Hi, I'm now thinking about getting into foiling and not sure which brand to go for. I have heard so many great reviews about every brand and was wondering which would be 1 that I could learn on and progress on and would be quite durable as I'm pretty useless when it comes to being careful with anything. Just want something solid and reliable and something that will last a few good seasons.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I too have just recently joined the foiling fraternity, bought secondhand as it seems to me once you get it (6 months) you are looking to upgrade.
So far i have had 2 sessions on an Axis foil/board with a 45cm mast & have been getting some good runs up on the foil & some carving gybes happening. Looking forward to trying the 90cm mast.

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Fly on da wall said..
Hi, I'm now thinking about getting into foiling and not sure which brand to go for. I have heard so many great reviews about every brand and was wondering which would be 1 that I could learn on and progress on and would be quite durable as I'm pretty useless when it comes to being careful with anything. Just want something solid and reliable and something that will last a few good seasons.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You will no doubt get a wide variety of recommendations based on the recommenders personal preferences and this is my personal recommendation based on my experience.
A full carbon medium aspect foil with a board with some volume would be my recommendation to keep you happy for a few seasons and probably beyond depending on what you get. I have a JShapes freeride which I've had for more than 2 seasons and have no desire to change, mostly because I dont think I would get anything better.....just different.
It seems alot of top end manufacturers are trending towards full carbon with a aluminum or titanium fuselage which I'm sure has solid reasoning but buying latest model top end might be too much of a financial outlay for a leap into the unknown.
I've seen a full carbon Spotz Tuna in the buy and sell for $1500 which I feel would be way better than one of the plethora of aluminium masted, fiberglassed winged zero volume boarded offerings.

What sort of foil riding do you want to do?

- fast
- slow
- session saver
- lawn mowing
- wave

Yes you have to first work out a plan for what style you will focus on, which may be dictated by your local conditions.
most every one believes the way they learnt and the equipment they have is relevant to all others. The answers you will get here will both reflect this and the brand affiliation ( declared or not).
i would suggest doing some research of brands with a tried and true reputation that produces foils that gel with your own way of thinking.
Then call their Australian reps or as high up the chain. Get a feel for their take on what you want to do, then go with your gut.

pretty much all foils, mast lengths wing sizes etc will get you foiling.
its practice and persistence.

its your end target that's important

Maybe you could use your new foilboard with you new Slingshot Fuel kite, while hoping your secondhand Cabrinnna twin tip doesn't break like your mates did...

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RAL INN said..
Yes you have to first work out a plan for what style you will focus on, which may be dictated by your local conditions.
most every one believes the way they learnt and the equipment they have is relevant to all others. The answers you will get here will both reflect this and the brand affiliation ( declared or not).
i would suggest doing some research of brands with a tried and true reputation that produces foils that gel with your own way of thinking.
Then call their Australian reps or as high up the chain. Get a feel for their take on what you want to do, then go with your gut.

pretty much all foils, mast lengths wing sizes etc will get you foiling.
its practice and persistence.

its your end target that's important

Good call. Thanks

Hey FOTW,

Having very recently gotten into foiling I'd like to offer my thoughts. I had tried foiling one high end gear a few years ago and gave it a couple of random goes and found it difficult and frustrating.

As a retailer we we were sitting on the fence wat bing to see which way foiling would develop. We tentively started with the first North Foil due to its safety rail between the wings as safety and injury was quite prevalent in the early years but this too was quite difficult.
Last year we tried Zeeko fouls and had some success in people taking up foiling and learning fairly quickly. Early this season we took on Slingshot, North and Shinn foils and boards.

Mall my crew are now competently foiling on all three brands. The fave for ease of use and fast progression seems to be North. Slingshot is for the more progressive rider as it has so many options of wings and mast lengths and also boards to choose from to Kite, sup, surf and tow.

I'd suggest buying beginner to intermediate gear to learn starting with short masts to progress fast and safely. Don't but high end gear to learn, new or second hand.

learning the way I did, being a boat first on short mast and working my way up has seen me progress from beginner gear to advanced free ride with high aspect Foil Kite in just three months of riding for an hour a week.

dont sorry about growing out of learning gear as there is a huge market for this stuff already and definitely start of short masts <60cm to learn. Start with front strap only and low, to no volume boards as they're easier to water start. I think aluminum masts and fuses are fine and keep the cost sell down. You can buy full foil sets for under $1400 new. If you have an old surfboard, buy a Foilmount and convert it for $250.

old mutants or directionals are perfect. It's not about the board. Start behind a boat or wake park before going to the Kite, you will learn heaps faster.

Hope this helps.

DM

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snalberski said..

