Well the time has come. Foil is Go! I'm 6ft and about 94 kegs of pure Melbourne Bitter. Surf well and want to downwind and take this out in the small mash potato on shore slop.
Problem is I'm scarred after seeing countless friends and foes go headless with the time and money spent on the wrong boards. Surely technology and the evolving market has removed the bad/ugly from the water and allowed the whipped cream rise to the top.
In an effort to skip the retailers pushing me onto one of their brands which may not be the best or most suitable in the market or asking advice from a "mate/fellow foiler" who's got 2 foil complete set ups for sale on a local/interstate FB SUP marketplace after falling for the above and just wants me to be the receiver of their....product.. Give me the low down and help a brother out.
1. Do I convert my rarely used Starboard 8ft hypernut to a foil, to save me the $$ of buying a new board?
2. What size foils am I looking at? Boom and Wing?
3. Best Foil brands that I can just keep for years so its not up here in 12 months?
4. Size board should I start on?
Anything else you would suggest of Foils/boards go nuts!
Onya.
Select to expand quotehilly said..
No work it out yourself 
haha thanks dude you just made me $50 with that response...i knew that one was coming
Get the right gear.
Latest Naish, Fanatic, Jimmy Lewis, JP Australia or why not the new Gong Foil.
I would go short board and light with a large volume 130L +. You quickly grow out a longer board and benefit later with a short board when up on the foil.
And if you have the budget, Armstrong Foil
If you want to save time and cash, don't start foiling....
There's no fun in that though.
I have ended up on slingshot gear. Not necessarily by choice but kinda drifted that way .
Pros and cons
Built solid...takes a bashing, important for where I live and how gear gets treated.
Cost is middle to low side.
But it is heavy and hard metal brings more danger than rounded carbon.
Parts are all interchangeable across models and years. So it's easy to replace a part or upgrade. Lots of used options as you can go back 3 years.
Works great, or does for me anyway. Can't really say how it compares as I haven't tried the others. (But I'd be surprised if there are huge differences....though others with more experience may disagree)
Finally...just like kiting, everyone seems to fall in love with their gear and then considers it the best. So keep that in mind in sorting through reviews. ;-)
There is some degree of people dropping old gear for the latest and greatest, but some of it is just natural progression from learner's equipment. Especially when it comes to boards, I wouldn't skip the beginner board stage.
If your Hypernut is already beat up, convert it. If its pristine, consider selling it and buying someone else's beat up converted foilboard. the learning process can involve punching your board some times.
Figure out how much a Gong XL foil will be shipped to your door. Take that price and see if there is anything comparably priced on the used market. Once you find out there isn't anything out there for that price, order your Gong foil and get your board fitted for a box. This will be the cheapest way out there, but you'll probably take a hit on the resale value of the hypernut. Use the money you save to hire a jetski for lessons. If you have a little more money than that, neil pryde foils are a bit more expensive, but still pretty cheap and well made. Their new big wing might be suitable for a bigger learner. Trying to learn on a foil that is too small for you is miserable because you're trying to learn how to glide and pump at the same time. I thought foiling was hard until I bought a Gong XXL, from there is was easy.
Select to expand quoteryno15 said.
1. Do I convert my rarely used Starboard 8ft hypernut to a foil, to save me the $$ of buying a new board?
2. What size foils am I looking at? Boom and Wing?
3. Best Foil brands that I can just keep for years so its not up here in 12 months?
4. Size board should I start on?
Anything else you would suggest of Foils/boards go nuts!
Onya.
1: If you really want to save money just covert the board as it will work and then once you start getting the hang of it you will know what size is perfect for you to upgrade to,
2 and 3: I would just look for a used Gofoil set if you are wanting to save some money there are heaps floating around now, just make sure you get the long 29.5 mast. Lots of crew are selling them to change to Axis who also do good foils but really there is no need once gofoil bring out the high aspect wings as they will be pretty much the same level again. You can pick a set of 2 or 3 wings up of the gofoils pretty cheap if you look hard, I know a guy selling 3 wings and the long and the short mast for $2500 which is really not much more that a one wing set up costs.
But right now on the market Axis, gofoil are midrange quality gear and a few company's make better quality like Armstrong and MFC but just not sure you get better wings.
There are also cheaper brands but once you feel them compared to the ones above I really don't know why you would by them as they just feel cheap.
4: If you came to me to buy a board and with SUP experience already I would put you on something like our new 6'5 x 29 x 127L
Shorter is better and volume and width are the key. Your Hypernut will do the job but once you go on a good foil board you will understand the difference of how much easier life can be!!
Select to expand quotepaul.j said..ryno15 said.
1. Do I convert my rarely used Starboard 8ft hypernut to a foil, to save me the $$ of buying a new board?
2. What size foils am I looking at? Boom and Wing?
3. Best Foil brands that I can just keep for years so its not up here in 12 months?
4. Size board should I start on?
Anything else you would suggest of Foils/boards go nuts!
