Author Topic: River Foil Surf  (Read 33652 times)

SUPeter

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #75 on: April 21, 2019, 09:34:15 AM »
Sucky go pro footage but I calculate that with the speed of the water I may have foiled a little over 2 miles through the water and never actually moved more than 100 yds.

https://youtu.be/YwSKre-DkCo

Sam the Surfer

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #76 on: April 21, 2019, 02:49:51 PM »
Looks great!! Nice work!! ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Beasho

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #77 on: April 22, 2019, 06:16:22 AM »
Yes!

Airdrop @ 0:20 is the move that you need to make dropping on a wave as well.  Big and small. 

Attenuating the pitch of the board on a drop or during a turn, to prevent the nose from touching, is part of the high performance foiling game.   

SUPeter

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #78 on: April 23, 2019, 06:39:42 AM »
Yes!  When I finally figured out what you were referring to.  Getting into flight early is so much fun!

SUPeter

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #79 on: April 26, 2019, 06:26:12 PM »
Sorry!  But this shits fun.  This is a much better and shorter video. 

https://youtu.be/hHWPO-wi_p0

SUPeter

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #80 on: May 06, 2019, 06:44:15 AM »
Will river wave foil surfing ever catch on?  Probably not.  But for the few who just may have the perfect type of river wave near them, I may have a few tips that might lead to hours of challenging and fun  flight time.

Type of wave
Simply as deep and as large and smooth as you can find.  A foam pile spilling down the face also helps to catch it on the fly.  The trough depth at the highest of flows for the wave I foiled was approximately 7-9 ft.  Deep waves are necessary not so much for the foil clearance but more so for clearing the turbulence upwelling from the uneven bottom topography.  The shallower the river gets, the more turbulence one will encounter even on the same wave.  It takes time and distance for a boil created by a boulder or ledge too rise to the surface.  Foils and boils do not get along.

Wing size
Generally larger wings are necessary since as fast as the water looks like it is moving, it is actually only moving 6-8 mph on large waves.  Local river characteristics may be different but I find them to be quite slow.  Here is  the rub.  Larger wings interact negatively with boils more than smaller wings.

More later, Gotta go to work

SUPeter

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #81 on: May 08, 2019, 11:02:24 AM »
For the few, if any, that are interested,  I will include a few more tips.

As water depth and flow decreases, boils rise closer to the surface.  While water depth may be more than adequate for a long mast, going to a shorter mast or going to a smaller wing may help.  Shorter mast will cause less interaction with boils.  Smaller wing will be influenced less by boils.  I just used a smaller wing alone but because this wing provided less lift , continuous side to side carving was necessary to keep wing speed adequate for flight. 

Well that's enough to get anyone started provided they have a great river wave.  Now to the important stuff, River Safety.

Always have your leash attached by a quick release system.  Should your leash get snagged on the river bottom, you will be dragged underwater .  Being dragged by your ankle, knee or waist may prevent you from releasing from the leash and you wont have much time to figure it out.  My one time experience with this situation was a true wake up call.  I prefer to attach the leash to my upper arm.  Being dragged head first is much more survivable and would be much easier to release or escape.  Carrying a river knife is highly recommended. 

Should a tow rope be necessary to get on the wave, you have now just increased the danger.  Ropes attached to the side of the river are safer since you would probably swing to the rivers edge if entangled, probably.  If in my case the rope is attached mid channel(bridge), this is very dangerous and should be avoided.  Since my need to foil is bigger than my brain, I still do it, using all the above recommendations.  Having a buddy around with a sharp knife to cut the rope is always a good idea.  Ropes and moving water -  really dangerous.

I hope more river foiling waves are located.  Where can one find a wave where foil rides last longer than ones legs?
« Last Edit: May 08, 2019, 11:11:58 AM by SUPeter »

SUPeter

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #82 on: May 08, 2019, 11:08:41 AM »

red_tx

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #83 on: May 08, 2019, 01:24:05 PM »
Peter, fucking awesome. You are most likely the king of river foiling. Thanks for posting these whack videos. One thing that the videos show besides your bad ass skills, is the takeoff where the wing lifts and the board leaves the water. From your videos you can clearly see the quick little hop is all it needs, And when you enter you are essentially moving backwards against the wave. A completely unrealistic scenario in the ocean, but highlights how easy it is to get the foil flying. Most other foiling videos do not show takeoff.

