Foil tips for beginners

Darbonne · Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 8:50 am Post subject: Foil tips for beginners

This vid answers some of the questions I have had about foiling. I have been wondering how to get started. The answer is uphaul. I need to watch it again when I have more time. Another question I have is can you foil with a longboard?

http://www.windsurf.co.uk/foil-windsurfing-beginner-tips/

gregnw44 · Joined: 23 Jul 2008 Posts: 783 Location: Seattle, Wa

gregnw44 · Joined: 23 Jul 2008 Posts: 783 Location: Seattle, Wa

Thanks for posting this vid... I'd heard about it, but not seen it yet !!

It was made by Big Winds in Hood River.
Eddy P - Big Winds manager, and former editor of Windsurfing Mag in the US, and high wind extreme sailor... is interviewing...
MacRae W - full time, basically pro sailor, wave and slalom competitor who finishes near the top in both disciplines. He sails all summer in the Gorge and all winter in Baja.

I talked to MacRae at the Event Site in the Gorge about all this last month. And talked to Eddy at the store later that weekend.

The only update I'd add to all the great info in this vid, is...
That MacRae is a lighter weight guy (his weight is in the vid) and a highly skilled and very efficient sailor, who normally is sailing in stronger wind than some of us. So for heavier guys (I'm 200 lbs) many people are suggesting wider boards than he suggests in this vid. And you can use a bigger sail, than he suggests.
I will be using an old FW board which they both said (and many other people) will be great. And I'll use a bigger sail, but will be cautious Smile

Anyway, great vid... thanks to both of them for doing it !!

bmoore98 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 76

Tony, here is an interesting site for wind foiling.

http://www.foil-academy.com/courses/wind-foil-academy

I was making good progress last year with foiling until I had to shut down for rotator cuff surgery. Hopefully my surgeon will clear me to "ease back into my activities" this Thursday.

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay

There are 7 foil rider's who rig where I do every day I go windsurfing, if the tide is above 3'.
All use Formula boards.
All use sail sizing SMALLER than what they'd use for slalom sailing, and around 4-5 meter's smaller than what they needed for Formula racing.
The guys my size usually use slightly bigger sails than I do for my freeride windsurfing, while they are doing course slalom. They need more active pumping and ooching to get the board up onto a plane, before they can fly the foil. Once up, they can glide in much lighter breeze than I can.
I'm 160ls. The foil guys around 200 usually use about 1 meter bigger sails than I do, I guess about what they would need if they were freeriding.
For learning, everyone proposes to use a much smaller sail, almost wave sail sizing for your body weight, then learn to pump onto the foil, which does foil in much lighter winds than the board needs to plane up.
And while you're pumping your Formula board onto a foil, remember your "mast", which is now a fin, is much bigger than any 70 cm Formula fin.

Darbonne · Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:16 am Post subject:

Now that I think about it, foiling on a longboard doesn't make much sense. Duh!

jlooby · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 69

Foiling on Longboards (sort of)

rswabsin · Joined: 14 May 2000 Posts: 444 Location: New Jersey

Check out Robby Naish's newest video on light wind foiling. Really impressive light wind performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjEDlyBMAGc

skyking1231 · Joined: 10 Jul 2000 Posts: 280

i see in robby's video....he starts out in the straps and pumps up onto the foil....(he demonstrates this). are the other boards the same ? (horue, slinghot, JP)

grantmac017 · Joined: 04 Aug 2016 Posts: 946