guys wing under 15 knots where I am and if they do it doesn't look fun, flapping about on the water trying to get on foil, usually leaving the water more frustrated than when they went in :) Usually there's hardly any wind on the surface when < 15 knots, for kite foiling it's fine but kite is 20m in the air.

In light wind definitely aimed at < 70kg people, but show me a 100kg person in 10knots winging easily and I'll be pleasantly surprised

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Re: If you kite and wing which to do when?

Postby Flyboy » Sat Sep 18, 2021 9:55 pm

addictedtofoil wrote:
Sat Sep 18, 2021 1:35 pm
yes not many guys wing under 15 knots where I am and if they do it doesn't look fun, flapping about on the water trying to get on foil, usually leaving the water more frustrated than when they went in :) Usually there's hardly any wind on the surface when < 15 knots, for kite foiling it's fine but kite is 20m in the air.

In light wind definitely aimed at < 70kg people, but show me a 100kg person in 10knots winging easily and I'll be pleasantly surprised
Here you go:



Using a 9m wing mind you!

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Re: If you kite and wing which to do when?

Postby addictedtofoil » Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:39 pm

lol 9m wing, I'll stick to kite foiling in 10 knots


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