Anyway.. a round about way of saying thanks for posting and keep it up dude.
-red

Sam the Surfer

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #84 on: May 11, 2019, 06:36:02 AM »
That’s awesome!! What I’m learning on this river foil journey is that it’s super fun and challenging!!

Wave type is a big deal and with entry I’m finding I hit bottom with longer masts. So I use a selection from 10”-25” and think for most waves that 12.5” would be perfect (but I don’t have that length.. haha). What’s fun about the shorter masts is that the turns are quick and with a short board, can fit in the wave. Typically, river waves are super steep. Supeter found a beauty wave- I’ve never seen anything like that- go in standing up and backwards. Very cool.

I use a Badfish releasable leash that connects to a life jacket. A 36” wide front wing for lift. Not all flows allow the foil but it should later today.

Sam the Surfer

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #85 on: May 11, 2019, 10:14:28 AM »
Excuse the crappy phone film. This is an example of the potential of river foil surfing!! This wave is pretty much not surfable on a regular set up. It’s small and the entry is brutal. I’m planning on making a video of the attempted entry to the wave. It’s shallow going over rocks to the wave (I have dings on my board and wings to prove it.. haha). I used the 10” mast, and stood on a rock shin deep to kick off. Getting to the wave is much more difficult than surfing it. Plus, the 10” mast doesn’t give much room for error. However, this was an absolute blast!! I do the Beasho front strap kick in and then let it ride. SO FUN!!

https://youtu.be/-w7bm78OcW0

Sam the Surfer

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #86 on: May 11, 2019, 12:06:45 PM »
For those interested in the longer version, below is the video from today in clips. It shows the process to ferry (enter) the wave. I'm finding the entry is the most difficult part of foiling river waves. It's key to have the right equipment, in this case, a 10" mast (hitting rocks on entry), a big 36" front wing for lift, a glide rear wing and on top of the fuselog (so the metal can protect the wing from rocks), and a 5'6" super light board. What's so cool is that this is small wave and almost unsurfable and now it IS surfable and fun! In the video, you will see a bunch of whitewater that creates a 'hole'. The key is to kick off and go right into the whitewash and get through it. Easier said than done. The front footstrap is key for stability, especially on the ferry over. The video is chronological and shows a lot fails! However, flying the wave makes it totally worth it!

The 10" mast allows for the shallow entry and makes the board very quick side to side which is super fun. It is also very technical because there isn't much room for error. If the wave only allows a 10" mast... so be it!! Flying IS flying!! Go have fun out there!!

https://youtu.be/VKHnbzdoBgE

SUPeter

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #87 on: May 13, 2019, 05:06:23 AM »
So cool!  This river wave foiling stuff has definitely upped my foiling game.  Just dealing with all the turbulence has quickened my response time greatly.  I got on some ocean waves over the weekend and for the first time, foiling felt,  easy.   Great job on that wave!  looks really fast!  My wave is gone till next year or a hurricane rain.  Still on the hunt though.  Big rivers and big water up here in Maine.  Gotta be more waves like Joe P's.  Yes, the shorter mast make it fare more challenging.  It became much easier when I could use my 30" mast. 

Beasho

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #88 on: May 13, 2019, 06:37:52 AM »
I got on some ocean waves over the weekend and for the first time, foiling felt,  easy.   . . . . .  It became much easier when I could use my 30" mast.

WoW! 

You're the only person . . . other than me  ::) to use that word with foiling.  2X in one paragraph no less.

Keep it up.  You are pushing the envelope and the more twitch time you get the better you will be. 


Sam the Surfer

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Re: River Foil Surf
« Reply #89 on: September 19, 2019, 05:09:21 PM »
Here is a picture of wing progression for river foil surfing! 32”, 36”, and now a 42”!!
I’m super pumped to test it out!! For smaller pile waves, the increased surface area should help.

 


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