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Some have Sydney investment properties and can just get whatever takes their fancy. The rest of us have mortgages, kids etc....

Of course there's the cheapest foil out there (hello AliExpress) and then there is the (take out a second mortgage) all carbon, but what is shaping up to be the BEST VALUE surf foil now 2019 models are out?


i.e. Best surf focussed:

Sup foil
Prone foil
Foil to cover both bases

Thanks in advance for sharing....

Neil Pryde Glide is rrp $1295 & the Large comes with 2 stabilizers (L & S).

I bought a Ch-akuma knock off a couple years ago, before there was much variety ... it was $$$$GoFoil$$$$ or nothing. But when I added in high shipping cost, it more or less cost me the same as the secondary brands now. So it's a better time to be buying. Seems to be lots of options these days ... and maybe most important, the early adopters and gear heads are starting to sell off gear ... so best value is whatever was top notch last year, that your friend is now passing on. :-) Next best is last year's model being pushed along.

I have seen Naish Thrust, last year's model, on sale on USA sites for as low as $850. That seems a pretty good deal, about the cheapest yet. Slingshot seem to be the most "mass", pushing these hard, so probably deals out there too. Though might not be as top notch as the #1 best in show.

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toppleover said..
Neil Pryde Glide is rrp $1295 & the Large comes with 2 stabilizers (L & S).

Yeah that's very hard to beat and definitely one of the top performers

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toppleover said..
Neil Pryde Glide is rrp $1295 & the Large comes with 2 stabilizers (L & S).

Neil pride has not had too much attention so great to hear of it in the mix.

Slingshot was goid value last year. 2019 looks much improved too....but trade off is they are up there in price with the naish now.

The gongsup foil may also be in the 'best Bang for buck' basket based on price and reviews....

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stevet73 said..
The gongsup foil may also be in the 'best Bang for buck' basket based on price and reviews....

I was going to mention this :-)
Disclaimer: I am a Gong ambassador.

Its topic for reference: www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Foiling/The-Gong-Allvator-SUP-Surf-foil

We just introduced our Rock Solid foil, which is a great entry level surf and sup foil for $599:
https://blueplanetsurf.com/products/rock-solid-hydro-foil-1300/

That's a really good deal Robert $499 with a new board

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Piros said..
That's a really good deal Robert $499 with a new board

I guess that's us $ from Hawaii. But still that is getting down to affordable pricing. The foil looks a lot like the takuma v 100 that I have.

Another good budget option! Could anticipate about aus $1100 after delivery cost....

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Piros said..

toppleover said..
Neil Pryde Glide is rrp $1295 & the Large comes with 2 stabilizers (L & S).

one of the top performers

So as a 85 kg prone beginner gets more advanced and into bigger steeper waves the Medium wing is the go or Large has the range ?
Or you play with the stabilizers with the Large
Thanks

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kitenow said..

Piros said..

toppleover said..
Neil Pryde Glide is rrp $1295 & the Large comes with 2 stabilizers (L & S).

one of the top performers

So as a 85 kg prone beginner gets more advanced and into bigger steeper waves the Medium wing is the go or Large has the range ?
Or you play with the stabilizers with the Large
Thanks

The large foil with the small stabilizer is the go apparently - for small waves.
That's what I've ordered & I'm only 73kg prone newbie.

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toppleover said..

kitenow said..

Piros said..

toppleover said..
Neil Pryde Glide is rrp $1295 & the Large comes with 2 stabilizers (L & S).

one of the top performers

So as a 85 kg prone beginner gets more advanced and into bigger steeper waves the Medium wing is the go or Large has the range ?
Or you play with the stabilizers with the Large
Thanks

That's what I've ordered

Thanks for the reply, interested to see how you go, and your setup
I'm guessing price should not always be the main driver of gear selection, there are too many other variables with this investment
ie; solidly built, availability of spares, correct interchangeable wings, personal customisation of ride height, minimum downtime off the water, local service centre, lubrication ... sounds like its a automobile, all good

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kitenow said..

toppleover said..

kitenow said..

