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The Foil Zone => Foil SUP => Topic started by: Caribsurf on November 13, 2019, 06:17:44 AM

Title: First lessons on Foil Sup behind jet ski
Post by: Caribsurf on November 13, 2019, 06:17:44 AM
Ok after weeks of anticipation, I finally had my first two Foil Sup lessons with Good Breeze kitesurfing in Cocoa Beach (thanks Dwight for the recommendation).  First off these guys were great, and I highly recommend them and learning behind a jet ski.

I had studied videos and asked questions for weeks (many on this forum) about Foiling on a SUP so I was fairly prepared.  My goal is to ride a foil SUP in surf and ride with a wing and prepare for Caribbean downwinders alone.  While I had played with a wing on land, this was first time ever on a foil.

I have to say it was easier than I had expected getting up and riding the foil, as all the board and foil want to do is rise up out of the water.  You spend the balance of the ride battling to keep the board level and the nose from rising up and foil rising too far out of the water.  Although it was easier than expected, it is far from easy and this will take many sessions to learn foiling and even more to pair with a wing.
Today my thighs feel like a ran a marathon.

My first lesson was using their equipment a Jimmy Lewis Flying V 7'3" i think and 152 liters.  It had a GoFoil Maliko 200 foil under it..nice set up. The board was VERY stable and I would start from a  standing position . The foil was eager to lift me out of the water yet was easy to control.  I couldn't believe you could ride a foil at such slow speeds..that was really cool.  After a few trips up and down the coastline, I ventured out over the wake to the other side of the ski. This is where it got really fun..despite all the turbulence and chop, the foil cut through the water like a knife through butter. That was one thing that was so surprising..with each approaching wave or chop, I was expecting impact like on a sup or windsurfer, but it never came. That took some getting used to, but in a good way.  The board would quickly accelerate to where it wanted to pass the ski and i would have to let up.  Really fun and eye opening session.

My next hour I was on my Fanatic SKY SUP 6'6"x30" 115 liters.  I had a Fanatic Aero 2000 long fuselage foil.  First time riding either.   I could still start from a standing position but it was a lot less stable than the Jimmy Lewis.  I needed for the jet ski to get going right away once I was standing..no time to balance.  Like the Maliko, the Fanatic foil popped me up almost instantly and I had a hard time fighting to keep the nose down and had a couple of classic wipeouts.  Lesson learned.  I moved forward on the board and it took care of that problem. I think my limited snowboarding experience really helped with my foiling, knowing to keep weight forward and on front foot not back.  The Fanatic mast is about 4 inches taller than the Maliko and it was very evident right away as I kept climbing and climbing. Felt pretty high up there at times, and I learned to listen to the foil which saved me a couple of times from breaching.  I did pearl the nose a couple of times descending too quickly into the face of some chop.  Slow subtle movements are how you keep from crashing.

All in all a very fun day and I learned tons.  It gave me a lot of confidence going forward.  I highly recommend learning in a  controlled environment such as behind a ski.

I may have another lesson behind the ski, but want to try floating around wing in hand and see what happens.  This is going to take some time, and why I want to get started right away.

I am 6' 185 lbs  40 + years of surfing and windsurfing and 10 years SUP surfing experience. 
Title: Re: First lessons on Foil Sup behind jet ski
Post by: eastbound on November 13, 2019, 07:03:19 AM
live and learn!

learn and live!

sounds really fun, ron
Title: Re: First lessons on Foil Sup behind jet ski
Post by: surfcowboy on November 14, 2019, 05:11:17 AM
Thx for the report. I think we’ All hoping for an easy first day when we finally pull the trigger on foiling.

Interesting about the slow speed. I see so many people towing so fast. That sounds relatively mellow compared to water skiing.
Title: Re: First lessons on Foil Sup behind jet ski
Post by: supthecreek on November 14, 2019, 07:43:50 AM
Very cool Don, with your skills, I am not surprised that you did well right out of the gate!

Keep us posted with your progress.... and please say hi to D  :)
Title: Re: First lessons on Foil Sup behind jet ski
Post by: Caribsurf on November 14, 2019, 08:33:12 AM
hey Creek...good to hear from you.  ya another water sport haha.  This one will be the most challenging by far, but my windsurfing experience will help a lot with foil wing..the foiling however is another story, foiling is unlike anything I have ever tried or felt before. 

have a good winter  if you are in Fl give us a shout.  we will be back and forth from the Grenadines
Don
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