Intro To Wing Foiling

Intro To Wing Foiling

You may have noticed a weird new sport hit the water in the last few years. What is it and why should you get into it? We hope to answer your questions here!
Wing foiling is the fastest growing water sport right now. It's a combination of windsurfing, kiteboarding and foiling. Harnessing the power of the wind with a hand held wing, you gain momentum, propelling you forward, which allows the foil under the water to lift you and the board above the surface of the water. 
Why all the hype? It's so accessible in terms of self reliance. You don’t need anyone to help launch you like you would in most places kiteboarding. If the wind dies, you can just lay on your board and paddle back into the shore. 
Wingfoiling is among the easier foil disciplines to learn and as you progress allows for a very pure wave riding experience.  
Why is it fun? Do you want to glide above the water feeling like you are floating on a cloud? Then you probably want to wing foil!
The foil under the board, once it has enough momentum to lift you up, glides under the surface, giving you a smooth ride through the water no matter how choppy or wavy it is on the surface. This gives you that “floating” feeling and is so addictive. 

What do you need?

Board:

For a beginner board you want something that is nice and stable to make the early learning curve easier. The size of the board will depend on a couple factors, including how much you weigh and the wind conditions in the area you will be learning. A good general rule is to take your body weight in kilograms and add 20 litres. Go bigger to learn faster.

Wing:

Wings come in a variety of sizes starting at 1.4 square metres and go all the way up to 9 square metres. Most wingers have a couple of wing sizes for varying wind strength. Most people start with one between 4m and 6m depending on body weight and average wind speeds they will be learning in. Wings come with a variety of handle types, though most brands are going to two rigid handles. 

 

Foil:

Your first foil you are going to want something with a nice big front wing that will offer a lot of “lift”. This will help you get up and foiling at slower speeds, making it easier to learn to foil. A longer fuselage helps give stability at the cost of turnability. Foils are modular so as you progress you can replace individual components.

Extra Necessities:

Recommended:

 

So what are you waiting for? Get out and join the fun!