Hi,
I'm thinking of trying wind foiling and I'm not sure what's the right gear for me. I windsurf, I'm flat water sailor (e.g. Shoalwater, WA), my main board is 91, weigh 82 kg and can waterstart & jibe.

What would be a good kit for me to start foiling (board and foil size etc.)? What about 2nd hand gear? Anything to watch out for or should I stick with new gear from shops?

I assume this was probably covered here before & happy if someone can point me to correct post
Thanks

I'd suggest that you buy matched gear so that the board & foil are made for each other and they work properly together. You can Defo mix & match brands but keeping it simple is best. have a go on a mates kit if you can as a test. we have 7 foilers here and those with matched kit all fly very well and the beginners are improving very quickly. Starboard Patrik SS.The non matched kit has its operator a little behind but that's also due to TOW. Happy FlyNoDie journey

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gs12 said..
Hi,
I'm thinking of trying wind foiling and I'm not sure what's the right gear for me. I windsurf, I'm flat water sailor (e.g. Shoalwater, WA), my main board is 91, weigh 82 kg and can waterstart & jibe.

What would be a good kit for me to start foiling (board and foil size etc.)? What about 2nd hand gear? Anything to watch out for or should I stick with new gear from shops?

I assume this was probably covered here before & happy if someone can point me to correct post
Thanks

1) decide what style of riding you are looking at Race/slalom or freeride

2) Due to the exodus to winging (more from the freeride foiling), you should be able to find something used for freeride windfoiling

If you are thinking freeride, I would try and get a board with twin tracks not tuttle

The front foils for winging, proning, kiting and windfoiling overlap a lot and can typically be used in more than one of those disciplines, however, make sure you get a foil system that allows you to use a long fuselage, which is mandatory for windfoiling, some brands do not offer long fuses.

Some good freeride brands (some of which will be easier to get depending on where you live)

slingshot
severne
sabfoil
fanatic
F4
Neil pryde

Not all windsurf boards with foil boxes are good for learning to windfoil.

All carbon foil including fuselage, especially if you are in saltwater, that reduces your choices by a lot, but eliminates equipment failures. AFS sells from their website a foil with an 85 cm mast and freeride wings, the F1080 cm2 wing is great in light wind (I am 82 kg too). It is actually a bargin, and bomb proof, just remember 20% VAT comes off the price once you select an out of EU address. I got it because I like to go fast, but not as easy to learn to do a foiling gybe like bigger wings, but they are slower and take more effort to get up in light winds. I put the AFS W95 (no longer made but essentially the current 85 cm foil with a 10 cm longer mast) on a Goya Bolt 135 slalom board with a foil box, still happy with it +2 yrs later. Just beware of slalom boards with broad recessed concave decks like my 2019 Bolt, mast can dent them up on the concave deck ridge, but for the Bolt a 3/4" sail mast base spacer solved the problem by raising mast base high enough that mast hits board on a flattish section of deck.

Foils are quite a bit slower than windsurfing, but can get up in lighter winds with smaller sails, and then big wings are slowest, so just make sure if you start with a big slow wing you have options for smaller wings once you get bored going slow

And as mentioned, try before you buy, if possible. AFS has a 14 day satisfaction guaranteed or return for full refund policy and 3 year warranty, do not know of any other foil with either a return policy or a warranty as long as 3 years.

Thedoor said above, "Not all windsurf boards with foil boxes are good for learning to windfoil."

I would change the "Not all" to "Very few" or "No". I have three friends who have been trying to learn windfoiling with windsurfing boards. It has been so hard for them that two of them have given up.

I agree with the above statements about getting matched gear, and getting twin track rather than tuttle. You will be glad you did.

I started in 2017 when you had no choice but to mix and match different gear, and all you had was tuttle. My learning curve was dreadful. Don't follow my example. Get matched gear and go with twin track.

Naish and Fanatic are good entry level sets with options to progress that will not break your bank balance

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powersloshin said..
Naish and Fanatic are good entry level sets with options to progress that will not break your bank balance

Add GA/Tabou and RRD to the mix. Pretty much, imho, most of the main line manufacturers have caught up after being caught on the back foot 5 years ago. I would stick with foils from the last 2-3 yrs though as some of the early generations simply aren't up to the mark ie first gen Naish, NP, Slingshot (blue wings), Fanatic compared to recent offerings. You don't have to get new but the last couple of years has produced some good, easy to ride gear.

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thedoor said..
Not all windsurf boards with foil boxes are good for learning to windfoil.

I was confused by this and I think that Segler also may have misread it. But, if I understand you correctly, you are suggesting to OP that they are better served by a purpose built windfoil board as opposed to the freeride windsurf boards that are "foil ready". I would tend to agree. Volume distribution, foot strap placement, shape at the tail are all a bit different than a regular windsurf board and those differences add up to a much easier experience. So while a 210x83 cm 140-150 l board sounds like a nightmare from a windsurf perspective, it can be an absolutely docile windfoiling experience and cut your learning curve significantly.

