Hi Im just starting out on foiling and was wondering if anyone can tell me for the front wings anyway, what are the go to sizes that people are generally using these days?
I saw that NSP have a decent range of allround and pro wings, and I see alot of talk about the W1110 from SABFoil.
I'm open to any brand at this point, just looking for some insight to sizes that would get me from a beginner to something capable of foiling with a degree of skill. I'm looking to pick up a range while I have the opportunity. They're hard to get where I'm based normally.
Any insight would be great.
TIA !!!
It depends on your weight, but 1800-2500cm2 is about right for learning (bottom of that range if you're light, opposite if you're heavy).
Do not start on a W1110, that is an advanced and specialised foil! If you go for Sabfoil, you should be looking at the W1100, or the W999.
I own Sabfoil foils, and now use the 799+899, but learnt on the W1100. It gets going very easily and is pretty user-friendly for beginners. The W1100 will certainly be fine for the first 6 months.
I'm a 72kg beginner. My local shop put me on a 1750 front wing. Absolutely perfect for me to learn on as it cruises at app 10kts and is stable in flight. (10kts feels fast when flying up in the air.)
79kgs. I started on a AK 2000cm foil, it is very forgiving and goes really early, they are adding to the range.
if I was buying again I would look at Axis, they look very good quality and can swap about easy as you develop skills.
72 kg beginner.
Using 1220 for now, seems fine.
It's what I used for windfoil.
Will switch to 1150 when flights are stable.
Select to expand quoteCapt1986 said..
Hi Im just starting out on foiling and was wondering if anyone can tell me for the front wings anyway, what are the go to sizes that people are generally using these days?
I saw that NSP have a decent range of allround and pro wings, and I see alot of talk about the W1110 from SABFoil.
I'm open to any brand at this point, just looking for some insight to sizes that would get me from a beginner to something capable of foiling with a degree of skill. I'm looking to pick up a range while I have the opportunity. They're hard to get where I'm based normally.
Any insight would be great.
TIA !!!
There are many factors at play when choosing your learning and progression foil set up.
Your prevailing conditions where you wing make a big difference for starters - are you primarily in flat water with light winds?... or are you on open ocean with swell and waves? And maybe have stronger steady winds when in-season?
Also how much do you weigh? What is your wind/water sports experience?
With the latest foils (2021/22) - I wouldn't be looking so much just at large volume wings. Things have changed a lot in the last few years and too big a wing can make things difficult too because they can over-lift and lead to heaps of breaching. You can get very stable wings for learning in smaller sizes that you can progress on for longer.
I am 85kg, an experienced kiter and windsurfer of many years when I started wing foiling. I started on a Axis PnG 1010, which is 1430 Sq cms - not that big by older wing foil standards, but for me it was super stable, easy to learn on and progress on in flat water... could get going in 10-11 knots of wind, etc... I outgrew it in about 2 months once I started going on the open ocean and in waves. I wanted faster, turnier, and less lift for wave riding (from there I went to the Axis Surf Performance 860 and 760 and now only ride the ART series 999, 899, 799 - quite advanced wings).
I have a good friend who is learning (78kg) also background as a windsurfer - he has a SAB foil - it is around 1200 Sq cms - and he has found it a good size for the couple of sessions he has had on it. However, he just went to Maui for vacation and rented gear - they gave him a big 1800 or 2000 sq cm wing and he struggled because it was too much lift and he kept breaching....
I will say that Axis give you many many options to progress with from beginner to expert (and at a reasonable price, yet with super high performance options as well), which is ultimately why I went with them.
So yeah... many things to consider. Unless you are 90-100kg+ and going to be wing foiling primarily in flat water & light winds (sub 15 knots most of the time) I would be wary of going too big with your first foil. Talk to experienced guys in a shop about the best fit wing for your conditions and ability. If you are based in Australia - I reckon give the guys at Surf Fx on the Gold Coast a call - they have so many brands they are not biased toward one or another and will give you great advice on setup ;)
Hi Capt1986.
I used a Naish 1220 as my first wind foiling foil. It was awesome at the time, but now would be rubbish compared to any modern front foil. Upgraded to a 1572cm2 Naish and that was a little better. Given Naish the flick and swapped over to Axis. BSC 1060 was brilliant. Been a fair few people in Tas who have taken on the BSC 1060. Very stable and predictable. Also I used the windfoil fuse (88cm long) and found this to be very pitch stable which has helped massively with gybing and foot swapping. I've now got a PNG 1300 and love it for early lift and forgiveness.
Be aware that the windfoil fuse will move the centre of lift further forwards on the board as it projects the front foil a fair bit further forwards on the mast than the standard fuse.
The Axis range is huge too.
I spent my first few days at a school on the Armstrong 2400/1550 and then purchased the Axis BSC 1060 and 440 rear. This is a greater starter set up and like the fact that the Axis gear is easy to upgrade and the Aluminum mast keeps the cost down a bit.
Wow this is all great stuff!!
Thanks guys I'll look a little more into it then. Looks like I've got alot more things to consider.
Takuma Helium 1500 fullset is enough for most people... pretty reasonable $$ at least here in the US... they also have a 1750 coming but I don't think you need it unless you are 90kg +....
At 95kgs and new to the sport last year, i started on an Armstrong 2400 in all conditions (mostly lake and flat water, but also a few ocean + swell sessions) in 10-30kn winds. Didn't have any issues with breaching on the big foil (just issues learning how to balance on the foil correctly... had the usual beginner problem of stalling as soon as i lifted out of the water until i figured that part out). Added the 1550v2 front wing once i consistently started doing foiling gybes in both directions, and have been using the 1550 in 20kn+ winds, and the 2400 below that.
Like others mentioned, call the shop(s) you're going to order from and ask their advice. They want to sell you the right gear to keep you coming back :-)
