kiwiupover forum posts in last 60 days

kiwiupover
kiwiupover
192 posts
192 posts
27 Jun 2026 4:26am
Taavi said..
Great footage, and nice calm and smooth and careful riding. I would suggest to practice more active riding, doing lots of silly turns and what not, and perhaps to add some speed as well. Making rapid turns and deliberately breaching the wing tips teaches you a lot about how the foil behaves in different conditions. Riding high on mast in such chaotic water conditions (like you have there) involves having a quick reaction time and being ready to make super quick adjustments every now and then. Easier to learn on flat water and in spots where there are clean ground swell lines instead of irregular wind chop.

By making turns I did not necessarily mean making manoeuvres or turning around, just don't settle on riding in a straight line too often, practice some silly wiggles whenever you can. Something like:


Thanks - good reminder to start playing around more and get more dynamic in my riding (i have the same 'issue' with my skiing!).


kiwiupover
kiwiupover
192 posts
192 posts
26 Jun 2026 3:33pm
Thanks everyone... Here's some video from mellow conditions yesterday and I was making a conscious effort to get high. Open to any feedback! Thanks!



kiwiupover
kiwiupover
192 posts
192 posts
25 Jun 2026 2:54am
BWalnut said..

kiwiupover said..


BWalnut said..
How long is your mast?




86.5cm (i was on a 93.5cm for a while, and the 86cm mast seems to have helped, but still more room to get higher)



I ride a 75cm in all conditions. I played with trying to stay high on the mast but with the way I ride, I prefer a shorter mast that allows a dynamic riding experience that contours the water. I've found that to be a far more natural way for me to ride swell. All the new foils breach great and super stiff masts handle these breaches great as well. Most would argue 75cm is pretty short and I'd agree that 80cm is sufficient for most, but when I ride an 85cm, I'm a full on kook again.

I could see dropping to an 80cm and riding the same height above the water, but with the foil 6cm closer to the surface :-)


And I think my brain processes wave/swell and chop height differently to flat water... especially when you're looking down the wave and you think you're super high but in actual fact the foil is buried deep in the wave :-(

This never-ending quest to improve is so fun :-)
kiwiupover
kiwiupover
192 posts
192 posts
25 Jun 2026 12:20am
BWalnut said..
How long is your mast?


86.5cm (i was on a 93.5cm for a while, and the 86cm mast seems to have helped, but still more room to get higher)
kiwiupover
kiwiupover
192 posts
192 posts
24 Jun 2026 3:08am
I often seem to be riding low despite continually telling myself for the last 1-2 years to get higher on the mast. Part of it is being a conservative rider, but as a heavier rider (100kg) it really hurts my glide in waves as well as lower general speed and of course that limits your riding skills.

Things i've been working on...
- feel surface bobbles on the foil when you get high enough
- when getting on a wave or swell, do a small pump up to boost my height
- look down at foil to see how low/high in the water it is

Another tip i saw was getting a long enough board leash so it drags in the water when you're too low, so you get direct feedback to move higher.

What's worked for you?