Foil first steps - Surfcowboy sets out

[surfcowboy]

Decided to track my foil sessions and progress. I’m hoping for the same 5 to 10 sessions til I start stringing together some flights. We will see.

After my boat lesson, see other thread, today I went out for a paddle to see about catching some waves. I’ve been lax on SUP for a couple of years and so I’ve decided to be as patient as I can and let my skills and stamina come back over time.

Today there was probably a bit too much swell for me, knee to waist sets. So I just paddled for soft waves and practiced timing my turns and fighting to keep the board straight. I probably went for 20 waves and got close to catching a couple to where I could feel the foil start to lift. I’ll get out in smaller waves with some reform if I can and likely start putting together some short rides (and crashes.)

I’m curious as to what size a beginner should be catching. Seems like knee high is about the top of what is wise lol. Also, hoping to start on a specific foil SUP this week as well as I can now see why the tail sinking is bad for getting your back foot into position. But for now, just trying to be patient and let the muscle memory build.

[Wetstuff]

SC... "hoping to start on a specific foil SUP this week.."   Fill us in one what board you used and what you propose to get.  Thanks.

Jim

[Beasho]

Good stuff!

What gear are you on?  Board?  and Foil?

Knee to waist high is good to start on.  Since you got behind a boat you are way ahead of any of us from 3 years ago. 

1)  Keep your feet dead centered when taking off
2)  Do NOT weight your back foot.  Stay heavy on the front foot.  Practice riding NOSE DOWN for the first several waves
3)  Slowly inch your front foot back.  Actually slow crab-walk it back.  The foil will gently lift the further back your foot goes

Small waves will be terrifying but you have to work your way through that fear.  The above advice will minimize the bucking bronco effect.

Too many people want to start flying right aways.  Its OK to be skipping 6" off the surface for the first 20 sessions.  I used to get frustrated when people would say "Yeah your going but I didn't see you flying."  When I knew I was flying.  Stay Low! 

[Caribsurf]

Hey Beasho, I have started getting the hang of wing foiling and am comfortable in most conditions and starting to make my carving jibes.

Is the reaction of the foil and foil board on a wave similar to using it with wing or a different animal altogether? 
So if comfortable wing foiling, wing surfing should come a little easier?   I know how to surf and SUP surf already too
Thanks
Don

[PonoBill]

Don, you'll find some skills transfer and some don't, but any foil experience gives you a leg up. My pumping skills have improved greatly from wing foiling but it hasn't done anything good for my turning. I've been using the wing to get into some sizeable waves, and then hold the wing low by the front handle and foil surf as usual. That will probably benefit your foil surfing progression, but you still need to learn how to get up on a wave and carve across the face.

[Caribsurf]

Thanks Pono, glad I am at least ahead of the curve thanks to wing foiling.  Yes the surf videos I see, pumping seems a big part of foil surfing. 

Do you stand in a surf stance when you first paddle for the wave or are your feet parallel?

[jondrums]

I usually get lined up and take the first one or two strokes with my feet in parallel stance, then hop into surf stance for the final few catch paddles.  I'd like to be in surf-stance earlier, but my SUP is not well balanced to get my feet in the right place until the wave starts to pick me up (have to be forward weighted to catch the wave, then move back once it grabs and ready to foil).

It took me exactly a dozen sessions on SUP to go from "complete kook and a danger to myself and those around me" to "in control enough to be a danger only to myself."  At that time, I still wanted huge buffer cushion of space around me without anyone else around, but I could at least have some confidence in going where I meant to go.   I didn't get any time behind a boat or with a wing though, just got on and learned by failing/flailing/falling.

Have fun!

[surfcowboy]

Thanks guys.

Beasho, I’m on a Gong Allvator XL (giant like a Maliko 200) and a 7’4” copy of an L41 SimSUP. And yeah, I’m fully committed to just paddling til I’m ready to ease my weight back and lift the nose. I’m really not clear on how steep of a drop I can take. Specifically I’ve seen prone guys get pushed by a breaking wave and seemingly just sort of go straight with the foil lifting as the face drops away but for now, I’m too scared to risk a trip over the falls, even at knee high. Patience.

Jondrums, that paddling method is exactly what I have to do too. I just started a 6’6” x 28” foil sup that will be a big dumb easy beginner board so I can get my feet in the right spot. I instantly understood what Robert from Blue Planet did with his boards carrying all that volume at the tail, and how the sinker tail on a regular SUP doesn’t work for foiling.

[PonoBill]

I get into position to fly the foil as soon as I get turned to go for the wave. If there is any whitewater on the face I bend my knees a lot and sometimes slide my front foot a little further forward. A crumbling wave pushes harder on the takeoff than a clean wave. If the wave is a little small I sometimes move forward to catch it and then get back into position on the drop. I'm pretty clumsy, so it's important for me to be in position when the foil starts to lift. Having either foot off the centerline of the board makes for a bad start that I rarely recover from.

[clay]

Slow and steady will get you there.

My unsolicited advice is:  foot registration.
Find some way to mark your board so that you can feel where your feet are left/right and forward/back without looking.

[surfcowboy]

The foot thing is real for sure. Clay I have 2 diy archbars. One over the mast and then one 24” in front using the Beasho Method.

On the boat day the board didn’t have marks you could feel and I’d feel myself drifting slowly to one side til I had to bail. For those who haven’t done it, it’s not fast like you’d think but it’s weirdly hard to recover as a noob. You just slowly topple like a tree. The thing about staying still and barely moving your weight is true. You just think about the turn or whatever. So subtle.

[Dusk Patrol]

Inland Surfer sells cool little arch bars (for its wake surf boards). Minimalist.

https://www.inlandsurfer.com/store/inland-surfer-traction-pads-7wfza-pjb46
 

[clay]

The foot thing is real for sure. Clay I have 2 diy archbars. One over the mast and then one 24” in front using the Beasho Method.

On the boat day the board didn’t have marks you could feel and I’d feel myself drifting slowly to one side til I had to bail. For those who haven’t done it, it’s not fast like you’d think but it’s weirdly hard to recover as a noob. You just slowly topple like a tree. The thing about staying still and barely moving your weight is true. You just think about the turn or whatever. So subtle.

Right on!

The tree falling is a great analogy, and an excellent reaction to being off center, just going with it and gently falling into the water.   Fighting it is when the roll/jackknife/taco happens, and really fast, to fast to do anything other than fall hard.

[surfcowboy]

Clay, that’s 100% Zoner knowledge kicking in. But it really was strange at how slow it all happens but I’m sure that changes with a serious wave and speed.

I need a good surf trip to get some t.o.w.