Learning to Foil – What to Know: Go Out And Surf

[Beasho]

So you have:
•   Bought your Foil – Kai Go Foil Model
•   Procured the right board – 8’ 2” L41 hand-me-down
•   Installed the Tuttle Box – With the help of a skilled surfboard guy: Stretch in Santa Cruz

The barriers to entry for this ‘Sport’ are high.  But once you have these pieces – GO OUT AND SURF
My list of recommendations include:
•   Watch the Videos.  Dave Kalama and Robert Stehlik’s are excellent

•   Figure out your transportation
        o   My surf amigo Travis describes transporting a foil board as ‘Carrying around a Christmas tree complete with lights and a stand without breaking any ornaments.’

•   Find a place with feathering waves
        o   You do NOT want to go where surfers are concentrated catching steep, pitching waves.  Whitewater is not your friend.  Whitecaps are perfect.  Crappy waves that ONLY a SUP can catch are ideal

•   Your foot placement is critical
        o   I had a case of the wobbles for my first 4 waves.  This was because my back foot was slightly closer to the rail.  Put your back foot directly on top of the foils mast.

•   Keep your weight forward.  Do not try to fly.  Ride out the first many, many waves weight forward.  Do NOT wheelie up.  The Key is to Control the pitch &

•   Go Out And Surf

[Beasho]

You do NOT NEED A BOAT.

Ask yourself “What surfer ever learned to Surf behind a Boat?”

The paddling required to get the board up to speed, the lift of a wave, the acceleration and the drop are all unique to surfing.  The speed changes you experience when you drop and the number of cycles to figure this out require 20, maybe 40 waves at most.  Heck if you’re unskilled give it 100 waves.

This has nothing to do with the constant pull of a rope behind a boat.  Add to this the complication associated with falling, getting 1 or worse 7 of your friends to circle back and pick you up . . . . .

Keep it simple and Go out and Surf.

[Beasho]

Let me say it again:
You do not need a boat.  You do not need a boat.  You do not need a boat.  You do not need a boat. 
You do not need a boat.  You do not need a boat.  You do not need a boat.  You do not need a boat. 
You do not need a boat. 

YOU DO NOT NEED A BOAT.  YOU DO NOT NEED A BOAT.  YOU DO NOT NEED A BOAT.  YOU DO NOT NEED A BOAT.  YOU DO NOT NEED A BOAT.  YOU DO NOT NEED A BOAT.  YOU DO NOT NEED A BOAT.  YOU DO NOT NEED A BOAT.  YOU DO NOT NEED A BOAT.

[Beasho]

You are NOT Too Fat to Fly.
 
I have been foiling with Haley Fiske.  He weighs ~230 and says “Getting the foil to fly is NOT the problem.  Keeping it under control once it flies is the problem.”  He is riding the Kai GoFoil.

Foiling is not binary.  The videos you see are of experienced people with 10’s or 100’s of hours managing the foil's pitch.  When you are learning, if you just try to keep the nose down you will feel the benefits of the lift and reduced drag even if you are not flying 2 feet above the surf like Kai Lenny. 

[Beasho]

What do I know?  Almost nothing. 

But the switch has been turned ON!  I picked up my Foil Board (L41 Modified with Tuttle Box) Saturday morning.  I went out for 2 hours on Sunday.  This was my 1st Official Foil board session. 

It was 6 - 9 feet and choppy.  OMG!  Not ideal.  There were 2 kayakers out and they promptly left me all alone at the edge of Mavericks with my new toy.  I had been talking to Haley about ideal conditions.  These would be defined as 'Waves that feather and then back off.'  Everywhere I turned there were ideal conditions all the way out to Mavericks.  Only it was too big and I didn't know what I was doing.

My first 4 waves were not pretty.  I had the wobbles, fought it to stay up and fell.  Then I regained my composure, focused on keeping my back foot dead center and kept the nose down.  Eventually I started to manage rides mostly nose down.  Then carefully I would, just barely, unweight the front foot.

2 hours later, 37 wave (attempts) and my longest ride was 147.7 yards for 28.9 seconds (Wave #14 I add).  Do the math on attempting 37 takeoffs behind a boat.  THIS WAS DAY NUMBER 1.

No video yet, but my TRACE recorded it all.  Any wave less than 10 seconds was probably a wipeout, I mentally recorded 25 official drops.  The data shows 15 waves > 10 seconds. 

Here is my TRACE from the fist day:
http://surf.traceup.com/stats/u?uId=530606&vId=85089

[Beasho]

Session Number 2:

Conditions similar to 1st day.  5 - 7 feet and choppy.  Not ideal but the foil has given me new inspiration and vision into what is possible.

