Author Topic: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?  (Read 22830 times)

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Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« on: July 02, 2019, 02:27:14 AM »
...or are you just making it look that way?  :)

Here is a good video of a guy during the learning process.  He is already a windsurf foiler and he has nice, light wind.  I think this gives a reasonable look at what a new entry might expect.  The foiling won't go this well right away if you are new to it.  Unfortunately he edited out all of the knee get ups.  That is where a lot of the truly silly stuff happens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGhAwaeUkTM&t=196s

Dwight (DW)

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #1 on: July 02, 2019, 03:50:22 AM »
For many of us, that challenge looks fun. But wow, I can see a few, who put the wing on Craigs List after day one.

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #2 on: July 02, 2019, 04:15:14 AM »
It must be extremely difficult concentrating on the wing and the foil at the same time. If you focus too much on one, you lose control of the other.   8)
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ninja tuna

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #3 on: July 02, 2019, 07:12:30 AM »
...or are you just making it look that way?  :)

Here is a good video of a guy during the learning process.  He is already a windsurf foiler and he has nice, light wind.  I think this gives a reasonable look at what a new entry might expect.  The foiling won't go this well right away if you are new to it.  Unfortunately he edited out all of the knee get ups.  That is where a lot of the truly silly stuff happens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGhAwaeUkTM&t=196s

or could some that windsurf foiling experience work against him.  It seemed like a few of his falls he tried to pull on the wing like he may do in windsurfing for support, where I would think you need to focus a little more on riding the board and let the wing luff out for a second or two.  I may be completely wrong, just wondering if old habits might get in the way a little.  Like when you start riding foils and need to keep your weight more front focused.

More than welcome input from some people with wind surfing experience on this.

PonoBill

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2019, 12:34:39 PM »
My take on the Naish foil I tried was that it was a lot more like a sail than a wing, but that could easily be my weak shoulders talking.

On the other hand, literally everything I stored in muscle memory from windsurfing, longboarding and sup surfing works against me on a foil and with a wing. So yes, I agree.
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supfoo

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2019, 05:43:17 PM »
I'm sticking with my kite & foil board!

Rider

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2019, 07:49:18 PM »
Why would you want to stick with something fun and that you’re good at when you can be a total kook at something new and exciting? 8)

PonoBill

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2019, 08:31:41 PM »
I'm sticking with my kite & foil board!

Good plan. This entire thing is totally nuts, which is why I like it. All the factories got caught flat-footed so they are pretty much unobtanium anyway. I don't think anyone else should try it until I get my five meter, then OK, go ahead.
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Julie_Scheyer

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #8 on: July 03, 2019, 01:52:39 AM »
Alan Cadiz owns HST Maui and teaches Duotone wing foil Lessons.   He teaches the wing use on the beach, and starts students using the wing on a 200L windsurf board with daggerboard.  Only after the student can handle the wing to stay upwind and jibe does he get them on a hydrofoil.  His starting hydrofoil setup is a large 130L 7ft Fanatic Sky board with a 2000sqcm hydrofoil, short custom cut down 50cm mast, and 80cm long fuselage.

I learned in a few days with no ordeal.  I don’t think it’s hard to learn if you learn the wing first, and then add in the hydrofoil.  The biggest challenge is getting the best hydrofoil setup for yourself.  The hydrofoil has so many variables.  Front wing like 2000sqcm+ is crucial to start. Long Fuselage, like 80cm is really helpful and stable.  The Mast length 75cm start & 90cm+ For more advanced.  The back wing too.

There are a lot of little tricks you learn over time.  Managing how to de power and power the wing is really imperative before adding the hydrofoil.   Alan says it’s surprising how some of the best athletes, and others don’t.   He has the person who is struggling with the wing to hold the boom with the hands close together for a bit to learn the control.  It’s way too long to write how to hydrofoil here. 

