Is foiling the future of light wind windsurfing?

[windswell]

ho bidders so far at $400
This is a Windsurfing Hydrofoil. What makes it a Windsurfing Foil? The big wings! Does it work? Hell yeah! Why are you selling? I am scared of it. I am afraid to break my legs or my face. I had a couple of catapults. Somebody else can jump on this fad. Are you man enough to give this a shot? I used it twice. Been in the the water about 90 minutes total. Never abused. In A condition. I added those cool silver fins to it for stability. They are glued, not drilled so the new owner can remove them.

The board is a useless 135 liter Seatrend in F condition. It has lots of holes that I very quickly poured epoxy over, because I was eager to get on the water. If you decide to keep this, I recommend sanding the epoxy off, and performing a slightly less half assed job of fiberglassing. The board is surprisingly light for a 135 liter with that many holes. I mounted a plate to it with 3 positions for the foil. The 3 positions let you experiment.

The bag is something I had Laying around. It happens to fit the Seatrend perfectly. There is a repair on the bottom which is coming apart. Not a huge deal.

So the board and the bag are basically garbage. Think of them as free. If you have a board to sacrifice, you can but an adapter plate from Windance. They sell for $200. My solution is cheaper, as in free. Got that? Free!

This will sell to the highest bidder over $400.

No returns, no exceptions!

Local pickup is FREE at Papillon Police Department. There are 2 parking spots designated for online transactions. with Security cameras rolling.

I'll ship all of it to lower 48 only at your expense.
If you want me to put the board and bag in the Trash, and only ship the foil, you can save lots of money on shipping. Your choice, either way, you pay for shipping.

[PeconicPuffin]

Let's give it a few years to see how the gear develops, and the costs.

I haven't tried it yet, but a friend with gear has promised to get me out there and up on the foil. He says he's fully planing in 8 knots on a 5.8, weighing 180lbs. That would change summer in my neck of the woods...we have deep bays and mostly 8-10 knot days July and August.

Will it be great? Will it be an expensive yawn? Looking forward to finding out.

[manuel]

Thanks all, great input! I have a better grasp now of what it will bring to our sport.

In light winds, I enjoy doing the following three types of windsurfing:
1. Formula
2. Dirt Windsurfing
3. Freestyle

1. I enjoyed the long planing rides on the Formula, felt like boat sailing really.

2. I *love* dirt windsurfing. It's easy to setup, requires only one sail. No getting wet. Can park and ride right away. No fin. Can use dirt cheap (haha!) gear. There's no planing sensation but there are some g-forces involved, slides, etc. We can practice most moves still. It can be done in an urban environment, dirty gusty winds don't really matter. Mostly anyone can do it nearly anywhere, can be sub-freezing too.
After many many sessions doing it, I still don't understand why it's not more popular? I'd rather do dirt windsurfing than stop and go on big gear in cold waters...

3. As far as freestyle goes, I find it challenging and lots of fun but it only goes so far and I start craving planing rides after a while. And I can't imagine doing it when the water is so cold.

So as far as foiling goes, the advantages I see are:
- No need for big rigs
- Easier on the body
- Relaxing
- Can ride longer

They have been using more and more foiling with boats and are breaking records left and right.

Anyway, looking forward to more feedback on the subject. I know they are coming here and growing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRl5yGJFhX8

[grantmac017]

Guys with waves to play in would rather wave sail a wave oriented longboard, that totally makes sense.
Guys who are heavily invested in jumbo rigs don't want to sell at a large loss, also totally makes sense.
If freestyle is your thing I suppose you will find a way to make it happen but in my local conditions you definitely aren't planing anything except FW for a lot of the summer (if you have a day job).
Racing Longboards is likewise a lot of fun, but for that you need a few people also interested in racing. Just cruising a LB can get rather stale and the cost for a board is far from cheap unless you go vintage.

For the sailor who mainly has access to flat water, sees a lot of 8-12kt days and wants to go places upwind and down the foil makes a LOT more financial sense than formula. Sure an ultra high end foil might rival a FW mast and sail (but not board, fin and boom) for cost, but a recreational foil is now similar cost to a mid size sail and mast. If you happen to live in one of these areas then finding an old FW board won't be difficult or expensive.

[gregnw44]

I agree with Grant's logic... well said.

