Parawing by way of its design, is efficient in a narrow degree in the wind window. The sweet spot is small by comparison to an inflatable wing. But that sweet spot, although narrow and small, is far more efficient than its inflatable counterpart. For this reason, using a parawing forces the users to become a better foiler. To get up onto foil with a parawing, requires one to rely more on balance skills and pumping skills. It forces one to 'feel the foil'. You cannot brute force yourself up on foil with a parawing the way you can with an inflatable wing. However, once up, the parawing has a better upwind reach and is extremely satisfying.
Yeah totally agree its way more rewarding when you get on foil. Takeoff means you have done a lot of things right...
I was thinking the same thing on the water today. I really enjoy riding upwind with the PW, more so than with a wing by a healthy margin. Flying with one hand on the bar and harnessed in is a vibe.
I accidentally didn't seal my waterproof back pack (1 cm open) and slowly gained a good 10 lbs of water throughout the session. I couldn't get going any longer and finally went to reach for my safety PW when I found the bag was full of water. Dumped it out and got going right away. It's a game of inches when riding a semi sinker.
Select to expand quotenormster said..
I haven't PW are you saying it goes upwind better than a wing ?
From my limited experience, I would say yes. However, it probably depends somewhat on the parawing design...and how far forward a particular wing sits in the wind window...or where the sweet spot of efficiency is.
I think the upwind performance is pretty reliant on the parawing vs wing design and the users skillset.
The vibe though, the experience of going upwind on a parawing is so much better than on a wing. That's what will kill winging for me.
Are people preferring the Parawing to just blast about - ie without stowing it / doing Downwinders / riding waves?!
If so, i am intrigued (for blasting) if people come from a Windsurf background you prefer Winging, or if from kite you are now gravitating to Parawing?
(where i live there are maybe 40 people with winging gear - 20 properly active - inc some kite foilers) and 0 parawingers to date as i dont think out coast or waves lend itself to downwind runs)
In beachbreak-type waves where I'm doing a shorter ride, then getting back up to the peak or searching for the next good wave, I prefer a wing. luff and redeploy is 100% without fail and I might only be riding a wave for 30 seconds. The stow/redeploy with a parawing just isn't realiable enough in those conditions for me at least.
When there are good open ocean bumps that can be ridden for a long time, then parawing makes a lot more sense.
For flatwater blasting around its kind of a mixed bag. Those conditions are really just skill development for me, and its just a matter of what I want to work on. In my opinion, theres just more you can do in those conditions with a wing (jumping, backwinding, 360 variations, etc...) vs mowing the lawn with a parawing, but then I look at Ken Adgate and Johnny Heineken and all of a sudden I realize I'm probably just not creative enough...
Select to expand quoteVelocicraptor said..
but then I look at Ken Adgate and Johnny Heineken and all of a sudden I realize I'm probably just not creative enough...
Yep...just a bit of creativity separating me from Ken and Johnny...
Select to expand quotenorthy1 said..
Are people preferring the Parawing to just blast about - ie without stowing it / doing Downwinders / riding waves?!
If so, i am intrigued (for blasting) if people come from a Windsurf background you prefer Winging, or if from kite you are now gravitating to Parawing?
(where i live there are maybe 40 people with winging gear - 20 properly active - inc some kite foilers) and 0 parawingers to date as i dont think out coast or waves lend itself to downwind runs)
I came from kitesurfing (not kitefoiling) and 100% prefer the parawing for blasting around and exploratory sailing.
I do ride a few spots where there is basically a single standing wave section, you can make 5-6 turns and then its over. For that, I think the wing is better if your goal is to shred that wave. Also, if you want to do freestyle stuff like V listed I still see the wing as having more options for creativity. There's a good number of people fooling around with the parawing and keeping the foil in the water like Ken and Johnny but when you look at the incredible depth of on water freestyle options for the wing it's not close as far as I can tell.
Parawing forces you to refine your balance getting up to and balancing in standing position.
Improves your understanding of the bump energy and reverb energy available to the foil and board in order to get up on foil and once up and surfing the bumps you have endless opportunity to learn to surf better while reading the bumps better with no flagged wing to leverage off.
Using the bumps to get on foil in light wind is certainly a refinement of my sup dw paddle up skills.
The parawing will 100 percent make you a better foiler but it will be something some people are just not able to do because of getting past reliably getting on foil.
I think a parawing also sails around much more nicely than a wing.
I'd love to switch to parawing just to avoid using an expensive pool toy that might go pop! But most of my sessions are in gusty fickle winds and flat water. From what I read on here, parawing would be a poor choice for these conditions
Select to expand quoteStretchy said..
I'd love to switch to parawing just to avoid using an expensive pool toy that might go pop! But most of my sessions are in gusty fickle winds and flat water. From what I read on here, parawing would be a poor choice for these conditions
yeh it would - doesn't have direct power transfer as much as say a wing
Select to expand quoteStretchy said..
