Windfoiling

[Admin]

Nice vid.

I had my first try Windfoiling yesterday.  A friend let me take his Slingshot setup out for a few laps.  Really fun. 

It was pretty windy (22-27) and a second footstrap would have been nice to make bearing off more of a possibility.  I felt like I was fairly over-sailed for the foil and it wanted to foil all the time.  There was a 2-3 foot swell which would lift it onto the foil without any rider input.  Fortunately, the board had enough scoop and the mast (24) was short enough that these foil bounces would not buck too badly on water touch down.  Problem was I had to use too much body to counter the sail and could not really get forward enough to try to trim once up most of the time.  I had a couple of lulls in flatter water where i was able to low altitude reach for a few seconds.  Nice feeling.  I am definitely interested in trying on a lighter day, flatter water and with a relatively smaller sail.

[yugi]

Pretty cool for a first go. I look forward to trying.

Glad I kept a bunch of my windsurf rigs. They may ride again someday.

Talked with a 80's windsurf world champ the other day. He mainly surfskis and kite foils these days. Cool how our watersports keep evolving.

Personally I'm more attracted to windfoiling (and SUP foiling) than kite. Even if it less performance than kite-foiling. I'd get into Moth foiling but I'm so over having so much gear to take care of and store.

[Admin]

Of all of the foil sports kiting looks the most natural to me.  Moths, and other sailboats are right there as well.  The windsurfing still looks a little awkward to me but it is also the most accessible.  Maybe a good launching point?

[Dwight (DW)]

Guys, check out the Neil Pryde aluminum foil before buying the Slingshot. Guys have both here, the Neil Pryde is way lighter and nicer in my opinion. Plus it's cheaper at $750

I honestly think everyone will have to lower prices to match Neil Pryde.  It's that good.

[Dwight (DW)]

My take on kiting versus windsurf foiling....

When I windsurf foiled, the upwind angles were nothing special. The ability to glide through big holes in the wind was disappointing.

After trying kite foiling, I'm totally addicting to kiting again after having become bore by it. The upwind angles are insane. The thrilling speed. The ability to take long distance cruises for miles. Amazing.

[Admin]

Yeah, I watched a few guys in Baja on foil kites and foils going straight up wind when there was just a breath of wind.  Looked great.  Foiling tacks, etc.

For windsurf foiling are your friends all using the ultra wide boards? 

[PonoBill]

I was watching some of the windfoiling guys Monday when we had dinner at the Best Best Western. They were running on a downwind reach from beyond the EC, under the bride, almost all the way to the chip barge, then turning around and going upwind to beyond the EC on a single jibe. It looked like they were pointing impossibly close to the wind, but they did it several times.

[starman]

I think it's important to point out that the Naish foil for windsurfing is for light winds.

The video he posted on Facebook has a question regarding high wind performance;

 Have you tested in more extreme conditions? Could you handle 25knots + and waves??
6 · June 7 at 7:34pm
Robby Naish
Robby Naish You can, but to me, at least at this stage, it kind of defeats the purpose. If you can plane and go fast and jump on a normal board you don't really need a foil. But you certainly can go. Foils would be different designs for strong winds... optimized for higher speeds etc. But you will have amazing crashes and likely break lots of stuff too !!
81 · June 7 at 8:40pm

So like everything else one size does not fit all.

[Dwight (DW)]

For windsurf foiling are your friends all using the ultra wide boards?

The guy with the NP foil uses the NP foil board. It's like a normal 125 liter slalom board, normal width for 125 liter board. I've been told narrow boards are tricky simply because splash downs are more likely to cause a catapult.

My board was 73 wide. Never went over the bars on a splash down.

[yugi]

My take on kiting versus windsurf foiling....

When I windsurf foiled, the upwind angles were nothing special. The ability to glide through big holes in the wind was disappointing.

After trying kite foiling, I'm totally addicting to kiting again after having become bore by it. The upwind angles are insane. The thrilling speed. The ability to take long distance cruises for miles. Amazing.

That's actually part of my worry... at least for here locally. When the wind drops I'd be so screwed. Winds are fickle here.

[Admin]

For windsurf foiling are your friends all using the ultra wide boards?

The guy with the NP foil uses the NP foil board. It's like a normal 125 liter slalom board, normal width for 125 liter board. I've been told narrow boards are tricky simply because splash downs are more likely to cause a catapult.

My board was 73 wide. Never went over the bars on a splash down.

Hah!  I was using the 150 below.  86 wide (!)  seemed much bigger than i needed.  Probably would have been stable for uphauling but I didn't try that. 

[SUP Sports ®]

I think it's important to point out that the Naish foil for windsurfing is for light winds.

The video he posted on Facebook has a question regarding high wind performance;

 Have you tested in more extreme conditions? Could you handle 25knots + and waves??
6 · June 7 at 7:34pm
Robby Naish
Robby Naish You can, but to me, at least at this stage, it kind of defeats the purpose. If you can plane and go fast and jump on a normal board you don't really need a foil. But you certainly can go. Foils would be different designs for strong winds... optimized for higher speeds etc. But you will have amazing crashes and likely break lots of stuff too !!
81 · June 7 at 8:40pm

So like everything else one size does not fit all.

