Foils
The hydrofoil part of your wing foiling setup is THE most important bit . Choosing the wrong type will see your progression stall . Foils come in two styles these days ( mostly ) – high and low aspect foils . Avoid high aspect , to begin with , even though they ’ re the on-trend foil . And just as with board and wings , go bigger with your foil .
A front foil wing with around 2000cm2 will get most 80kg-100kg flying in 18-20 knots with a 5m / 6m wing . With practice , perseverance and time on the water . Bigger is best , to begin with – be under no illusion . As I always say , if you want to learn how to foil but aren ’ t foiling because your kit isn ’ t suitable , then you ’ re not going to learn how to foil .
As well as front foil wings , you can choose foil mast length . Many choose to start on something shorter , around 70cm . This is fine but won ’ t cut it as you get better . As soon as you ’ re sustaining flight , you ’ ll want a mast closer to 85cm . With a longer mast , you have more leeway and won ’ t run the risk of the front foil wing breaching as often . Breaching ( or over foiling ) is where the front foil wing breaks the water ’ s surface , becomes aerated , and the power switches off . Instantly . Which results in a crash . Everyone goes through this . It ’ s par for the course while learning . A longer foil mast reduces the chances of this happening . Then , your clearance is better as you start to ride in windier conditions with choppier water states . And when foil gybing , a longer foil mast helps here .
Fuselages should be a tad longer when starting your wing foil journey . A longer fuse will give better pitch control ( nose to tail ) and feel more stable . As you improve , you may go for shorter to loosen up the ride .
Tail wings , as with front foil wings , should be bigger to start , and this will give more stability and help when levering the foil up into flight mode . As with all component parts , you can start to experiment and change bits once you ’ ve dialled in your skills .
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