Piros said..

toppleover said..
Neil Pryde Glide is rrp $1295 & the Large comes with 2 stabilizers (L & S).

one of the top performers

So as a 85 kg prone beginner gets more advanced and into bigger steeper waves the Medium wing is the go or Large has the range ?
Or you play with the stabilizers with the Large
Thanks

That's what I've ordered

Thanks for the reply, interested to see how you go, and your setup
I'm guessing price should not always be the main driver of gear selection, there are too many other variables with this investment
ie; solidly built, availability of spares, correct interchangeable wings, personal customisation of ride height, minimum downtime off the water, local service centre, lubrication ... sounds like its a automobile, all good

You missed wheather it hummmm,s or not lol.
I was keen on Gofoil but not being modular put me off.

Humming is easily corrected.
As I said before here, on fin or foils, just round the trailing edge on one side only.

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colas said..
Humming is easily corrected.

On-ya colas, Mr Spock would be glad to hear his speices is alive and well

+1 for the Slingshot Surf Foils

There's still 2018 models floating around with the H2 Gamma wing.

Pop on an Infinity 76 or 84 Wing down the track and you'll have all you ever need.

The Ke Nalu foils are currently on sale for about $1k USD, with free global shipping. Not a bad price for an all carbon foil.

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exiled said..
The Ke Nalu foils are currently on sale for about $1k USD, with free global shipping. Not a bad price for an all carbon foil.

there's so many options now that I'm looking into the foil world (board size/type and foil sizes). How did you go with Kenalu foil exiled?

Considering 2 years ago when I bought my first GoFoil it was $2500 for just a single 24.5"mast with Kai wings (& still worth every cent as I can't put a value on the fun & waves I've had on it) & now you can get a Carbon GoFoil IWA set with 29.5" mast for $1750 ($1650 for the 24.5" mast set) makes it exceptional value compared to any alloy competitors..... Plus it's now modular so you can add to your set, it's FULL pre-preg carbon, the wings float & it's simple "plug & play" 4 screws make it simpler to use than any other foil on the market...
Like any industry though you will always get people who buy on "price" or "perceived value" as opposed to paying more for the 'market leader" brand who put all their money into R&D, branding & team riders.... It's the same with cars, mobile phones, mountain bikes, stand-up paddle boards, surfboards etc etc....There are "innovator's" & there are "copiers"... but we can all thank Alex Aguera for making Kai Lenny a foil set to try or otherwise none of us would be enjoying this great new sport...
it just comes down to what you can justify but I know I'm glad i didn't sit around for 2 years waiting for the price of foils to drop...
Go Foil Masts-
Mast / Fuselage Construction:100% pre-preg carbon fibre laid up in a solid monolithic structure cured to 250? F in an autoclave at very high pressureAll the areas of the mast are integrally connected in the layup process to allow us to make the thinnest, lowest drag mast possible...
GoFoil Wings-
Front Wing & Rear Wing Construction:100% carbon pre-preg skins with epoxy polymer hybrid core, integral cone connection for maximum strength, all cured at 250? F in an autoclave at very high pressure...
Features Include: Significant reinforcements: solid carbon at the wing tips, leading edge and trailing edge for robust durability when handling on the beach and installing the wings....High strength / weight ratio which means the front wings float!
Cone system attachment allows the rider to have a stable reliable connection between fuselage and wing....

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JEG said..

exiled said..
The Ke Nalu foils are currently on sale for about $1k USD, with free global shipping. Not a bad price for an all carbon foil.

there's so many options now that I'm looking into the foil world (board size/type and foil sizes). How did you go with Kenalu foil exiled?

Ultimately it was too small for me at 107kg and I had to move to the Gong Allvator with a bigger XXL wing. I know they are working on a next generation model with a bigger wing that should be out later this year, but I'm not sure the new gear will be backwards compatible.

cheers for info Gofoil Australia and wow that last pic of laying it down the line of foil game.
thanks exiled for the feedback.

When I can get that prototype wing that the guy is doing the layback on I'll consider gofoil :) Also tell them to either include the track adapter or get rid of tuttle box :)

*cough* they copied signature's albatross wing on that prototype *cough* :) Just messing.