Manual, regarding your post with foiling advantages... I doubt it will be "relaxing", LOL At least, it won't be relaxing for me!!
I do NOT believe those vids showing peaceful, air-born, windfoiler's, flying along 2' off the water... with relaxing and fun music tracks!
I mean yes, that's what the vid is selling... but I ain't buying it
I am expecting it to be tough and a long learning curve, before I'm able to do that (if ever) !!!
I'm expecting it to be a wobbly and constant balancing challenge... with tense muscles, making tons of slight adjustments, trying to keep it balanced. And it's this challenge that has all these experts so stoked. They are having to work their asses off while sailing in 8-18 knots again (just like they did when they were learning)... and they're loving the challenge. I've heard it's like trying to ride a unicycle on a surfboard ha ha.
And your "advantage" about being able to ride longer? Again, not me! I think all the constant struggling to stay balanced will be a great workout, and will be VERY tiring and fatiguing.
And THAT is exactly what all the fun is about. Windsurfing is a tough sport, lots of people like windsurfing cause it's difficult to learn and a real commitment to get better. Windfoiling is the same, but even more difficult. I haven't tried it yet, but I will sometime this summer. And when I do, I'll report my experience.

Next. Windfoiling won't do anything to save windsurfing, I've never heard that before. No reason to even go there, as far as I know.
Kona One boards and other similar boards will save windsurfing, not foils. Foils will be a fun new challenging toy for experienced windsurfers to play with. It'll take effort to learn, but will give great rewards, as you get better. My challenge will be finding the needed wind of 8-12 knot min... but I will have the time to drive where I need to go, to get it.
Manual asked in his title, is foiling the future of lightwind windsurfing? I'd say no, not at all. It's too specialized, and too difficult to learn... but it will be a fun addition for some people, depending on local conditions.

Cost - obviously it can be expensive or relatively cheap. The new Neil Pryde alum foil for $795 is the cheapest I've seen. Other alum foils from Slingshot and Manta can be had for around $1000. The carbon foils are all around $2000... so that's not what you're looking at, if you want cheap. The problem with all of them is availability (the Neil Pryde alum is not available yet, and when it is, it'll be scarce). The big difference between the two is weight. Carbon foils approx. 5-7 lbs. Alum foils approx. 9-12 lbs. do your own shopping to know for sure. Anyway the alum is heavy, but it works... so pick what you want based on budget. You can use any sail rig you want, it's not critical for learning... so there's no cost there. The board might be one you already have, or you can find something in the used market place for cheap.

Next - I don't see why anyone would sell their big lightwind gear. I don't see foiling as a replacement for any of our usual gear. I see it as a new toy, which will add challenging fun to marginal wind conditions. Yes, it will cost some $, but it won't take up much room...so I think most will simply add a foil to their quiver... it'll increase the diversity of things to have fun with in 10-20 mph wind.

[Wind-NC.com]

Hey guys, foiling IS fun! For sure, it isn't for everyone and everywhere, but if you have the opportunity, you should definitely give it a try.

-It is very engaging. (you have to pay attention, or else you get wet)

-It is very responsive. (you can carve and lift and dive and change directions like you're on a 70 liter board, in ten knots of wind) That said, even just cruising along in a straight line is really fun!

-It is not super hard to do at a basic level. (most people are getting their first rides within ten minutes, if they're a confident "regular" windsurfer)

-It is a good workout. (you're constantly doing little micro adjustments, so you never really get to just totally relax, until you have a ton of days and have built up your confidence)

-It is super butter smooth and quiet in choppy water. I can't overstate how unique the smooth sensation is. (less wear and tear on your bones and joints)

-It is crazy addictive.

-Even within foiling, you can pursue different facets of the sport- racing, freestyle, wave... Ultra light wind... Super high wind... The possibilities are endless and the gear is evolving!



About me- I only have a year's worth of experience windsurf foiling, but I had been considering it for the last 4-ish years. I am super bummed that I waited so long to finally give it a go, because it is really awesome. Seems like I wasted a bunch of time just wondering about it, when I should have just gone for it. Oh well... A foil or two are definitely in my truck at all times now!!

[PCfoiling]

[Wind-NC.com]

[manuel]

Thank you, makes perfect sense. What's the view on wooden foils?

[jlooby]

Really looking forward to the Slingshot review Andy. please post here

Joe