Standup Zone Forum
The Foil Zone => Foil SUP => Topic started by: Keys Sup on October 25, 2019, 11:01:30 AM
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T.J. from Big Winds called to inform me the 5.0 Duotone will be here Tuesday!!!
So took a foil lesson at Keys Cable Park, on Grassy Key, today. Got one good flight and I am going back Monday for more instruction.
I have the Blue Planet Easy Foiler 7'6", Go Foil M200 24.5" mast, and was wondering if you can get up with out a front strap? You are laying on your back in the water with the board perpendicular to the direction you want to go. At 30.5" wide thinking a front foot strap should make it easier to heel the board over to get up? And makes foot placement constant.
Will run strap wider then windsurf strap and mount it diagonally.
Good plan?
Also will the board glide far enough away to use a leash? It is in a small lake with no current but it does get some wind. Would hate to see it hit the rocks.
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I have yet to go to a cable park, can you start from a standing position? I would be to scared to try waterstarting a board that big. I would think bolting the foil onto a 3ft piece of wood be easier.
On big boy prone boards behind a boat I have started on my belly, then go to one knee, and then both feet, and then after feet set try to fly.
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Keys Sup,
Leash...Yes...swimming after your rig is no fun. I wear my leash on the forward ankle to reduce possible drag and my leash plug is offset to left side so I never have it under foot. The strap for me, is the way to go, it really helps with balance while waiting for a set. Learn to paddle while strapped, you will always be in surf position. Good luck at the park.
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You won’t be starting it like a kiteboard. You’ll be starting on your knees, then standing. All standing way up front, so there is no way it will foil up. Then start shifting feet back.
When you get your Duotone, it will take maximum wind to learn winging. There is a huge amount of pumping technique required to lower your wind threshold. It will be awhile to master that.
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Oh man. I’m so jealous I was booked to go there at the first of the month but my client in Miami canceled and so I’m hoping to get back there in the Winter.
The cable park seems like the safest way to learn with the pull being up and away from the board and foil. Can you give us more info on the session? Some cell phone or go pro video would be great if you go back.
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Thanks for the advice.
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Ok spent 1/2 an hour there on my board this morning. Completely different from the Kite Board they were teaching on.
DW is right the board is too big to water start so did not add a front strap.
Started with out leash but with the board being bigger I got my leash and life was better.
Had a few very ungraceful flights. The first one I was too far back on the board and could not get the nose down ( later the guy at the desk told me my teachers are so skinny that big guys need to stand forward. Noticed this on my first lesson also). Balance is getting better.
Next time I go I am going to concentrate on non foiling turns so I can progress to foiling turns.
Hoping 2 more sessions before going out on my own.
UPS just emailed 5m Duotone arrived at my house a day early from Big Winds.
Waiting for the industry to catch up and start making 7m wings.
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Love hearing this. Interesting about the board differences. I hadn’t considered that Kiteboards would behave differently but of course it’s be more like a prone foil than SUP.
Keep us posted.
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very interesting--break the foil ice with a trip to a cable park--
do knowledgeable foilfolk think a one week fully focused trip to a cable park (like a ski trip, say) including lessons, etc, would tee a person up to try winging in open water???
might be the way to do it---there are so many spots around me that would be very wingable, on days when the surf is no go
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very interesting--break the foil ice with a trip to a cable park--
Don't know about winging since I haven't tried it. That said, I'll throw out the radical idea to just "get out there and do it".
In terms of learning to ride a foil - if you already know how to standup paddle and you know the ocean and local spots, I personally think you'd be better suited to spend the week in the waves you are already used to but ride the foilboard. If you ride twice a day for 5 days, you'll be flying and having a ball. I'm thinking that winging would generally be the same.
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some think it's very helpful to be towed by a boat at first....
whatever the case, it might be months before i could have 10 or 15 sessions trying to foil in reasonable conditions nearby me, so it would be a slow learn
seems cable park would allow one to move way ahead with the learn in a relatively very short time
next time i travel to waveless naples fl for inlaw visit, ima find me a cable park
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Eastbound I had the same idea. I had a work trip down there that fell through but I was going to do back to back days at the park.
Here’s why:
1. Convenience, I don’t have to buy gear to find out I hate it. Board, foil, helmet, vest, all provided for a couple hundred bucks.
2. Safety, don’t have to teach someone to pull me driving a boat while also learning to foil.
3. Safety, the pull being more upward should allow you to clear the foil if you’re wiping out.
4. Live instruction, someone is watching me and telling me what I’m doing wrong in real time as opposed to watching footage (that I somehow have to shoot) later and then going back out.
Just seems like a much easier process overall. Why doesn’t someone offer this in SoCal?
Foil companies, you wanna sell foils? Make more foilers.
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I hadn't realized you can rent the foil. that's definitely worth the price of admission. Once you learn you'll probably want an upgrade, so this saves you from buying a beginner setup. yeah, I guess I'm spoiled in California - can pretty much always find a wave on any given day.
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If you guys can practice on an Endo board, it'll help for balance on a foil. I would say behind a boat is the best for teaching foiling for wave discipline since once you can foil, you can get into the wake and drop the rope. I've had guys first time on a foil, able to ride the wake after a day of practice. Cables are great but limited locations.
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Jondrums " Just get out there and do it." I agree but the waves are 6 miles offshore so I only SUP in flat water of the Florida Keys.
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So I was curious what their setup is, I called and talked to TK.
They have the right cable style to learn foiling, the cable operate has full control over the cable: start, stop, forward, backward, and speed. So can start from dock and if the rider then falls cable comes back and rider can start there from a stand still. Basically same as a boat without the wake. So with a sup can start from a standing position.
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Yeah start from the dock.
My board is 144 liters so I start on my knees but if the cable runs out and I stay standing I can pull myself around and start standing up.
Plus when you fall you can use the cable to pull you away from the wreckage!!
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Went to the park yesterday. Took 1 or 2 pulls to get it going again since I have not tried since the end of October. Started getting a few rides foiling the whole length and a lot of face plants.
Northern Front is heading our way so will hopefully wing on my SUP with ventral fin then next day Foil Sup.