Just Keep at it - Foilsurfing
Confessions of a North Cornwall Foil club member - aka Ollypop
I have been kept up to date with a goods friends foil surfing progress or lack of as he calls it ... Just keep at it Olly !
- Most important - keep your trunk twisted so you're facing forward. If you do all your natural corrections will be front to back. If your ass is sticking out you won't have pitch control and all your automatic movements will make you weight one side of the wing or the other--meaning you'll tip and fall, and potentially jackknife.
- Start off just trying to catch small reform white water waves to get the board up off the water.
- A little and push over the foil (back foot) and then bring it back down (front foot)
- Once you are TOTALLY comfortable and a little bored with above, start lifting it higher. As you go higher you'll have less drag so the board will accelerate and come higher on it's own. Be ready for that with a little more front foot weight.
Foiling wing sizes explained
I thought I would take the opportunity to start to build a library of front wing sizes for quick reference. As foiling advances forward riders are wanting different performance characteristics and therefore most brands now offer a selection of wing sizes.
The first foil you buy is important as it has to be suitable for your use...like deciding on the right size surfboard.
Quick guide – remember this is based on a starting wing size for the appropriate weight in kg being pulled by a boat at 7 knots minimum – 10 knots maximum or surfing waves in the 2-3ft size range. As you progress and want to venture into bigger or even smaller conditions the wing size can change dramatically.The bigger the wing size, the more lift is generally achieved but a bigger wing has more drag than a smaller wing so bigger is not always better . There will be times when you could feel ‘over winged’ and the foil generates too much speed and lift and vice versa – foiling therefore requires careful riding and trimming to avoid wing breaches and wipeouts !
Bigger waves/ speed = smaller foils
Smaller waves/ speed = larger foils
This is a general size guide for those looking to get into surf or SUP foiling
Rider size 50kg - 1000cm2 + average wing size
Rider size 70-80 kg - 1200cm2 + average wing size
Rider size 90-100 kg - 1400cm2 - 1800cm2 average wing size
Rider size 100-110kg + 1600cm2 - 2000cm2 +average wing size
Naish Thrust M : 1032cm2 Naish Thrust L : 1235cm2 Naish Thrust XL : 1572cm2
KENALU 580 : 1084cm2 KENALU 775 : 1496cm2 KENALU 970 : 1994cm2
GOFOIL : 1200cm2 Kai GOFOIL : 1600cm2 Maliko GOFOIL : 1800cm2 IWA GOFOIL : 2000cm2 Maliko GOFOIL : 2800cm2 Maliko
Takuma V50 : 1004 cm2 Takuma V100 : 1245cm2 Takuma V400 : 1389cm2 Takuma V900 : 1968 cm2
AXIS 102 - 2051cm2 actual area / projected 2013cm2
AXIS 92 - 1852cm2 actual area / projected 1816cm2
AXIS 82 - 1528 cm2 actual area / projected 1443cm2
Cloud 9 P27 : 1406cm2
Cloud 9 S24: 1126cm2
Fanatic S1 1024cm2
Fanatic Aero 1500cm2
For Downwinding in ocean swell and depending on your experience the bigger the better for beginners, whereas as yo progress you can get up and foiling with a smaller wing.
Happy foilers taking a coffee break on one of our foiling clinics
MAST SIZE
For beginners a shorter mast is advisable and a wider board also more stable especially if learning behind a boat in choppy conditions , for slower speeds learning on bigger wing of 2000cm2 + will generally get a 95kg rider up in 5-7knots …perfect for learning the basics.
#Loyal2thefoil
Thanks – Matt
If you are interested in Foiling I would highly recommend getting in contact with us as specialist Foil suppliers. Give us a call on 01792 446511