Aloha John,
I told a couple of guys at the lake the same thing the other day...
For me, (and, apparently Robby) windfoiling it's a light wind sport...

I've had several sessions in solid 4.7m2/5.0m2 windsurfing wind...full white knucklers...if you can be fully powered up on normal windsurf gear, I personally don't need the high speed crashes, or loops on a foil, that break and stress gear and bodies...heck, I can get big air and loop on purpose with regular windsurf gear...and, sometimes break gear and body parts...;-)

In fact, I wear a brain bucket most of the time...and, sometimes an impact vest...a good idea would be to wear them all of the time...;-)

After my first few sessions rigging ~ .5m2 less than normal windsurfing...I try to rig a little under-powered now...~ 1m2...so that I have to pump onto a plane...this is for medium winds...my AOA are still quite high...in fact, I have to fight to keep from going to high because then you are faced with going downwind on the foil fully sheeted out...which can provide a little too much excitement at times...;-)

My Hammer has worked great for both windfoiling and SUPfoiling...fast rocker line...nice nose lift...stable outline...etc...I'll probably build a smaller one at some point...but, I'm already starting to work on converting one of my shorter 7'6" Mallet designs for windfoiling...

http://blog.surfingsports.com/2015/01/mallet-sup-2.html

We just built a custom Hammer convertible sport board for Eric up in Minnesota and he had his first windfoil sesh yesterday...totally stoked!

http://blog.surfingsports.com/2017/06/minnesota-eric-stoked-life.html

Happy 4th all!

Got the Hammer to finally fly with 6.2 Charge and NO WHITECAPS – holy crap.
Just wanted for little puffs with texture, point off wind and PUMP with body and sail until you start to hear the “hummmmm” then LIFTOFF – Game changing!

I got numerous flight that seemed to last forever but when they were over I wanted MORE 😉
I suspect they were a few hundred yards each fully flying. I was able to adjust my feet a bit and play with the sail trim, sheeting has a big affect on attitude (climb,dive) as well as foot pressure.

I found a spot that worked for me was my back foot in surf stance just in front of front mast bolt with toes a bit outboard and front foot variable but left of centerline for sure. Got a Surface white nose guard on yesterday but no crashes, All landings were beautifully sweet even with a foil breach, just plopped me back down tail first and I sailed away with boom still in hand. Learning so much so quickly, the mind will have to catch up to the body but I think having a few flights on a Slingshot Alien Air and 15 inch mast Hover Glide was VERY helpful so I knew what the feeling would be like, just WAY different controlling pitch with the rig rather than the sail.

I wouldn’t say really harder, just different. Heading back out to the spot again today, wind is suppose to be about 10-15 tops. I can almost guarantee a fun session in these conditions with the 6.2, Hammer ArmyKnife and Maliko Go Foil Thanks Everyone for helping fuel my stoke! and Deb, I briefly mentioned you in my other email.

I’ve been a big fan of yours over the years in all the pictures Wardog posts of your sailing, surfing and paddling adventures!

Eric from Minnesota

[SUP Sports ®]

My take on kiting versus windsurf foiling....

When I windsurf foiled, the upwind angles were nothing special. The ability to glide through big holes in the wind was disappointing.

After trying kite foiling, I'm totally addicting to kiting again after having become bore by it. The upwind angles are insane. The thrilling speed. The ability to take long distance cruises for miles. Amazing.

That's actually part of my worry... at least for here locally. When the wind drops I'd be so screwed. Winds are fickle here.

A foil is basically the biggest fin in the world...you have to try to not go to weather...
I always have gone out windfoiling on a board with enough volume to uphaul...even though it's not necessary...and, sometimes encumbering, when flying the foil...difference between sailing back or swimming...;-)

[Dwight (DW)]

Admin,

Sorry, got my dimensions wrong.  Just checked my board.  It was 214 x 79 127 liters. It was modeled after the Horue. Short to reduce any weathervane and wide nose for splash downs. 

Yugi,

Your worries are non issue.  Where windsurf foiling beats kite foiling is winds so light it can die.  Windsurfer always has ability to limp home.  Kite falls and won't relaunch and you're done.

[Beasho]

I attempted to modify two older windsurfers for foil surfing.

They both had Tuttle boxes.  I have learned that the concept of deep and shallow Tuttle boxes maybe a newer concept.

Yes in old days the fins were all shallow but the boxes could run shallow or deep.  Of my 3 windsurfers my shortboard accomodated the Go-Foil without any modifications.  The Clam Sandwich (2nd Photo) only required cutting through 1/8" skin layer on the top of half the box.

The Hi Per Tech was much more involved.  It had a nearly bomb proof 1/4" 'something' (divinycell epoxy combo) that I had to cut nearly the full length of the box with a jigsaw.

Long story short I got the darn Go-Foil to fit.