I am after some advice on a first set up. I have had a couple of sessions, 1 lesson and a 1 rental on a 140l board. I managed to get up on the foil on both tacks and towards the end of the second session, starting to get some better board stability control when on the foil. Both sessions were in gusty winds, 20knts or so and flat water. I used a 6m wing both sessions and at times felt pretty overpowered. I weigh 100kgs. Front wing was 1900cm

Looking for my first setup and wondered whether I could drop to a 125l board (to hopefully last me a while) start with a 6.5m wing and a 1750cm front wing. I have a fair bit of Surf Sup, windsurf and kitesurf experience so wondering whether the 15l drop is too much to start with or whether I should just go for it and persist. I dont want to have to change boards after a few sessions if I can avoid it.

Thanks!

Will you primarily go out in that same location with flat water? If so, then you could consider going smaller than 125. With that said, in any case I don't expect you will have any issues dropping from 140 to 125 liters. I started on a 126 liter board at your same weight without ever going on a wing board previously.

Nice one, thanks @flanner89

It will be a bit choppier at my local spot but not too bad. Hoping the foil size is ok too @ 1750?

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Scozz76 said..
I am after some advice on a first set up. I have had a couple of sessions, 1 lesson and a 1 rental on a 140l board. I managed to get up on the foil on both tacks and towards the end of the second session, starting to get some better board stability control when on the foil. Both sessions were in gusty winds, 20knts or so and flat water. I used a 6m wing both sessions and at times felt pretty overpowered. I weigh 100kgs. Front wing was 1900cm

Looking for my first setup and wondered whether I could drop to a 125l board (to hopefully last me a while) start with a 6.5m wing and a 1750cm front wing. I have a fair bit of Surf Sup, windsurf and kitesurf experience so wondering whether the 15l drop is too much to start with or whether I should just go for it and persist. I dont want to have to change boards after a few sessions if I can avoid it.

Thanks!

What's your home location wind like?

1750 is a good size for other 100kg riders I know who learned.

For board, think beyond liters. Length and width matter just as much. A 7' 125l is going to be very different than a 5' 125l!

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BWalnut said..

Scozz76 said..
I am after some advice on a first set up. I have had a couple of sessions, 1 lesson and a 1 rental on a 140l board. I managed to get up on the foil on both tacks and towards the end of the second session, starting to get some better board stability control when on the foil. Both sessions were in gusty winds, 20knts or so and flat water. I used a 6m wing both sessions and at times felt pretty overpowered. I weigh 100kgs. Front wing was 1900cm

Looking for my first setup and wondered whether I could drop to a 125l board (to hopefully last me a while) start with a 6.5m wing and a 1750cm front wing. I have a fair bit of Surf Sup, windsurf and kitesurf experience so wondering whether the 15l drop is too much to start with or whether I should just go for it and persist. I dont want to have to change boards after a few sessions if I can avoid it.

Thanks!

What's your home location wind like?

1750 is a good size for other 100kg riders I know who learned.

For board, think beyond liters. Length and width matter just as much. A 7' 125l is going to be very different than a 5' 125l!

Thanks BWalnut. The wind is usually 10-15knts anything stronger and I will kite or windsurf (I say now!) Wind chop only where I am, no swell. The board I was looking at is a RRD Beluga 175 x 76 (5'9 x 30'')

Get the cheapest used 125 you can and flip it for a 90-100 after 2 weeks. With your background the 125 is a whale. It's only necessary for your first glides after that go smaller.

Compare your Surf SUP boards to the wing boards. If you are SUPing on a 125 l board or smaller, then you probably won't have a problem with a 125 l board, and may do fine downsizing quickly. Seems you are picking up winging quickly. There are plenty of new wingers who need more sessions to reach the point you're at, and for those, dropping volume more slowly often works better.

thanks

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boardsurfr said..
Compare your Surf SUP boards to the wing boards. If you are SUPing on a 125 l board or smaller, then you probably won't have a problem with a 125 l board, and may do fine downsizing quickly. Seems you are picking up winging quickly. There are plenty of new wingers who need more sessions to reach the point you're at, and for those, dropping volume more slowly often works better.

thanks boardsurfr. My surfsup is a 131l longboard and I find that super stable.

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Scozz76 said..

BWalnut said..

Scozz76 said..
I am after some advice on a first set up. I have had a couple of sessions, 1 lesson and a 1 rental on a 140l board. I managed to get up on the foil on both tacks and towards the end of the second session, starting to get some better board stability control when on the foil. Both sessions were in gusty winds, 20knts or so and flat water. I used a 6m wing both sessions and at times felt pretty overpowered. I weigh 100kgs. Front wing was 1900cm

Looking for my first setup and wondered whether I could drop to a 125l board (to hopefully last me a while) start with a 6.5m wing and a 1750cm front wing. I have a fair bit of Surf Sup, windsurf and kitesurf experience so wondering whether the 15l drop is too much to start with or whether I should just go for it and persist. I dont want to have to change boards after a few sessions if I can avoid it.

Thanks!

What's your home location wind like?

1750 is a good size for other 100kg riders I know who learned.

For board, think beyond liters. Length and width matter just as much. A 7' 125l is going to be very different than a 5' 125l!

Thanks BWalnut. The wind is usually 10-15knts anything stronger and I will kite or windsurf (I say now!) Wind chop only where I am, no swell. The board I was looking at is a RRD Beluga 175 x 76 (5'9 x 30'')

That's a pretty old school shape/size that will not favor your wind conditions. You'll be fine on that but it will hold you back and be hard to sell. So, don't buy that unless you need the money.

I'd look for something like this: sunovasurfboards.com/en/legends/casey/aviator-downwind-25
The 6'10" would be easy.
The 6'6" would probably be sufficient if you are as athletic as you sound.
Both would last you a long time riding light winds on a lake.
Both will favor light winds drastically over the 5'9"x30"
Both will allow you to progress towards smaller wings and smaller foils quicker.

IMO the board is the last thing to size down. That's old school thinking. Get your skills up, get your foil and wing size down, then consider a smaller board if you progress into higher winds.

Good recommandation @bwalnut.We need to take into account the background of the rider.Rule #1: Able to stand on the board in wind anywhere from 15-20 knts, because it's in that range you are going to learn.Rule #2: Able to generate enough speed for the foil...the narrower/longer board you go, the most speed you gonna have.If cannot stand, you cannot foil. If you have a faster narrower and longer hull, you can reduce that wind, but at a cost of not be able to stand on if you go too extreme.So be sure you have a solid background on small sup in wave or windsurfing if you pick a narrower board let say narrower than 23 inches wide...I recommend at least 25-27 at first...and anything longer than 5'10 with a foil track forward enough...older model has foilbox very far back and you cannot put some of the best foils on the market who often need fwd positions.Slimmer 23 inches and less wide board doesn't work the best with 1700-2000cm2 foil...the narrower you go, the lest input you can provide to the foil...so your fist board can be a whale for sure, but ideally at least 5'10...too short it's also hard to stand on.Good luck!