Hi all, hoping everyone is staying safe..

Having time to self isolate I have made the decision to definetely give foiling a go. I love Sup surfing particularly performance Longboarding and would describe myself as a pretty competent intermediate. I have a first edition 5m Wing which I cruise around on one my sups and sometimes with my dog or kids. I'm 47, fit, 72kgs and live a few minutes away from a very windy UK beach! (crap waves good wind, I travels 45 mins to surf). I want to learn to foil with my wing and predominantly use it with the wing. I'm not interested in tricks but a mellow ride out to a distant sand bar with some nice little runners would be cool, lol.. . If I manage to crack it without ending up in hospital I would definitely give it a go in the waves with my trusty paddle.

What board/foil size do people recommend? The biggest hurdle I see is there's always a fair amount of chop and almost impossible to get a sheltered start. I'm not worried about outgrowing a board quickly and want to give myself the best chance possible to succeed.

It would be really interested to hear peoples journeys and recommendations.

Stay safe friends..

I am the same weight as you and having good success with a 90 litre Starboard and a 1700 cm? wing. Easy to knee-start and to get back home on if the wind dies. Foiling range is 12-25 knots with a 5m.
You can definitely use a smaller board than SUP foiling, I struggle with a paddle on my current board.
I probably could go smaller now for winging but would lose some comfort if the wind is light. My hypernut is long (6'10") and narrow (26"), if I was designing a custom I would go shorter, thicker, and a little bit wider. Swing weight is important for maneuverability.

I'm 47 as well and 75kg and had my first go on a foil yesterday after a few sessions just with the wing and the sup. You don't need the best gear to start. The important thing is to give it a go. I have an old 7'8 hypernut sup with a foil mount stuck on the bottom, a second hand 5m Ozone wing and second hand 2000cm fanatic foil. It was blowing at 20knts yesterday and I got flying on the foil. It was challenging with plenty of wipeouts but the learning curve was steep and I can't wait to get out again. I know that after I improve (a lot) I can then work out the best gear to get with a short board and smaller foils but am happy to put in the work with what I have to get to that stage. It is certainly not the gear holding me back.

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ap73 said..
I'm 47 as well and 75kg and had my first go on a foil yesterday after a few sessions just with the wing and the sup. You don't need the best gear to start. The important thing is to give it a go. I have an old 7'8 hypernut sup with a foil mount stuck on the bottom, a second hand 5m Ozone wing and second hand 2000cm fanatic foil. It was blowing at 20knts yesterday and I got flying on the foil. It was challenging with plenty of wipeouts but the learning curve was steep and I can't wait to get out again. I know that after I improve (a lot) I can then work out the best gear to get with a short board and smaller foils but am happy to put in the work with what I have to get to that stage. It is certainly not the gear holding me back.

What he said
5m wing sup with a 2000cm2 foil bolted to it. Get cheap stuff second hand. when addicted get a small board and an Armstrong foil

Agree small board, in my case now 6ft Naish with high aspect 1100 Moses 2000 sq cm foil wing.
I now get up on the foil with 6m Naish Surf wing in 11 to 12 kn gusts, pumping is 200% easier than my previous gear.

I am in the learning/struggling phase. Get a big foil (+2000, medium aspect is easier than high aspect, I think), 60-70 cm mast and a good sized wing for your conditions. The bigger the board, the better. If you are not worried about outgrowing the board quickly, I would start with at least weight plus 40 L.

Thanks for the advice so far, thats great..

Gong advised me to go for their 2020 Wing Specific Zuma 6'3 105L just under 29" which does seem small (it has double foot straps at the front) . They also do a 6'6 just under 30" wide 120L.

The UK used foil market is tiny unfortunately. The Gong boards are cheap and would be easy to sell on if I crack it and want to go smaller. Is 6'3 and 6'6 too small? Difficult to get my head around as I'm so used to Sup surf boards.

Cheers

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IanInca said..
The biggest hurdle I see is there's always a fair amount of chop and almost impossible to get a sheltered start.

I would thus take the bigger board, chop can make things hell in all the feedbacks I read. And 6'6" vs 6'3" will still be nimble in the air, we are not speaking of a 7'+ board here.

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IanInca said..
Hi all, hoping everyone is staying safe..

Having time to self isolate I have made the decision to definetely give foiling a go. I love Sup surfing particularly performance Longboarding and would describe myself as a pretty competent intermediate. I have a first edition 5m Wing which I cruise around on one my sups and sometimes with my dog or kids. I'm 47, fit, 72kgs and live a few minutes away from a very windy UK beach! (crap waves good wind, I travels 45 mins to surf). I want to learn to foil with my wing and predominantly use it with the wing. I'm not interested in tricks but a mellow ride out to a distant sand bar with some nice little runners would be cool, lol.. . If I manage to crack it without ending up in hospital I would definitely give it a go in the waves with my trusty paddle.

What board/foil size do people recommend? The biggest hurdle I see is there's always a fair amount of chop and almost impossible to get a sheltered start. I'm not worried about outgrowing a board quickly and want to give myself the best chance possible to succeed.

It would be really interested to hear peoples journeys and recommendations.

Stay safe friends..

I am similar weight and I currently use and started with the JP Australia Foil board 7'x28, 115L. Great board as I can also use for Sup foiling and wind foiling which I also do. If winds become too light and I have to wallow around there is plenty of stability and if using in rough seas, getting to my feet is quite easy. The board is very forgiving when overfoiling and most wipeouts are avoided. Foil wise I mainly use the Starboard Ocean 2000 which is a thin profile medium aspect wing. This foil makes learning very easy, however still offers great performance as you advance due to the design. I also have the 1700 wave foil wing and ocean 2400 foil wing. The 1700 Wave while a very nice foil wing, I wouldn't recommend as your first wing, as it wont offer the incredible stability of the 2000 and the 1700 wont offer the low end performance of the 2000. The 1700 is very nimble and allow for tight turns which makes it a lot of fun. The Starboard 2400 Ocean also has a very thin profile making it very easy to use. Not as nimble as the 2000 but definitely more lift. Learning with 2400 would make learning even easier than 2000 foil and allow you to get out in lighter conditions. I still use the 2400 when conditions are in the sub 15kts combined with a 6m Ozone wasp wing.