I had my first prone session and I was successful. After doing lot of winging and pumpfoil before it wasn't that difficult. I also come from surfing background so take off and pop up was just an practicing thing. I really got some beautiful rides on average flat waves. I Used axis spitfire 900 which was surprisingly for me because I am heavier rider. I think wave hight was maximum waist height... Maybe a bit more the biggest.
But what makes me wonder is the board and as it is new to me I hope some of u can give me some Hints. I Used an older gong lethal 5'4" 54l. I closed the strap inserts because some of them where Leaky and put a traction pad on. While paddling I lay pretty much forward. Otherwise the nose came to much up. With 95 kg I needed good sized wave nearly broken or already got foamy lip. So take off was similar to an normal surfboard. On foil the board felt to long. OK my stance was still not that good. I normally pumpfoil an self made board around 2'11"
so linking waves wasn't possible yet as pumping felt weird.
Is that normal, is the shape maybe a bit old fashioned, will a shorter board be better or just more difficult to take off? Thanx so far
Prone surfing is very easy/difficult depending on waves on offer. Most of what you see in videos is 160lb pros who can run marathons fitness wise, so if you're older and heavier, you're going to need paddle help or easy waves. Mid lengths are very popular for the extra paddle power, and due to the forward boxes, pump well. If you have a wave that breaks kind of crumbly, or in my case breaks then reforms, you can ride a shorter board and adjust the volume to your preference. I don't like super narrow boards and prefer a width similar to my surfboards. Also, narrow boards for me make white water takeoffs difficult. But lots of people will disagree. A hard breaking wave will be impossible to paddle into, as will a non-breaking wave untill you are pro level. Not familiar with your board, but if you are standing on the board foiling where you want to be, but suffering from too much lift on take off, you can shim the front of your mast to reduce the angle of attack while dropping in. Technique wise, keep your nose down to the board and pull yourself forward just before popping up. The sooner you can pump up the better as you really don't want the wave pushing you in like you do surfing.
Hi! Thanx for answering. I think I did everything right then. I got the 5'10" potatonator from firewire with 32l as my small wave board. Foilboard gong lethal 5'4" around 50l. Taking the extra weight of the foil etc. I got more quality waves in the afternoon foiling than in the morning surfing... Crazy. I keep on going this direction.
Greetings
