Hello,
my goal 2022 is to have fun on the water with light wind foiling (80 kg, athletic).
What kind of skills I should aim for?
What kind of equipment might be ideal for less than 10 knt wind conditions to have fun on the water?
Kind Regards
You haven't given a budget, so I'll assume no issue. As such you'll want to go big on gear.
Wing: F one 8m CWC. You're going to want to go big here.
Board: at your weight and learning - 100-110L. One ocean sports make awesome boards.
Foil: Anything mid/high aspect >1500cm2, don't waste your time on low aspect. I'm a fan on the Axis range so a larger HPS could be your front foil or PNG. Tail 420 for the winglets. Mast you could ride the 86 carbon with a short fuse.
Skills: maybe get a 3m wing or a crappy small old wing, root around on a skateboard with some wind. Learn to control the sail, to turn and then when you're jumping onto the water your wing skills will be decently developed.
Agree with most.
Maybe much bigger board, like 125+, if you haven't done small board sports.
And 5 meter wing to learn in 10 breezes.
Select to expand quoteCharivari said..
Hello,
my goal 2022 is to have fun on the water with light wind foiling (80 kg, athletic).
What kind of skills I should aim for?
What kind of equipment might be ideal for less than 10 knt wind conditions to have fun on the water?
Kind Regards
if you start with gear to foil in 10 knts it won't help you.Depend how windy is your local spot, start with a 5 or 6...I would go with a 5 and a big front wing(1800cm) and a floaty wingboard.Learn in 15knts, after a while you will be able to fly in about 12 kts. If you like it and ready to invest, then buy a bigger wing..7m for example and you might be able to get going in under 10knts. Under 10knts does't only rely on equipment, there is a lot of technique to start foiling under 10 knts and keep foiling in lulls. You need to pass 100% your jibe..because if you go out of foil you could need to wait that 5-10 min for that extra puff to get onto foil.a 8m and a big foil is not a ticket to ride for free. It needs time on water in my opinion.
a 7 and 8m wing are hard to learn to jibe on them, it will backwind a lot since it's almost 100% your go faster than the wind.
I have to agree w/ NordRoi - you need constant power when you are a beginner. 15 knots is the sweet spot. Lower winds are fine in the very very beginning, but after a couple days when you are no longer falling off the board just holding the wing, you'll need constant power to keep trying to foil, and when you fall off, you aren't going to want to wait to try again. Those big wings are a handfull as a beginner.
15 knots to me says 5M wing.
I agree with Cashflow: 15kts with a 5m
Consistent, yet manageable power will really help when learning to balance on the board, fly the wing, steer the board and control the board as it comes on foil.
Starting with a giant wing seems like a bad idea. Sure, you'll have more power with an 8m over a 5m but it will be a lot harder to manage. I'd suggest a longer board (more waterline/surface area promotes planing and boardspeed which helps generate lift from the foil) and a good amount of volume. The gear you learn on probably won't be the same gear you use 6-12 months down the road. In terms of foil, I really like my Axis 1060. It's not the fastest wing on the water but it's stable, predictable, has a low stall speed and is overall very user friendly. Once the gear is holding you back, that's when it's time to start thinking upgrades.
Agree with above.
My assumption from your post is that you might be learning in sub 10 knots as well? Learning to foil in light winds will be VERY difficult. If you have foiled (windsurf foil or kite foiled) before, you may stand a chance, but if this is your first foiling activity, you'll take ages (or may not be able to do it).
Skills. I'll assume you haven't foiled before? Ideally, get behind a boat and learn how to use a foil by being towed. Slow speed then gradually build up to the point of being able to lean back lightly to get the foil to fly. Then weight the front foot and touch down. Keep practicing until you can fly for long periods of time. Check youtube for tips on this. Wing skills - pump the thing up and go somewhere where there is a moderate wind and a softish surface (so if the wing gets out of control, you don't damage the wing if it hits the ground). Sand or grass are good. Learn how to hold it at the proper angle, pump, hold in neutral and gybe. Again, check youtube for tips on what you should be trying to do.
Once you have those skills, learning in 15 knots is the go. Excess power is easy to dump. The big area low aspect wings tend to provide a lot of lift but tend to be more draggy so can be a little limiting once you're advancing.
I learned on a 4m wing and it was too small. My biggest is 5.5m and that was ideal for me. Going much bigger, you need to consider how manageable the wing is, and how the tips of the wing will potentially touch down if you aren't tall enough to lift the wing. I'm 175cm and 70kg.
I learned on a 125L board and found it great. I'm athletic but don't pick stuff up easily (some would say unco 
). Smaller vol will be more difficult. I'd be highly inclined to go biggish volume and small footprint. Others will probably disagree with me on this, but I've seen lots of learners go for too small a board (body weight +20 kg) and suffer. In light winds, if you can't get up and going, having the extra volume can be very helpful if you have to slog back home.
Ideally, try some boards before you buy so you know what you can float on with some degree of competence.
I am same weight, height and had same experience, i started with 4m and a higher aspect wing, failed miserably (15-18kt).
4 sessions of misery later and i went and got a 5m and 1600cf armstrong to go with my sky sup board, was able to get up straight away and gybe first time
in 15kt. But with lulls i have to work hard to get up. Without a windsurf, kiting and kitefoil background i don't think i would have had a chance, but knowing how to pump foil already and how powering a sail works, it is not too bad. I can't get up on my non-natural side as i can't coordinate the pumping plus running with the swell so if i don't make the gybe i am custard.