Notable accomplishments:

• I managed several times to crash off the foil and then re-fly the foil without falling off.  2X I skipped off the surface twice without falling
• I took off and did a gentle turn down the line.  Going down the line is very scary, hard to do and speed increases dramatically turning the foil into a bucking bronco that needs to be tamed
• I made a drop and was riding then a secondary wave/bump rose up in front of me and I was able to pump the board, while on the foil, climb over the bump and drop into the next trough  OMG 

The last point was a huge milestone.  I have never on a SUP been able to approach a wave from behind, climb up the back (no matter how small) and then slide down the front again.  I had images of Kai connecting swells on a downwinder.

And this was My Second Session On the Foil:  Longest ride 147 yards & 25 seconds.  13 waves > 10 seconds.

Here were the stats:
http://surf.traceup.com/stats/u?uId=530606&vId=85246

PS:  Consider this a Public Service Announcement.  While I don't want to surf with a bunch of Foilers I believe this opens up a whole new landscape of otherwise imperfect spots from the outer periphery of point breaks to outer sand bars, up and down the entire East & West Coast . . . .  More to come.

[SUP Sports ®]

So you have:
•   Bought your Foil – Kai Go Foil Model
...snip...
•   Figure out your transportation
        o   My surf amigo Travis describes transporting a foil board as

 ‘Carrying around a Christmas tree complete with lights and a stand without breaking any ornaments.’

...snip...

Travis is pretty funny...and, right on...;-)
I can carry a foil fully attached to the board in my Sprinter...in this case my GoFoil...but, I also have my Horue wind foil...with two front wings...lots of extra stainless steel metric bolts...etc...between my SUP boards and sailing gear...it's getting maxed out...

It takes some origami skills to get it in and out...but, the savings in setup time and wear & tear on the barrel nuts is worth it...

Foiling is not going to be a mainstream sport...cost, safety, and difficult learning curve being the biggest barriers...there also aren't that many ideal places...
The ones that do exist will get saturated pretty soon...these are the good old days...;-)

[Subber]

Great Report!
Look forward to some vids.

So glad to hear you don't need a boat.
I do have an area near me that could be ideal as long as it isn't crowded.
Maybe I'll start looking for a used L41.

I didn't think about transporting (nor storing it).
I've got a Honda Odyssey that takes up to a 10'6" SUP right down the middle.
I imagine if I had a foil, I might have to take the middle row seats out.

Awesome!

[Kookalicious]

Totally agree with all you said Beasho. This link probably has the most useful info I've seen in 1 spot. I guess I proved a boat is not needed but hindsight I feel it would of sped up the learning process.

http://standupjournal.com/gear/stand-up-paddle-foiling-puerto-rico/

[DavidJohn]

More good info here..

[surfcowboy]

Love it man. Keep pushing and the thought about surfing without flying for a while rings true. In every other thing we learn, we take it slow. Why fly right away? Getting used to that giant wing under you makes sense to me. But if you dial this in four sessions there are gonna be a lot of jealous people on this forum.

[Beasho]

Good link here from the SeaBreeze forum from our old friend Colas:

https://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/SUP/SUP-foiling--my-first-steps-?page=1

Many of the same conclusions that I have drawn.  His video(s) with successive progress look similar to what I am experiencing.  ALSO - NO BOAT NECESSARY.   He appears to be a big fan of footstraps, at a minimum in the front.  If I had them I would use them, but I am not wasting any more time on board manipulation.  Time to surf. 

I am reminded of when I learned to SUP.  It took me at least 10 sessions to be comfortable catching waves.  Working out the board's yaw, paddling and foot position.  I do not see why this should be any different.  I even catch myself 'wishing' that I was better.  Ironically I have looked back at those days learning to SUP with envy at all the great things I had to look forward to.  Learning to Foil is all that again. 

[blueplanetsurf]

Nice progress Beasho, well done and you have many good tips for beginners.  I'm glad you found the videos we made helpful.  You are right that you don't NEED a boat and I know quite a few foilers now that learned without ever towing behind a boat.   I do think towing is a good learning tool though, a good way to get what Alex Aguera calls the "foil feeling" more quickly.  So while you don't need a boat, if you have the opportunity- do it!  It will accelerate the learning process.

[p06781]

Great information Beasho , Thanks for sharing!   I got a board ,  box is being placed right now ,  thinking about the foil next ?  I weight 205 without a wetsuit but you are recommending still go with a Kai model for surfing ?  No need for a bigger foil for heavier people? 

Then next is to find a spot on the Oregon coast to try this out. 

[jondrums]

Great information Beasho , Thanks for sharing!   I got a board ,  box is being placed right now ,  thinking about the foil next ?  I weight 205 without a wetsuit but you are recommending still go with a Kai model for surfing ?  No need for a bigger foil for heavier people? 

Curious to know thoughts as well.  I'm in the exact same position - box going in, weight 205 w/o a wetsuit. 

I am tending towards a bigger foil as I spent way too long learning to SUP on too small of a board - don't want to repeat this frustration.  Do I have better balance now because I learned the hard way?  Maybe, but I highly doubt it.