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« Last Edit: July 03, 2019, 02:09:38 AM by Julie_Scheyer »
Duotone Foilwing rider.  Hydrofoil setup for Foilwings: Fanatic 1500 or 2000sqcm front wings, 80cm fuselage, 90cm Mast & Fanatic 5ft 68L Sky Solbach proto board.  SUP: SIC Bullet 16ft, Naish Mana 8’6”, Fanatic 6’3” wave SUP hydrofoil. Qb paddles

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #9 on: July 03, 2019, 02:19:55 AM »
or could some that windsurf foiling experience work against him.  It seemed like a few of his falls he tried to pull on the wing like he may do in windsurfing for support, where I would think you need to focus a little more on riding the board and let the wing luff out for a second or two.  I may be completely wrong, just wondering if old habits might get in the way a little.  Like when you start riding foils and need to keep your weight more front focused.

More than welcome input from some people with wind surfing experience on this.

I think his time on the foil is helping him.  The windsurfing is a mixed bag.  Wind knowledge and familiarity is a big plus but man is it hard to fight old habits.  Think of what you do to point downwind when you are windsurfing.    Sheet in, extend your front arm a bit, rotate your shoulders downwind a bit.  Do that on the wing and you are swimming.  Do it 30 times on a wing and you are swimming 30 times.  The guy in the vid is dipping his front wingtip every time.  That is his windsurfing experience fighting him.  He will cure that but fortunately there are a lot of other ways to blow it :).
« Last Edit: July 03, 2019, 06:23:44 AM by Admin »

JEG

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2019, 03:36:19 PM »
We need to tell those people that has less water time the truth about the wing and hydro foil. With hydro foil I'm guessing it's like 5 times harder than sup surf and if you have no surfing background you might wanna add extra years on that learning curve. I have no experience with the wing and if you want to combine these two skills together (wing & hydro foil) it takes longer frustrating time than you want it to be. Also hydro foil is soo frkn dangerous!

PonoBill

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2019, 05:11:45 PM »
Nah.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #12 on: July 04, 2019, 03:55:16 PM »
I like your optimism PonoBill  8)

PonoBill

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #13 on: July 04, 2019, 08:43:31 PM »
It's pretty simple. there are a LOT of foilers in Hood River, more than I've seen anywhere else.  Kite foilers (with foils that are ten times scarier than any surf foil), Wind foilers (with foils five times scarier than any wing foiler) and downwind SUP foilers (with foils the same as wing foilers. Injuries = 0.

So no, I'd say the injury rate infers they aren't dangerous. Regular kiters, regular windsurfers, and people downwinding don't have a lot of injuries either. So on that basis I'm not going to warn anyone about anything. I know of two people directly (meaning, saw the pictures on-line) and one by rumor (met a guy who knew a guy) who have been injured by foils--they were trying to use razor thin kite foils to surf. Okay, don't do that.

You don't want to fall on them because it hurts. I've done it a few times, I don't like it, but both of my livers are still where they belong, no stitches, no trauma (other than it fucking hurts), no nothing. Dozens of face plants. I'm seriously clumsy, I've had my shins barked getting in and out of the water, but that seems to be the most dangerous thing.

As far as it being hard for people without experience, again my experience is exactly the opposite. People who have never surfed but have done a lot of snowboarding get it very quickly. Like two days--and I hate their guts. Kids and people under thirty get it very quickly. People with 40 years of windsurfing, longboarding and SUP suffer. Your mileage will vary. If you can listen to or read instructions it goes pretty quickly. If you're a stubborn shit like me you will suffer.

In other words, Nah.
« Last Edit: July 04, 2019, 08:51:43 PM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

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Re: Wingfoiling - Is that hard?
« Reply #14 on: July 05, 2019, 03:17:49 AM »
In mild conditions (sub 20 wind and mellow water) I would say it is very safe.  In windier conditions you can beat yourself up but still safe in comparison with similar sports.  I don't think that you will see the early days kiteboarding injuries revisited with Wingsurfing. 

I would set a decent time frame for a wingfoiling learning curve.  A few weeks at least (I went with a month of days).  What sport can you learn immediately that will hold your attention long term?  Is that even a goal?  If you stick with it you will get the basics down.  If it is a day for one person and a month for another, so be it.  We all come to these things with our own shit.  Once you have got it, you've got it.  The basics period in these sports has no bearing on how skilled you will eventually become. 

Chan and I practice gradual delusion.  Just off the water, "that was rough", driving home, "we learned a lot today", at dinner, "we rip". 

 


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