Foils are they fun?

[robricketts]

Who’s ridden a foil? I want to try one but these are a bit more $$$ than a board and I’m having a hard time pulling the trigger.

What are they like? I enjoy surfing both skim and surf style boards. Lately surf style seems to be my preferred board.

Love snow boarding and carving just curious if anyone has feedback before I drop 1500 on a test ride.

Thanks.


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[BCRider]

I'd really like to try one as well. Someone local to me has one local to me that I could pick up for about half the cost of new which is still quite expensive but not sure how much of a gimmick a foil is?

[BCRider]

I put a post up on FB that's getting some comments: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1505...=group_comment

[talltigeguy]

I rode one once and it seemed like a major one trick pony, but lots of people are really enjoying them out there. You can cruise around, and cruise around, and maybe carve a little, then cruise around some more. It seems that once you have it figured out, you are done progressing. You can pump it and keep going forever, but that looks more like work than fun to me.

[robricketts]

Well not many comments. I think it may be less about advancing as a rider and more about just having one more thing to do behind the boat.

I have pretty much abandoned wakeboarding. I’m 45 and am growing more and more afraid of the pain I feel when I crash

Still not sure if I should buy this but if I do I will post my finding.


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[ern]

Sit down hydrofoils are fun and I find the crashes less painful than wakeboarding. If you see someone with one, ask for a ride, most riders will be happy to get another convert.

[TigeFamily]

I have been on a wakesurf foil quite a bit, a buddy I ride with often bought one Spring of 2019. Its an interesting skill to learn as its very different than a regular surfboard the way you balance your weight, the most subtle movements can either put you into a nosedive from 16" up....or bring you up further out of the water and if you get far enought up for the "wing" to break the water....you quickly plummet straight down, lol.
For me, it was WAY easier to get the hang of this thing using a long line (wakeboard rope) and the boat driver is important as you learn since you want a steady even pull with a slower acceleration rate as you figure out the balance.
My buddy who bought the surf foil has gotten good enough to surf with it, its certainly no gimmick....just takes some time to figure out the balance and what NOT to do since you can also easily get hurt due to the metal mast. I quickly learned that (at least as a beginner) you dont want to "fight" the board direction if it starts getting squirrely....just bail off at that point. Here is why: If you quickly change your weight/stance in effort to get the board to stabilize or change direction (like you would on normal surf board), if your weight/balance is not in the correct place, the board will be trying to do one thing while your body weight is trying to convince it too do another thing. Due to the mast being down in the water, it changes the dynamics and your body weight does a lot less than you would think. At least for me, it could cause the board to basically stall & flip over....which left me hanging in the air, falling straight down onto the board which had just flipped sideways and exposed the metal mast/wings. Think it was around the 4th trip out that I did this landed on the mast and put a good size gash in my shin (this was last year and I still wear the scar). After that happened, I went and bought some soccer shin pads and a half helmet since protecting the noggin in a situation like that is critical IMO.
In conclusion, I think it is something fun to learn and once you have the basics down and are "floating" above the water... its a really cool experience that is difficult to compare to anything else I have done. You just have to be willing to put in some time. In all honesty I am not using it too much anymore, I take a few rides maybe every 3rd time he brings it now but dont jump at every chance to ride it since one thing I enjoy about wake surfing is the ability to be "semi-old" (mid 40's, lol) and not have to worry about getting hurt and not being able to work/provide due to injuries (why I quit wakeboarding). There is certainly a real chance of getting injured riding the wake surf foils as you get the hang of things. I am very athletic and have been active my entire life and learn new sports quickly. Clearly it wont be the same for everyone but personally I would not choose to ride without some safety gear.

[Wakeman22]

talltigeguy ask him and hope he sees this thread. He has one, rides it and is in your age group. Personally I would want to try it. Just never had a chance. I have a new rider in my boat who use to go on a regular basis and loves it. We are both in our 60's and I still wakeboard. Don't give up wakeboarding because of age, hard falls included, and if it was me I would test ride and decide for yourself.

[talltigeguy]

I ride the sit down foil and love it. I could go on and on, but the thrust of this thread was the stand up surf foil. PM me or start a new thread and I am happy to talk about it.

I think that TigeFamily hit the nail on the head when he said now that he figured it out, it is not the first thing he reaches for when it is time to ride.