I started windsurfing in 75' and have always gone barefoot. But now....?? kicked foil water starting. It was my second time out and got a few 20ish second flights without crashing when this happened. Gonna be a week or 2 before I can get back at it. Pretty cool sensation floating over the chop. Looking forward to the learning curve.
Select to expand quoteWsurfAustin said..
I started windsurfing in 75' and have always gone barefoot. But now....?? kicked foil water starting. It was my second time out and got a few 20ish second flights without crashing when this happened. Gonna be a week or 2 before I can get back at it. Pretty cool sensation floating over the chop. Looking forward to the learning curve.
Steel toe shoes...
I am pretty sure you won't kick the foil when waterstaring anymore. That is one of the first things I learned: remember there are very sharp objects underwater! I wear regular booties and they are surprisingly good preventing cuts from the foil. remember that the mast is much more slippery when wet. That cost me 6 stitches in my thumb...
I mainly windfoil in a river and a Dr. friend strongly suggested wetsuit booties as there are some nasty bugs that can get into cuts and make you v ill. It's also easy to cut your feet on anything sharp on the river bottom.
My first pair of booties were $30 from a surf shop but came off occasionally and I soon last one.
I've now bought a pair of good quality booties from Surf FX for $60 and these are much better.
Main features:
A velcro strap accross the front so you can't lose them
A seperate section for your big toe. This stops the bootie sliding around on your foot
rubber grip sole - this has worn a bit from walking on cement but it's much more durable than neoprene and has a better grip
DO NOT WATERSTART !
Beginers at wind foil shouldn't not even think about it. I still avoid waterstart, and it require to have thought about it : do not paddle but gently feel for your foil with your front foot, either step on the fuse or push the mast with front foot to control the board.
Beginers should NOT waterstart.
O'Neill Ninja boots. I kicked the sharp (why are they so sharp?) trailing edge of my foil mast right with the toe split pretty hard without consequences. My foot actually slid down the mast as well with the toe split (shudder). Would've been a bloodbath without the boots. They are the best boots I've had. I hate boots and I don't notice wearing these. I also wear thin gloves.
Select to expand quote6u1d0 said..
DO NOT WATERSTART !
Beginers at wind foil shouldn't not even think about it. I still avoid waterstart, and it require to have thought about it : do not paddle but gently feel for your foil with your front foot, either step on the fuse or push the mast with front foot to control the board.
Beginers should NOT waterstart.
That advice might be a little restrictive, but (very) generally for a beginner if you're waterstarting, the sail is probably too big for the conditions (assuming a floaty board and a high lift freefoil).
Having said that, I wear Ripcurl 3mm Flashbomb booties, which are flexible and generally warm enough for Tasmanian conditions. Split toe, and soft/ thin soles feel pretty natural, but I wear out a pair in less than a year. About $100 a pair well worth it.
Cheers, Mort
Thanks everyone. I'm 140lbs on a SS 114 with a 5.3 sail. Up hauling (which I prefer) was fine when I went out, but the wind built to 25 and the huge chop that came with it made up hauling a challenge. Also too much sail for me in those winds. I'm amazed how little sail energy you need when flying. I'm thinking my 5.3 and a 4.0 would cover most of my wind range. Still got a lot of tuning/learning to do.
I buy a pair of these almost every year - they will protect you a little and you still have a nice tight fit.
Select to expand quoteWsurfAustin said..
Thanks everyone. I'm 140lbs on a SS 114 with a 5.3 sail. Up hauling (which I prefer) was fine when I went out, but the wind built to 25 and the huge chop that came with it made up hauling a challenge. Also too much sail for me in those winds. I'm amazed how little sail energy you need when flying. I'm thinking my 5.3 and a 4.0 would cover most of my wind range. Still got a lot of tuning/learning to do.
When that happens if you crank hard upwind or deep downwind it really helps you deal with it on the the foil. It can be intimidating turning downwind though. Just depends on where you're headed. Don't head on a straight beam reach in those conditions, do a zigzag
O'Neill Superfreak tropical split toe booties with arch strap long and lasting sole, 2 mm thick, thickness is important in a split toe boot, since the big toe pocket is snug fitting. Have some 3 mm split toe booties and have to tape both big toes to prevent irritation on the sides, and after 2 hrs they can start to hurt anyway. Can wear the Superfreak 2 mm booties all day without any irritation.
Also, be careful to not over tighten the velcro arch strap, especially on 2 mm booties, too tight and the sole will want to crease across the underside of the arch, which is uncomfortable since you stand on the crease. And I always wear compression pants to protect my legs from the foil, even with them managed to hit the rear wing and scrap my shin, would have been worse without. But then stuck a long strip of 2" wide black Gorilla tape along the shins of the pants as extra protection, has stayed on in salt water.
I've kicked right through the O'Neill booties many times. Find a stab that doesn't stab. Pointed wingtips might help you win races but otherwise go rounded.
O'Neill Superfreak Tropical 2mm Booties work well too. I almost always waterstart and these have helped with the inadvertent brushes with sharp things. They are super grippy and that is helpful since I don't use footstraps now.
Beware that the grip may make coming out of the footstraps more difficult which could result in a bad knee or ankle injury. As everyone recommends.....keep your straps extremely loose.
us.oneill.com/products/4124-002-sprfrk-trpcl-st-bt
I learned pretty quick to water start with my dangling leg way back. Also learn you can learn to start with two feet on the board, often when I do this my front hand is on the boom
