“ I ’ m pretty sure you ’ ll discover a SUP foil sled that suits you and the general conditions you ride in .”
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“ I ’ m pretty sure you ’ ll discover a SUP foil sled that suits you and the general conditions you ride in .”
Adding a foil turbocharges all of the above – and then some ! Glides on small waves with a finned board are one thing . But a foil adds even more efficiency , speed and glide . Plus , the silent , frictionless feel is unique and addictive in its own right . If you thought you were getting long waves before then , you ’ re in for a shock with foiling . Having dialled your SUP foiling skills in , you ’ ll be beating your own records by some margin . I can now ride one wave for nearly a mile before pulling off ( still elevated ) and pumping back out to the next pulse , caving round and gliding once again . The only reason to touch back down is my fatigue , halting the fun .
Dispelling a few SUP foiling myths Looking at any foiling discipline , you ’ ll probably have thought : ‘ wow , that ’ s impressive but no doubt hard and not for me ’. Social media and marketing have a lot to answer for . We ’ re so used to the elite level of sport being shoved in our faces that it ’ s hard to imagine something like SUP foiling can be super mellow , relaxing and meditative . Real-world riding ( of which I ’ m a big champion of ) is never as extreme as all those Instagram videos would have you believe . SUP foiling on dribbles is pretty chilled out and accessible for most riders with previous SUP surfing experience .
Riding a foil is also seen by many as dangerous . I won ’ t lie that you have to be mindful of that long dangly thing protruding from under your board . But with a sensible approach and a few precautions put in place , you ’ ll be enjoying your foil riding without too much hassle . I ’ ve seen more accidents from paddlers coming into hard contact with fins than I have foils . Also , most brands these days have designed their foil gear with as much safety in mind as they can . Wingtips of the foils , for instance , are often rounded out or angled down . So there aren ’ t any sharp edges to fall on . And if you take things slow and easy , working your way up the skill ranks incrementally , there shouldn ’ t be any mishaps ( other than damaged pride from time to time ).
I mentioned above that some perceive SUP foiling to be hard . Yet really , it isn ’ t . Yes , you need to put some time in , persevere and practise – the same as you would with any other new hobby . But if you already SUP surf , you ’ ll have all the necessary fundamental skills to get involved with SUP foiling .
SUP foiling equipment
Boards With the explosion of wing foiling , there ’ s a bit of a shortfall in terms of SUP foiling board choices . There ’ s so much scope to develop SUP foil boards but winging is the current industry focus , and as such , you ’ ll find way more wing foil board options available . Still , even with that in mind , I ’ m pretty sure you ’ ll discover a SUP foil sled that suits you and the general conditions you ride in .
A foil specific board between 6 ’ and 7 ’ in length will give just enough glide to allow riders to pick up waves . Compact foil boards will never be great at covering distance , with the yaw being brutal . I ’ ve paddled sub-6 ’ foil boards nearly a mile out to sea to access waves and can tell it ain ’ t fun ! ( Once up and flying , however , it all seems worthwhile ). Swapping back to a slightly longer 7 ’ makes all the difference in scenarios like this . The shorter the SUP foil board , the less swing weight there is . And less swing weight gives zippier turning and a more direct connection to the foil . As with standard SUP boards , it ’ s a fine line between being comfortable and enjoying your sessions and top drawer performance .
Width plays a BIG part in SUP foil boards , as does volume and volume distribution . Thicker , wider nose / tail foil boards with less