Just do not forget Bruno Andre before going to far with the ""innovator and copiers" marketing speech.

As in many industries, the successful people are the second generation: people able market the invention of others, which requires genuine abilities, too (Steve Jobs is perhaps the best known example, and Gong may be also one on some aspects), but let's not deny the original innovators some limelight. Kudos to you Bruno !

The iPod was not the first digital music player.

iTunes was not the first to sell digital singles.

Zappos was not the first online shoe store.

The list is miles long. The only thing worse than being too late is being too early.

Love all the players in (and entering) the market now....Some of us just can't, or dont want, to spend the amount for those premium foils when therrtare si manymto choose nnow. Whilst many foilers are 'terminal', some of us just have it as an add on option to their usual water pursuit(s)....and just can't afford/justify it. All personal preference but, for me, I could upgrade to a BMW....but my Hyundai is just fine....

Saying that, $1700 for a carbon gofoil however is outstanding. All the brand competition aside, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who wouldn't give any of their gear the nod...

well... i ride a naish large with abracadabra quick release so I'd struggle to use anything else after the joys of 10 second foil attachment. However, that said if I was buying again I think it would have to be the neilpryde on price. From what I hear it has performance as good as anything else (if not better) yet at a fraction of the price. Then there's the gong alvator... that's nearly half the price of the Neilpryde again It has to be worth a look.

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stevet73 said..
Love all the players in (and entering) the market now....Some of us just can't, or dont want, to spend the amount for those premium foils when therrtare si manymto choose nnow. Whilst many foilers are 'terminal', some of us just have it as an add on option to their usual water pursuit(s)....and just can't afford/justify it. All personal preference but, for me, I could upgrade to a BMW....but my Hyundai is just fine....

Saying that, $1700 for a carbon gofoil however is outstanding. All the brand competition aside, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who wouldn't give any of their gear the nod...

Sums it up for me too. Would love a sexy GoFoil, but I just can't justify the investment. Not because I don't have money or don't appreciate quality, but these are luxury toys and I have other funding priorities that take precedence. I have a fun budget I am comfortable with, and it has to spread across surf, sup, kite, and now foil, so I lurk at the bargain basement edge of the market, aiming for maximum performance for minimum dollars. This most often means I am the seagull scavenger pecking at last year's "super rad must have!" once this year's new shiny object has supplanted it.

A key to this kind of bargain hunting is that the older gear has to be up to snuff performance-wise. Maybe not as "wow" as this year's, but at least passable quality. For example in kiting, the gear was in revolution stage up to 2010 or so, since then it has just seen refinements to the base model. Same with SUPs and surfboards, style differences year to year, but the quality has been there for decades. It feels like we're at this point with foils now too. For the same price right now, you could buy a 2-3 year old BMW (gofoil), a 1 year old Honda (eg slingshot, naish), or a brand new Hyundai (eg Gong, NP). And that's not a judgement of quality of the brands named, I am only talking about the brands' pricing strategies. That's another aspect of bargain hunting, if you can find a Honda priced as a Hyundai, then that's one to jump at.

Happy hunting ... or for those at the leading edge, hurry up and upgrade, the 2020 models are just coming out and they look like a "game changer" (again) ... :-)

I have the NP Large foil, first foil I ever used.
Wanted to get a bigger foil for (trying) downwinding and small waves.
NP does't have anything bigger so I got myself a Gong XXL.
The NP was 180 Euro more expensive then the Gong.
The Gong has to be taped in several places and the mast is much more flexible vs the NP mast but it is ok until NP comes out with an XL.
Less mastwobble means getting away with a smaller board.
And I also want the upcoming 70cm carbon mast/plate !!!
@63yo I need all the help I can get from my equipment...

NP releasing an XL and higher aspect wing in between med & Large later this year.

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juandesooka said..

Happy hunting ... or for those at the leading edge, hurry up and upgrade, the 2020 models are just coming out and they look like a "game changer" (again) ... :-)

Any links or extra info about 2020 models?P.S. I'm new to the surf foil space so not sure exactly where to look.