Hi, i am an intermediate windsurfer, 62kg 165cm. I started foiling with a 115lt wind/wing foil hybrid board and 1500cm2 front wing, first with sails then with 4,5m wing, to try both, i can't jibe yet with both but can go back and forth on foil and can pump up to foil with both at beginner levels.
I enjoyed wing foil more after about 10 sessions each, it seems easier to progress and has better wave riding opportunities. So i plan to windsurf when its above 16-18kn (4.8 sail and smaller) and wingfoil when its light wind (10-18kn) with 4.5m duotone slick wing. Therefore i am selling the 115lt board and planning to get a wing foil specific board, to use in light winds.
I rented a 85lt board and 1350cm2 foil with a 4,7m wing to try and get an idea about smaller sizes. 85lt felt plenty to balance on and was easy but it was flat water and about 18kn wind, always had power at the wing. 1350cm (sabfoil) felt a little hard to get up on foil at first but got up easily when pumped a little with feet, felt a little too nimble at first but got used to it after an hour.
Since i tried this combo in windy flat water, and i plan to use it in light wind and waves, i am not sure if i can manage it in these conditions. I would appreciate if you could give me some advice about which size equipment to look for before i make a purchase.
For now i plan to upgrade the board to 5'0 75lt fanatic sky wing and keep the 1500cm2 Neilpryde glide wind hp foil until i get comfortable in these conditions. Do you think these sizes are good or should i go with smaller sizes like 60lt 4'8 and 1250cm2 foil considering i am lightweight?
For now i have north and fanatic options to chose from, which has more beginner friendly foils?
I have 72 kg and long windsurfing experience (decades). After a few sessions on Tabou magic carpet 120l (also hybrid board) I bought Gong mint 95l and was able to ride it without any problems. After some 20-30 sessions I ordered a Gong Lethal 65l but it took a long time to arrive so I got it after 42 sessions on my mint board. It is a bit harder to get on the board but it was still an easy transition, could immediately jibe maybe even easier than on 95l board.
With your weight and over 10 sessions behind you, you should be able to use 85l board in different conditions without problems. 75l could also work if you feel a bit more adventurous or don't fear balancing a bit smaller board in waves. 75l could be a long term board for low wind sessions you are planning to have (85l would also work). You could use (after a bit more practice) even smaller board, down to 55l in low winds but that would be too hard at this point. 85l to 75l is probably best ranre to choose from.
Enjoy :)
If you want ease of use in the water - see if you can try out a Takuma Kujira foil, almost universally recognised as one of the most user friendly foils currently out there, I have no experience on f-one or fanatic but some guys at my local beach have the phantom, foil has really cool painted carbon - let us know how you get on and please post some pics
Sealotus, sounds like you're in the same basket as me. Wing for light winds and windsurf when it's over 15 knots.
I'd just make sure the gear you are aiming to acquire is going to do what you want it to do. If you want to get going in light winds (say 10-12 knots) just be sure the foil you get is going to be able to do that. I'd be a little wary going for a HA small area foil while you're progressing as you might find it just won't get up and running in less than say 13 knots. Which means there's this window of 10-13 that you can't fly in. I'd be inclined to persist with what you have for a while. Once you feel like you're really getting the hang of it, try and few different rental combos and work out what works for you.
Re light wind and waves, it's hard to tell. Depends on local conditions to some extent. I've ridden my Axis 1060 in small-medium waves and it could barely keep up to wave speed in 10-14 knots. I have a faster foil but I'm not sure I would have gotten it going in those lighter winds because the light wind threshold is higher than 10 knots.
Thanks for the replies, ok so initial plan seems to be good then. NP foil is mainly for windsurf foiling so it has a 84cm fuselage, i guess this will make getting the basics easy, but i should upgrade it at one point anyway.
Its hard for me to get equipment in my country so its better if i buy the foil too in next 3 months where i will be at holiday.
After some research, available brands there are F-one, Fanatic, MFC, North, can import Takuma from a nearby island.
Conditions it will be used are %10 flat water lagoon with a lot of current and %40 1-3mt reef break when i am at holiday, %50 open sea with small chop when at home.
Supposing i will improve to intermediate level and start to get into waves at this holiday, which aspect ratio/shape/model would you suggest?
Do i need different foils for wave riding and cruising around, or can it be done with same foil?
Others may disagree with me. You can do everything on 1 foil. HOWEVER, it will be compromised depending on the foil you choose. Low aspect foils are GENERALLY manouverable, good for early flying but are slower and not as good for glide. HA foils will be GENERALLY faster (so making wave riding easier depending on the speed of the wave), but may not turn as well. Not to say you can't get away with 1 foil to do everything - more that the foil will be compromised in what you might want it to do. The main compromise you MAY have with a LA foil might be if it's too slow, you may struggle to stay on fast waves. The main compromise I think you may have with a HA foil is it might not have the low wind take off that you may desire in sub 12 knots.
I've got 6 different foils and love 4 of them for the different characteristics they have. The 2 that I don't enjoy much are the early model Naish 1220 and 1572cm2 low aspect foils. Good in their day but don't come close to the modern designs. I could easy live with 1 foil - Axis 1060 BSC, or PNG 1300. But I have 2 other higher aspect foils that are pushing my learning curve a lot.
I'm not that familiar with the brands you list, but I'd ensure whichever one you take up, check that there's compatability across the range so you don't have to buy different masts/fuses etc to fit the foils. And if you do go second hand, ensure that the older gear you get will be compatible with newer foils that you may want to upgrade to.