I think in 18kt i would be fine both directions, but in 12kt i am absolutely snookered. If anything i feel the big board makes it worse as it is hard to pump the board off the water, and i don't think a bigger foil would help as i just can't generate the forward speed to get lift.
i would not want a larger wing at my current level, the 5m is enough stuff around in the water. My feel is you gotta start with a big low aspect foil and a high volume board, even if you quickly outgrow it.
.and i would add that if your conditions are 10kt or less, then wing foiling doesn't seem like your funnest option. Sup or prone foiling if you have waves, or kite foiling if you don't.
Select to expand quoteCH3MTR4IL5 said..
.and i would add that if your conditions are 10kt or less, then wing foiling doesn't seem like your funnest option. Sup or prone foiling if you have waves, or kite foiling if you don't.
Maybe, but if you don't kite or have waves winging is still fun. The F-One 8 metre Strike can turn non-winging days into fun winging days! 
Just had a rare 4.7 wing day in my streak of 8m sessions. It is sooomuch easier and less tiring. Everything hurts the day after a low wind session.
Select to expand quoteCharivari said..
Hello,
my goal 2022 is to have fun on the water with light wind foiling (80 kg, athletic).
What kind of skills I should aim for?
What kind of equipment might be ideal for less than 10 knt wind conditions to have fun on the water?
Kind Regards
Less than 10 knots, a push bike.
You need some serious already learnt skill and strength/endurance to wing in less than 10 knots.
Select to expand quotedejavu said..
Maybe, but if you don't kite or have waves winging is still fun. The F-One 8 metre Strike can turn non-winging days into fun winging days!
i'm not rejecting it, but along the lines of bigtone667 if you were learning one flat water sport to do in sub 10kt from scratch i would go with kite foiling rather than wing foiling as i reckon learning to wing in really light conditions is a big ask.
if you can learn with more wind and then transition to a big wing then sure - but kite foiling is faster and you point higher which is a good fit for light conditions.
personal opinion only, i kite, surf, foil, wing and sup depending on the location and conditions and am not going to argue with anyone's stoke!
Select to expand quoteCH3MTR4IL5 said.
i'm not rejecting it, but along the lines of bigtone667 if you were learning one flat water sport to do in sub 10kt from scratch i would go with kite foiling rather than wing foiling as i reckon learning to wing in really light conditions is a big ask.
if you can learn with more wind and then transition to a big wing then sure - but kite foiling is faster and you point higher which is a good fit for light conditions.
personal opinion only, i kite, surf, foil, wing and sup depending on the location and conditions and am not going to argue with anyone's stoke!
Fully agree with this.
10kn my starting point for wind powered foiling fun.
Under 15kn I prefer to kite. Generally only switch to winging from 15kn up, unless I'm trying to eke out a session in non kite friendly conditions (offshore fluky winds, restricted launch etc).
Kiting just works better and is more fun in light wind. But that's just for me, one opinion!
Select to expand quoteCH3MTR4IL5 said..dejavu said..
Maybe, but if you don't kite or have waves winging is still fun. The F-One 8 metre Strike can turn non-winging days into fun winging days!
i'm not rejecting it, but along the lines of bigtone667 if you were learning one flat water sport to do in sub 10kt from scratch i would go with kite foiling rather than wing foiling as i reckon learning to wing in really light conditions is a big ask.
if you can learn with more wind and then transition to a big wing then sure - but kite foiling is faster and you point higher which is a good fit for light conditions.
personal opinion only, i kite, surf, foil, wing and sup depending on the location and conditions and am not going to argue with anyone's stoke!
If you kite foil -- then sure. In the summer where I live we can go for a couple of weeks with winds under ten knots. I'm 71 kilos and can handle an 8 metre wing so for me I can turn a normally "lost" day into a fun day. Yes, I wouldn't want to learn to wing in less than 15 but once you're past that stage, light wind winging could be your only option for weeks on end. For me, it's now or never so I try to make every day count and that often means winging in marginal conditions.
I used to windsurf in light wind with a formula board and a 12 metre sail -- in the same wind or less I'm using an 8 metre wing and having more fun on foil and pumping through the lulls.
If I owned an e-foil I'd would probably be on it when the wind was light but where I live they're illegal -- go figure.
Select to expand quotedejavu said..
If I owned an e-foil I'd would probably be on it when the wind was light but where I live they're illegal -- go figure.
Really?? That's bizarre!
after a few sessions with an e-foil i found it was a bit ho-hum on flat water. If there is a bit of swell then it definitely fills the gap!
I've never been on an e-foil so you're probably right -- I would sure like to give it a try though.
The conditions in this video are the ones with which I'm often confronted -- you either get improve your pumping efficiency with both the wing and foil or stay glued to the water. It's a challenge but one which will force you to improve your technique -- equals more time on foil and more fun. It's a positive feedback loop.
There's also the issue of your definition of fun and how you go about achieving that.
We've had some stupidly hot days with crowded beaches and cross-off winds gusting between 5 and 20 knots.
It was a huge amount of fun to find a fairly easy car park at a non-kitesurf beach. Stroll down to the water through the bikini clad sunbathers. Knee sail out into the wind line. Wait for a gust and go.
In the lulls just sit on the board and wait till the next blast. Ride upwind in the gusts. Drift downwind in the lulls. Keep an eye on your exit point so you don't get stuck having to walk.
I used a 110 ltr board, 6m wind and 1875 sq.cm mid-aspect front wing. A bigger foil wouldn't have hurt.
I'm 80kg and can get my 1060 BSC up and flying with my 6m wing in about 10-12kts. However light wind winging got boring for me pretty quick.
I haven't bothered going out for a marginal 10-12kt session in months, but I am spoilt since we get so many perfect 15-25kt afternoons during our summer season.