I'd love to switch to parawing just to avoid using an expensive pool toy that might go pop! But most of my sessions are in gusty fickle winds and flat water. From what I read on here, parawing would be a poor choice for these conditions
yeh it would - doesn't have direct power transfer as much as say a wing
Select to expand quoteAnyBoard said..
Parawing forces you to refine your balance getting up to and balancing in standing position.
Improves your understanding of the bump energy and reverb energy available to the foil and board in order to get up on foil and once up and surfing the bumps you have endless opportunity to learn to surf better while reading the bumps better with no flagged wing to leverage off.
Using the bumps to get on foil in light wind is certainly a refinement of my sup dw paddle up skills.
The parawing will 100 percent make you a better foiler but it will be something some people are just not able to do because of getting past reliably getting on foil.
I think a parawing also sails around much more nicely than a wing.
Agreed 100%. But my god, I have never experienced this level of frustration! When up on foil, the parawing is sensationally more efficient than an inflatable wing. But jesus christ...it is frustratingly pedantic to get there.
The four 'F' come to mind. Finesse, Frustration, ****it, Fun. Pretty much in this order as well.
Seriously, I think I invented a new religion out on the water...from the amount of times I called out 'jesus farkin christ'. Being out on the water it is clearly an incongruent experience. Almost in the same moment...almost...I can go from 'I hate this siht, I am going to burn it all' to 'Oh my god this is phenomenal'.
For the moment I still have all my winging gear.
Select to expand quotedorothyinste said..AnyBoard said..
Parawing forces you to refine your balance getting up to and balancing in standing position.
Improves your understanding of the bump energy and reverb energy available to the foil and board in order to get up on foil and once up and surfing the bumps you have endless opportunity to learn to surf better while reading the bumps better with no flagged wing to leverage off.
Using the bumps to get on foil in light wind is certainly a refinement of my sup dw paddle up skills.
The parawing will 100 percent make you a better foiler but it will be something some people are just not able to do because of getting past reliably getting on foil.
I think a parawing also sails around much more nicely than a wing.
Agreed 100%. But my god, I have never experienced this level of frustration! When up on foil, the parawing is sensationally more efficient than an inflatable wing. But jesus christ...it is frustratingly pedantic to get there.
The four 'F' come to mind. Finesse, Frustration, ****it, Fun. Pretty much in this order as well.
Seriously, I think I invented a new religion out on the water...from the amount of times I called out 'jesus farkin christ'. Being out on the water it is clearly an incongruent experience. Almost in the same moment...almost...I can go from 'I hate this siht, I am going to burn it all' to 'Oh my god this is phenomenal'.
For the moment I still have all my winging gear.
I have seen others with the same experience as you but it wasn't like that for me. I have done some swearing like that but it was learning dw sup foil. Lots of swearing like that. Nearly two years of swearing like that.The ironic thing is that for wingers who have put the time in evolving their paddle up dw skills on narrow boards the transition to parawing will be easy.
Board choice is critical to easy early success and even more so for those without the dw sup skills. Getting off the water is a combination of a sup dw paddle up and very light wind winging take off on really narrow boards. I think you need a narrow efficient board in at least 7' range for the first 10 sessions. Dw board is easiest.
The dues are always paid some how and we all end up paying them but board and foil is really important. Enjoy the ride as it's worth it.
I just made my first ever session with the parawing. And I was having long doubts whether I should do it.
Parawing didn't disappoint at all. I never felt I'm betraying winging or siding with kiters (as a former windsurfer) instead I'm adding nice variation in my foil time on the water, and have opened and exciting new avenue for learning new skills which won't bore me in the days and weeks to come.
The parawing/stringwing thing is the bomb! It is most assuredly more difficult than using an inflatable wing. But when it comes together and the planets align...OMG the sensation of achievement, speed, exhilaration, and general bliss. One can honestly say it is better than plain winging. One can also foresee my quiver of inflatable wings, one by one being replaced with appropriate size parawings.
Here on the Sunshine Coast we have a good variety of difficulty levels and excellent learning spaces for wing foiling, parawinging and such. We have a fantastic flat water space at Golden Beach. When one thinks of adding the next challenge...we have Moffat Beach. Numerous times now, one has over estimated my skill level on flat water and taken this enthusiam to Moffs...where one proceeds to have one's ass handed to him on a platter. A uniquely humbling experience. Having this same scenario played out again and again, one has come to understand this: When one can comfortably perform their chosen discipline on flat water WITHOUT cursing and swearing...only then should one begin to think...'Yes I think I am ready to step it up a notch'. This parawinging thing is a unique love hate relationship. So much frustration and yet so much satisfaction when one gets it right.
A fellow parawing enthusiast gave me a great tip the other day while trying to get up in lighter conditions.
You want to point downwind just enough to keep tension in the lines of the parawing...only just. Point downwind too far and you lose control of the stringwing. Point too far upwind, yes you keep tension in the lines, but you lose momentum. The idea is to gain maximum momentum while retaining minimum tension in the lines. The lighter the wind, the more accurate the degree of pointing downwind has to be. It becomes a most delicate balance.
