Hey gang I'm 62 years old surfed & Supped for ever have slowed done some what due to an undiagnosed genetic heart condition have got the all clear from cardiologist and rearing to go again. Looking for a new stoke as the others have wavered due to crowds on the GC. After any comments for some kind of direction. Thanks in advance

Go and have chat with SurfFX at Southport. They can provide advice on gear, and more importantly, locations, groups and lessons/tips.

I'm curious how long it takes someone with a Windsurfing background to get up and winging. I might consider having a crack on holiday someday

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Hazzelbanger said..
I'm curious how long it takes someone with a Windsurfing background to get up and winging. I might consider having a crack on holiday someday

Took me about an hr to wind foil (short hops) never jibed on the foil. Moved to WingFoiling and a bit longer learning curve for long controlled flights.

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Hazzelbanger said..
I'm curious how long it takes someone with a Windsurfing background to get up and winging. I might consider having a crack on holiday someday

It took me 2 months to foil. I windsurfed for 20 years and 3 years windsurf foiled. There are some talented people make much better progress. However, I have seen many others going through very difficult time making progress. One of the key is selecting large board (weight in kg+30/40) and large foil like 2200/2400 cm2. Once you find the optimal equipment, it is very important to find the balance point of the mast.

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SA_AL said..
One of the key is selecting large board (weight in kg+30/40) and large foil like 2200/2400 cm2. Once you find the optimal equipment, it is very important to find the balance point of the mast.

That's true for most guys, but for light weights, the foils size suggestion is quite bad advice. Just like the board size depends on body weight, so does the foil size. A 2400 cm2 foil may be perfect for someone who weighs 100 kg, but for a 50 kg person, it can be an uncontrollable monster, especially in chop. I have a friend in this weight category who struggled for years on foils that were much too large (initially 2400, later 1800). She finally made decent progress when she went to 1200 and 1000 cm2 foils, after a transition period with somewhat larger foils that she shimmed to the max to reduce lift. She was a pretty good windsurfer with a few decades of experience when she started.

A beginner around 80 kg may well progress faster on a 1700-2000 cm2 foil, and someone around 60 kg may be fine with 1500 cm2.
If you can get a complete set of foil + board from someone who learned on the gear and then progressed to something smaller, that can also help to avoid any trim problems, which can hinder progress. Works best if the seller had somewhat similar weight and skills/learning ability.