Foil - first day impressions - next steps?

bobgatpdx · Since 04 Oct 2008 218 Posts Stoked

First time out on my new (used) Stringyfoil yesterday at Sauvie. Really nice afternoon on the last day of summer.

- Took the board for a swim without the kite and got a feel for moving it around and getting it into waterstart position (foothooks). Mast was all the way back in the track.

- Grabbed the board and kite and launched. Sauvie has a nice sandy bottom and quick dropoff - so pretty foil-friendly environment. Did some body drags with the board. Key learnings: watch out for that foil under water - easy to kick with your feet.

- First waterstart attempts were pretty rough. Kept losing the board and having kite management issues. Felt like a total newbie again. Key learnings: manage kite with front hand, manage board with back hand (I'm lazy and usually use my right hand to manage the board regardless of which direction I'm going - this did not work well with the foil)

- Finally started getting up and then the foil would immediately engage which resulted in a crash. Key learnings: keep legs straight-ish (not bent), get weight forward, don't use rear foothook - keep back foot in front of footstrap/foothook position.

- Eventually, I started to get some good "taxi" rides with the board on the surface of the water. Was much better on my good side (port tack - going to the left), than on my stupid side. By the end of the session I was taxi-ing slowly in both directions.

Felt like a successful first session, definitely need to taxi around some more.
Any suggestions for what to try next are much appreciated.
- Bob

PS: Looks like we have some Rooster days coming on Sun & Mon!

knotwindy · Since 25 Sep 2011 598 Posts Addicted

Probably have to learn to "taxi" with your legs bent. Hard to shift your weight fast enough front to back when on the foil with legs straight in the begining. Just my opinion.

skideeppow · Since 26 Aug 2011 518 Posts Addicted

legs should be bent, not straight. A mistake i made early on.

windwatcher · Since 18 Aug 2005 26 Posts B.C. Canada

My frist 5 times result in not really even getting up on the board to ride it flat on the water. I had really thought I'd finally incountered something that I'd have to say had beaten me in life. I'd heard of short masts, and looked into that and found that you could get a short mast, cut 15 in. and 22 in mast for the liquid forse foil. So with nothing to lose I cut and tapped the Mast. Well the first try on the 15'' I was up and going, so before I had completed one run across our lake I decided to try foiling, no problem doing short runs. When you come down off a foil with a 15 in. mast the drop isn't that far, so I didn't even get pitched forward off the board. After 4 times I moved up to the 22 in. mast. and am still enjoying that. I've been pitched off it a couple of time, but truly not that bad. Will I move on to a full length mast? For sure but not until I'm totally comfortable and the fun level deceases. I'm not as young as most starting out, I'm 61yrs. old and was riding a strapless directional before trying foiling. You sound like your well on your way, but my advice for anyone thinking about foiling go the short mast way and save yourself a lot of pain and frustration.

wylieflyote · Thu Sep 22, 16 4:09 pm

One more thing... At some point in your progression, after you're getting up onto the foil and riding, you experience this sweet joyous ability to blast way wind. Don't go crazy with that at first. I had a few touchy sessions where it was much more difficult coming home from upwind trips.

knotwindy · Since 25 Sep 2011 598 Posts Addicted

+1. It's backwards, it is harder to go downwind than upwind.

bobgatpdx · Since 04 Oct 2008 218 Posts Stoked

Thanks for the feedback! Really helpful to hear from folks who've been there / done that.

Straight legs:
For waterstarting I'm used to crunching up small to make it easy for the kite to pull me up. This didn't work well for me on the foil - I kept getting pulled over to the leeward side. Once I started waterstarting with straighter legs, I started having better luck. I hear what you're saying about keeping the legs somewhat bent for fast fore/aft weight shifts to control foil altitude. Haven't tried that yet really.

Upwind/Downwind:
When I was starting out, I used to have trouble going downwind on my twintip when overpowered. Then someone told me to try going toeside - that worked really well. Now it is not an issue for twintip or surfboard. Does the same apply to the foil? Of course, that assumes one could get to toeside on the foil without crashing. Worst case scenario, I guess you have to body drag back downwind.

Mast Length:
I've heard pros and cons about shorter masts. Sounds like the 24" Slingshot mast is pretty useful. My used Stringyfoil has a 30" mast - so a little shorter than the normal 35". Haven't started flying the foil yet, so time will tell how that goes.

dwaynej · Since 09 Sep 2013 207 Posts Stoked **CGKA Member**

1. Knees bent!
2. Everyone wants to immediately foil but learn to ride the board flat on the water in both directions. Strut acts as a ridder so you should be able to stay upwind. This skill gives you the capability to stay and get back upwind for when you start practicing foil attempts.
3. Following your water start, keep the board flat on the surface for a short distance before you bring the foil up. Don't try to foil from the initial start.
4. Water starts and foil attempts should not be hard upwind - Always start by pointing downwind a little. Once foiling you can turn into the wind more.

With regards to your water starts - The strut does not allow the board to skate sideways - A crunch is ok, but you want to extend your front leg to point the board downwind a little as the kite pulls you up so the board is traveling in the direction of the initial kite power. Ideally once you are up, you can steer upwind.

anders · Since 01 May 2012 107 Posts Stoked

I would try moving the mast forward a little. These things are like a balance board. It could be raising out of the water too soon depending of the mast placement and foot placement. Keep it up!

Nak · Fri Sep 23, 16 6:55 am

If you want to use the Slingshot masts, you'll need to talk to Stringy about a mounting plate for your board if your pattern is different than the Slingy pattern. I can't tell looking at your pic if the board has a track mounting or fixed mounting. If it's fixed, you'll almost certainly need a stringy mast to board plate. I know Jim has been working with the Slingy masts, so he should be able to set you up. Also, you'll need to talk to him about mounting your fuselage to the Slingy masts. Last thing, don't confuse "Slingy" with "Stringy"! Very Happy

skideeppow · Since 26 Aug 2011 518 Posts Addicted

wylieflyote · Fri Sep 23, 16 8:11 am

bobgatpdx · Since 04 Oct 2008 218 Posts Stoked

Some new videos from kiteboarding.com about learning to foil.
Gotta love Jeff Howard and the kitesurfing Hulk!
Looking forward to trying these tips out at Rooster tomorrow.
- Bob

https://youtu.be/n11cH_RVSao

https://youtu.be/K2Sz8-IVFJA

https://youtu.be/Eir7WSCBd5w

Lurk · Since 04 Apr 2009 355 Posts Obsessed

Ive got a 15" and a 24" Slingy short masts for sale. 50 bucks each.

bobgatpdx · Since 04 Oct 2008 218 Posts Stoked

Recently had day two of foiling at Sauvie. 12m kite. Good taxi rides in both directions (board touching the water). Keeping legs bent and most of my weight on front leg. Very easy to go upwind.Tried to get up on the foil a few times - still feels very weird and usually ends in a crash.

Only one sketchy fall where the board tipped to leeward so the foil was right under me as I fell - I was wearing a full suit, so no harm done. Most of my falls were me falling to leeward and superman-ing away from the board.

The taxing was starting to feel pretty under control, so now need to work on activating the foil.
- Bob

wylieflyote · Tue Oct 11, 16 5:13 am

Crashes:
Always wear a helmet... I have a few new ditches in my head.
Never weight Back Foot... If you have the presence of mind, try to never press on your back foot mid crash. This can cause the foil to lift, chase you down, and hit you. 1st hand experience.