Onya.
1: If you really want to save money just covert the board as it will work and then once you start getting the hang of it you will know what size is perfect for you to upgrade to,
2 and 3: I would just look for a used Gofoil set if you are wanting to save some money there are heaps floating around now, just make sure you get the long 29.5 mast. Lots of crew are selling them to change to Axis who also do good foils but really there is no need once gofoil bring out the high aspect wings as they will be pretty much the same level again. You can pick a set of 2 or 3 wings up of the gofoils pretty cheap if you look hard, I know a guy selling 3 wings and the long and the short mast for $2500 which is really not much more that a one wing set up costs.
But right now on the market Axis, gofoil are midrange quality gear and a few company's make better quality like Armstrong and MFC but just not sure you get better wings.
There are also cheaper brands but once you feel them compared to the ones above I really don't know why you would by them as they just feel cheap.
4: If you came to me to buy a board and with SUP experience already I would put you on something like our new 6'5 x 29 x 127L
Shorter is better and volume and width are the key. Your Hypernut will do the job but once you go on a good foil board you will understand the difference of how much easier life can be!!
Ken oath.
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Stand-Up-Paddle-Foils-and-Foil-boards/~l2v6v/2018-Gofoil.aspx?_page=1&search=HT4MHi%2BuIRtd1BB9Jfhafg%3D%3D
Seriously now
I would get the best quality gear you can. Saves you time and money in the long run, wish I had gone straight to a carbon set up.
I am getting Armstrong foils (1200 & 1600) and a Smik custom board. Why? Number 1 weight; Number 2 not having to clean the bloody thing every time you use it (carbon and titanium so no fizz bro) and Number 3 not get sticky tefgel everywhere. Walking my present set up 500m over sand dunes to the water at over 17kg is a pain, coming back after 3 hours foiling is a killer. There should be added performance benefits as well. New set up should be close to 9kg, but it comes at a cost to the hip pocket. Not as bad as mtb though.
Nothing better than shoving the board with foil attached in the car and driving to the beach. No Meccano setup before you go out and when you come in.
I've just bitten the bullet and ordered the Gong Zuma 6'9 and L foil package, I don't want another sup (have a good quiver!) that does a bit of everything OK and will be outgrown in a couple of months I'd rather have a purpose made set up and get stuck in even if takes a little longer in the early stages it should last a while. For the price it was a no brainer! Will post thoughts when it arrives.
Hilly, what are you getting re custom smik, I was looking at the base 6'6 106l version
Select to expand quotekitemantim said..
Hilly, what are you getting re custom smik, I was looking at the base 6'6 106l version
6 8 x 29 135l with no strap plugs to save weight. Could go shorter but I paddle out to offshore reefs so a bit of length helps. I am 105kg.
Can recommend the Gong Zuma 6'9. Got mine around 6 weeks ago. A great step up from a 7'6 Naish Hover. Construction appears very tough and durable and not too heavy. Nice handle, foot strap inserts and all at a great price. Have been using it with a NP Glide large and a Gong XXL foil. The Gong XXL always brings a smile to my face. Has helped me progress to the next level.
Hi Ryno15.
I basically did the same as you suggested. At my weight of about 80 kgs I converted one of my rarely used but stable boards. 7ft long but 31.5 wide at 115 Litres. And with foil it made it more stable so I could stay out longer than most SUPs as the water got choppy.
At your height & weight I reckon that the length of your Hypernut would be fine but for me it would be too long as I am shorter & lighter.
Also stability is important. So if the Hypernut stability is good then go & get it converted. But make sure the track or tuttle box is set the right distance from the tail. This distance can be found on the internet. I also viewed where the track box was in relation to the front two fins of a thruster set up. Have a look at the 4 in 1 Hypernut foil board which will give you a good idea of its positioning.
As for the foil. It depends if you want to keep it mounted fully on board & light weight if so go carbon. I don't because it is a bit more cumbersome in lifting & moving & more chance of knocking it against something. Plus storage is better for me. But the drawback is obviously set up, dismantling & rinsing time. Doing it properly will take about 15 minutes before & again after a surf.
When choosing a foil you cannot go wrong with the well known brands. But where there could be a big price difference is in the replacement parts. So check this before making a purchase.
The reason why I picked the Neilpryde foil was due to the great review by Piros. Plus its pricing on the whole set up & parts is good too.
But the draw back with the Neilpryde foil parts like extra wings etc are hard to find in stock at shops unlike most other brands. And for your weight go large or more in wing size. 60 & 65cm mast is a good allrounder for starters.
I have since gone to a smaller more unstable foil specific board at 6ft 8" by 26 wide at 96 litres but find myself going back to my more comfortable converted board if the waters get more choppy. Both boards foil surf great!
