How enthusiastic are you?

We have 65kg dudes on 32L boards, but most ride a board equal to their weight around the time they get to an intermediate level.

You want to be dedicated to the cause when you start to go small.

Gannet said..
82kg of enthusiasm. The wing boards just feel
like such a lump compared to a prone board. I'm on 95L 5'4 Fanatic.

Imagine my pleasure in moving from an 8' 150L to 5'8 110L. ??

It pumps like a pig and turns like a barge... but yeah I certainly need to skill up a lot.

KB7 said..
I think once you can pump up on foil in light wind and have your gybes and tacks nailed you need 2 boards.

1.Volume around your body weight, as short and light as possible. Good for light days and when winds are gusty , offshore or fluky.
2.Volume about half your body weight with straps, so you can sink it easily. Good for days when wind is solid +20knts. This board doubles as a surf foil board.

Boards with volume in between have no advantages I can see.

100% agree

I am old (74) with weak legs so need plenty of volume to be able to get up from kneeling.
But once up no problems.

I have a sup that is +35L (haven't used since first few months of use), a wing board that is +5 or 10L and a prone that is half liters. I'm super psyched to get the prone out winging after starting to catch some air on the wing board (highly addicting and easy)
last session in gusty offshore winds wave riding, I may have been better suited with the sup as opposed to the wing board due to the lulls and the stamina it took to balance or give up and kneel in between gusts.

I'm looking at the 'wingers' for a while. They slide smoothly in conditions when I have to switch to my 17m kite and a lightwind twintip. Not to mention their upwind ability is enviable. Long story short, after 10 years of kiting I've decided to taste the flavor of wing-foiling. I read a lot about it but I have no possibility to try/rent a gear. So, I'll buy it. Not sure how different are the dings. But I assume the board and foil are more important. I will look for a low aspect front wing with plenty of lift capability.a Naish JET 2000 COMPLETE maybe or something similar. I would need help with the board though. They are pretty expensive (yeah...the foils as well...). From one hand I would like a board that fits for a beginner. On the other hand I don't want a board that I'll outgrow within a short period of time. So, in your experience what board should I look for? My weight is 90kg. I assume I should start with a board that has enough volume and won't sink under my weight. I've read about recommendations like rider's weight +40liter. That sounds a bit too much for me. A 130liter board is pretty bulky. I would use it for wingfoiling only, light, mainly in 13-14 knots, choppy conditions. It depends on the board weight and construction as well, but don't you think a 110liter board would be enough for a 90kg rider? Like HOVER WING/SUP 110 liter? Let me know what's your experience. Thanks

Just dinged my prone board 40 lts with no straps , lots of swearing and foil into ding repair needed. Once up and going absolute gold compared to SUP, but need 20 kns with 4m wing.

jb74 said..

eppo said..
Lot of words there but yeh 90kg, 110L would be fine. If you can borrow a big barge to start with though (say 130h would be useful. But some punishment and decent learning curve 110 will even feel big at 90kg.
that's the problem with learning this new sport. Within a weekor two you have already outgrown your learning board. Or like my son did two sessions on my 40l prone then sunk started his tiny 4 foot prone from the third go on. Little prick.

Thanks. So, starting with big volume is a golden rule. Then going down to a board around my weight....gosh, another investment....

But you can get pretty small 110L boards.... a Fanatic 110L is 5'8".

Grantmac said..
Gong Hipe 110L is 5'3" and not particularly expensive. Also you won't ding it in a shore break. Their foils a pretty decent too.

Can't comment on the wing.

Gong Hipe is inflatable. Is that right? At least this is what I see on Gong's site for the Hipe model.

jb74 said..

Grantmac said..
Gong Hipe 110L is 5'3" and not particularly expensive. Also you won't ding it in a shore break. Their foils a pretty decent too.

Can't comment on the wing.

Gong Hipe is inflatable. Is that right? At least this is what I see on Gong's site for the Hipe model.

Yes absolutely.

So far I was looking at Slingshot Outwit, Naish Hover Wing/SuP and Fanatic Sky Wing. I don't have the possibility to test them. That's why I'm phishing for reviews. Trying to catch what people say about their stability and all-in-all behavior. The same reason behind my question re board volume.

I started on the Sky Wing 5'4 (95L) and for my weight ( 80 kg) found it quite stable. However, I didn't like the concave deck and the large gap between the front and rear straps. Also the foil tracks are relatively far back from the foot straps favouring foils with the wing in a more forward windfoil type position (e.g. the Fanatic foils).

Have since moved to the Takoon 4'10 85 L. It's lighter, cheaper, allows me to setup my preferred foot strap stance and the balance at close to standstill doesn't require me to step forward out of the rear strap like the Sky Wing. The 85L volume is fine for my weight even when the wind drops right off.

Whatever you buy make sure it has a handle on the bottom of the hull. It makes it so much easier to carry the wing and board.

simonp123 said..

So far I was looking at Slingshot Outwit, Naish Hover Wing/SuP and Fanatic Sky Wing. I don't have the possibility to test them. That's why I'm phishing for reviews. Trying to catch what people say about their stability and all-in-all behavior. The same reason behind my question re board volume.

I started on the Sky Wing 5'4 (95L) and for my weight ( 80 kg) found it quite stable. However, I didn't like the concave deck and the large gap between the front and rear straps. Also the foil tracks are relatively far back from the foot straps favouring foils with the wing in a more forward windfoil type position (e.g. the Fanatic foils).

Have since moved to the Takoon 4'10 85 L. It's lighter, cheaper, allows me to setup my preferred foot strap stance and the balance at close to standstill doesn't require me to step forward out of the rear strap like the Sky Wing. The 85L volume is fine for my weight even when the wind drops right off.

Whatever you buy make sure it has a handle on the bottom of the hull. It makes it so much easier to carry the wing and board.

Thanks Simon. Good info. I'll check what the Takoon board is made of. You say the 85l board fits for your 80kg even when the wind drops off. You mean it does not sink under you?

Jeroensurf said..

first 3 sessions was be a lot of swearing especially if you start with a 6m in flicky wind, but once you have enough wind it is easy to learn.

Hey Jeroen,
Yeah, I plan to learn winging in decent wind only. I've already seen how people struggle in light wind. By the way, the 5'8" Fanatic Sky Wing is also a 110liter board. The same as as your SUP board.

simonp123 said..

If the wind hits absolute zero it's not easy to stay standing and I have to put a wing tip in the water to lean on. Once there's a knot or two of wind the front of the board is clear of the surface by a few inches and my back foot has water up to my ankle. I've never sunk any further than that. Gybing off the foil isn't difficult.
I've got the collapsible straps so it's easy to lie on the board and paddle if the wind drops completely.

So, not sinking completely . Good to know. Thank you