Newbie to Wing-Thing

[Bobson]

Hey there Windfolks, it's time for me to come out of the Wing closet.
I'm Wing-Curious.
Okay, there it is. My "I'm never gonna do it" is just all talk.
So, now that I'm out.....

I'm going to need a Wing to practice with and probably a thicker wetsuit cause from what it looks like, "You People" are in the water A LOT!!

Anyone got a Wing they wanna sell.? I'll wait till I'm better to buy a new one as I'm guessing I'm gonna land on it and if not me then probably my board from what I've seen out on the water. So for now I'm thinking a 5m or a 6m. What do you think, is that a good size for an overly large fella like myself.? I have to say that I'm going to be pretty good at pumping cause I've had lots of pump practice. Albeit with a sail and not a Wing but it can't be that much different.

I'm guessing I'll need a leash or two and a pump, so if you have any extra of those I'd be interested as well.

I think to begin with I'll use either my big Windfoil board (150 litres) as it's very, very stable so I won't fall in as much, hopefully. I also have an older iSonic board (111 litres) that I had tracks put in so I can move the foil around until I find out where I need to stand. I'm guessing that the iSonic will work best once I get better at Wing handling as it's not as bulky and it'll be easier to paddle in when I decide that being in the water isn't my thing. HA!

Anyways, please let me know if you have any extra Wings hanging around at a reasonable price.

Who knows, maybe all you Wing Lovers aren't all crazy.? Probably only just some of you.

[TunaCan]

Yesssss B!

Get a decent used 6m. it’s what I learned on. Good for the big boys.

150L is too big. Look for a 110ish board.
I would recommend a 5/4m hooded surf suit.

Naish foil setup you have will likely work.

Dont bother with a harness for awhile or foot straps.

Do get a waist leash.

Dont look anybody directly in the eye while on the water till you can gybe both waves. Especially me.

Do keep the stoke level high.

Enjoy!

[VanIsleVanMan]

Hey Bobson
Good to hear about the transition - just think of all the extra space in the van now with no masst / booms / universals / etc…!

I’ve got a 6.2 Ensis and a 5 Fone strike - both in good shape. Let me know

Just John

[UnusuallyLargeRobin]

Whoooo!! Welcome to another wingman!! Oh my , I forsee a big drop in the Bobson Logs for 100+km sessions and the 100% jibe completions, but only just a temporary thing, you'll be flying by week 2!

- think you'll definitely want a 5.5m or 6m. A 5m will be too small for you to begin with.
Cheers

[Windjunky]

I agree 6M to start will get the most days on the water. Welcome to the club ....its about time, waves will be way more fun.

[Highrocker]

Welcome to the Dork Side! Looking forward to carving Drunken Monkeys with your mastless system. This'll be even funner than usual!

[tempy]

Bobson, I have a Slingwing V2 6.2 m. It is in good shape and I don't know if I will ever really use it.

[nanmoo]

No one said this yet (I think) but your windsurf foil will suck for winging. The fuselage is too long and you'll have much less leverage with no mast and harness to lean against. It will work yea, but it will be noticeably lamer. But if you can find a shorter fuselage all the other components will work just fine. I even used a giant 300 tail wing for awhile.

I only wing when no ones looking.

[Bobson]

Hey Nanmoo (and others), thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it.

I currently use a 95cm and 115cm fuse for WindFoiling. With my tuttle box stuck at the back of the board and not able to move it forward, I thought the longer fuse(115cm) that has the front foil set further forward would help with early lift, as well without the weight of the rig (mast/sail/boom) the foil would lift sooner anyways both helping with early lift meaning I would need more front foot pressure meaning my current footstraps would be useless. I was going to remove them anyways to begin with to find where my foot placement needs to be.

I guess I won't really know about the power, foot placement etc. until I've gone out and tried so I'm hoping for a 15kt day. Hopefully with sun and warm temps..... HA-HA!! I've got 3 long weekends in May booked at Nitinaht to hopefully practice my Wing-Dinging skills without too many Doods going in circles around me. HA!!

[nanmoo]

Long fuse on a wing board is harder to adjust your angle of attack and pump onto foil just due to less leverage on it. Necessary for stability with a windsurf sail, completely not with a wing. I had some friends struggling to get on foil at CC with a metre more of wing than I was using on a windsurf foil and nice floaty board. Cheekily, I called them kooks and said I'd have no issue making the bigger kit work. 30 minutes later I was regretting this but did finally manage success. So it works, and you're a monster so it will be easier, but it's way better and easier with a proper setup.

[tweezer]

I'll let you try some of my wing foil combos so you can see what works or doesn't. Only after I sail around you a couple times May long.

[AJSpencer]

This was very brave of you, Bobson.