You'll definitely spend a lot less time fiddling and adjusting on a floaty, dedicated foil board with matching foil OR whatever similar gear the good local foilers are using (staying flying through jibes, doing 360s, etc).

The dedicated boards are easier to jibe and will handle touchdowns much better, among other things.

I know a few guys here that are still riding the paint off of slingshot infinity 76 series, the oldest I would say to get and is the cheapest used in some areas. The guys I'm talking about are flying almost all their jibes and riding circles around me, on slingshot or other brand dedicated foil boards, and the 76. You can get better and faster gear with smaller front wings but unless it's race gear you'll likely spend way more time struggling than something with more area and more forgiveness.

I went from SS 76 foil with Formula board to SS foil & SS Dialer 130 board (amazing difference as it was matched and worked well together) to Patrik Board & 900 Foil (another amazing difference and boost in the learning curve). And now because the foiling kit is so much easier to use, learn on & enjoy we mainly foil now at our local. Easy to get out to the wind, easy to get back up wind and just plain easy seshes on the body. We fin still but for flat water speed days. Invest the $ and invest the TIME and you'll FlyNoDie in no time and the stoke will be huge

At your weight you should be able to uphaul a 130 ltr. board easily. A Slingshot Wizard would work. If you decide to stay with that company their hover glide 76 foil is a very versatile foil . The sabfoil 790 is similar. Both are user friendly and have a fairly large wind range. I started foiling 3 seasons ago with a infinity 84 foil and my wind range is limited. I have doubled my time on the water since I started foiling and I am totally addicted to that sensation. This forum is filled with all the information you need to learn and advance in this sport. I hope you have a great experience.

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Paducah said..

I was confused by this and I think that Segler also may have misread it. But, if I understand you correctly, you are suggesting to OP that they are better served by a purpose built windfoil board as opposed to the freeride windsurf boards that are "foil ready". I would tend to agree. Volume distribution, foot strap placement, shape at the tail are all a bit different than a regular windsurf board and those differences add up to a much easier experience. So while a 210x83 cm 140-150 l board sounds like a nightmare from a windsurf perspective, it can be an absolutely docile windfoiling experience and cut your learning curve significantly.

Yes thanks for clarifying.

I was thinking about this more and if OP can find a cheap wizard 125 and infinity 76 hoverglide, he should snap it up. Not many rippers didn't start on that combo

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gs12 said..
Hi,
I'm thinking of trying wind foiling and I'm not sure what's the right gear for me. I windsurf, I'm flat water sailor (e.g. Shoalwater, WA), my main board is 91, weigh 82 kg and can waterstart & jibe.

What would be a good kit for me to start foiling (board and foil size etc.)? What about 2nd hand gear? Anything to watch out for or should I stick with new gear from shops?

I assume this was probably covered here before & happy if someone can point me to correct post
Thanks

If you are in the US send me a private message. I am selling a pristine Moses 790 foil, perfect for freeride, and basically new custom foil board.

Hi gs12
There are a few of us foil from Rockingham Beach. Best location locally as shoalwater is too weedy. PM me if you want to discuss foiling in more detail and look at different foil options.

where do you launch from roger
might drop in for a play one of these days

Weld road car park where the submarine conning tower is. Just look at my tracks on ka72 if you are not sure. Be good to catch up mate.

Thanks all for all the suggestions - much appreciated!

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Sandman1221 said..
All carbon foil including fuselage, ....

Foils are quite a bit slower than windsurfing, but....

Carbon fuselage might be too restrictive. AFS are good, I had one, but I think their development is more oriented to freeride now.

As to speed, depends how you use it! I'm keeping up with fins in ideal conditions on long runs, but fins still burst higher for 2s.

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berowne said..

Sandman1221 said..
All carbon foil including fuselage, ....

Foils are quite a bit slower than windsurfing, but....

Carbon fuselage might be too restrictive. AFS are good, I had one, but I think their development is more oriented to freeride now.

As to speed, depends how you use it! I'm keeping up with fins in ideal conditions on long runs, but fins still burst higher for 2s.

AFS has the oldish freeride foil with F1080 and F770 wings, and also newer slalom/race foil with longer fuselages. All carbon fuselage is restrictive, but that is what top 4 PWA pros used in Japan, i.e., ZFins foil is all carbon!

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Sandman1221 said..

berowne said..

Sandman1221 said..
All carbon foil including fuselage, ....

Foils are quite a bit slower than windsurfing, but....

Carbon fuselage might be too restrictive. AFS are good, I had one, but I think their development is more oriented to freeride now.

As to speed, depends how you use it! I'm keeping up with fins in ideal conditions on long runs, but fins still burst higher for 2s.

AFS has the oldish freeride foil with F1080 and F770 wings, and also newer slalom/race foil with longer fuselages. All carbon fuselage is restrictive, but that is what top 4 PWA pros used in Japan, i.e., ZFins foil is all carbon!

I don't think carbon fuselage to prevent gear failure (corrosion) is needed if all the parts are rinsed after each session.