I'm genuinely interested

What percentage of windsurfers have taken up foiling?
I reckon about 33%, but it's just a wild guess based on what I see locally. Probably way out.

Does anyone (perhaps with industry contacts) actually know?

It's hard to know exactly but looking at our GPSTC team all the regular sailors except one (so about 90%) have taken up foiling. By regular I mean those people who sail twice a week or more. Of the people who sail 3 or 4 times a month I would say it is 75%. Take up in the once a month sailors is probably a fair bit slower as these guys are not spending as much on the sport. About 50% of the regulars almost exclusively foil and the odd one has given up normal windsurfing altogether.
I think this is largely due to living in a place that gets a lot of 8-12 knot days. If we had 18-20 kts 3 times a week I think there would be a lot less interest.

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azymuth said..
I'm genuinely interested

What percentage of windsurfers have taken up foiling?
I reckon about 33%, but it's just a wild guess based on what I see locally. Probably way out.

Does anyone (perhaps with industry contacts) actually know?

Interesting question
my guess prob 25% Here in Perth
would be interesting to see the percentages from each dedicated discipline. I suspect more from the flat water free ride brigade..
it's a virus that is slowly but surely spreading..
an airborne disease mostly transmitted by froth!!


n.wikipedia.org ? wiki ? Airborne_disease

An airborne disease is any disease that is caused by pathogens that can be transmitted through the air by both small, dry particles, and as larger liquid

way less that 33% in this country (UK) My local beach can have uptown about 50 windsurfers on a good day but only ever 2 or 3 foiling. I don't know why because for me foiling has completely surpassed windsurfing.
Windsurfing 2.0 !

LIght air location. At least 70% have taken it up at least partially. Money remains a factor for the remaining -understandably, family obligations, etc. that take precedence.

Number drops when the wind hits 20+ but that is probably as much that many are still in the learning phase rather and those conditions can be intimidating.

Overall, it's gotten a lot of folks more active whose interest had slowly been waning over years of showing up to sail and the wind not cooperating.

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nimo1972 said..
way less that 33% in this country (UK) My local beach can have uptown about 50 windsurfers on a good day but only ever 2 or 3 foiling. I don't know why because for me foiling has completely surpassed windsurfing.
Windsurfing 2.0 !

Same for me. I was a fanatic windsurfer. Now I'm a fanatic foiler -- no interest in windsurfing with a fin anymore, whether in light or heavy air. I'm in the process of buying several wind wings, so who knows, maybe I won't be using a sail any longer either.

German lakes (bavaria, thuringia and saxonia) - last saison max. 10%.

Regarding Foiling, Germany is 1-2 saisons behind you and France.
I tested today my new Patrik AI Hybrid board with a fin - low wind 8-10 knots - foiling would have been the better solution today :-)

There is NO windsurfing fin that matches the area of the shortest, smallest foil mast.
Now add the lift from the foil itself.

1st, you gotta define "windsurfers".
Then, you gotta determine foil owners ratio of ws to foil.
Not all foil owners foil, just like not all windsurf gear owners windsurf.
Now add in the clubs that rent or allow.
I windsurf about 75 days a year and maybe the same foiling, but at least 20 of those I do both.

In Buenos Aires, the days of 8-12 knots 90% with foil, the days from 12 to 15, 50% with foil and the days from 15 to more approx 30% with foil and in increase if your economic conditions allow it !!! Once we are specializing in foil, only with fin in optimal and selected conditions! .... more by skill than by desire !!

In my lake, it's 100% Windsurfing conversion to Windfoiling.

Just me, no-one else doing either.

Well not quite, my son was interested in learning to windsurf. So today took a windsurfer out. A few more sessions and he can go foiling.

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azymuth said..
I'm genuinely interested

What percentage of windsurfers have taken up foiling?
I reckon about 33%, but it's just a wild guess based on what I see locally. Probably way out.

Does anyone (perhaps with industry contacts) actually know?

JJ, yesterday there were 10 foilers at Melville in the arvo with about 5 finners, all foilers were windsurfers or ex.
Another 10 foilers around at Foilville, all windsurfers or ex.

1 frother on the beach with no kit Board almost converted, also a windsurfer

I've only just started had one session it brought back memories of the 1st time I actually got planning on a windsurfer and I think our local lake is perfect for foiling, usually get winds in the 10-15knt range and average depth 3m.
Would have taken it up earlier but have patiently waited to see how the equipment developed.

Coal Point/Belmont Bay - Lake Macquarie - today NE 6-18 kts
By my count
Fins - 2
Foils - 6
LT's - 4

Botany Bay today

4 foils
3 wingfoils
1 onedesign
about 20 fins
some kites further down - but who counts them anyway?

Lake Seminole, yesterday, Florida: foil-1, fin-0, LT-0, wingfoil-0, kite-0. It's called social distancing.

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choco said..
I've only just started had one session it brought back memories of the 1st time I actually got planning on a windsurfer and I think our local lake is perfect for foiling, usually get winds in the 10-15knt range and average depth 3m.

Welcome! There will be the inevitable crashes at first but it's fun learning something new and the payoff is great.

My observations are about 50% of windsurfers also WindFoil here in the Northeast US. The number grows every time foilers are having a great time with the kiters and windsurfers have to keep waiting for 5 more knts of wind.

DC

I live in a windy place and probably 30% are foiling some of the time, a few are vitually full time on it.

In Seattle where I was before the number is probably 90% foiling for dedicated windsurfers.