Never too old to paddle up on flatwater

1300? 1150? What foil did he do it on? Nice job to him!

Nice !!

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kobo said..
What dimensions is the board too ?

8'2 x 20 110L. Did first downwinder on it yesterday and suddenly launching is an absolute non-issue. The board accelerates off the smallest bump and where I'd normally have to be really patient, and wait for just the right bump, this thing allows you to go on anything with 95% chance of success - it was ridiculous. In the air I would ultimately prefer a shorter board but it wasn't much of an issue and for a beginner I'd say don't start on anything shorter. For a beginner you'd probably have to go a bit wider to negate the instability, though.

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olly73 said..

PeterP said..

kobo said..
What dimensions is the board too ?

8'2 x 20 110L. Did first downwinder on it yesterday and suddenly launching is an absolute non-issue. The board accelerates off the smallest bump and where I'd normally have to be really patient, and wait for just the right bump, this thing allows you to go on anything with 95% chance of success - it was ridiculous. In the air I would ultimately prefer a shorter board but it wasn't much of an issue and for a beginner I'd say don't start on anything shorter. For a beginner you'd probably have to go a bit wider to negate the instability, though.

Hi, I am also interested to start DW on flat water. I tried on my 6' 130 L wing board with 1740 HA front but I am still very very far to launch (I am 49 and 95kg). I am going to try on my 8' 30" SUP foil board as I am more stable on this one to paddle strong.

Are these new generation DW SUP boards making a big difference ? They look hard to stand on with the pin tail and narrow width.

The length and design of rails combined with having a foil act as stabilizer makes the board surprisingly stable. My pet hate is poor primary stability where board is wiggling from side to side and not settling down - it's extremely tiring. The primary stability on this board is very good, better than a 6'5 x 25 110L that I've also been using - mostly due to deign of rails and extra length. Secondary stability, however, which is whether the board stops rolling once past a certain point, is not so great, there the lack of width can't prevent it from continuing to roll, but you get used to this quite quickly and prevent it by using bracing with the paddle.

in my opinion the most important aspect for flatwater start is 1) Technique 2) Suitable foil and lastly 3) The board.

A guy with the right technique can start almost anything, a beginner can make his life much easier by getting the best foil for the job (biggest you can get) and a longer board will give you more initial speed and a narrower board will allow for easier pop off the water.

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PeterP said..
Wonder how many guys in their sixties can add flat paddle-up to their resume?

I have only given it one shot so far and wasn't successful but hopefully I can get back to you one day.
I have a 7' Aviator Elite on the way so that may help and have the 1300 Axis.
Would love to try a 8' x 20" and 1310 but I'll see how I go on what I will have.

In all honesty I just want to get up easier on the bumps than I can now and I'll be stoked but flatwater would be a bonus.

I've only successfully flat water paddled up on my biggest GoFoil 2200cm2 foil and a 6'6"x22 Sunova Aviator Elite (85kg rider). It was still very hard work. Needed good timing and solid paddle technique.
Board width seems to make a massive difference to the drag as you gain momentum and start to lift. To make life easy I think 23" is around the max board width and the longer the board the easier it will be.