Fly on da wall said..
Hi, I'm now thinking about getting into foiling and not sure which brand to go for. I have heard so many great reviews about every brand and was wondering which would be 1 that I could learn on and progress on and would be quite durable as I'm pretty useless when it comes to being careful with anything. Just want something solid and reliable and something that will last a few good seasons.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You will no doubt get a wide variety of recommendations based on the recommenders personal preferences and this is my personal recommendation based on my experience.
A full carbon medium aspect foil with a board with some volume would be my recommendation to keep you happy for a few seasons and probably beyond depending on what you get. I have a JShapes freeride which I've had for more than 2 seasons and have no desire to change, mostly because I dont think I would get anything better.....just different.
It seems alot of top end manufacturers are trending towards full carbon with a aluminum or titanium fuselage which I'm sure has solid reasoning but buying latest model top end might be too much of a financial outlay for a leap into the unknown.
I've seen a full carbon Spotz Tuna in the buy and sell for $1500 which I feel would be way better than one of the plethora of aluminium masted, fiberglassed winged zero volume boarded offerings.

+1 on this. Really well put mate.
I guess it could depend if you are a step by step person or throw yourself in person as well...

You could start on an absolute beginners foil which would make it easier but the growth on it will limit you and you will be looking for something else with the same questions.
I am a throw yourself in person with a tier 1 piece of gear and develop as I go. , but I have learnt from years of windsurfing and kiting when I bought second tier gear and have been limited by it and then been blown away how good the top tier gear is. By tier I mean method of manufacture and design
I pm'd a few experienced foilers and they said to get carbon if I could afford it. No regrets at all.

Then there is the foil itself ..
I learnt on the jshapes freestyle also but would recomend the jshapes cruzer foil to learn on more than the freestyle foil and it has plenty of room to grow on.
I have both, the freestyle is quicker with fairly good bottom end but more reactive , its a nice foil ... the cruzer a great piece of gear , beautifully balanced , a slower bottom end but plenty of speed and great on waves , great breach recovery and very forgiving. It also is robust and well built.
I have so much fun on this foil and am still developing on it and should honestly say it has made me much better foiler than I am.

Completely agree with the last para, obviously we all have cost constraints... but avoid spending your hard earned on gear which will restrict you. Suggest pm people and get their feedback.

Cheers.

Ok, thanks.
I'll follow up on most of the advice.
It looks like a lot of fun and would make those boring day's fun day's from what I've seen.

The boring days will be fun because you will share video of your first attempt.

can we have a quick survey...
IS FOILING WHAT ROLLERBLADING IS TO A SKATEBOARDER.....
i understand it does not matter what water sport or discipline of that sport you do its all cool but.....is it a lame fad

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Pigdog3 said..
can we have a quick survey...
IS FOILING WHAT ROLLERBLADING IS TO A SKATEBOARDER.....
i understand it does not matter what water sport or discipline of that sport you do its all cool but.....is it a lame fad

Used to need 15 knots for a quality session. Now I only need 8+ knots.

I lot of the good freestylers I kite with are adding a foil and extending their opportunities and fun.

Conversely, a lot of my wave riding buddies have NO interest at all.

Definitely not a lame fad in my opinion.

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bigtone667 said..

Pigdog3 said..
can we have a quick survey...
IS FOILING WHAT ROLLERBLADING IS TO A SKATEBOARDER.....
i understand it does not matter what water sport or discipline of that sport you do its all cool but.....is it a lame fad

Used to need 15 knots for a quality session. Now I only need 8+ knots.

I lot of the good freestylers I kite with are adding a foil and extending their opportunities and fun.

Conversely, a lot of my wave riding buddies have NO interest at all.

Definitely not a lame fad in my opinion.

I hope so, then I can get a whole set up a whole lot cheaper! And 1 for the old man too.

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Pigdog3 said..
can we have a quick survey...
IS FOILING WHAT ROLLERBLADING IS TO A SKATEBOARDER.....
i understand it does not matter what water sport or discipline of that sport you do its all cool but.....is it a lame fad

Def not a fad & this will be where the most interest / advancement in kiteboarding will come from in the years to come imo.

Check out the thread about the north speedster that I started a month back. There wasn't a huge amount of info online about the foil but on the basis of the feedback there I bought it and have no regrets.

It's not a beginner only foil, plenty of room for progressing, is durable and is probably the cheapest new foil out there. The slingshot guys were critical about its lack of stiffness, but i get the sense that's only going to be a problem when you're really maxing out the speed capabilities of the foil, which I'm not.

The guys at Kite Republic in st kilda hooked me up and offered a free lesson and a short mast to borrow as well. The short mast setups from Slingshot didn't really attract me as I jumped straight to the tall mast anyway, but having a free rental of a short mast for a week or two might be perfect for a beginner.

Stiffness is of paramount importance and at all stages

A little birdie mentioned there may be a new wing for the North Speedster in the coming months ... which will ensure you get more progression from the North Foil.

DM