Wingfoiling Progression

General discussions about wingfoiling: equipment, tips, problems, where to go, where you should have been, pump safety.
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tempy
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Post by tempy »

CKR for repairs
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Post by tempy »

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Tsawwassen
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Post by Tsawwassen »

Tlaloc wrote:
I rapidly becoming a detractor of footstraps, I found that they only got in the way of me trying to balance.
Anyone have other experiences or thoughts?
When I was first starting out I took them off and found it much better, I still go without sometimes. No apologies needed, ask away.
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Post by UnusuallyLargeRobin »

tempy wrote:ULR, found the fanny pack for you...
Tempy, gotta say i kinda like it! ...but why are you actively searching for such things hmm? 😃
Me: 85kg(187lbs)
FoilBoards: Fanatic 5'0 SkyWing(75lt);6'6 BP(116lt);
Wings:Duotone v2 Unit 4.0, 5.5m; v3 Unit 3.0
Foils:Axis HPS1050(1460cm2),PNG1150(1713cm2),HA1000(1310cm2); Rears 370,425p,Skinny365/55; Fuses: ultra, adv.crazy black; Mast:90cm 19mm Alu
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Post by JDR »

Tempy - thanks for the CKR suggestion. Will be contacting them tomorrow.
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Post by tempy »

ULR, I am part of the UFC, of course, and get notifications about unicorns all the time.

(Uncorn Fan Club)
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more force 4
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Post by more force 4 »

And in case its not clear, the stability and upwind potential is even when slogging (going too slow to foil). Big safety factor compared especially to kiting.

I did see a winger at the bottom of the beach and near the anchored sailboat on Saturday, that was probably you Tlaloc? Saturday at Willows after about 1:30 was extremely challenging conditions for anyone, it was so gusty from next to nothing to over 30 knots and shifting direction up to about 60- degrees. The offshore wind was a real danger, but reasonable if you stayed inside the 'catchment' of Cattle Pt. If you managed a few seconds on foil thats great progress! You'll find progress comes quickly with steady conditions and time on the board.

I think you did the right thing to go out on a big paddleboard in light wind to get a feel of the wing. I am planning to do this when I finally cave and get mine. I have a longboard with a centreboard which I think will go really well with a wing and should track upwind no problem. I'd like to get the hand and footwork for gybes down before trying it on a foil.

If you can get a few days at Nitinat - the strong, very steady wind is bliss.

Island View can be another really good beginner place - Look for a S or SE wind, and get off the water if it switches more west and gets gusty. Esquimalt Lagoon (outside) is fabulous on a S, but they are rare. Mostly its SW or W and side-offshore and gusty. Its doable on wing or windfoil but you'll probably have more fun at Ross Bay after you are past the crash-every-10-seconds stage.
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Post by Lateriser »

Im a wing foil beginner as well and several sessions on an old crappy longboard on land helped me a lot to handle the wing. Next time after on the water I could more focus on the board, stand and stuff.
Just got some longer micro flights in at Ross yesterday- this erased my frustration from the last couple sessions.
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Post by Lateriser »

adding to this wing foil going upwind - in my search for learning avoiding all my upwind walks ( thinking time) I found this tutorialhttps://www.progression.me/blog/learning-to-win ... ngsurfing/
This is not working for me. Wing backwards brings me upwind. Am I wrong here?
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Post by winddoctor »

IMO, heading upwind is a matter of getting enough forward speed on foil, turning the hips/front foot forward, keeping the wing more vertical, looking upwind, and letting the wing "slot" into position.

There isn't much need to rake it back or drive it forward. If the wing is a good design and you have enough power, you'll feel where it wants to sit naturally and you can play a little with moving it fore/aft from there.

I'll often do a short carve hard up into the wind with the wing raked back a little then it moves forward into its "slotted" position once I'm heading upwind. I don't need to hold it forward actively. Only when I'm really overpowered will I hold the wing more overhead or if I'm not trying to get max upwind speed and angle I'll let the wing go more overhead.

A narrower stance really helps you feel the foil sweet spot as well and keeps you tall and efficient along with an engaged core/lats. Lots of wingers are riding too wide in stance and with their butt out and this kills the sense of lift/pitch as well as negatively affecting upwind angle.
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Lateriser
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Post by Lateriser »

Thanks for all advice. Narrower stance makes sense, wrong moves have less bad impact. I will practice this next time.
I also read similar stuff about stand and "butt" position - like imaging holding a golfball with your cheeks .... lol
so much to learn
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Post by Lateriser »

hi JDR, sorry to hear about your wing. Im a wing foil rookie as well. I find Ross Bay perfectly for me - easy walk backs up wind, sheltered bay and mostly other wingers out there. Im very impressed by the welcomed wing community - everybody is awesomely helpful and sharing experiences.
I SUP'd to discovery Island many times from Willows, but I wouldn't pic this spot for wing foil learning in westerly winds.
Also I would not replace the Foil with several Fins - just for learning balance and handling the wing.
It helped me a lot to learn handling the Wing on land with an old crappy longboard. ( tip - duck tape the end of the wing- protect against pavement:-)
after a couple sessions on land- its amazing how you deal with the wing on water next time.
For small holes and temporarily fix of the wing - dacron insignia tape is very helpful, way better than duck tape :-)
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Post by monicavi »

A narrower stance is also better for pumping, kdmaui style. Light calf raises, high on foil.

A super wide stance is a must for maxing out a foils top end in high wind and bigger waves (relative to your foil) on foil.

Anybody having any luck tacking in nuking wind? I keep getting pulled backward in over ~30kn.
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Post by JDR »

Thanks for the suggestion re: the dacron tape Lateriser - will definitely pick some up (and hope I won't need to use it). I like the longboard suggestion and may give it a shot as well. As a new foiler, I'm realizing how helpful it would be to sort out the foil behind a boat and then put it all together with the wing. Usually when I do get up on foil it all falls apart pretty quickly - way too many moving parts for me at the moment!
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Lateriser
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Post by Lateriser »

You're welcome JDR. Im a guy who wants to know how things work.My Foil gear is not new, all mixed, homebuilt and used stuff. My fuselage was was 61cm ( slingshot) and I made a homebuilt extension to 85cm. I had the same problem like you , getting up and than loosing completely control over the board , because its just tumbling, and those micro flights are short where to place my feet.. My fuselage extension makes it much more controllable .
What Foil system are you riding?
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