Hi everyone ... Ive been windsurfing 35 years to a good level , and supping 8 years ... sup boards down to super small range (7'6 x 27 x 92 ltrs) etc .... Thinking about getting into sup foiling ... Ive seen a wing board , thats super thick for sale ... 5'4 x 28 ... 93 ltrs ... Is this poss as a sup foil board ? .... Im a quick learner ... good balance etc ... , good level in windsurfing and supping Or is it going to be super sketchy glide wise ... too much too quick ... ?... My weight 77 kgs ... thanks

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seabreezer said..
Hi everyone ... Ive been windsurfing 35 years to a good level , and supping 8 years ... sup boards down to super small range (7'6 x 27 x 92 ltrs) etc .... Thinking about getting into sup foiling ... Ive seen a wing board , thats super thick for sale ... 5'4 x 28 ... 93 ltrs ... Is this poss as a sup foil board ? .... Im a quick learner ... good balance etc ... , good level in windsurfing and supping Or is it going to be super sketchy glide wise ... too much too quick ... ?... My weight 77 kgs ... thanks

Hi IMHO (been SUP foiling for 2yrs) 5"4 will be too short unless you are surfing beachies as at that length the board will have minimal glide and pretty poor tracking. Lack of paddle speed will make for later take offs and that's something you don't want when learning to foil. I'd be ,chasing something in the 6"4 to 6"6 range for your first board.

+1 with Bender.

5'4" will be too short for learning on. It will be punitive to paddle back out, and will mandate taking off by pumping: too much to learn at once.

Paddling a 5'4" will be a big jump from 7'6", row-effect wise, especially without fins, so you will not be able to apply full paddling power for some time, making the take offs even more problematic.

You could try taking off like prone surf foilers, pushed by gentle foams, but taking off in the foam is trickier when standing up.

This said, it could be doable with the perfect conditions: small, gentle waves, just crumbling at the top but not really breaking. And with adding a front fin, Kalama-style.

At 70kgs I'm sup foiling a One 90L 5'0 wing board. It's certainly not optimal but I was sick of accumulating too much gear, now I have a single board for winging and sup foiling. I can only paddle it in pretty calm conditions and it has minimal glide but it's certainly do able albeit a challenge

I have tried the small SUP option and i did not like it much at all.

I was falling all the time unless it was glassy, every paddle out through the break a slow, exhausting challenge.
And once out you have to keep paddling on trembly legs or sit.Or fall again :)

The lack of paddling speed also means you catch waves later so you lose one of the big advantages of SUPfoil over prone.

Unless you are really good at SUP on small boards (i am not) i would get an easy (big) SUPfoil or consider prone foil.
A 5foot 40l prone board takes very little room.My Gong Matata EPS was only 300euros new.

Volume and lenght are only part of the story, wing specific shapes with pulled in small noses,big bevels on edges and tail can be very unstable to SUP even with plenty of float.

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robbo1111 said..
I can only paddle it in pretty calm conditions

I think it defeats the advantage of SUP foiling of extending your range of conditions: For me SUP foiling allows to enjoy waves that would be too crappy to have fun with a regular SUP, e.g: onshore chop, non-breaking waves, .... If you can foil only in good conditions, it means you will have to choose between SUP foiling and SUPing.

But to each his own... I have room for a quiver in my van ;-)

Seabreezer, from what I've seen of your wavesailing posts, I'd say you're underrating your abilities.
The 5'4" board you mention is going to be challenging for anyone learning. The thing that will make it a bit easier is the type of foil you stick under it. Any foil will act as an anchor to stabilise the board, but the longer the mast and the bigger the foil, (generally) the more stable it will make things. Long masts can be a little more challenging to learn with and have a higher chance of 'running aground'.
The stability of the board totally changes once the board is off the water surface. It's then all over to foil stability and that's where it gets trickier.
For anyone with talent like me I'd strongly advise against that board for learning. For you, it MIGHT work?? But it's a gamble. Have you tried any friends gear (of any size to get a reference point) to see what it's like? That would be a good starting point.
If you get it, seriously consider a wing down the track. They complement the board/foil really well for a range of light wind conditions.

You can always knee or sit, using a two bladed paddle, or prone if your wingspan is sufficient.

You are used to up hauling on your wind surfer , so recommend you get a board you can stand on in calm or choppy water .

Go big to start, nothing more frustrating than spending a whole session getting on and off board because you falling off small board

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seabreezer said..
Hi everyone ... Ive been windsurfing 35 years to a good level , and supping 8 years ... sup boards down to super small range (7'6 x 27 x 92 ltrs) etc .... Thinking about getting into sup foiling ... Ive seen a wing board , thats super thick for sale ... 5'4 x 28 ... 93 ltrs ... Is this poss as a sup foil board ? .... Im a quick learner ... good balance etc ... , good level in windsurfing and supping Or is it going to be super sketchy glide wise ... too much too quick ... ?... My weight 77 kgs ... thanks

Sounds like you could do it no worries, you have good balance and have been riding SUP boards that are nice and short so I don't see to much of an issue.

Like robbo1111 use the ONE 5 x 26 x 90L for my wave foiling board as well as my wing board and I love it, paddles slow and a little harder to catch waves but once up its so bloody good!!

You know your ability and what you can or can not handle so the last call rides with you but from what you say about your self I think you should be sweet.

This is the board I and robbo1111 ride so you can see it to maybe compare, I am 77kg as well. www.oneoceansportsaustralia.com/shop/wind-wing-boards

Dont waste energy trying to "prove" you can do it. Like said above, you will have zero glide and forget about it if you run into any crosschop or bump.

Hi Seabreezer
I taught myself to foil by modifying an old surf sup(8'6"x28 Laguna Bay Dogman) to take a foil.
Half the battle of catching a wave is already soughted and I insert the sup side fins to aid with tracking.
Brought a cheap foil($500) and luv every moment. 12months on and I've upgrade to a 5'10" One sup and an Armie 1250 A+ foil.