Hi guys,
Is there anyone in Australia/NZ who use hydrofoil boards such as Carafino ones?
If you have tried them, or regularly use them, could you tell us a bit about it?
What kind of price are they worth? Any chance of getting one second hand?
bye
Jacques
used to use the waterskiing ones for many years, and used to modify and tune the foils so know a bit about them... HAVE NEVER TRIED THE STAND UP ONES OR THE KITE ONES but think they would be rubbish for kiting and here's why.
Ride is a balance thing that is easy enough - sort of like balancing on two legs of your chair at school but a bit easier. The sit down (airchair) waterski ones are like balancing on your chair but with the fixed and constant balance of the rope. I think having to balance the foil and control the kite would introduce too many variables into the equation, and you would constantly have to re balance.
They are very directional and like to go straight. If you jump then you have to land in the same direction and angle. You can't be crossed up or on a slightly different angle at all.
Depending on the angle of the rear foil they have a narrow optimum speed. Slower just feels doughy but is ok, but any faster and it's just orrible.
If the horizontal foils get to close to the surface then they cavitate and loose all lift, and you drop straight down on to the board. Whilst they can glide over a small amount of surface chop, it's not as much as most people think, and if it's on the big side it is not 'nice'. By the time you get any decent wind for kiting it would be too choppy.
The hydrodynamics mean that if you scratch the foil or even if it tarnishes (the skiing ones are polished aluminium) You can feel a major difference, and you need fairly deep water to safely start or ride around in.
Standing on these things has never worked. Your centre of gravity is very high - the watersking community has had stand up ones for a while and they are a bit of a novelty and never sold well. They are also a lot more dangerous as you can bend around and contact the sharp heavy foil..
They might work as a horribly expensive mowing the grass tool, but you need deep water and would still not be much better than a nice big board.
Lastly have a look at the youtube videos. Show me one part where anyone riding them doesn't look like a complete kook. No-one can do any decent moves on them (NB>>>riding away - easy to get inverted air, very different thing to stick it nicely and do it again) and the guys that are riding have an uncomfortable continuously readjusting their balance look. If you see the board suddenly drop to the water and then fly back on the foil again then it's because fo the cavitation thing - the hydrofoil equivelent of a but check.
Have a look at the carafino promotional videos closely. No one can really ride them very well or do anything cool on them. They are a limited and expensive light wind fad and if they were any good they'd be everywhere and 14 year olds would be throwing blind judges on em.
P.s. my best light wind tip is to mow the lawn and help out around the house so when the wind kicks in you have some chick credits.
Yeah i used one for a while good fun takes about a hour to get good at it. Best light wind board there is. I also have a second hand for sale if you're keen just PM me.
Jacko
Miss Crazy kites and she rips 
) he's had his for 2 years now(?). Think it took him 2 months to really ride it their a bit tricky beacuse you control the board trim with your front foot. But he does start ripping it 3 knots or so before anyone else. If I remeber right he flys a 12m Cab SB with it - could be wrong sure I am but oh well
