Bought my first windsurfer in 1995. Today took all my gear to the windsurfing shop and sold it. Have been winging since last summer and am hooked.
shop is now full of wind winging gear and windsurfing stock diminishing. anyone else crossed over for good?
Did that last year mostly because of the lack of storage space. Did not really get a lot of money, less than the amount of enjoyment I'd have gotten for part time windsurfing.
I had windsurfed since 1978 (started on the original windsurfer). Sold all my windsurf gear last year, all the kiteboarding gear went this year. Now I have a room full of Naish, Duotone and Armstrong wingfoil gear (and more on the way). I can't get enough of the sensation of flying over the water, def hooked 
I'm down to one small kite and that's only to kitefoil on my prone/wing board in light conditions.
still got my windsurf gear. nothing better than 3.7 and 4.0 days windsurfing. 4.4 is pretty good too. My windsurfing business was still pretty strong the last two years.
here the biggest abandonment has come from kiting, although there are definitely numbers of windsurfers who dropped slappers in favor of foils, and some of those have gone to winging.
After maybe 140 days windfoil and 30 wingfoil, still love yesterday's 95 liter board and 6.7 in wind gusts around 22.
Nothing like 25 knots, jump anytime, blowing by windfoilers and wingers, equal angles.
'02 Exocet Speed Slider board and '20 Ezzy Hydra Sport.
And nothing like 80% planing jibes easy dry session.
Windfoil, still fall unexpectedly once a sesh.
I sold my windsurfing kit a long time ago. (Started 1985).
I was kitesurfing most of the time. I've been wingfoiling since May, kited twice this year.
windsurfing is fantastic on the right day, I just never got that many right days. I got fed up of lugging the gear around. how many kids will get into windsurfing now? You're right it could be RIP windsurfing.
For me winging has definitely taken up a lot more of my schedule than I expected. I was previously wave kiting and kitefoiling ( + non wind activities). I had thought winging would just replace my kite foiling but it's taken up a lot of the times I would be out kiting on a surfboard. Partly because it's so good for riding waves and partly because its so much safer and more mellow in nuking winds and frontal conditions.
Still not selling the kites though. Even after all the foiling ( kite, sup, wing) kiting good waves is still one of best things I have ever done. Also some of our best waves and downwind runs just aren't foil friendly with shallow reefs, big heavy surf, no channels etc. Going 100 percent wing and foil would mean giving up on some absolutely incredible conditions/locations.
Goddam winging is fun though!!
Wavesailing is 40 years old and still epic in the right conditions and windfoiling brings power and speed to foiling
No doubt, wing foiling has become a sport where poleys and kite surfers are merging.
will be interesting to see if winging is a gateway wind activity to participants coming from surfing, surfing, etc...
there's definitely something different about turning on a rail than on foil, even though the two have gotten a little more similar over the years.
Seeing a lot of wingers coming from surfing/SUPing in SF Bay. Lot of new faces showing up at the beach. Kai Lenny has probably had a pretty good size influence on the adoption of winging. He just dropped a video in which he surfs, wave sails, and wings... and in the process he explains some rudiments of windsurfing to the non-wind audience which I thought was pretty cool
Wavesailing over any form of foiling for me. I'll drive 150km each way for it, frequently can't be bothered to drive 10m to foil. Just not quite the same stoke.
The friend who taught me how to wing, is a multi-time world champ in windsurfing back in the day. She sold all her windsurfing and kite stuff this year to focus on winging. I come from SUP surfing and down wind races. I think I surfed 3 times in the last year. My downwind boards have so much dust on them I can write my name.
This disease is powerful, all consuming and contagious!
Can't see giving up wavesailing in cross offshore conditions. But today I did wing when I normally would have windsurfed. It's definitely taking a bigger chunk of my time lately.
Can't see giving up wavesailing in cross offshore conditions. But today I did wing when I normally would have windsurfed. It's definitely taking a bigger chunk of my time lately.
I'm an ex windsurfer (early 80s to 90s) who took up kiting 13 years ago, the past 4 years foiling. I'm 5 sessions in to my wing foiling journey and really enjoying it. My current plan is to wing when it's 15kts and over and kite foil when it's under that. I'm up and riding both ways and making the occasional gybe to toe side. Whether it takes over completely from kite foiling, I don't know yet. Too early to say for me as I'm not good enough to make that call. It certainly has fully converted a fair few of our local kiters here in Perth though. It's just good to be learning something new again.
