Gong Allvator - Review thread

[surfcowboy]

And so it begins...

I just ordered a Gong Allvator XL foil with an extra 45 cm mast for myself and my main surf buddy to learn to foil on.

Why you might ask did I choose the Gong?

Partly because no one else will admit to having one and really do a decent review. Same for the Alibaba foils. So frustrating that no one will really tell people whether or not they are a valid option for learning to foil.

Yes, I am 50% sure I will end up owning another foil at some point. (Likely something red that rhymes with “Praxis Boils”) but I just couldn’t see spending that much bread on my starter wing while I figure out what wings do in the first place. The Gong is big and slow and cheap to fix/replace while I learn how shallow the rocks are at my local breaks.

I am 100% sure that I can get a decent return on this if I should sell it.

I am also 100% sure that I will hack and mod the hell out of this thing so I appreciate the modularity of their stuff.

Paid just under $600 shipped to SoCal.

The plan is to share this with my buddy til we decide if we want to keep on. If we dig the Gong, then he will buy a rig and I’ll probably add another wing (pro high aspect?) and likely another, smaller stab which I can ride while I hack the original in various ways. For $600-700 each we can have a few wings, stabs, and masts to experiment with til we know what we are doing or what we really like.

He’s also mainly a proner and much better than me so it’s likely we will run different wings in the same conditions.

I am not an ambassador. I have no attachment to being right, and clearly am skeptical of this thing. I also don’t have any ego about what gear I own. Hopefully this will be a good source of info beyond “yeah they work” which is all I’ve gotten from English speaking foilers.

If this is the foil version of Jimmy Styks we are all about to know and it will be announced plainly. And if you own one, or have, feel free to contribute to this thread as well.

I’m preparing my friends and family to lose me to #foilbrain. Wish me luck.

[805StandUp]

Don't own a Gong but welcome down this rabbit hole, Cowboy!  All I thought about in the past year or so is foiling... Steve at Hi Tech once told me: "How do you know if someone foils?... Don't worry, they will tell you!"

[surfcowboy]

Haha, yeah man. I finally got my work life to a place where I could sustain a small injury inflicted by foolishness so what’s more foolish than foiling.

If you’re “805” then for sure we will cross paths. 😉

[805StandUp]

Lol... interestingly I went a long while (my second session out after downsizing from a 7'4 to 6'0) before injuring myself with the foil so hopefully no injuries for you!  Yes--hopefully I will see you out on the water.  I used to come down to your neck of the woods before I picked up foiling but one of my foil buddies has been telling me I should go back with him at high tide so may at some point.... otherwise maybe will see you in the 805.  Feel free to reach out if I could assist in any way...

[exiled]

I bought the Gong XL and XXL when they first came out. The price at the time was unbeatable and the only other wings that size were the Go Foil Malikos for 3 times the price. No regrets on the purchase.

They are cheap and tough and easy to learn on. Without the XXL I might never have learned how to foil. Its slow and stable and can take off in almost nothing. Not at all high performance, but if you need easy to learn on for cheap, I would recommend them to anyone.

They are also heavy, and the mast is flexy compared to newer foils. Prices on some other foils are starting to creep downwards so the price advantage isn't as great anymore. Neil Pryde foils were on sale for $700 a little while back.

I would like to see some indication they are working on a high aspect wing. It feels like Gong might be slipping on the R&D side after beating most manufacturers to market on large sized wings.

I haven't ridden mine in a few months, but I just rigged up my XL to give it a shot tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Hdip]

Best learning advice I’ve had is from Ryan Hurley of west coast foil club. Imagine the rails of your board extending upwards like a box. You stand within that box. Do not lean over and outside the box. Especially to the high side. If you try to over correct to the high side that’s when the foil will be flying straight at you.

The other thing is try to keep the board in the water at first. The foil wants to lift. You have to keep it down.

[bigmtn]

I had the XL Gong (also an alibaba copy of a naish).  It will be a good foil to learn on.  You can ride the tiniest waves you can imagine with it.  6mo from now you'll want a different wing, but for starting out it will be great.  The mast was pretty flexible compared to others (go foil, axis, armstrong) but you can't beat the price.  It was also noticeably heavier than the other foils I've used, but for learning you'll be good.  Once you get it down, start trying other peoples gear and see what you like and dont like. 

best advice for starting: choose tiny mushy waves, and if you start to lose your balance, don't try to save it, just shoot the foil away from you. 

[surfcowboy]

Hey guys, thanks. This is about what I’ve heard.

Couple of things.

One, they now have 4 high aspect wings to compliment their regular. Check the new “pro” wings on the site. I’ll 100% be adding the high aspect XL or XXL for downwinders once I’m stable. These are also reported to be lighter and they float.

They also have a carbon mast, though it’s expensive. But still, you can put together a crazy quiver now for not too much bread.

I’m already working on a design for a tail wing adapter to test other stabilizers and angles. The Zone and Instagram have taught me that hacking tails is the second most popular thing to do with a foil other than riding them lol.

The tips are huge and very welcome. I’ll be posting technique questions and also already have had Zoners reach out to meet up. Foilers are as friendly as SUPers. Actually they are mostly SUPers lol. When I built the Cowboy Foil I learned a good bit about starting. Gonna start a thread on a Kalama tip in fact.

[Fishman]

I went with the Aviator mainly because I like expermenting. The prices on the piece parts are really good so mixing it up with 4 different tails and a few different wings didn't break the bank.

I don't see myself getting rid of it any time soon. But if I surfed a lot and had to carry it for long distances I would consider another foil. I'm sure you can find foils 3 or even 4 pounds lighter.

If you're a big guy you might consider modding the wing connection point. Most people just shiim it but adding a third screw from the top will minimize any movement. Just be sure to tighten the two bottom screws before tightening the top screw.

[surfcowboy]

Gong XXL Pro flat water dock starts and pumping vid.

[surfcowboy]

Thx Fishman. Colas reports that they actually drill and thread all the way through the fuselage now so if you just drill the top of the wing you can add that screw without tapping anything.

Seems like lots of mods and such out there now. And while they slept for a year or so, they are turning out lots of stuff now.

Have you tried the kite stab with any of your wings?

[Fishman]

Yeah I use the kite stab but I haven't surfed with it. Just on a lake behind a boat and winging which work good in those for that. I'm think surfing would be harder to learn with but more fun once you dail it in.
 

[Fishman]

Photo

[surfcowboy]

Interesting one there. Is that yours? Nice welds. Mine wouldn’t look that clean. lol

Also, if you’re worried about flex, the Naish masts fit Gong so a used Naish would be an option too. As the parts stack up on craigslist things are gonna get weird I’ll bet lol.

[Fishman]

 I can't do pretty weld ether. After it was welded I used JB to make it look better. I made that to use with the 80 or 90 mast.

I believe the Naish and Takuma were exactly the same extruded Al mast. I wonder if there newer Naish mast are any different.

Also took my extra fusalge to the drill press. For the most part completly necessary but I have to do something with my free time.

Colas's idea sounds good but my fusalge were NOT drilled/threaded  all the way through. I would if the newer fuselage are now drilled and threaded all the way?  I guess youdrill though the existing holes and step up the hardware size.