For those who do both, when you have speed and when you don't, which riding setup, wingfoil or windsurfer with no foil, do you come down and slam the most often whilst riding in a straight line (not tacking or anything) more often?


I am guessing the windsurfer less because you can always push down on the backfoot to stop a nosedive but you guys ****ing fly so when you do slam it must be pretty henous?
Thanks in advance for any answers

More context required - if you are trying to not crash going over the front due to injuries or something then learning any kind of foiling is prob not for you

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Mark _australia said..
More context required - if you are trying to not crash going over the front due to injuries or something then learning any kind of foiling is prob not for you

Nah just limit it as much as possible. Am wondering which one of the two leads to less beltings.

maybe the question didn't make sense. when your doing decent speeds on the windsurfer going in a straight line, how common is it to fall when your going in a straight line with speed, is that something you can control and have to be doing something stupid for it to happen or is it common?
when do most of the falls happen windsurfing? What actions?
and foiling is it worse or less?

When windsurfing you never get slammed down.

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gibbo000001 said..
For those who do both, when you have speed and when you don't, which riding setup, wingfoil or windsurfer with no foil, do you come down and slam the most often whilst riding in a straight line (not tacking or anything) more often?


I am guessing the windsurfer less because you can always push down on the backfoot to stop a nosedive but you guys ****ing fly so when you do slam it must be pretty henous?
Thanks in advance for any answers

I cannot even remember when I was last "slammed down" windsurfing ... if I ever was. Before around 2000-2005 sails were kind of unforgiving and catapulting when overpowered could occasionally happen. Not now.

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duzzi said..

gibbo000001 said..
For those who do both, when you have speed and when you don't, which riding setup, wingfoil or windsurfer with no foil, do you come down and slam the most often whilst riding in a straight line (not tacking or anything) more often?


I am guessing the windsurfer less because you can always push down on the backfoot to stop a nosedive but you guys ****ing fly so when you do slam it must be pretty henous?
Thanks in advance for any answers

I cannot even remember when I was last "slammed down" windsurfing ... if I ever was. Before around 2000-2005 sails were kind of unforgiving and catapulting when overpowered could occasionally happen. Not now.

So when you're travelling at those high speeds you're not going to 'fall out of the sky' and crash so to speak?
those speeds look like if you fall it would feel like a car crash.

Last time I crashed going in a straight line was in largish chop. I think my fin must have snagged something and I was catapulted, resulting in a bent boom. I wasn't going hugely fast, just normal speed for an average sailor, so probably a bit under 20kts
Learning to windfoil, I have breached and crashed many times at lower speed, but hitting the water harder due to acceleration provided by gravity. That led to some bruising.
I can't compare with car crashes because I'm a competent driver

Yeap foiling all the time. Lower speed but still feel the jar. Windsurfing very rarely occasional spinout or hit something in shallow water. Eg banjo shark.

I've definitely had the hardest crashes and the most injuries (black eye, broken nose, injured ribs) windsurfing. I'm travelling a lot faster (30-40kt), so I come down a lot harder - if I hit the boom or mast, it doesn't end well. Usual cause of the big crashes is hitting a submerged object, or spin out at full throttle, then catch a rail leading to a big catapult. I crash heaps wingfoiling, but tend to float forward with the wing, then create a spectacular splash that doesn't usually hurt too much. I wouldnt like to skewer myself on the foil though . Windfoiling was a harder smackdown than winging, but I never injured myself as was travelling slower (similar to winging 15-25kts).

Much harder slams windsurfing. You might fall from height winging but it happens so much less often and at lower speeds.

With practice you can become proficient at slamming in either discipline

Ive had much bigger slams on the windsurfer then windfoil. My foil seems to top out around 18knots, then its a battle to keep it in the water but never really had a drama falling. Always way more worried about the gear then myself.

First off, try this trick:



Second, it's ok to nose dive, it can still be recovered, I'd try and practice the technique when you feel comfortable.

Third, when they do happen, having the nose under water helps avoid mast collision with the board. It's usually a good idea to hang on and possibly avoid opening the sail so the mast goes downwind of the board.

Winging there's no pivot around the mast and no pressure on the mast which causes increased momentum in windsurfing.

As an example it's easy to do a fast forward loop in windsurfing, it's a bit similar to pole vaulting while there's no pole winging!

Haven't had a catapult for years windsurfing. Only happens for me when I hit something. Sailing in shallow water is always a bit of a worry because of sandbars but I sail in a bay where it is reasonably deep all the way across. Weed can cause you grief but I use a weedfin all the time and usually just slow a bit when I hit it and not usually a problem. Could be an issue with a conventional fin????!!!!!

Slalom / speed windsurfing on a fin,. I haven't done it for years but catapults still and do happen. Watch the PWA, at least one per day.
in high winds above 30 knots board speed, if the leeward rail hits a swell full length the board essentially stops, digging in and over you go. Instant.

But on foil it is more common. Slalom fin errors are self correcting somewhat since the fin setup is self levelling and self directing. Foils are fully manual control.

long review of speed (and therefore control ) here www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Foiling/F4Foils-Tuning-Tips-Towards-30-knots-