Hi
I'm looking at jumping in to this foiling caper. Looks awesome and will give me low wind water time.
Been doing plenty of reading but still not clear if i can use a 68 wide board to learn on. I know it's the narrower end of the spectrum but how much harder would it be to learn on?
It is a 2006 iSonic 115 233 x 68.
It could be a deal breaker for quite a while if i can't do it on this board as i can't afford to spring for a board also.

cheers

the narrow board would most likely be good with the thicker wave oriented foils as they are generally narrower.

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Wayne said..
Hi
I'm looking at jumping in to this foiling caper. Looks awesome and will give me low wind water time.
Been doing plenty of reading but still not clear if i can use a 68 wide board to learn on. I know it's the narrower end of the spectrum but how much harder would it be to learn on?
It is a 2006 iSonic 115 233 x 68.
It could be a deal breaker for quite a while if i can't do it on this board as i can't afford to spring for a board also.

cheers

I started on an Isonic 107 - not ideal, but doable - with freeride foils like the Naish or Slingshot.

Using a freeride/surf foil - when starting out you might find narrower boards are a little harder to get up on the foil in light winds, but you'll largely overcome this disadvantage as you learn to use the foil to generate lift. Once you're up and foiling narrower boards are fine.
The 115 will work well - depending on your weight and uphaul skills.

I've been learning with an old 250x59 and a Naish thrust foil.

Main disadvantage could be I needed 12-13 knots to start planning.

Uphauling is also a pain with less than 100lts, but most of the times water star is possible on 12-13 knots.

Of course is not the best option. Now I'm looking for a better board for foiling.

Wouldn't it depend on your weight and windsurfing skills?
At 165 lbs., my 95 liter dreeride board planed and foiled up easily in 13 mph gusts. Not sure you can go lower in windspeed to get onto the foil.

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Wayne said..
Hi
I'm looking at jumping in to this foiling caper. Looks awesome and will give me low wind water time.
Been doing plenty of reading but still not clear if i can use a 68 wide board to learn on. I know it's the narrower end of the spectrum but how much harder would it be to learn on?
It is a 2006 iSonic 115 233 x 68.
It could be a deal breaker for quite a while if i can't do it on this board as i can't afford to spring for a board also.

cheers

You should look at what the specs are for foiling boards for a true indication, they're all around 85cm wide as a minimum.

as i said, a true foiling board, or another wider slalom is out of the question atm.
I'm 85kg so it seems that i'm half a chance to have a good enough time learning to foil and not get too frustrated on the isonic.
i'll be using an old KA Koncept 6.6 as a sacrificial sail, unless that proves to be not right. Slingshot hoverglide is my likely choice of foil.
But i am looking forward to the challenge anyway. I think i'm technically minded enough to grow into a foil setup that's a bit more advanced rather than have it all come too easily on basic gear and then change up for more performance. We shall see i guess.
I expect quite a few fun crashes.

Select to expand quote

Wayne said..
as i said, a true foiling board, or another wider slalom is out of the question atm.
I'm 85kg so it seems that i'm half a chance to have a good enough time learning to foil and not get too frustrated on the isonic.
i'll be using an old KA Koncept 6.6 as a sacrificial sail, unless that proves to be not right. Slingshot hoverglide is my likely choice of foil.
But i am looking forward to the challenge anyway. I think i'm technically minded enough to grow into a foil setup that's a bit more advanced rather than have it all come too easily on basic gear and then change up for more performance. We shall see i guess.
I expect quite a few fun crashes.

You'll be fine with your Isonic 115 with the Slingshot Hoverglide (awesome foil by the way ). I'm about your weight.

The 6.6 Koncept should get you foiling in about 10 knots once you learn how to pump the foil - it's not difficult.


85cm min. width boards are only necessary for race foils.

Thanks azymuth. Just what i want to hear.
I'm pumped

Wayne, for what it's worth, I learned on a naish hover 122 and had (and still having) a blast. The foil actually makes the uphauling a little easier as you have a heap of resistance under the board - lots more surface area than even a massive fin. And I found the foil to create extra stability in sub planing conditions, again, I suspect due to the extra surface area of the foil and possibly also the moment (mass) of the foil too. When you put pressure on the rails of the board when uphauling, you can definitely feel the extra resistance of the foil. It's significantly more stable. I think width is not going to be a significant problem for the board that you describe.
Just make sure that the board you are intending to use has compatibility to attach to the foil. I think the Naish uses a double US fin box system, not a deep tuttle which many other foils use. I'm not sure about base plates for attaching the foil to the board - maybe there's something that'll assist with getting a naish foil on that board - not sure?? I'd check before purchasing.
And I've also mentioned in past forums (having sailed on both), that I found the Naish easier to learn on, but I think the Slingshot gives a little more advanced performance (maybe flies in slightly less wind and points upwind higher). Not much splits them though. I think the Naish is a little easier due to the board having the straps set more in the middle of the board than anything.

The naish foil can be fitted with a deep tuttle adapter. Costs another couple of hundred dollars on top of the foil. Plus it has a flange to spread the load across your finbox is which is good for non foil-ready boards.

The slingshot comes with deep Tuttle but is a bit more expensive than the naish.