Riding waves is unbeatable in my opinion. But when it's sub 14 knots, I'll get the foil gear out to have fun on that. Can understand people saying they've over windsurfing and foiling is their thing. It had huge novelty for me, but I still enjoy windsurfing in the right conditions more.
Seem to remember 20 years ago kiters saying windsurfing was dead. Fast forward 20 years and windsurfing is still going and kiting numbers are on the decline.
The other day I was helping a friend who started learning how to wing on a 9' surf sup with a stick-on daggerboard.
HIs goal is progressing to a foil-board. Showed him how to go upwind and while doing it I realized I forgot how much
fun and different from foiling the experience is.
Does anyone here tried winging on their fancy windsurfer? I can only imagine how better the experience would
be in comparison to an old beater, heavy surf sup.
I added a stick on daggerboard to my wife's 12'6" touring SUP. It is actually pretty fun. I took my 3 year old daughter out for a cruise and we were planning along nicely with a 5M in around 12-14 mph winds. My wife was not happy when we got back, as we went pretty far offshore. With the daggerboard it is almost hard to go downwind, crazy. My goal is to get my wife on it so she can catch the bug. We'll see.
I'll still enjoy windsurfing when the conditions are good. Winging with a 3.5 Slick and Kujira 980 was an eye-opener though (from 5.0 and Helium)... I guess it was the equivalent of going from windsurfing beginner gear to freeride gear. The wind range and gust handling are clearly superior to windsurfing, but it's a different feeling/sport.
If I didn't already have heaps of windsurfing gear, I might not bother, but I would feel like I was missing out on a few things. Winging just feels less powerful and the speeds are much slower than when I'm windsurfing.
So winging:
- When it's gusty.
- When I would have a difficult time picking the right sail & board.
- When it's really cold (mittens work great).
- When it's blowing offshore (so gusty and need good upwind angles).
- When the wind is really light (just need a little gust to get on the foil).
RIP:
- Windfoiling (winging just seems better to me).
- Windsurfing using large sails (8.5 and maybe 7.5).
Select to expand quoteBeasho said..
Sad reality. This past weekend.
that board has to be 25-30 years old? I think that predates my windsurfing which started in the late 90s. kind of funny to see that logo comeback on the Slingshot Wizard windfoil boards.
I was one season away from buying a kite for summer light winds and then..the wind foil entered my life. The following year I got a wing and it's increased my water time 3X. I'm a multi sport person (Surf, SUP, Windsurf and now Wing). Nothing will ever replace a sweet off the lip in side to side-off or a nuking skateboard session in the Bay getting my B&J windsurfing. It's still all so much fun. But the wing has allowed me to go out when I wouldn't have even considered it otherwise and has me looking at breaks and venues I would of never given a second chance. Better yet! Get your Hat Trick or Grand Slam on and do 3 or 4 sports in one day.
I haven't windsurfed in years due to a combination of kitefoiling, windfoiling and wingfoiling. Maybe things would be different if I lived somewhere that didn't have crap wind and zero waves or swells. Winging sucks in lightwind despite the nonsense pumped out by the industry, so I keep my windfoiling gear for that. If I lived somewhere windier I'd consider only wingfoiling. Who knows, though, maybe I'll get bored of the relatively low speeds and lack of boosting once the novelty wears off, but for now it's pretty fun.
Wow- it's not just me! Garage has more space for wings and this winging thing I find less taxing on this 55year old body. Love the feeling of flight and don't missing my knees being the shock absorbers over chop. Wing on brothers and sisters
Windfoiling allowed me to be on the water a lot more through the WA winter and made up 90% of my sessions in the last few years. Then wingfoiling came along and I found there was too much overlap between the 2 sports so I sold the big 90cm wide board and big cammed sails. Freed up so much room in my car and garage. I still use the same foils for winging but with a shorter fuse.
When the wind is over 25 knots or the waves are good, i still prefer a wave sail and wave board more than anything else.
You have all lost your minds, windsurfing will never ever be canceled.
I like foiling as much as the next guy but there are certain situations
where sailboards are the ticket.
Windsurfing will not die, but it'll be more reserved to high quality wave conditions.
Light winds and/or mushy/no waves will be perfectly complemented by winging.
So windsurfing will get what it deserves, the best wave conditions.
I do wavessailing and winging.
but now I just go winging.
