You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Used to be a windsurfer back in the day but gave it up like most people when it became too kit heavy, kids needed kid stuff and we went through a bunch of summers with no wind (yes I sailed in the winter but c’mon it’s not fun in freezing temperatures!) Kitesurfing didn’t really appeal for some reason- probably all the baggy shorts over wetsuits so I got into other stuff with big sails and keels but then my back went and winching someone else to victory has lost its appeal so…
The summer wind appears to be back and I’ve now got children off my hands so I’ve dusted off my kit only to find that everybody is wing foiling.
Is it any good?
it looks easy but a bit slow or is it more fun than anything I’ve ever done before except creating aforementioned children?
Sport pursuit has a bunch of Dakine stuff meaning I can be up literally and flying for less than 1500….
or should I just go back to my Exocet with a 7m…
I was watching these flying just this week. A whole bunch of abilities, but it looked like once peeps had got it up on the foil (and everyone was) they were wanging along. Must be hard on your arms though, there's no harness.
I'm an interested observer, so far from knowledgeable, but it looked fun!
I'm at the stage of getting up on the foil for 20-30 seconds or so. Great fun. My girlfriend is spooked by kitesurfing, but I love it even though I've had a couple of nasty kitemares.
I will get a setup this summer; I don't think it'll replace kitesurfing, but I suspect it'll end my windsurfing days....sadly.
Surfing is still the best. Simple, no faff and fun and frustration every time!!
Since I had a big spinal problem, (now sorted, windsurfing as well as ever but with surfing, sup, kite, foiling, I fall off all the time) I have been watching wingfoilers with a certain amount of envy. Some of my windsurfing buddies have switched and I can't think of a single bad thing to say about it.
And my mate Jamie at Chasewater uses a harness and swears that he's not alone.
Yes.
Dinghy Sailing<Windsurfing<Kitesurfing<Wingfoiling
Tris at OTC says the kite crew have all got wing gear too now. Kite for the low winds but wings thereafter.
I had no idea what wing-foiling was, but I’ve just been watching the video eddiebaby posted above and I’m fascinated by it! No way I could actually do it, but it almost looks impossible, the sort of ease that the foilers are getting such speeds, and seemingly almost no pulling on the wing. Extraordinary sport.
I’d be interested to know what the learning curve is like for wing foiling is like compared to other wind sports. Competent kite surfer and happy to go out on a twin tip or directional in most conditions but this looks like unnecessarily hard work to get good at. Maybe I’m just being a grump as would rather spend the limited time I have on the beach doing something I know I can do rather than struggling to learn something new.
<p style="text-align: left;">Split it into two parts. The power source, be it a kite or a windsurfing rig that you can probably handle and the foiling.</p>
Tris at OTC has electric foil boards so you can isolate the particular learning curve and then add your chosen power source before moving to a wing instead.
Here's an efoil board. Not that difficult to learn the foil when that is all you have to focus on.
I had a 2 hour private lesson in Tenerife earlier this week, at the end I managed to get a few very short flights and in the next 2 hours of free sailing I managed to get longer just about in control flights all the time I managed to stay up wind with in a hundred meters or so.
For a light wind alternative to windsurfing with expensive heavy kit it is a game changer, as soon as you are up the wing is quite light in the hands and when not on the foil the wing is still easy to hold.
As for it replacing windsurfing for me I would say no once it is blowing a steady 15 knots with stronger gusts but is it is below winging is the way ahead, as for kites I think the same applies but at a lower wind strength as if there are lulls that cause the wing to drop or you don’t want to sell a kidney to get a ram air kite and a foil then a wing foil could be worth a look.
As for the learning curve it is way easier than windsurfing to get to the point where you are up and on the foil compared to planning on a windsurfing board.
I would recommend that you go and have a lesson and give it a go my only tip is to let go of the wing when you fall in and to enjoy it
Was on my SUP after work yesterday. Turned into a bit of a down wind surf then a battle back as it was much windier than it looked from my unit!
However this meant there were a couple of wings out which I’ve never seen before on my local beach. One was a girl and she looked to be doing pretty well but obviously still learning. To be honest it didn’t look super hard as no carve gybes, waterstarts etc are needed - And the wind wasn’t really enough to make windsurfing interesting , but typical wind strength that’s common prob about 15knts but she was zooming along at times……hmmmm
I've got a few weeks in Italy this summer where they offer wingfoiling lessons so my plan is to give the family the slip and try to learn while I'm there.
Just what I need, another hobby 🙂
Well I just ordered a set of Dakine kit from sport pursuit. At the price they are doing its not much of a risk if I don’t get on with it as I can sell it on. Bought the beginner rig with 115L board, big 1950 foil and a 5m wing which seems to be what most are suggesting is a good size to learn with.
Just have to wait ages for delivery as it’s SP but at least that will give me time to windsurf a bit and get back in to being in a wetsuit!
Yep I do it as well as windsurfing. If there are waves I'll windsurf otherwise foil. As a very long time windsurf it takes a few sessions to reprogram your brain a bit. It's good fun, but slow compared to windsurfing.
I'm at reinstated being able to fly competently but can't gybe.
That's meant to say "I'm at the stage of...."
Morning, hope it’s ok to post this, for anyone interested in foiling, wing or wind, and windsurfing there is a new event running at the start of next month in Stranraer, knowing the organisers it’ll be a totally inclusive event for all ages and ability, Groms to Pro’s, with lots of advice and help available for those looking to get into the sport as well as those wanting to race.
https://www.scottishfinandfoil.org/
To be honest it didn’t look super hard as no carve gybes,
There are most definitely carve gybes involved....completing a fully foiling gybe is when you can say you can wingfoil 😂. Then go for foiling tacks....
Living in Worthing I'm always watching the water sports stuff going on. Always fancied kite surfing but cycling takes up enough spare time and funds so have avoided it and just got a SUP (relaxing but usually a bit boring). The wing foiling just looks killer on the arms although I guess you'd get toned up! The latest one I've seen is using a kite with a foil, guess that's kite foiling? Jesus H Christ they move, the speeds look insane. Guess kite surfing is for the tricks but for pure speed the kite foiling looks epic!
Always remember the first rule for winging.
Never, ever look round before turning.
Even long established windsurfers who switch to foiling suddenly get lost in their own sensory bubble and forget about everyone else pn the water.
Which isn't funny as i can be blasting along at 25mph snd suddenly a wing dinger does a 180 and is now directly in my path.
On a windsurfer the arc is greater and there are visual clues that you don't get with a wing
Aren't they like the balance bikes of the wind sport world? Just looks a bit meh....
I say this as an ex-kitesurfer....
Looks like snowboarding pow, surfskate crusing.... Me want!
Those e-foils look awesome on the canals, but I’m not sure about doing it wearing ordinary gear! Great for somewhere with an extensive waterway network but very few or no locks to have to portage around.
A decent efoil starts at around £10k I think which at first sounded prohibitively expensive.....until I started thinking about ebikes.